Lessons From North Shields IV

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - David W Gostelow (1975E/1915F)

Northumberland Open Round 4

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5

This move scores 57% in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, which compares very favourably with the 51% of 3.d4 and the 52% of 3.c3.

3...g6 4.c3

More popular, and scoring marginally better in Mega21, are 4.0-0 and 4.Bxc6.

4...Nf6 5.Qe2

This, and gaining space in the centre with 5.e5, are almost equally popular in Mega21, with both moves scoring 52%.

5...Bg7 6.d4!?

Normal is 6.0-0, which has been played by Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian.

6...cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nbd2!?

Trying to trap the advanced black knight with 10.Bxc6 (not 10.Ne1?? Nxd4) bxc6 11.Ne1? runs into 11...Qb6, when Black threatens the d4 pawn as well as ...Ba6. However, more popular than the text are 10.Nc3 and 10.Be3.

How should Black proceed?

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10...Nxd2

This looks natural but grandmasters have tended to prefer a move favoured by Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1, namely 10...Qb6!? If White replies 11.Bxc6, aiming to follow up by twice capturing on e4, Black has 11...Qxc6. Black can even play 11...bxc6!? as 12.Nxe4? is met by 12...Ba6.

11.Bxd2 Bg4 12.Bc3

The engines prefer 12.Bxc6!? bxc6 and either 13.Bb4 or 13.h3.

12...Qb6 13.Bxc6 bxc6

White's move-order has given Black the option to capture on c6 with the queen, but the queen will eventually be hit by a white rook coming to c1. Stockfish14 prefers the text; Komodo12.1.1 prefers 13...Qxc6.

14.h3 Bf5

The engines strongly prefer returning the bishop-pair with 14...Bxf3!? 15.Qxf3 a5, which they reckon gives White at best a tiny pull.

15.Qd2!?

Preventing Black quickly activating the king's bishop with ...Bh6, which would control the c1 square, and at the same time preparing queenside action.

15...a5

DW said in the postmortem he nearly played 15...Rfd8??

16.Nh4 Bd7

16...Bc8 might look natural but, as DG pointed out, the follow-up ...Ba6 is unlikely to be possible because it leaves the a5 pawn hanging.

17.Kh2

Stockfish14 gives 17.b4!?, to which both engines reckon Black's best reply is 17...a4. 

Analysis position after 17...a4

Stockfish14 claims White is positionally winning but Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as equal. Given enough time, Komodo12.1.1's concedes White a slight edge, but even so the contrast in the engines' evaluations is huge.

17...Rfc8 18.f4 e6 19.g4

The game becomes a race between rival flank attacks. Although it is White who is attacking on the kingside, it is the white king that becomes more exposed.

Stockfish14 gives White a slight edge; Komodo12.1.1 gives Black a slight edge

19...c5 20.f5?!

The engines prefer 20.Nf3, 20.Rf2 or 20.dxc5. The text looks natural, but there is an unexpected problem that will soon become apparent.

20...exf5

This is best, but also satisfactory for Black is the line I feared: 20...cxd4 21.Bxd4 Qb4, when White has nothing better than 22.Qxb4 axb4 23.f6 with approximate equality. Bad is 22.Bc3? Bxe5+!, while 22.Qf2?! Rc4 23.Bc3, which was DW's suggestion and looked good for White in the postmortem, runs into 23...Rxc3! 24.bxc3 Bxe5+ 25.Kg2 Bxc3, when for an exchange Black has two pawns, the bishop-pair and attacking chances.

21.gxf5

Black to play and win (or least get a large advantage)

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21...gxf5?

21...cxd4 22.Bxd4 Qb4 is similar to a line in the previous note, but the engines point out 22...Rc2!! 23.Qxc2 (23.Bxb6 Rxd2+ leaves White with too many hanging pawns) Qxd4, when Black is down an exchange but has the bishop-pair and will win a pawn, and gets attacking chances, eg 24.Qf2 Qxe5+ 25.Kg1 Bb5, which Stockfish14 reckons is winning for Black although Komodo12.1.1 gives Black 'only' the upper hand.

22.Nxf5 Bxf5 23.Rxf5 cxd4 24.Bxd4 Qg6?!

Probably better is the engines' 24...Qc7, although they reckon 25.Bc3 leaves White well on top.

25.Raf1!?

Even stronger seems to be 25.Qf2 followed by 26.Rg1.

25...Rc4 26.b3 Rc7?

The engines reckon much better is 26...Rc6, although 27.R1f2 is still very good for White.

27.R1f2

Even stronger is 27.R5f2!?, when the engines reckon best-play runs 27...Qh6 28.Qxh6 Bxh6 29.Rg2+ Kf8 and either 30.e6 or 30.Bb2!?, in each case with a winning advantage.

27...Rac8?

Better is the engines' 27...Kh8!?, but 28.Qd3 Rc1 29.Rg2 is very strong.

28.Qf4?

Slow. Winning easily is 28.Rg5, eg 28...Rc2 29.Rxg6 Rxd2 30.Rxg7+ etc.

28...Rc2 29.Rg5 Rxf2+ 30.Bxf2 Qh6 31.Qf5?

White keeps a large advantage with 31.Bd4, eg 31...Rc2+ 32.Kg3 when the threat of 33.e6 cannot be met.

Black to play and draw (or at least be only slightly worse)

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31...Qe6?

Best is 31...Rc6, when the engines reckon White has a slight edge but no more.

32.Qf6!

Black is completely lost.

The game finished:

32...Qxf6 33.exf6 Rc2 34.Rxg7+ 1-0

Benidorm Starters

EARLY entries for the December congress in Benidorm have been published at https://info64.org/benidorm-chess-open-b-u2000 and https://info64.org/benidorm-chess-open-a-u2400.

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round Three

PLAYED this afternoon (for the unusual rules of this event, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/09/coulsdon-daytime-round-2.html).

Adrian Davey (1795 ECF/1715 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

English Opening

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6!?

Most popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database are 3...f5 and 3...Nf6, but the text is not far behind. However there is a problem with ...g6 in that after ...

4.d4 exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nxc6

... it is hard not to conclude White is better.

6...bxc6 7.g3 Ne7 8.Bg2 0-0 9.0-0 Ba6!?

Grandmasters have tried several moves after 9.0-0, although the text is not one that has found much of a following. The main line in Mega21 goes 9...d6 10.Bg5 Rb8 11.Qd2 with advantage to White, according to Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1.

10.Qa4 Qc8 11.Bd2

The engines reckon even stronger is 11.e4 or 11.Rd1.

11...Rd8!?

Ignoring a rule-of-thumb given by first correspondence world champion Cecil Purdy who warned against placing a rook behind an unmoved pawn even if you intend moving the pawn.

12.Rfe1 Rb8 13.Rad1

Can Black safely capture the b pawn?

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Yes! Or at least the engines reckon so. I rejected 13...Rxb2!? because of the forking reply 14.Qa3, but the engines continue 14...Rxd2 15.Rxd2 Bxc4, the point being 15.Qxe7?? loses to 15...Bxc3. So after 15...Bxc4 Black has two pawns (at least temporarily) and the bishop-pair for the exchange, although the engines still prefer White.

13...Nf5 14.Bc1!?

Rather than this passive retreat, the engines like 14.b3, although the white queen does look a little awkwardly placed.

After the text there comes a long semi-forced sequence ...

14...Nd6 15.c5 Nc4 16.Qc2 Qb7 17.b3 Qb4 18.Ne4 Na3 19.Qd2 Qxd2 20.Rxd2 Nb5 21.Bb2 Bxb2 22.Rxb2

... at the end of which AD offered a draw (in my time).

Position after 22.Rxb2 - who stands better?

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White has the better pawn-structure, but the white rooks are a little uncoordinated in the short term. The engines give White a slight edge.
22...f5!?

The engines prefer 22...d5 23.cxd6 cxd6, but I felt the resulting hanging pawns would make it easy for White to come up with a plan, and anyway I hoped the c5 pawn might prove vulnerable.

23.Ng5 h6 24.Nf3 Re8 25.e3 Nc3 26.Bf1?!

The black bishop might look impressive on the a6-f1 diagonal, but it is not threatening anything and has little flexibility. After ...

26...Bxf1 27.Kxf1

... Black has equalised, according to the engines.

27...Rb5 28.b4 a5 29.a3 Ne4 30.Rd1 Re7 31.Nd4 Rb8 32.Rb3 axb4 33.axb4 Ra8 34.Rb2 Nc3 35.Rdd2 Ree8 36.Kg2 Rab8 37.Rb3 Nd5 38.b5 cxb5 39.Rxb5 c6 40.Rxb8 Rxb8

The exchange of a pair of rooks means the game has definitely reached an ending, and it is dead-equal, according to the engines.

The endgame starts

41.Ra2 Kf7 42.Kf3 Nc3 43.Rc2!?

Activity with 43.Ra7 looks natural. It may be AD was (unnecessarily) worried about threats to his f pawn.

43...Ne4 44.Ke2

Perhaps 44.g4!? is better, getting rid of the e4 outpost after 44...Ng5+ 45.Kf4 fxg4 46.Kxg4, although then White has three pawn-islands against Black's two.

44...Ra8 45.f3

The alternative way to evict the black knight from its outpost.

45...Ng5 46.h4 Ne6 47.Nxe6 dxe6

The Black d pawn at last moves (see note to 11...Rd8!?).

The position remains equal, as also would be the case after 47...Kxe6 48.Rd2 d5 49.cxd6 Rd8, according to the engines.

48.f4 Kf6 49.Kf3!?

Perhaps 49.Kd3, staying closer to the c5 pawn, is slightly better.

49...Ra5

White to play and draw

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50.Rc3?!

Quite a few moves maintain the balance, according to the engines, but this may not be one of them. Komodo12.1.1's top choice is 50.Ke2, and if 50...e5 then 51.Rd2! Rxc5 52.Rd6+ Kf7 53.fxe5 with what the engines agree is dead-equality. Stockfish14 gives 50.g4 g5 51.hxg5 hxg5 52.gxf5 exf5 53.fxg5+ Kxg5 54.Rd2!? Rxc5 55.Rd6, which is a tablebase draw. Note that in both lines White sacs a pawn to activate his rook, a not uncommon theme in rook-and-pawn endings.

50...e5 51.e4?

This is Komodo12.1.1's top choice for a while, but can hardly be best.

After 51.fxe5+ Kxe5 the engines agree White should play 52.h5!? g5 53.g4 fxg4+ and now either 54.Kxg4 or 54.Kg3!?, in each case giving Black a slight edge.

51...fxe4+ 52.Kxe4 Ra4+ 53.Ke3 exf4+ 54.gxf4 Kf5 55.Rd3

The white rook activates, but it is too late.

55...Rxf4 56.Rd6 Re4+ 57.Kf3 Re6

Black is a pawn up, and there seems no way for White to save the c5 pawn.

The game finished:

58.Rd8 Re5 59.Rf8+ Ke6 60.Rh8 h5 61.Re8+ Kf6 62.Rf8+ Kg7 63.Rd8 Rxc5 64.Kf4 Rc4+ 65.Kg5? Rg4#

Lessons From North Shields III

Kevin P Millward (2088 ECF/1939 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

Northumberland Open Round 3

New London

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2

Note there is no chance for White to grab a pawn as 5.dxc5?! runs into 5...e5 followed by ...Bxc5.

5...e6 6.Nf3 Bd6 7.Bg3

How theory grows - there are more than 4,000 games with this position in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database

7...cxd4!?

But this is not a popular response. Normal is 7...0-0.

8.exd4 Qc7

This is the point of my last move - reaching a position in which Ne5 is not possible.

9.Bd3 Nh5!?

This is Komodo12.1.1's top choice, at least for a while. Samuel Tinsley - Francis Joseph Lee, London 1899, saw 9...Bd7 10.0-0 Bxg3 11.fxg3!? with a draw in 54 moves.

10.Bxd6 Qxd6 11.0-0 Nf4 12.Bb1 b6 13.g3

How should Black proceed?

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13...Nh3??

Wildly over-optimistic. Komodo12.1.1 and Stockfish14 give 13...Nh5 14.Re1 g6 15.Ne5 0-0, albeit preferring White.

14.Kg2 e5 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Re1

The engines reckon 16.dxe5 is even stronger.

16...Be6 17.Rxe5 0-0-0 18.Qe2 h5 19.Rxe6 fxe6 20.Kxh3 h4 21.g4 (1-0, 39 moves)

Lessons From North Shields II

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - David A Patrick (1881 ECF/1882 Fide)

Northumberland Open Round 2

English Nimzowitsch

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4!?

More popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database are 4.g3, 4.e3, 4.d4 and 4.d3, but the text, which was pioneered by Aron Nimzowitsch, is also popular with grandmasters.

4...Bb4 5.d3 h6!?

The main move is 5...d6.

6.Be2

The chief alternative is 6.g3. After fianchettoing the king's bishop, White would have a formation that Mikhail Botvinnik refined by developing the king's knight to e2.

6...0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.Be3 b6!?

I intended meeting 8...Ng4 by playing 9.Bd2, with h3 to come, but Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 suggest 9.Nd5, meeting 9...Nxe3 with 10.fxe3.

9.Nd5 Bc5 10.Qd2 Ng4

The engines prefer 10...a5!?

11.Bxc5 bxc5 12.h3 Nf6 13.Qe3 Nd4 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 15.Nxd4 exd4

The engines slightly prefer 15...cxd4, although this allows White a pawn-lever with f4.

16.Qg3 d6 17.f4 Rb8 18.b3

Who stands better?

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The black queen's rook is more active than its white counterpart, and Black has the better bishop, but the black pawn-structure is less flexible and White has the possibility of a kingside initiative. The engines slightly prefer White.

18...Bd7 19.Rae1 a5 20.Bd1 a4 21.e5 Qg6

The engines slightly prefer 21...dxe5. one point being 22.fxe5 can be met by 22...Qg5 23.Qxg5 hxg5, when the pawn at g5 looks weak but White does not have the possibility of creating a passed e pawn.

22.Qxg6 fxg6 23.bxa4!

This looks like a beginners' move, but it poses Black unexpected difficulties.

How should Black reply?

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23...dxe5?!

This gives White a central passed pawn to go with the queenside passer(s). The engines prefer 23...Bf5 24.Be2!? dxe5 25.g4 Bd7 26.Bf3 exf4 27.Bd5+ Kh7 28.Rxe8 Bxe8!? (28...Rxe8 29.a5!? c6 30.Be4 is good for White, according to the engines) 29.Rxf4 Bxa4, when Black is a pawn up but White is slightly better thanks to having two sets of two pawns holding up two sets of three black pawns.

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24.Rxe5?!

The engines much prefer 24.fxe5.

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24...Rxe5?!

White is only slightly better after 24...Bf5, according to the engines.

25.fxe5

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25...Ra8?

This may look natural but it lets White promote the light-square bishop from bad and passive to bad but active. The engines suggest 25...Bc6, but then Stockfish14's 26.e6!? Re8 27.Rf7 Rxe6 28.Rxc7 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Rxd1 30.Rxc6 is promising despite being a rook-and-pawn ending.

26.Bf3! Re8?!

Not 26...Rxa4? 27.Bd5+ Kh7 28.e6 etc, but better than the text seems to be the engines' 26...c6, although then 27.Be4 is strong, eg 27...Rxa4 (27...Kh7 28.Rf7) 28.Bxg6 Rxa2 29.Rb1 with good winning chances.

27.Bd5+ Be6 28.Bc6 Rb8 29.a5 Bf5 30.Rxf5!

The simplest solution.

30...gxf5 31.a6 Rb1+ 32.Kh2 Rb2 33.a4 1-0

Fair Warning

ENTRIES for the coming weekend's congress at Fareham, Hants, have reached 65.

The venue hotel has a "normal maximum" of 70, so the event is near capacity.

Details at http://www.castlechess.co.uk/Events/?ID=99

Lessons From North Shields

Clive L Waters (2080 ECF/2002 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

Northumberland Open Round 1

QGD Normal Position

1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Nf6 4.Nc3 c5 5.d4 Nc6

A 'normal' Queen's Gambit

By transposition from the English, the game has reached the Normal Position of the Queen's Gambit Declined. A commoner move-order is 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.e3 Nc6. Nimzowitsch recommended playing like this with white to increase positional understanding. He said sometimes White should accept an isolated queen's pawn in such positions, and at other times should inflict an IQP on the opponent, eg here it could be achieved by 6.dxc5 Bxc5 7.cxd5 etc. The Normal Position fell out of favour when the strength of 4.Bg5 (after 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6) became more widely appreciated in the 1890s thanks to the games of Nelson Pillsbury. Indeed 4.Bg5 was dubbed the Pillsbury Attack and is still sometimes given that name. Ironically the first three games in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database to feature 4.Bg5 in games involving Pillsbury feature him having the black pieces. It should not be thought Pillsbury invented 4.Bg5 - the move was already popular with leading players including Englisch, Blackburne and von Bardeleben.

6.Bd3 a6!?

Most popular is 6...Be7. The text may look strange, or at least slow, but is a known idea - Black intends capturing on c4 and following up with the tempo-gaining ...b5 and then ...Bb7.

7.0-0

White can cut across Black's plans with the less-popular 7.cxd5, but after 7...exd5 Black has a position that could arise from a Tarrasch Defence in which White has not fianchettoed the king's bishop.

7...dxc4 8.Bxc4 b5 9.Bb3!?

Generally speaking in such positions, White retreats the bishop to d3 unless there is chance to play a quick d5 with strong effect, which is not the case here. However in this precise position 9.Bb3!? has been the choice of some strong attacking players including Tarrasch and Janowski. Note that after 9.Bd3 Black cannot win a pawn by 9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.exd4 Qxd4?? as White has 12.Bxb5+ etc.

9...Bb7 10.d5?!

Best is 10.Qe2, planning to meet 10...cxd4 with 11.Rd1.

10...exd5 11.Nxd5?!

Almost certainly better is giving up the bishop-pair with 11.Bxd5.

11...Nxd5?

A poor 'automatic' move. Black is better after 11...c4 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Bc2 Rd8.

12.Bxd5 Be7 13.e4 0-0 14.Be3 Qc7 15.Rc1 Nb4

How should White proceed?

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16.Bxb7?

Correct is 16.Bxc5, when 16...Bxc5 17.Bxb7 Rad8 18.Bd5 Nxa2 19.Ra1 Nb4 20.Rd2 is equal, according to Komodo12.1.1, although Stockfish14 gives Black a slight edge.

16...Qxb7 17.Bxc5 Rad8

This intermezzo puts White in trouble.

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18.Bd4

This is best, according to the engines. The problem is both 18.Qe2 and 18.Qb3 run into 18...Nd3, while 18.Nd2 Nxa2 is also strong for Black.

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18...Nxa2?!

Probably stronger is 18...Nc6 19.Rc2 Nxd4 20.Nxd4, and now the engines give the unexpected 20...h6!? (20...Qxe4 is met by 21.Re2). Then 21.Rd2? runs into 21...Bb4 22.Rd3 Qxe4, so instead the engines give 21.g3 Bb4! 22.a3 Qxe4 23.axb4 Rxd4 with advantage to Black.

19.Ra1 Nb4 20.Qe2 Rfe8 21.Rfd1 Bf8 22.e5 Nc6 23.Qe4

How should Black proceed?

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23...Qa8?

The game is equal after a precautionary move such as 23...h6 or 23...g6.

24.Ng5 g6 25.e6!? f5

If 23...fxe6 then 24.Qf3 is strong, eg 24...Rd7 25.Bc3! Rc7 26.Rac1 Qc8 27.h4 with good attacking chances.

27.Qh4 h6 28.Bf6 Rxd1+ 29.Rxd1

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29...Bg7??

White is better, but Black is still in the game, after 29...Qc8, according to the engines.

30.Bxg7 Kxg7 31.Rd7+ Re7 32.Rxe7+ Nxe7 33.Qd4+ Kf8?? 1-0

I resigned as White mates starting with 33...Qf6+. I should have played 33...Kg8 34.Nf7 Kh7, although the simple 35.g3 is very strong, eg 35...Qc8 36.Qh4 Qf8 37.Nxh6!

Summing Up Northumberland

I CALCULATE my final score at the Northumberland Open in North Shields of +2=1-2 saw me gain 8.2 ECF elo and 19.2 Fide elo.

Northumberland Open Round Five

DREW in 41 moves with black this afternoon against Virgil Szekely (2103 ECF/no Fide).

Northumberland Open Round Four

WON in 34 moves with white this morning against David W Gostelow (1975 ECF/1915 Fide).

Northumberland Open Round Three

LOST in 39 moves with black this afternoon to Kevin P Millward (2088 ECF/1939 Fide).

Northumberland Open Round Two

WON in 33 moves with white this morning against David A Patrick (1881 ECF/1882 Fide).

Northumberland Open Round One

LOST in 32 moves with black this evening to Clive L Waters (2080 ECF/2002 Fide).

Northumberland

AM traveling to North Shields today to play in the 57th Northumberland congress, which is being held over five rounds in three main sections.

The open, which I am in, has 39 entries, the major has 37 and the minor has 45, with all using a time limit of 110 minutes plus a 10-second increment.

There is also a foundation section, which has 12 entries, in which opponents play each other twice with a time limit of 60 minutes and no increment.

I could not find a hotel in North Shields, so I will stay in Whitley Bay and commute on the Tyne & Wear metro.

Lessons From Coulsdon IV

Brendan O'Gorman (1843 ECF/1681 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

Coulsdon Late Summer Round 5

Maróczy Bind

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6

This lets White set up a Maróczy Bind, something Sicilian players are often warned against allowing, but I do not recall similar warnings being issued to players who meet the English: 1.c4 with the Symmetrical variation: 1...c5.

Can Black smoothly prevent a Maróczy? Well, the most-popular move after 4.Nxd4 is 4...Nf6, when the main line continues 5.Nc3 e6, at which point White can set up a Maróczy with 6.e4.

Position after 6.e4 - White has a Maróczy Bind

However that is not the end of the story because Black has 6...Bb4, when play usually continues 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3. White has maintained the bind but Black, thanks to having a new c pawn, is clearly well-placed to challenge the centre with ...d5. White can try to avoid this with 7.f3, which is the second-most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database. Black normally replies 7...0-0, but there seems no reason why Black cannot immediately challenge the White centre with 7...d5!?, as played by Tartakower at Hastings 1926-7. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 already slightly prefer Black.

5.e4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3

Not 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.e5? Qa5+.

7...d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0 Nd7!?

The main moves are 9...Bd7, 9...Nxd4 and 9...a6, but the text has also been tried by grandmasters.

How should White proceed?

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10.Rc1

This has been played by Tukmakov, Gulko and others, but slightly more popular in Mega21 is 10.Qd2. Both moves score 69%, as does 10.Nc2, which avoids the coming exchanges.

10...Nxd4!? 11.Bxd4 Bxd4!?

Giving up the fianchettoed bishop may look strange but, as I have explained before, the thinking is based on two considerations:

1. Exchanges normally favour the side with less space;

2. White is left with a light-square bishop hemmed in by its own pawns.

However these generalisations can be thrown out of the window if White succeeds in whipping up a kingside attack.

12.Qxd4

Note that if White had played 10.Qd2 the same position would be reached but with the white queen's rook still on a1. The rook is almost certainly better placed on c1, which is probably the reason most strong players have avoided the 10...Nxd4!? plan in response to 10.Rc1.

12...Qb6 13.Qd2

Exchanging queens is also good, according to the engines, but it brings the game closer to an ending in which White's light-square bishop may prove a liability.

13...Nc5 14.Kh1

Irina Krush (2500), in a 2004 game against an opponent rated 1774, played 14.Nd5 Qd8 15.Qe3 e6 16.Nc3, gaining the upper hand, according to the engines. I intended 15...Be6, planning to swop off the white knight. The engines give 16.a3!?, meeting 16...Bxd5 17.cxd5 a5 with 18.b3, again giving White the upper hand.

14...Be6 15.f4 f5!?

This is Komodo12.1.1's choice, along with 15...Bd7!?, but Stockfish14 prefers 15...f6. After the latter I felt 16.f5 would be very dangerous to play against. The text seeks to stop White's kingside expansion, but is loosening.

16.exf5 Bxf5

16...gxf5?! looks too weakening, but 16...Rxf5!? may be playable.

How should White proceed?

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17.g4?!

This is arguably thematic, or at least consistent, but the exposure of the white king seems too high a price to pay.  Komodo12.1.1 gives 17.Nd5 Qd8 18.b4 Ne4 19.Qd4 e6 20.Bf3!? exd5 21.Qxd5+ Rf7 22.Bxe4, when White is a pawn up and has a target at d6. Stockfish14 prefers 17.Bf3 a5 18.g4!? Bd3 19.Rfe1 e6 20.b3, claiming White has a positionally won game.

17...Ne4

Not 17...Be4+?? 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Qd5+ etc.

18.Nxe4

18.Qe1 Nxc3 19.Rxc3 Bd7 seems fine for Black, and if White tries 19.gxf5? then 19...Nxe2 20.Qxe2 Qc6+ 21.Kg1 Rxf5 nets Black a pawn as 22.Qxe7? runs into 22...Re8 23.Qh4 Re2 with a huge attack.

18...Bxe4+ 19.Bf3 Bxf3+ 20.Rxf3 e5!? 21.Qd5+

How should Black proceed?

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21...Kg7?

Necessary was 21...Kh8.

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22.fxe5?

Missing 22.Rb3, when White will capture on b7 with check, eg 22...Qf2 23.Qxb7+! Kh8 24.Rh3. The check makes all the difference as after 21...Kh8 22.Rb3 Qf2 White does not have time to capture on b7.

22...Rxf3 23.Qxf3 Rf8 24.Qc3 Qc6+ 25.Kg1 Qc5+ 26.Kh1 dxe5

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

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Black has a passed pawn, while White has a queenside pawn-majority or, as I like to call it, a farside pawn-majority, ie a pawn-majority on the opposite flank to the kings. As I understand it, a passed pawn is the better asset to have in queen endings, while a farside pawn-majority is preferable in rook endings, and even more so in pawn endings, with the usual caveat about other things being equal. Here we are still in a heavy-piece middlegame where White's more-exposed king is an important factor. The engines reckon the position is equal.

27.Re1 Re8

27...Qd4 28.Rxe5? Rf1+ 29.Kg2 Rg1+! 30.Kf3 Qxg4+ is very good for Black, but 28.Qxd4 exd4 29.Kg2 is equal, according to the engines. Also possible is 27...Kg8!? as capturing on e5 is fatal for White, eg 28.Qxe5?? Rf1 29.Kg2 Qf2+ etc.

28.b4 Qd6 29.c5 Qd5+ 30.Kg1 Kg8

How should White proceed?

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31.Qb3!?

I was very surprised after the game to find this is the engines' choice.

31...Qxb3 32.axb3 a6!?

Hoping to hold up the white pawn-majority, but more important, according to the engines, is activating the king with 32...Kf7.

33.Ra1

And here White gets a slight edge, according to the engines, by activating his king with 33.Kg2!?

33...Kf7 34.c6!? bxc6 35.Rxa6 Re6 36.Ra7+ Rf7

36...Kf6!? 37.Rxh7 e4 can be met by 38.Kf2.

37.Ra6 Rb7 38.Rxc6 Rxb4 39.Rc7+ Kf6 40.Rxh7 Rxg4+ 41.Kf2 Rb4 42.Rh3

The position is dead-equal, according to the engines, but a couple of observations are in order:

1. An exchange of rooks almost certainly wins for White, thanks to the outside passed pawn;

2. Black has the more-active pieces which, despite point one, usually makes for easier play.

42...Kf5 43.Rf3+ Ke4 44.Rg3 Rb6

BO'G offered a draw as he played ...

45.Ke2

... but I played on as I felt there was little danger of losing, and I still hoped point two above would be a factor.

45...Kd4 46.Rd3+ Kc5 47.Re3 Re6 48.Re4 Kd5 49.Ra4 Rb6 50.Rg4

Black wins a pawn with 50...Rxb3 51.Rxg6 Rb2+ etc but has virtually zero chances of winning.

50...e4 51.Rg3 Kd4 52.Kd2 Ra6 53.h4?

52.Ke2 maintains equality.

Black to play and win

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53...Ra2+?

Winning is 53...e3+, as will be seen later.

54.Ke1 Ra6 55.Ke2 Rc6 56.Kd2 Rf6 57.Ke2 Ra6 58.Kd2?

Returning to the previous diagram; almost any other move draws.

58...e3+ 59.Ke1

If 59.Rxe3 then 59...Ra2+ wins.

59...Kd3 0-1

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round Two

AM playing in the Coulsdon autumn daytime tournament, held over 14 consecutive Wednesdays from September 15 to December 15.

There are several unusual aspects to the event, including the pairing and scoring rules.

In each round the top seed faces the highest-rated opponent he has not already played, the next-highest available player faces the player nearest to him (all entrants are male) in rating, etc.

Although colour requirements are taken into account, no attention is paid to the players' scores, the idea being the system minimises rating mismatches. I can see how this will work in the early rounds, but I suspect later rounds will feature rather large rating differences.

As for scoring, a win is worth three points, a draw two points and a loss one point, but taking a bye scores nothing. This means two draws are worth the same as a win and a loss, as is the case with normal scoring, ie 1-½-0.

I thought at first the idea of this new scoring system is to encourage participation, but, if I am reading the rules correctly, the tournament is decided by each player's best seven results.

Not only that, but it seems points are not taken into consideration - instead rankings are decided by rating improvement (the rules do not specify whether this is based on Fide ratings or ECF ones, but I suspect they were drawn up when the ECF still had grades, so I presume Fide ratings are what count).

I had to take a bye in round one and have booked three further byes for rounds when I will be playing abroad, but I hope to play the remaining 10 rounds.

My game this afternoon was a repairing "due to opponents needing to isolate."

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - Arthur H Meaton (1309 ECF/1225 Fide)

Irregular

1.Nf3 d6 2.d4 h6!?

It is easy to shake one's head when a low-rated player makes a move like this, but titled players have also tried it.

3.e4 e6

Boris Gelfand (2684) - Timur Gareyev (2598), World Blitz Championship (Moscow) 2019, saw 3...g5!? 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Be3 a6 with a position that Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon strongly favours White (but 0-1, 30 moves).

4.c4 Be7 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 Nf6 7.h3

The game's first new move or, at least, the first move not to appear in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database. Incidentally, for what it is worth, ChessBase classifies the opening as "French: Exchange Variation."

7...0-0 8.Be3 c6 9.Qd2 Bd7 10.0-0 b5?!

The engines prefer 10...d5, but reckon White has a large advantage. After the text they believe White already has a positionally won game. 

11.e5

Gaining space, but also clearing the e4 square for the queen's knight in case of Black playing ...b4.

11...dxe5 12.dxe5 Nh7 13.Rad1 Ng5 14.Nxg5 Bxg5 15.f4 Be7 16.c5 a5 17.Ne4

Position after 17.Ne4 - Black is horribly cramped, but not yet losing material

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17...Na6?? 18.Qxd7 (1-0, 31 moves)

Lessons From Coulsdon III

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - Tom C O'Neill (1510 ECF/1416 Fide)

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round 4

Queen's Gambit Accepted

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 Bb4+!?

This looks odd in that Black is apparently offering to trade off  a white bishop hemmed in by white central pawns. However Gunsberg tried it in his 1890-1 world championship match with Steinitz. The main moves are 5...c5 and 5...a6.

6.Bd2

Despite what I stated earlier about an exchange of bishops, Steinitz against Gunsberg preferred 6.Nc3, which has also been played by Capablanca, Botvinnik and Fine. If then 6...Ne4, White has 7.Qc2, so Black usually castles, but that reaches a position in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database that is normally reached with Black to move.

6...Bxd2+ 7.Qxd2

More popular in Mega21 is 7.Nbxd2!?

7...0-0

Again ...Ne4 can be met by Qc2.

8.Nc3

How should Black proceed?

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8...c6?!

This is almost certainly too passive, leaving White a free hand in the centre.

Generally speaking, Black should be looking to challenge White's centre by preparing ...e5 or, more commonly, ...c5. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 suggest 8...b6, while the most-popular move in Mega21, albeit from a small sample, is 8...Nc6.

9.0-0 b5!? 10.Bb3!?

The engines prefer 10.Bd3.

10...Na6 11.a4!?

The engines prefer 11.Rfd1.

11...b4

Forcing this was the point of my last move, but the text is why the engines were not keen on 11.a4!? They reckon that after  11...b4 White is only slightly better, whereas I was hopeful that long-term Black would have trouble with queenside weaknesses.

12.Na2 Rb8

The engines suggest 12...c5 13.Bc4 Bb7, but still prefer White.

13.Rac1 Bb7 14.Ne5 Rc8 15.Rfd1 Ne4?!

The knight will be something of a lone raider. The engines like 15...c5 16.Bc4 Qd6 with what they reckon is a slight edge to White.

16.Qe1 Qg5?!

The engines still prefer ...c5, but give White the upper hand.

17.f3 Nec5??

Black had to drop the knight back to the third rank, but is losing a pawn, eg 17...Nd6 18.Nxb4 Nxb4 19.f4 and 20.Qxb4.

18.f4 Qe7 19.dxc5 Nxc5?? 20.Qxb4 (1-0, 31 moves)

Lessons From Coulsdon II

Aaron Fernandes (1665 ECF/1531 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round 2

Ponziani

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 f5!?

Ponziani-devotee Ray Kearsley says this might be Black's best response to the opening. I rather doubt that, but the move dates back to at least 1844, and indeed takes precedence in terms of age over 3...Nf6 and 3...d5, at least in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.

How should White proceed?

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4.Bc4?

The main line in Mega21 runs 4.d4 fxe4 5.Nxe5 Nf6 6.Bg5 d6, when Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 give White a tiny pull. An interesting alternative, played in the 1844 game, is 4.exf5!?, when the engines prefer 4...Qf6!? to the normal 4...e4.

The text is poor as, even if White could meet Black's next move with 5.Ng5, Black would have a simple answer in 5...d5.

4...fxe4 5.Nxe5?

Somewhat surprisingly, the engines do not flash red at this move - I guess they believe the white position is already wrecked.

5...Nxe5 6.Qh5+ Ng6 7.Qd5

Probably objectively best is 7.Bxg8 Rxg8, but then 8.Qxh7 Kf7 leaves White down a bishop for a pawn, and with an awkwardly placed queen.

7...Qe7 8.0-0 Nf6 9.Qb5 c6 10.Qb3 d5 11.Be2 Bg4 12.Bxg4 Nxg4 13.d3 Qe5

Black is winning comfortably. I include the rest mainly because there is a pretty finish.

14.g3 Qh5 15.h4 0-0-0

I rejected 15...Bxh4!? 16.gxh4 Qxh4 because of 17.Bf4, but both 17...Bc5 and 17...0-0-0 win fairly easily.

16.Bg5 Nxh4!? 17.gxh4 Ne5 18.Nd2

Black to play and mate-in-seven

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18...Qg4+

Also mating in seven is 18...Nf3+.

19.Kh2 Nf3+

And here an alternative solution starts 19...Bd6.

20.Nxf3 Bxd6+ 21.Ne5

21.Bf4 delays the mate by a move.

21...Bxf5+ 22.f4 exf3+ 0-1

Lessons From Coulsdon

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - Somulpillai Gengadharan Selvarattinam (1540 ECF/1500 Fide)

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round 1

Pribyl System

1.d4 c6 2.e4 Qc7!?

This weird-looking move has been played by grandmasters. The idea, I guess, is to provoke White into over-expansion in the centre.

3.Nc3 d6 4.Nf3

This is how Frederick Yates handled the position against Joseph Blackburne at the 1913 British championships in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Yates went on to win in 49 moves. In more modern times Peter Leko and Alexei Shirov have preferred 4.f4.

Position after 4.Nf3

This position is classified by ChessBase as a Caro-Kann: Advance Variation - one of ChessBase's weirder classifications -  but the position really has much more in common with the Pribyl System in the Pirc, and even more so later when Black plays ...Nf6.

4...Bg4 5.Bc4 e5 6.Be3 Nf6 7.a4 Be7 8.h3 Bxf3!?

Both games to reach the position after 8.h3 in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database saw 8...Bh5. However capturing on f3 is quite typical in this sort of set-up.

9.Qxf3 Nbd7 10.a5

Gaining more queenside space. Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 like 10.d5!?, which looks somewhat odd when White has the bishop-pair, including a bishop on the a2-g8 diagonal, but the engines clearly reckon space gained in the centre is worth allowing the centre to be closed.

10...exd4!?

The engines prefer this to allowing 11.d5!? after, say, 10...0-0.

11.Bxd4 Ne5

White is losing the bishop-pair but will have more central space and a target at d6.

12.Qe2 Nxc4 13.Qxc4

White has a slight edge, according to the engines, but there would be a lot of play left after, for example, 13...0-0.

13...d5? 14.exd5 Qf4 15.0-0 Bd6?

A crude threat that only makes matters worse.

16.Rfe1+ Kf8 17. g3 Qg5 18.dxc6 Rc8 19.Bxf6 gxf6!?

This smacks of desperation, but the engines slightly prefer it to 19...Qxf6.

20.Ne4 Qe5 21.Nxd6 Qxf6 22.Rad1 Qxc6 23.Qb4+ Kg7 24.Rd4 h5 25.c3 Rhg8?

This lets a white rook into the seventh. Better is 25...Rhe8.

26.Re7 Rge8 27.Rde4 Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Qf3?

Counterplay with 28...Rd8, or defence with 28...Rc7, is better.

29.Qxb7 Qd1+ 30.Kg2 Rf8 (1-0, 62 moves)

Summing Up Coulsdon

I CALCULATE my final score of +4=0-0 (plus a half-point bye) saw me gain 12.8 ECF elo and 18.6 Fide elo. I won the U2000 section outright, and look forward to receiving the first prize of £100.

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round Five

BEAT Brendan O'Gorman (1843 ECF/1671 Fide) this afternoon in 59 moves with black.

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round Four

AFTER taking a half-point bye in last evening's third round, I beat Scotland's Tom C O'Neill (1510 ECF/1416 Fide) this morning in 31 moves with white.

Couldson Late Summer U2000 Round Two

BEAT Aaron Fernandes (1665 ECF/1531 Fide) this afternoon in 22 moves with black.

Coulsdon Late Summer U2000 Round One

BEAT Somulpillai Gengadharan Selvarattinam (1540 ECF/1500 Fide) this morning in 62 moves with white.

My Chess Calendar

NEWS that the government is relaxing financial penalties for traveling abroad has prompted me to review my chess events for the rest of this year.

There are still a few gaps in my chess calendar, but I hope to fill these fairly soon.

The bottom line is my chess activity is getting back to pre-covid levels.

Sep 18-19 Coulsdon Late Summer. Four rounds (I have booked a bye for this evening).

https://www.ccfworld.com/Chess/Adult%20Competitions/Longplays_Late_Summer.htm

Sep 22 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Sep 24-26 Northumberland (North Shields). Five rounds.

https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/4ae56285-bb69-4f3c-8499-defed7c84e96/page/pWU8B?s=qG9Lptkn1y0

Sep 29 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Sep 30 Central London League (subject to selection).

Oct 1-3 Fareham. Five rounds (I have booked a bye for the Saturday evening).

http://www.castlechess.co.uk/Events/EntryForms/21%20Fareham%2017a(1).pdf

Oct 6 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Oct 9-17 Mallorca. Nine rounds.

https://www.calviafestival.com/

Oct 20 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Oct 22-24 Hull. Five rounds.

https://4ncl.co.uk/fide/information_hull_2021.htm

Oct 27 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Oct 29-31 Scarborough. Five rounds.

http://www.scarboroughchesscongress.org.uk/

Nov 3 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Nov 6-13 Hradec Králové. Nine rounds.

http://www.czechtour.net/hradec-kralove-open/

Nov 17 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Nov 18 Central London League (subject to selection).

Nov 24 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Dec 1 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Dec 4-12 Benidorm. Nine rounds.

https://benidormchess.com/?lang=en

Dec 15 Coulsdon Autumn Daytime.

https://ccfworld.com/Chess/ChessClubHome/ChessClubSeniorsIndex.htm

Dec 16 Central London League (subject to selection).

Dec 29-Jan 7 Hastings Masters. 10 rounds.

http://hastingschess.com/

Good News, Bad News

THE bad news is confirmation that the annual Guernsey chess festival will not be held this year, as the notice below at the island chess federation's website shows.

The good news is that, contrary to rumours, the notice implies the festival is not just a thing of the past.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to the Covid 19 virus the Guernsey Chess Federation very much regrets to confirm the cancellation of the 46th Guernsey International Chess Festival. We very much hope that all our chess friends will understand that in making this decision we consider the safety of players to be of paramount importance. We hope to see you again in the future. 

Lessons From The 4NCL V

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - Kevin Winter (1786 ECF/1735 Fide)
26th 4NCL Weekend Congress (Woodland Grange, Warwickshire) U2000 Round 5
King's Indian

1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Bg5

More popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database are 5.g3 and especially 5.e4, but there are almost 4,000 examples of the text.

5...0-0 6.Qd2!?

This is Stockfish14's choice, at least for a while, but much more popular is 6.e3.

6...c5 7.d5

How should Black proceed?

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7...b5!?

Stockfish14 is keen on this Benko-style gambit.

8.Bxf6!?

Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 slightly prefer 8.cxb5, which has been played by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2817) and Artur Yusupov. (2565).

8...exf6!

The engines agree this is better than the obvious 8...Bxf6. By capturing with the pawn, Black gets a half-open central file and a pawn-ram to batter either e3 or g3,

9.Nxb5 Qb6

The engines prefer kingside play with 9...Bg4.

10.e3 Nd7 11.Be2 f5 12.0-0 Nf6 13.a4 Ne4 14.Qc2 Qd8!?

Black has full compensation for the pawn, according to the engines.

15.Bd3 Ng5?

But this is too much. The engines reckon 15...a6 16.Nc3 Nxc3 offers equal chances.

16.Nxg5 Qxg5 17.Nxd6 Bd7 18.Rab1 a6?

This does not trap the knight, and so just wastes time.

19.Nb7 Rfc8 20.Rfd1!?

Preparing a piece-sacrifice.

20...Rab8 21.Nxc5!

Also good is 21.Na5, but the text is preferred by the engines, although it takes Komodo12.1.1 a little time to come to this view.

21...Rxc5 22.b4 Rcc8 23.c5 f4

The engines agree going for counterplay like this is Black's best chance.

24.exf4 Qxf4 25.c6 Bg4 26.Re1 Rxb4?

Black should play 26...Qg5 or 26...Be5, according to the engines.

27.Rxb4 Qxb4 28.Re4 Qd6 29.Bxa6!

This is even stronger than immediately capturing the black light-square bishop.

29...Qf6?

The engines prefer 29...Bd1!?, eg 30.Qxd1 Rxc6, but 31.Bc4 leaves White two pawns up, albeit the presence of opposite-coloured bishops gives Black hope.

30.Rxg4 Qa1+ 31.Bf1 Be5 32.g3 Bd6 33.Kg2 Rb8 34.c7 Rc8 35.Rc4 Qe5 36.Bd3?

Better is 36.Qe4, eg 36...Qxe4+ 37.Rxe4 Rxc7 38.a5.

36...Qxd5+ 37.Be4 Qe5 38.f4 Qe7 39.Bc6!?

This is Komodo12.1.1's choice, at least at first, but it comes to equally like Stockfish14's top line: 39.a5 Rxc7 40.a6.

39...Rxc7 40.Qc3?

White still has the upper hand, according to the engines, after 40.a5.

40...Qe2+ 41.Kg1 Qd1+

The engines' 41...g5!? seems to fully equalise, eg 42.a5 gxf4 43.gxf4 Bf8, when the white king appears too exposed for serious winning chances.

42.Kf2 Re7??

White is better, but probably not winning, after, for example, 42...Bf8 43.Qc2 Qd6.

43.Be4?

White's back-rank mating threat means 43.Bf3 wins instantly.

43...f6??

The engines reckon Black had to play 43...Rd7, when it is hard to see how White makes progress.

44.Rd4

Black is busted.

The game finished:

44...Bc5? 45.Qxc5 Qa1 46.Rd8+ Kg7 47.Qxe7+ Kh6 48.Qf8+ Kh5 49.Bf3#

Lessons From The 4NCL IV

Brendan O'Gorman (1843 ECF/1671 Fide) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)
26th 4NCL Weekend Congress (Woodland Grange, Warwickshire) U2000 Round 4

English Opening

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3

4.d4!? exd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.g3 is close to giving White the upper hand, according to Stockfish14, but Komodo12.1.1 is much less enthusiastic.

4...Bg7 4.Bg2 d6 5.Bg2 d6 6.0-0 f5!?

This aggressive continuation is the most popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.

7.d3 Nf6 8.Rb1 a5 9.a3 0-0 10.Bd2

The immediate 10.b4 is also possible as the reply 10...e4?! is nothing to worry about, eg 11.dxe4 fxe4 12.Ng5.

10...Be6 11.b4 axb4!?

Black's control of the a file will be purely temporary, so, although the engines like the text, there is a lot to be said for getting on with action on the kingside with 11...h6.

12.axb4 Qe7?!

Bad is 12...Qd7? 13.Ng5. The text is the engines' second choice, at least for a while, but almost certainly better is ...h6, which I play soon anyway. It prevents a white piece using the g5 square, so allowing ...Qd7, and prepares kingside expansion.

13.b5 Nd8 14.Qc2 h6 15.Ra1 Rxa1 16.Rxa1 g5 17.Bc1?!

More natural is 17.Ra7 or 17.Ra8.

17...e4!

This effectively equalises ... if followed up correctly,

18.Nd4

How should Black proceed?

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18...exd3?

This is not the way to do it. Stockfish14 gives 18...Ng4 19.e3 Qf7 20.dxe4 f4!? with attacking chances. Komodo12.1.1 likes 18...Qf7 19.Ra8 Ng4 20.Nxe6 Nxe6 21.Rxf8+ Kxf8 22.Nd5 f4 with an unclear position.

19.Qxd3 b6?

Better is 19...Ne4 20.Nxe4 fxe4 21.Bxe4 Qf7, although Black's activity does not fully compensate for being a pawn down.

20.Nxe6!?

Even stronger is the obvious 20.Nxf5 as 20...Bxf5 21.Qxf5 Nd7 is not a problem for White.

20...Nxe6 21.Ra7 f4 22.Nd5 Nxd5?

Better is 22...Qf7, but White remains on top.

23.Bxd5 fxg3 24.hxg3 Kh8 25.Qg6 Rf6 26.Ra8+ Kf8 27.Qh5 Kh7

Black is lost whatever is played.

The game finished:

28.Bxg5 Qe7 29.f4 Qe3+ 30.Kg2 Rf5 31.Re8 Rxg5 32.gxf5 Qd2 33.gxh6 Bxh6 34.Qf7+ Bg7 35.Be4+ 1-0

Double Jeopardy

THE Central London League* was back in action last night when Battersea took on its second team in a division one match at our home venue, Battersea Labour Cub.

I was playing on board two for the second team, and by coincidence I was paired against Midhun Unnirkrishnan.

He is the same player I have been drawn against in the first round of the club championship.

This season the championship has been divided into three sections: two swisses, and an eight-player knockout for the championship proper.

Each of the knockout matches consists of two games, with a blitz "shootout" if necessary to break a tie.

MH and I agreed we might as well count our league game as the first of our championship games.

Spanton (1965 ECF) - Unnirkrishnan (2253 ECF)

Spanish Berlin.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1!?

5.d4, which usually leads to the Berlin Wall, is very much the main line, but the text is also popular with grandmasters. It leads to a strategically simpler game.

5...Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1

This is the most-popular move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, but it is hard to believe White can hope for an opening advantage after such a retreat. The move scores 51% in Mega21. Most successful percentagewise is 7.Bd3!? with 54%.

7...0-0 8.d4 Nf5 9.c3 Nxe5 10.dxe5!?

Grandmasters have usually preferred 10.Rxe5, which maintains the theme of strategic simplicity and is arguably a better choice against a much stronger player. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon there is objectively little to choose between the recaptures.

10...d5 11.Bd3

This time the strategically simpler choice is to capture en passant.

11...Bc5 12.Qh5

The engines reckon White has an edge after 12.Nd2.

12...g6 13.Qe2

Encouraging Black to half-open the f file with 13.Qg5, prompting 13...f6, does not look right, and I did not want to put the queen on f3, where it would be opposite the black king's rook.

13...Re8 14.Qf3 c6

14...f6, trying to exploit the pin on the e file, is not a problem for White after 15.Bf4.

15.Bf4 Qb6 16.b4 Bf8 17.Nd2 a5 18.a3 axb4 19.axb4  Be6 20.g4!?

Bold, and probably good.

20...Ng7 21.Nb3 h5 22.h3 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 c5

How should White proceed?

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24.Be3!?

MH said after the game White is winning with 24.Nxc5, his point being 24...Bxc5 25.bxc5 Qxc5 is met by 26.Bh6, with Qf6 to come, but the engines reckon the position is equal.

The text also seems to also give equal chances, if followed up correctly.

24...hxg4 25.hxg4 d4

Position after 25...d4

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26.Nxd4??
The wrong way to give up the piece. Correct is 26.cxd4 Bxb3 27.bxc5, when the engines reckon the white central pawn-mass compensates for being material down.

26...cxd4 27.Bxd4

White gets a little initiative, but it is nowhere near enough, and, in the long run, the white king will be much the more vulnerable.

27...Qd8 28.Ra7?!

Probably better is the engines' 28.Be4, when 28...Bxb4 29.Bxb7 at least gives White a passed pawn. The engines prefer defence with 28...Bc8 or counterattack with 28...Qh4.

28...Bxb4

Even stronger, according to the engines, are 28...Bd5 and 28...Qg5.

29.Bb5 Rf8 30.Qe3 Be7 31.f3 Bd5 32.Bb6 Qc8 33.Kh2 Ne6 34.Qd3 Bc6 35.Bc4 Kg7 36.Kg3 Bg5 37.Be3 Bxe3 38.Qxe3 Bxf3 39.Qxf3

Or 39.Bxe6 fxe6.

39...Qxc4 40.Rxb7 Nc5 41.Rb4

41.Qf6+ leads nowhere.

The game finished:

41...Qe6 42.Qe3 Nd7 43.Re4 Rc8 44.Kf4 Nb6 45.Kf3 Nd5 46.Qd4 Rxc3+ 47.Kf2 Rc2+ 48.Kf3 Nb6 49.Qd6 Qb3+ 50.Re3 Qxe3+! 51.Kxe3 Nc4+ 52.Kd3 Nxd6 0-1

*Sadly there is still no information on the 2021-22 season at the Central London League website.

Lessons From The 4NCL III

Sean Gordon (1799 ECF) - Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide)

26th 4NCL Weekend Congress (Woodland Grange, Warwickshire) U2000 Round 3

Albin Countergambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 5.Nf3 Nc6 5.Nbd2

Quite a fashionable line, although the move dates back to Semyon Alapin - Frank Marshall, Monte Carlo 1901. My record against it before this game was +0=0-4.

5...Nge7

Marshall played 5...a5!?, which is Stockfish14's choice. The text was first played by Siegbert Tarrasch against William Napier at Monte Carlo 1902.

6.Nb3 Nf5 7.Bg5!?

More popular are 7.e4 and 7.a3.

7...Bb4+ 8.Bd2 Be7

Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer 8...a5!? or 8...Bxd2+.

9.g3 Be6

Stockfish14 suggests the aggressive 9...g5!?

10.Rc1 h5

How should White proceed?

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11.Na5!?

An interesting idea. If Black castles long, White will want to advance his queenside pawns, so exchanging the obstructing knight makes sense.

11...Nxa5 12.Bxa5 b6 13.Bd2 c5 14.h4 Qd7

The engines like attacking on the queenside with 14...b5!?, although they reckon White is better.

15.Bg2 Rd8

The airy queenside is no place for a black king.

16.0-0 0-0 17.Ne1?!

The engines strongly dislike this regrouping, preferring 17.Bf4 or the solidifying 17.b3.

17...Qc7

Missing a chance to more-or-less equalise with 17...Ne3!, when the engines' main line runs 18.Bxe3! (18.fxe3 dxe3 19.Nd3 exd2 20.Qxd2 Qd4+ leaves Black better) dxe3 19.Qxd7 exf2+ 20.Kxf2!? Rxd7.

18.Nd3 Bd7 19.Nf4!? Qxe5 20.Nd5

White has returned his extra pawn, but has an excellent outpost at d5.

20...Bd6 21.Bf4 Qe6 22.Bxd6 Nxd6 23.b4!? Bc6 24.b5?!

The engines prefer 24.Re1, giving White a tiny edge.

24...Bxd5!

Swopping off the strong white knight, and banking on the black knight being at least as strong as the white bishop.

25.Bxd5 Qe5 26.Bc6

Black threatened 26...Nxb5!

26...Ne4  27.Bxe4

The heavy-piece middlegame is better for Black, but Black is also better after the engines' 27.Qd3 or 27.Rc2.

27...Qxe4 28.Qd3 Rfe8 29.Rfe1 Rd6 30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Kf1 Rde6 32.Rcd1 Kh7

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 32...f5 with ...f4 to come.

33.Rd3 Kg6 34.f3?!

Creating a hole at e3 is unlikely to be correct. The engines suggest 34.a4 f6!? 35.e3!?, the point being to meet 35...dxe3 36.Rexe3 Rxe3 with 37.fxe3, when they reckon White holds.

34...Re3 35.Kf2 f5?!

The engines prefer 35...Kf5, eg 36.Kf1 g5.

36.f4!

Locking the kingside. Stockfish14 reckons Black is still winning after this, but Komodo12.1.1's verdict of a slight black edge is probably correct.

The game finished:

36...Kf7 37.Kf1 Ke7 38.Kf2 Kd6 39.Kf1 Kc7 40.Kf2 Kb7 41.Kf1 a6 42.a4 axb5 43.axb5 Kc7 44.Kf2 Re8 45.Kf1 Kb7 46.Kf2 R3e6 47.e3 Re4 48.Re2 Kc7 49.Kf3 Kc8 50.Kf2 g6 51.Kf3 Kc7 52.Kf2

I now apologised to SG for having played on so long, and we agreed a draw.

London Calling

LOOK for the London league to get underway in November with two venues, 'East' and 'West', and smaller teams.

The Citadines Hotel in Holborn will host the East matches, and a new site in Hammersmith will host the West.

East and West champions will likely face off to decide each divisional winner, with teams in the top divisions probably reduced from 10 boards to eight.

I also understand masks will be compulsory, but that may be waived if both players at a board agree.

Check The Tour

THE following has appeared at the CzechTour website:

Festivals of CZECH TOUR 2021 & 2022

In the scope of CZECH TOUR 2021 and 2022 series, following festivals are being prepared:

• HRADEC KRALOVE OPEN, November 6–13, 2021
• BRNO OPEN, November 20–28, 2021
• PRAGUE OPEN, January 7–14, 2022
• MARIENBAD OPEN, January 15–22, 2022
• LIBEREC OPEN, February 5–12, 2022

More details at http://www.czechtour.net/news/

Lessons From The 4NCL II

THE only junior I faced was in round two.

Spanton (1965 ECF/1747 Fide) - Gautham Shenbagakumar (1866 ECF/1688 Fide)

26th 4NCL Weekend Congress (Woodland Grange, Warwickshire) U2000

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.Qe2 e6 7.c4

There is a rule-of-thumb in the Moscow Variation of the Sicilian that when Black fianchettoes the dark-square bishop, White should build a centre with c3 and d4, but when Black plays ...e6, with ...Be7 likely to come, White should set up a Maróczy Bind.

7...Nge7 8.Rd1

Position after 8.Rd1

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8...e5!?

Black moves the e pawn for the second time, but stops White setting up a bind with d4, and leaves the white king's rook misplaced. However, Black's sole bishop is now very restricted.

9.Nc3 g6 10.d3 Bg7 11.Nd5 0-0 12.Rb1 f5 13.a3 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Nd4 15.Nxd4 cxd4

Interesting is 15...exd4!?, giving the dark-square bishop a little more scope.

16.Bd2 f4 17.Rdc1?

White should play f3 to stop Black playing ...f3.

17...Rac8?

Missing a chance to gain an edge with 17...f3 18.gxf3 Qh3.

18.f3 Rxc1+ 19.Rxc1 Rc8 20.Qd1 h5 21.Bb4 Rc7 22.Rc4!? b5

22...Rxc4 23.dxc4 gives White a 4-3 queenside majority, but Black gets a protected passed pawn on d4. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon the position is equal.

23.Rxc7 Qxc7 24.Kf2 Bf6 25.Qd2 Bd8 26.Qd1

Black threatened to win the white bishop with ...a5.

26...Kf7 27.Bd2 Ke7 28.Ke2 Kd7 29.g3 g5?

Black should play 29...fxg3 30.hxg3, when the engines reckon White is slightly better.

30.gxf4 exf4

Or 30...gxf4 31.Qf1, when White is much better.

31.Qb3?

White has an advantage after this, but not as great as after 31.h4.

31...a6 32.h4

This is still good.

32...g4 33.Bxf4!?

Possibly stronger is 33.fxg4 hxg4 34.Bxf4, when 34...Bxh4 transposes to the game, but with Black having fewer options along the way.

33...Bxh4

The engines suggest 33...Ke8!?, one point being that attempting to save the h4 pawn with 34.Bg5?? loses to 34...Bxg5 35.hxg5 Qc1 etc.

34.fxg4 hxg4 35.a4

The engines prefer playing on the kingside with 35.Kf1 or 35.Qd1.

35...Qa5 36.Bd2

And here they reckon 35.Qd1 is slightly better.

36...Qxa4 37.Qxa4 bxa4 38.Bh6 Bf6 39.Bf4 Bd8 40.Kf2 Bb6

The engines point out that 40...Bh4+!? sets a trap in that 41.Bg3? loses to 41...Bg5 and ...Bc1.

41.Kg3 Bc5 42.Bc1 Kc7 43.Kxg4 Kb6?

Black needs to defend the centre with, say, 43...Kd7.

44.Kf5 Kb5 45.Bd2

Stronger is 45.Bh6!, the point being 45...Kb4 46.Bf8 Kb3 47.e5. After the text the game should be drawn.

45...a5 46.e5 dxe5 47.Kxe5 a3 48.bxa3 Bxa3 49.Ke6 a4 50.d6 Bc5 51.d7 Bb6 52.Ke7 a3 53.Bc1 Kb4 54.Kd6 Kb3 55.Kc6 Bd8 56.Bxa3 Kxa3 57.Kc5 Bf6 58.d8=Q ½–½