Friday: 80.4kg (177lb)
Saturday: 80.7kg (178lb)
Sunday: 80.4kg (177lb)
Monday: 80.2kg (177lb)
Tuesday: 80.8kg (178lb)
Yesterday: 80.2kg (177lb)
Today: 80.7kg (178lb)
A PRIVATE medical team comes to the Fodele Beach Resort each morning to conduct covid tests.
You can easily book one online, which I did for 9am today.
There was a short queue when I arrived at the testing centre a couple of minutes before my appointed time, and the queue grew longer as staff did not turn up until very nearly 9.15.
I paid 35 euros for a rapid antigen test (the PCR tests required on day two and eight after returning to England will cost considerably more) and the doctor stuck a swab up my nose.
This stung momentarily, but otherwise the procedure was very simple.
I was told I would receive the result by email within an hour.
As I type, that was more than three hours ago, but it is a bit early to start panicking.
My opponent today was from the United States (ex-Hong Kong).
Suresh Jhunjhnuwala (1870 Fide) - Spanton (1998 ECF)
Amateur Chess Organization World Senior Championship (Fodele Beach Resort, Crete) Round 7
Sicilian Maroczy Bind
1,e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6
SJ asked after the game if this is a normal move. It is.
8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Bd7 10.h3!?
This has been played by grandmasters, but more popular are 10.Qd2, 10.Rc1, 10.f3 and 10.Nc2.
10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.Qd3 Nd7 13.Bxg7!?
Generally speaking, an exchange of dark-square bishops favours Black in the Maroczy Bind as White is left with a bad bishop. However, here Bxg7 is liked by the analysis engines Stockfish13 and Komodo12.1.1.
13...Kxg7 14.Qd4+ Kg8 15.f4!?
Aggressive, but it lets Black exchange queens, which usually favours Black in the Maroczy because Black has less space and is more likely than White to be overrun.
15...Qb6 16.Qxb6 Nxb6 17.b3!?
Possibly a novelty. 17.Nd5 is a known move, but the engines prefer the text.
17...Nd7 18.Bf3 a5 19.Rad1 Rfc8?
I failed to notice the threat behind White's last move. Black is fine after 19...Nc5 or 19...f6!?
 |
| White to play and win material |
*****
*****
*****
*****
20.e5!
This wins a pawn.
20...Ra6 21.exd6 Bxf3 22.Rxf3 Rxd6 23.Rxd6 exd6 24.Rd3 Rc6 25.Nb5 Nc5 26.Rxd6 Rxd6 27.Nxd6
More-or-less by force the game has reached an ending that should be won by White with reasonable care.
27...Kf8 28.Kf2 Ke7 29.Nb5 a4 30.Nd4 Ne4+ 31.Ke3
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
31...Nc3
31...axb3!? 32.Nxe4?? b2 wins for Black, but White should instead play 32.axb3, when Black has failed to inflict queenside isolanis.
32.bxa4 Nxa4 33.Nb3 Kd6 34.Kd4 b6 35.a3!?
White should probably prefer improving his knight with 35.Nd2, intending 36.Ne4+, but the text does not seem to ruin anything.
35...h5?!
The engines much prefer 35...f5, intending, once the white knight moves, ...Nc5 and ...Ne6+ to drive the white king off the fourth rank.
36.g4!?
White should not be exchanging pawns if he can avoid it, but White has to be careful here that the g2 pawn does not become a fixed target.
36...hxg4 37.hxg4 Nb2?!
I rejected 37...f5 because of 38.g5, when the g6 pawn is weak, but at least then 38...Nc5!? sets a trap, ie 39.Nxc5?? bxc5+, when the pawn-ending is drawn. White is not forced to capture on c5, but 37...f5 is a better try than the text, which eases White's task (not that it really needed easing).
38.c5+ bxc5 39.Nxc5 Nd1 40.a4 Nf2?
Black is lost anyway, but this removes all hope.
40...Ne4+ 1-0
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