Summing Up Scarborough

I CALCULATE my score of +2=2-1 in the Scarborough Open saw me gain 16.8 ECF elo and 24 Fide elo.

Scarborough Round Five

LOST this afternoon in 56 moves with black on board 11 against Samuel A Milson (2138 ECF/2069 Fide).

Looking towards Scarborough old town 

Scarborough Round Four

DREW this morning in 29 moves with white on board seven against Peter JE Ackley (2142 ECF/2008 Fide).

British 2022

NEXT year's British Chess Championships will, as expected, be held in Torquay, as the following announcement by the English Chess Federation shows:
We are pleased to announce that the 118th British Chess Championships will be held at the Riviera International Centre in Torquay from the 8th to 21st August 2022 (inclusive). The town has previously hosted the Championships on six occasions, most recently in 2019.

Scarborough Round Three

WON this afternoon in 48 moves with black on board 14 against Raymond J Gamble (1885 ECF/1871 Fide).

Overlooking Scarborough Spa, where the chess congress is held

Scarborough Round Two

WON this morning in 41 moves with white on board 27 against James M Wheeler (1938 ECF/no Fide).

Scarborough Round One

DREW this evening in 35 moves with black on board 26 against Joe Kilshaw (2050 ECF/1974 Fide).

Scarborough Fair

AM traveling to Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast today for the town's 2021 congress, which is split into five sections: open, U1851, U1701, U1551 and U1351.
There are five rounds - one this evening, two on Saturday and two on Sunday - with a time limit of 110 minutes and a 10-second increment.

As I understand it, the point of a 10-second increment is to rule out draw claims based on players trying to flag an opponent on time.

A record of the score does not have to be kept once your clock dips below five minutes, even if it should subsequently go above five minutes.

Several past participants have told me Scarborough is a particularly enjoyable congress, and I am interested in seeing a town I have not previously visited but is supposed to be attractive.

There are 95 entries in the open alone, and the full lists can be found at http://chess-results.com/tnr575745.aspx?lan=1&art=0

Lessons From Hull V

Raimond Klein (1979 ECF/1900 Fide) - Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide)

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Five

Giuoco Piano

1.Nf3 Nc6 2.e4 e5 3.Bc4

A few words about the move-order. As I was shortly to discover, RK had a special variation of the Giuoco Piano in mind. But he would have seen from my games that I meet 1.e4 with 1...c5 and 1...e6 as well as 1...e5, so playing 1.e4 would not guarantee a double e-pawn game. However he would also have seen I often meet 1.Nf3 with 1...Nc6, in which case by continuing 2.e4 he could be fairly sure I would play 2...e5 to keep within my repertoire. Such are the joys of database-aided preparation, even at club level.

3...Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.0-0!?

Much more popular are 6.cxd4 and 6.e5 but the text is also played by grandmasters.

Position after 6.0-0!?

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6...Nxe4

Also playable, but very risky if tried without knowing the theory, is 6...dxc3!?, when the main line continues 7.e5 d5 8.exf6 dxc4 9.fxg7 Rg8 with a sharp position that the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon is dynamically balanced. There are significant sidelines along the way that could easily catch someone who only knows the bare bones.

Other moves played by grandmasters include 6...d5?!, 6...0-0?!, 6...d6?! and 6...d3?!, but the engines dislike them all.

7.cxd4 Be7?

This was played by Wilhelm Steinitz at least three times, and he won all three games. but, though it may be presumptuous of me to say so, it is a mistake. Correct, as is often  the case in similar Giuoco Piano positions, is the counterthrust 7...d5, when the main line runs 8.dxc5 (Komodo12.1.1 prefers 8.Re1) dxc4 9.Qe2 (also popular is 9.Qxd8+) Qd3!? 10.Re1 f5 11.Nc3 0-0 12.Nxe4 fxe4 13.Qxe4 Bf5!? 14.Qh4, which Stockfish14 reckons is equal, but Komodo12.1.1 claims a slight edge for Black.

8.d5 Na5

Steinitz played 8...Nd6?! against Cecil De Vere, London 1865, but after 9.dxc6 Nxc4 10.Qd4 bxc6 11.Qxg7!? (the obvious 11.Qxc4 is also strong) was simply lost (but 0-1, 26 moves). In two later games - one a simul - he played 8...Nb8, but was significantly worse both times before turning things around thanks to his overall greater chess strength.

9.Bd3 f5?!

I hoped to slow White's play by giving back the pawn, but almost certainly better are 9...Nf6 and 9...Nd6.

10.Qa4!?

The engines reckon 10.Nbd2 is strongest, but it is hard for White to come up with a move here that does not give a substantial advantage.

10...Nc5 11.Qc2!?

Stockfish14 much prefers this to Komodo12.1.1's choice 11.Qxa5, when after 11...Nxd3 it seems the bold black knight cannot be trapped. Indeed the engines reckon White's only route to advantage is 12.d6!? Bxd6 followed by 13.Qxf5, 13.Nc3 or 13.Bg5.

11...Nxd3 12.Qxd3 0-0 13.Bd2

The engines reckon this is stronger than 13.b4!? Bxb4 14.Qb5 Qe7 15.a3 Nb3 16.axb4 Nxa1 17.Qa4.

13...b6?

Better, but still horrible for Black, is 13...c5 14.d6 Bf6 15.Nc3, which the engines reckon gives White more than enough compensation for a pawn and the bishop-pair.

14.Bxa5 bxa5

White to play and win

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15.Nc3?

White wins a piece with 15.d6 thanks to the threatened fork of king and rook at d5. Black can try to complicate the picture with 15...Bf6!? but 16.Qd5+ Kh8 17.Qxa8 Bxb2 18.Nbd2 Bxa119.Rxa1 is crushing, according to the engines.

15...Rb8 16.b3 Rb6 17.Rfe1 Ba6 18.Qe3 Bf6?!

Almost certainly stronger is 18...Bb4, which protects the a5 pawn as well as pinning the knight.

19.Rac1 f4?!

The engines prefer 19...Bb7.

20.Qc5 Bb7 21.Qxa5

White has won the pawn back and has the better-coordinated pieces, but Black has a pair of bishops on a fairly open board.

21...Qa8!?

Creating a Réti queen to give counterplay along the long light-square diagonal, but the engines prefer the prosaic 21...a6, awarding White a slight edge.

22.Na4?!

White wins a pawn with 22.Nb5.

22...Rd6

I rejected 22...Bxd5? 23.Nxb6 cxb6 24.Qb5 Bxf3 25.Qxf3 because of 25...Qe2, but even stronger for White is the engines' 25...Qxd7.

23.Qxc7 Rxd5 24.Nc5?

White is at least equal, according to the engines, after the prudent retreat 24.Qc4.

24...Bc6

Threatening to trap the white queen with 25...Bd8.

25.Qxf4?

Best is 25.Na6, according to the engines, when 25...Bd8? lets White off the hook thanks to 26.Qb8. Instead Black can start a strong kingside attack with 25...Rh5.

25...Bb2

Even stronger is 25...Bd4.

26.Qc4 Bxc1 27.Rxc1 Kh8 28.Qg4 Rdf5 29.Nd4?!

This does not help, but there is no defence.

29...Rf4 30.Qd1 Rxf2 31.Rc2 Rxg2+ 32.Rxg2 Bxg2 33.Nxd7 Rf1+ 0-1

London Calling

THE London League has apparently started its 2021-22 season, although I can find no list of fixtures at its website.

However some information has been released:

The London Chess League now has its 2021-2022 season underway!
This season we will be playing both East and West sections of competition, and inviting some of the top teams at the end of the season to a knockout style playoff over two match nights.
We will be distancing our playing tables compared to previous seasons and adopting COVID protocols including mandatory mask-wearing indoors on match nights.

Update Fri Oct 29: fixtures have now been published at http://www.londonchess.org.uk/main.php

Why I Play Chess

WELL, it is not the only reason, but one bonus of being a tournament chessplayer is you will probably never need to pay for a ballpoint pen for the rest of your life.

I have literally dozens of pens given away at chess events, the latest coming from the Hull 4NCL congress last weekend.

Here is a small but choice selection from my desk drawer at home:

Any of these look familiar?

Lessons From Hull IV

Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide) - Sam Coates (1959 ECF/1647 Fide)

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Four

Veresov

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bg5 Bf5 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3 Bg6

SC said in the postmortem he refrained from 5...Bxd3 because 6.cxd3 improved the position of the white queen's knight.

6.Nf3 Be7 7.Ne5 Bxd3

Played to avoid giving up the bishop-pair, but after ...

8.Qxd3

... White has a handy lead in development. Nevertheless, the position is relatively closed - no pawns have been exchanged - and the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon White should settle for positional play with 8.cxd3.

8...c6

Protecting against Qb5.

9.0-0 0-0 10.f4

Position after 10.f4 - how would you assess this position?

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White has a big lead in development and is setting up a kingside attack. I thought my prospects were good, but SC in the postmortem said he never felt he was in trouble, and the future course of the game suggests he was much closer to the truth.

10...Nfd7!? 11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Rf3 f5 13.Kh1 Nf6 14.Rg1 Nbd7 15.Rh3 Ne4

Black is better after 15...c5!?, according to the engines.

16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Qe2 Nxe5 18.dxe5 g6 19.g4 Rf7 20.gxf5

As SC pointed out in the postmortem, 20.g5?! is probably too slow, allowing Black to dominate down the open d file.

20...exf5 21.Qh5?!

This is easily met.

21...Rg7

Not 21...Rd8? 22.Rxg6+!

22.Qe2

The black king's rook is not really worse off on g7 instead of f7, so the net effect of Qh5-e2 is that White has lost a tempo.

22...Rd8

If an attack fails to break through, it is easy for the attacker to find his pieces are offside

23.Rhg3 Qb4 24.c3 Qb5!?

The position is dead-equal, according to the engines - presumably White's protected passed pawn balances Black's pressure down the d file.

25.Qxb5 cxb5 26.h4 Rd2 27.R1g2 Rxg2 28.Rxg2 Rd7 29.Re2 Rd1+ 30.Kg2 Ra1 31.a3 Rd1 32.Rc2 a5

How should White proceed?

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33.Kf2

The winning-attempt 33.c4!? bxc4 34.Rxc4 is hard to believe, eg 34...Rd2+ 35.Kf1 Rxb2, when the engines reckon White is still equal, but the position looks, to me, easier to play for Black.

33...Rh1 34.Kg3?!

Better, according to the engines, is seeking counterplay with 34.Rd2, eg 34...Rxh4 35.Rd8+ Kf7 36.Rd7+ Ke6 37.Rd6+ Ke7 38.Rb6 with dead-equality.

How should Black proceed?

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34...Re1

The engines reckon 34...Rf1!? Kg2 35.Rf3 Re2 Kf7 possibly gives Black a tiny edge.

35.Kf2 Rh1 36.Kg3 ½–½

Not-So-Coul Chess

WAS due to be playing in round seven of the one-game-a-week Cousldon Autumn Daytime tournament this afternoon, but have received an email stating it is off "as the building is needed for other purposes."

Lessons From Hull III

Luis Ortiz Sanchez (1962 ECF/1907 Fide) - Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide)

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Three

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6

This modest continuation is slightly more popular than 2...c6, but both moves are eclipsed, at least in popularity, by the less-committal 2...Nf6.

3.Bf4 Bd6 4.e3!?

Retreating the bishop (4.Bg3) and exchanging (4.Bxd6) are commoner, but the text is also popular with grandmasters, and scores best percentage-wise in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.

4...Nf6

4...Bxf4 5.exf4 disrupts White's pawn-formation, but gives White a half-open central file and strong control over the e5 square.

5.Nbd2 0-0 6.Bd3 b6 7.0-0 Bb7

Black can swop off his bad bishop with 7...Ba6!?, but 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.Qe2 looks pleasant for White, although Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon 9...Bxf4 10.exf4 makes the game roughly equal.

8.Qe2 Bxf4 9.exf4 c5 10.c3 Nc6 11.Ne5 cxd4 12.Nxc6 Bxc6 13.cxd4 Qd6 14.g3 Rac8

14...Qb4 can be met by 15.Nf3 or R(either)c1.

15.Ba6 Rc7 16.a3?!

This is probably too passive. After 16.Rfc1 Black can hardly play 16...Qb4?! as White has 17.Rc3! (17.Nf3 is also good), when 17...Qxb2? runs into 18.Rac1 Nd7! 19.Qd3! (not 19.Rxc6? Rxc6 20.Rxc6 Nb8 21.Rxe6!, when Black has equality, according to the engines) Nb8 20.Rb1.

16...Bb7

The engines give 16...b5! 17.Bxb5 Bxb5 18.Qxb5 Rc2 when, if anyone is better, it is Black.

17.Bxb7?!

Giving up a good bishop for a bad one is strange, but OS had a specific idea in mind.

17...Rxb7 18.Qe5 Qd7

White is better after 18...Qxe5? 19.fxe5.

After 18...Qd7 the game revolves around control of the open file

19.Rfc1 Rc8 20.Qe2?!

This retreat does not really accomplish anything. The engines give 20.Nf1!?, eg 20...Rbc7 21.Rxc7 Qxc7 22.Ne3, reckoning Black has at best a slight edge.

20...h6!?

The engines reckon the obvious 20...Rbc7 is marginally better, but the more I looked at the position the more I saw lines in which the threat of a back-rank mate came into play.

21.f3!?

The engines are not keen on this move, which deprives the black knight of use of the e4 and g4 squares but slightly weakens the white king's position. Instead they prefer 21.Rxc8+ Qxc8 22.Nf1! Rc7 23.Ne3, when White has defended the c2 entry point. Black can continue 23...Rc1+ 24.Rxc1 Qxc1+, which looks promising, but after 25.Kg2 Ne4 the engines give 26.f5, claiming White is equal.

21...Rbc7 22.Qd1 Qb5 23.Rxc7 Rxc7 24.Rc1?!

This looks natural but it lets the black queen penetrate White's position. The engines give 24.Rb1!?, but reckon Black has a large advantage.

24...Rxc1 25.Qxc1 Qe2 26.Qc3 h5 27.h4 g6 28.b4 Kg7?!

This seems slow. I rejected 28...Ne8 because of 29.Qc8, but Black is well on top after 29...Qxd2 (the engines reckon 29...Qe3+!? 30.Kf1 Kf8 is even stronger) 30.Qxe8+ Kg7.

29.Nf1 a6 30.Qe3 Qxe3+?!

The engines much prefer 30...Qd1.

31.Nxe3

How would you assess this ending?

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White's weaknesses at g3, d4 and a3 make it a hard defensive task, but it may well be that correct defence should hold. The engines give Black a slight edge.

31...Ne8!?

Aiming for d6 and then f5, c4 or b5.

32.Kf2 Nd6 33.Ke2

The engines reckon 33.a4!? keeps Black's edge to a minimum.

33...Nc4

The engines prefer 33...b5!?, fixing the weakness at a3.

34.Nc2 Kf6 35.Kd3 Ke7 36.Kc3 Kd6 37.a4 Ke7!

This paradoxical retreat is best, according to the engines.

38.a5?

The engines give 38.g4 Kf6 39.b5!? axb5 40.axb5, reckoning Black has a slight edge.

38...bxa5 39.bxa5 Nxa5 40.Nb4 Nc4 41.Nxa6 Ne3 42.Kd3 Nf5 43.g4 Nxh4 44.Nb4

Or 44.Ne2 Ng2 45.gxh5 Nxf4+ etc.

44...Nxf3 (0-1, 67 moves)

Hradec Králové Update

ENTRIES for next month's CzechTour tournament in Hradec Králové have been updated.

There are now 49 players from 10 countries, as can be seen at http://chess-results.com/tnr584333.aspx?lan=1&art=0&turdet=YES&flag=30

Lessons From Hull II

Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide) - Geoffrey D Brown (1893 ECF/1726 Fide)

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Two

Pribyl

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d6!? 3.Nf3!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database runs 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f4 Qa5 5.Bd3 e5 6.Nf3 Bg4, reaching a position with more than 1,300 examples. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon White has the upper hand. However there are many possible deviations along the way, including 3...e5!?, when 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ Kxd8 6.Bc4 f6 is only slightly better for White, according to the engines.

3...Bg4

This is the main line, although GB said in the postmortem he should probably have played 3...Qc7.

4.Bc4!?

The main moves are 4.Be2 and 4.h3. The text hopes for tactical trickery, but is easily countered by Black.

4...Nf6

An even simpler answer is 4...d5.

5.e5 d5

As GB pointed out, also possible is 5...Nd5. But not 5...dxe5? 6.Bxf7+! etc.

6.Bd3 Ne4!?

The engines prefer the more-circumspect 6...Nfd7.

7.h3 Bh5 8.g4 Bg6 9.Nh4

The engines like the pawn-sac 9.e6!?, eg 9...fxe6 10.Ne5 with what looks like good compensation. Indeed the engines reckon Black should reply 9...f6 with what seems an unclear position, although the engines favour White.

9...e6 10.Nxg6 hxg6

White has won the bishop-pair but left many weaknesses on the kingside

11.Nd2 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 Be7

I was worried about 12...Qb6!?, when 13.Bc3?! runs into 13...c5. However the engines reckon 13.c3 Qxb2 14.Rb1 Qxa2 is good for White after 15.Kf1!?, intending Kg2. Accordingly they reckon Black should ignore the b2 pawn and instead get on with attacking the white centre with 13...c5, rating the position as equal.

13.c3 Nd7 14.Qc2 Nf8?!

Defending against Bxg6 and hoping to reroute the knight on the kingside, but it is probably too slow. Instead the engines like 14...c5, when 15.Bxg6 cxd4! (15...fxg6 16.Qxg6 Kf8 17.Qxe6 is unclear) 16.cxd4 Qb6 17.Bd3 Qxd4 seems to favour Black.

15.0-0-0 Qc7 16.f4 0-0-0 17.f5

After 17.f5 the holes on the white kingside no longer look so significant, and it is the black kingside that is under pressure

17...c5 18.Rdf1 c4

This seems better than 18...cxd4 19.cxd4 Qxc2+, which increases the power of the bishop-pair.

19.Be2 Bh4!?

The best way to defend f7.

20.Qa4 Kb8 21.b3?!

Opening lines for the bishops and along the a file, but the engines reckon the good points are outweighed by the weakening of the white king's position.

21...cxb3

Almost certainly not 21...Rc8?! 22.bxc4 dxc4, which gives white a central pawn-majority, the h1-a8 diagonal for the light-square bishop and better protection for the king.

22.axb3 gxf5 23.gxf5 exf5 24.Rxf5 Be7?!

Setting a little trap, but probably better is 24...Ne6.

25.Kc2

After 25.Rxf7?! Ba3+ 26.Qxa3 Qxf7 White has two bishops and a pawn for rook and knight. The engines still favour White, but not as much as after the text.

25...f6?!

Best, but still very good for White, is 25...Qb6 26.Rg1 (26.Rxf7?? Qg6+) Qe6.

26.Bf4?

White is winning after 26.exf6 gxf6 27.Ra1 a6 (27...b6 28.Bf4 Bd6 29.Rxd5 a5 30.Rxd6 Rxd6 31.Qa3) 28.Bxa6! bxa6 29.Bf4+ Bd6 30.Qxa6 Qb7 31.Bxd6+.

26...Ne6 27.exf6?!

Probably better is 27.Bg3, but Black has a slight edge, according to the engines.

27...Nxf4 28.fxe7 Qxe7

During the game I was more worried about 28...Rde8?!, which worked well in the postmortem, but 29.Bg4 equalises, according to the engines. However Black had 28...Rc8!, when 29.Bg4 (forced) Qxc3+ 30.Kb1 is very good for Black after both 30...Qc2+ and 30...Nd3.

29.Re5 Qh4?

Black may have a slight edge after 29...Qf6, as suggested by GB in the postmortem.

White to play and win

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30.Ra1! Qf6

There is no defence, eg 30...a6 31.Bxa6! bxa6 32.Qb4+! Kc8 (32...Ka7 33.Re7+) 33.Qc5+ Kd7 (33...Kb8 34.Qb6+ ; 33...Kb7 34.Re7+) 34.Qa7+ Kc8 35.Qxa6+ and mates.

31.Qxa7+ Kc8 32.Bg4+ Kc7 33.Ra5 Qg6+ 34.Bf5 Qg2+ 35.Kb1 Qf1+ 36.Ka2 Ra8 37.Qc5+ 1-0

Lessons From Hull

Paul May (1840 ECF/1749 Fide) - Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide)

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round One

Chigorin

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.e3!?

This somewhat passive move is not without bite. It has been played by Anand, Bareev and other grandmasters, and is the top choice, at least for a while, of the analysis engine Komodo12.1.1. More popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database are 3.Nc3, 3.Nf3 and 3.cxd5.

3...e5 4.cxd5

Bareev has played the text and 4.dxe5, while Anand has preferred 4.Nf3.

4...Qxd5

The game has transposed to a position more normally reached by the move-order 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5.

5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3

This has been played by greats including Capablanca, Alekhine, Rubinstein and Kasparov, while 7.Bxc3 has a lesser pedigree but one that nevertheless includes van Wely, Lautier, Baburin and Topalov.

How should Black proceed?

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7...Nf6

In the early days of the variation it was almost taken for granted that Black should play 7...exd4 to slow White's central pawn-avalanche, and, as far as I know, this is still the choice of Chigorin Defence specialist Igor Miladinović. However the modern consensus is that 7...exd4 opens the position too much in favour of the white bishop-pair. Accordingly 7...Qd6 started becoming popular in the 1990s, the point being that it prevents 8.c4. Other moves were also tried, with the text gradually taking over, to the point where it is now easily the commonest continuation in Mega21.

8.c4

Also popular is 8.f3, but the text is a logical attempt to exploit the position of the black queen. After ...

8...Qd6 9.d5

... White has gained space with no loss of time and is displacing the black queen's knight.

9...Nb8!?

Much more popular in Mega21 is 9...Ne7, which avoids the danger of a skewer from the white dark-square bishop after Black castles kingside. The text is an alternative way of dealing with the danger.

10.Qb1

Many moves have been tried by strong players at this point, including 10.Qc2, 10.Qa4, 10.f3 and 10.Nf3. Another reasonable-looking move is 10.Rb1.

10...Nbd7

Normal is 10...Na6. The text may even be a novelty, but I imagine the two lines will often transpose.

11.Nf3 Nc5 12.Bc3 Nfd7!?

I was reluctant to open the a1-h8 diagonal and give the white knight the d4 square, both of which would be the consequence of 12...e4. However the text certainly looks awkward.

13.Be2 0-0 14.0-0

The thrust 14.Ng5 can be met in several ways, including 14...Qg6, 14...f5 and 14...Nf6.

14...Re8 15.e4!?

Also good for White, according to the engines, is 15.Nd2. The text lets Black initiate a semi-forcing sequence ...

15...Qg6 16.Nd2 Na4 17.Bb4 a5 18.Ba3 Nc3 19.Qd3 Nxe2+ 20.Qxe2

... the result of which is White no longer has the bishop-pair, but equally no longer has a bad bishop. We now have a middlegame with opposite-coloured bishops, which should favour whichever player can seize the initiative.

20...Nf6

How should White proceed?

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21.Rab1

Developing the rook while putting pressure on b7 looks natural, but the engines prefer trying to mobilise White's centre with 21.f4!?

21...Nh5

Preventing f4 and planning to menace g2.

22.Kh1 Nf4 23.Qf3 Qg5

23...Bg4 might look tempting, but after 24.Qg3 Black has to do something about the b pawn, and, for reasons that will become obvious, I did not want to play ...b6.

24.Qg3 Qh5

What should White play?

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25.h3?

White is probably lost after this. The engines reckon best-play goes 25.f3 Ra6 26.Qf2 Nd3 27.Qe2 Nf4, with a draw by repetition.

25...Ra6

The rook lift means all black pieces, bar the king's rook (and king), will soon be combing against the white king's position.

26.Nf3?

This loses on the spot, but there appears to be no defence. The best the engines can find is giving up a pawn by 26.d6!? to stop the queen's rook switching to the kingside.

26...Rf6

Even stronger is 26...Bxh3! 27.gxh3 Rg6.

27.Qh4

The lesser evil, according to the engines, is giving up the g2 pawn by 27.Qg5!? Qxg5 28.Nxg5 Rg6 etc.

27...Qg6 28.Rg1 Qxe4 29.Rbe1

29.Ng5 is easily met by, among other moves, 29...Qg6.

Can you find Black's best move?

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29...Qf5?!

This may objectively be the worst of the reasonable-looking choices (29...Qg6?? simply loses to 30.Nxe5 Qf5 31.Ng4).

29...Qxc4 grabs a second pawn and threatens two more, but the engines reckon White gets decent counterplay after 30.Bc1 or 30.Bb2, albeit they still prefer Black.

29...Qd3 is met b7 30.Re3, when the engines reckon Black has to retreat with 30...Qf5 to keep any sort of advantage.

Best, according to the engines, is giving up the e pawn with 29...Qc2!?, eg 30.Rxe5 Rxe5 31.Nxe5, when Black has 31...Qc3, forking bishop and knight. And if 30.Nxe5, then 30...Ne2 looks very strong.

How can White take advantage of Black's last move?

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30.Nd4

This loses, as does 30.Bb2 Nxh3!, but White can save himself with 30.Nxe5!, when 30...Rxe5? leaves Black in trouble after 31.g4. Instead the engines reckon Black can in turn save himself with 30...Nxg2!, when 31.Rxg2 Rxe5 32.Rxe5 Qxe5 33.f3! (threatens 34.Bb2) is dead-equal, eg 33...Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Qe5+ 35.Kh1 etc.

30...Qd7 31.Nf3 Rh6 32.Qg3 Nxh3! 33.gxh3 Rxh3+ 0-1

Summing Up Hull

I CALCULATE my score of +4=1-0 in the Hull 4NCL U2000 gained me 32.8 ECF elo and 47 Fide elo.

My first-place finish means I should receive £500.

The full standings can be seen at https://chess-results.com/tnr585621.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=5

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Five

WON this afternoon in 33 moves with black on board one against Germany's Raimond Klein (1979 ECF/1900 Fide).

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Four

DREW this morning in 36 moves with white on board one against Scotland's Sam Coates (1959 ECF/1647 Fide).

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Three

WON this afternoon in 67 moves with black on board one against Luis Ortiz Sanchez (1962 ECF/1907 Fide).

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round Two

WON this morning in 37 moves with white on board one against Geoffrey D Brown (1893 ECF/1726 Fide).

Hull 4NCL U2000 Round One

WON this evening in 33 moves with black on board three against Paul May (1840 ECF/1749 Fide).

Clueless

BRITISH Airways sent me an email today asking me to prepare for an upcoming flight to Prague.
I did, and got this advice: "Most travelers from London are not allowed to enter Czech Republic yet."
Not only is the advice grammatically poor, it is also wrong - no wonder ordinary people get confused about covid-related travel rules when travel specialists cannot get it right.

Swiss Swiz

SWITZERLAND has launched an interesting money-making scam that will certainly discourage me from playing chess there in the near future.

Here is how it is explained on the UK government's travel-advice website:

Proof of vaccination, proof of recovery from a COVID-19 infection or a negative test result (up to 48 hours for a rapid antigen test or 72 hours for a PCR test) is required for entry into:
Large-scale outdoor events attended by over 1,000 people. Indoor hospitality venues including restaurants, bars, clubs and discos
Cultural, sporting and leisure activities indoors. This includes museums and libraries, leisure facilities, zoos, casinos, fitness centres and sports facilities, indoor pools and water parks
Indoor events including theatre and cinema, concerts, sporting events and private events outside the home (e.g. weddings)
Children under the age of 16 are exempt from this requirement.
[So far, so reasonable, but then comes the sting.]
Until 24 October, foreign vaccination certificates, including NHS certificates, will be valid for access to events or facilities requiring a COVID certificate until 24 October. From 25 October, you will need to have a Swiss COVID certificate or an EU Digital COVID Certificate for entry to such events or facilities.
Anyone who has been fully vaccinated outside of Switzerland with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency can obtain a Swiss COVID certificate. This includes the vaccines that are available in the UK: AstraZeneca, Pfizer - BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen. You will need to apply online to obtain this certificate. It is recommended that you submit your application 2 weeks before your arrival in Switzerland. Non-residents will have to pay a CHF 30 fee.

To Hull And Back

AM traveling by train today for the Hull 4NCL International Congress, which is split into three sections: open, U2000 and U1700.

There are five rounds over three days, with my return to London scheduled for Monday.

Entries - I am in the U2000 - can be seen at https://www.4ncl.co.uk/fide/entrants_hullotb_2021.htm

Meanwhile earlier this week I received by email the following information about the congress's covid regulations:

Masks will be strongly recommended but not mandatory. 

Up to and including round 4 players facing an opponent with no mask will be allowed to claim a ½ point bye for both players before start of play. 

The ½ point bye option will be available if a player claiming a mask exemption can show the Chief Arbiter a mask exemption certificate and an up-to-date negative PCR test certificate before start of play. 

Players are encouraged to  use the NHS tracing app QR codes available at all entrance points. 

Players should not attend the congress if you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms (as outlined on the Public Health England website: www.gov.uk/coronavirus) or if they are required to self-isolate following a visit abroad during the 14 days preceding the congress. 

Personal possessions should be kept to a minimum. 

Hands should be sanitised before and after handling personal possessions. 

Hand sanitiser will be available throughout the venue for players’ use. 

An enhanced cleaning regime will be in place, sufficient for pre/during/post event use. 

The venue will increase ventilation in buildings/rooms where possible. 

Venue equipment (tables and chairs) will be sanitised before use and/or if used by other hirers within 72 hours beforehand.

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round Six

Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide) - A Qaiyum Khan (1497 ECF/1393 Fide)

Sicilian ...a6

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6!? 3.c3

The commonest move, 3.d4!?, has a questionable reputation from a theoretical standpoint in that, after 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4, Black can get in a quick ...e5, eg 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e5, giving Black what is arguably an improved Najdorf in that Black has not spent a tempo on ...d6. However Nakamura is among grandmasters who have been happy to play this way as White, while Tartakower and Fischer met the problem by switching to a Morra Gambit with 4.c3!?

The argument in favour of the text is that ...a6 may well not be a useful move in a Sicilian Alapin, ie a game that usually starts 1.e4 c5 2.c3.

3...e6 4.d4 Nf6!?

The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 strongly dislike this, preferring 4...d5, which is the most-popular move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.

How should White proceed?

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5.d5?!

Most popular in Mega21 is 5.Bd3, while the engines reckon White has a large advantage after 5.e5.

5...d6

Black loses a piece after 5...Nxe4 6.dxe6 dxe6?? 7.Qa4+, but very playable is 6...fxe6, when 7.Bd3 Nf6!? leaves White with insufficient compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, although Komodo12.1.1 reckons Black is only slightly better.

6.Be2 e5!? 7.0-0 Be7 8.h3 Nxe4?? 9.Qa4+ Bd7 10.Qxe4 (1-0, 40 moves).

Updated tournament standings can be seen at https://ccfworld.com/Chess/Results/2021-12-15_Daytime%20Club.htm

Coul Chess

AFTER two days without a game, I am due back in action this afternoon in the Coulsdon Autumn Daytime tournament.

Pairings and standings can be seen at https://ccfworld.com/Chess/Results/2021-12-15_Daytime%20Club.htm

A Rail Pain In The Neck

HERE is an account of my somewhat surreal dealings with LNER and the Rail Ombudsman after I caught a train to Newcastle on August 25 to play in Tim Wall's Northumbria congress.

The train was late leaving King's Cross, was held up for more than an hour in the Huntingdon area and eventually arrived in Newcastle at, by my reckoning, 14:57 against a scheduled arrival time of 13:39.

The driver or guard (on-board supervisor?) apologised for the delay and announced all passengers would be entitled to full refund of their ticket price, which in my case was £25.45.

I felt it was well worth applying for and so went through the rigmarole of making a claim, getting an automated response on August 26.

The following day I received this from LNER:

Thank you for getting in touch with us at London North Eastern Railway.
We are sorry to hear that your journey was affected by delays to our service and appreciate that it can affect your day.
Through our Passenger’s Charter, we’re committed to compensating every LNER customer who is more than 30 minutes late to their destination station because their train is delayed or is cancelled.
We’ve taken a look at your case and our records tell us that your train was delayed by 14 minutes on 25 August 2021 from London Kings Cross - Newcastle , so we’re not able to compensate you under our Delay Repay scheme on this occasion.
At LNER, we appreciate all the feedback we receive. It helps us to deliver a safe, reliable and high-quality service. Unfortunately, things sometimes go wrong, but please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience.
Thank you for travelling with us and we look forward to taking you on more journeys in the future.

I replied on August 27:

Your records are incorrect,
My journey on Wednesday August 25 from London King's Cross to Newcastle was due to start at 10:30 and arrive at 13:39.
It maybe it only started 14 minutes late, but it arrived 78 minutes late as it reached Newcastle at 14:57.
If I do not receive compensation I will complain to the Rail Ombudsman.

I received no reply, so I complained to the Rail Ombudsman, whose office replied the same day:

Thank you for submitting your application form to the Rail Ombudsman regarding your complaint with LNER.
As part of our process, the Rail Ombudsman are only able to review a complaint if either:
- 40 working days have passed since the date you first raised your complaint to LNER, or
- You are in receipt of a deadlock letter for your complaint.
I note that 40 working days have not passed since the date of first complaint to LNER, therefore to enable me to review your complaint further, please could you provide me with a copy of your deadlock letter. A deadlock letter will state that if you are not satisfied with the way LNER has answered your complaint, you have the right to take your complaint to the Rail Ombudsman.
You can obtain a deadlock letter by contacting LNER, if you are not currently in receipt of one. You can upload your deadlock letter directly to the portal, or alternatively if you experience any difficulties, you can email it to assistantombudsman@railombudsman.org, quoting your reference number R141624.
If I do not receive this documentation, I will be closing your case on 02 September 2021, for administrative purposes.
We allow the Rail Service Provider 40 working days to attempt to resolve complaints to your satisfaction. I would recommend you contact LNER during this time to try to reach a suitable resolution.

I forwarded LNER's email to the Rail Ombudsman, whose office replied, again the same day:
Thank you for your message.
I have reviewed the documents you have uploaded and do not consider there to be a deadlock letter. A deadlock letter will state that if you are not satisfied with the way your complaint has been handled by the Rail Service Provider you have the right to take your complaint to the Rail Ombudsman.
With regards to your next possible steps, you may wish to contact LNER and allow them the remainder of the 40 working day period to provide a resolution for your complaint alternatively, you may wish to request a deadlock letter.
Without being in receipt of a deadlock letter, I am unable to proceed further and will be closing your case on 02 September 2021 for administrative purposes.
Please note, I am able to reopen your case upon you contacting us with a deadlock letter or once 40 working days have passed since the date you first complained to LNER.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.If you subsequently obtain a deadlock letter, or once 40 working days have passed after making your initial complaint, I will be able to re-open your case, upon you contacting us again.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I felt I had already received a "deadlock letter," but I replied anyway:

Thank you.
I am awaiting a reply to my second email to LNER. If the matter is not resolved, I will ask for a deadlock letter.

On August 31, having heard no more from LNER, I emailed them:

To reiterate: my journey on Wednesday August 25 from King's Cross to Newcastle was scheduled to start at 10.30 but was delayed about 15-20 minutes.
It was further delayed for over an hour in the Huntingdon area because of signalling problems blamed on cable theft.
We arrived in Newcastle at 14.57 against a scheduled arrival time of 13.39.
If you disagree with these figures, please send me a 'deadlock letter' - the Rail Ombudsman says your previous email did not constitute a deadlock letter.

I also resubmitted details of my claim to LNER in the hope it would be seen by a different official from the person who rejected my original claim.

I heard nothing from LNER but on September 2 I received the following from the office of the Rail Ombudsman:

Further to my message, as I am not in receipt of a deadlock letter for your complaint, I will be closing your case for administrative purposes.
Please note, I am able to reopen your case upon you contacting us with a deadlock letter or once 40 working days have passed since the date you first complained to your Rail Service Provider.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

I replied the same day:

Since your previous email I have twice emailed LNER: restating my case and asking for a deadlock letter if they did not agree with my claim (pointing out that the Rail Ombudsman did not regard LNER's previous email to me as a deadlock letter).
I have not received a reply to either email. I do not know what more I can do.

Later the same day I received two further emails from the office of the Rail Ombudsman:

Thank you for your application, we have completed our investigation into your case which is now closed.

Thank you for submitting your complaint to the Rail Ombudsman regarding LNER (London North Eastern Railway).
On further review into the nature of your complaint, unfortunately this is out of scope for the Rail Ombudsman and we have been unable to transfer this to any other body that would be able to assist you further.
More details regarding out of scope complaints can be found in the Rail Ombudsman Consumer Guide by clicking here
We regret that we have not been able to assist you on this occasion and your complaint will now be closed with the Rail Ombudsman. However, if you require any further support, we would advise you to contact Citizens Advice on 0345 404 0506 who may be able to help.

I emailed the Rail Ombudsman on September 6:

Thank you.
I will do as advised, but I stated before LNER is not answering my emails, including my email asking for a dealock letter.

I received the following reply:

Thank you for your message.
I am sorry to hear that you are unable to get a Deadlock letter.
However, the Rail Ombudsman are bound by our scheme rules and so I am unable to put your complaint through before 40 working days have passed since the date of initial complaint without being in receipt of a Deadlock letter.
As such, if LNER do not want to provide you with a Deadlock letter, you will be forced to wait till 40 working days have passed before the Rail Ombudsman can investigate your complaint.
With regards to your next possible steps, you may wish to contact LNER again and allow them the remainder of the 40 working day period to provide a resolution for your complaint alternatively, you may wish to request a deadlock letter.
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

That same day I also emailed LNER:

The Rail Ombudsman has asked me to repeat my request to you for a deadlock letter.
Thanks,

I heard no more from either body until receiving the following email from LNER on October 3:

Thank you for getting in touch with us at London North Eastern Railway.
We are sorry to hear that your journey was affected by delays to our service and appreciate that it can affect your day.
We’ve taken a look at your case and are pleased to inform you that a BACS payment to the value of £50.45 has been raised and will be with you in the next 14 working days.
The above amount also includes a £25.00 goodwill payment, we are very sorry your case was not resolved sooner.
Our records tell us that your train was delayed by77minutes on 25 August 2021 from London Kings Cross - Newcastle and, in keeping with our Passenger’s Charter, we’re committed to compensating every LNER customer who is more than 30 minutes late to their destination station because their train is delayed or is cancelled.
There’s no need to reply to this email, we’ll get your compensation to you automatically and any other correspondence could delay payment, but if you haven’t received it within 14 working days, please do get in touch.
Did you know that we have launched a service that repays you for your delayed train without you having to fill out a form? When you buy an LNER Advance ticket directly from our website, you’ll be able to sign up to One-click Delay Repay. If your train is then delayed by 30 minutes or more, we’ll notify you automatically to claim your compensation with one click. For more information, please visit our website here.
At LNER, we do our best to deliver a safe, reliable and high-quality service every day. Unfortunately, things sometimes go wrong, but please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience.
Thank you for travelling with us and we look forward to taking you on more journeys in the future.

The £50.45 from LNER was paid into my bank account on October 15 while I was playing at Calvià, Mallorca.

All's well that ends well, I guess, but I am far from happy with the behaviour of either LNER or the Rail Ombudsman's office.

Summing Up Calvià

MY score of +3=2-4 in Mallorca saw me gain exactly four Fide elo.

Meanwhile here are more photos taken during walks I enjoyed with Joe Skielnik.

Calvià Round Nine

MY game from yesterday.

Spanton (1731) - Daniel Pousada García (1873)

Sicilian ...e6

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Qe2!?

Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer the less-popular  - at least in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database - 4.e5.

4...Be7 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.c3 d5 7.e5 Nd7 8.d4 Qb6 9.Bde3 cxd4 10.cxd4 f6 11.0-0 0-0 12.Bh3!?

The engines dislike this, preferring 12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Nc3.

12...Kh8!?

The engines reckon Black is at least equal after 12...fxe5, eg 13.Bxe6+ Kh8 14.Nc3 e4.

13.Bxe6

The engines still prefer exf6.

13...fxe5 14.Bxd7??

Positional suicide.

14...Bxd7

Position after 14...Bxd7

15.Nxe5?

Better is 15.dxe5, but the white position remains horrible.

15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 d4 17.Bf4 Bh3 18.Rc1 Rxf4! 19.gxf4 0-1

Calvià Round Eight

MY game from yesterday afternoon.

Alfonso Cemborain Oricain (1815) - Spanton (1731)

Scotch

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qf6!?

More popular in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database are 4...Bc5, 4...Nf6, 4...Nxd4!? and 4...Qh4!?, but the text has been played by Magnus Carlsen, Vasyl Ivanchuk and especially Jonny Hector.

5.c3

This for a while becomes Komodo12.1.1's second choice behind 5.Nf3!? before being supplanted by 5.Nb5.

5...Qg6?!

5...Bc5 6.Be3 transposes to a main line of the Scotch.

The problem with the text is White can ignore the threat to the e pawn.

6.Nb5! Qxe4+?!

The only game to reach the position after 6.Nb5! in Mega21 saw a 2330 play 6...Kd8, which is preferred by Komodo12.1.1 and Stockfish14.

7.Be2 Kd8

Position after 7...Kd8 in Cemborain Oricain - Spanton

If the position in the diagram looks familiar it is probably because it resembles a main line in the Steinitz Variation of the Scotch that arises after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Qh4 5.Nb5 Qxe4+ 6.Be2 Kd8.

Position after 6...Kd8 in the Scotch Steinitz

The difference between the two diagrams is that in the former White has the extra move 5.c3. The engines' evaluations fluctuate a lot, but Komodo12.1.1 generally reckons the inclusion of c3 very slightly favours White, while Srockfish14 reckons it slightly favours Black.

8.0-0 a6 9.Nd4 Bd6

I rejected 9...Nxd4 10.cxd4 because it frees the c3 square for the remaining white knight to occupy to attack the black queen.

10.Nd2

The engines reckon White has a positionally-won game.

10...Qd5 11.Bc4 Qc5 12.b4 Nxb4?!

The engines prefer 12...Qe5, although after 13.N2f3 Qh5 14.Re1 Black's big lag in development, exacerbated by loss of castling rights, means White has more than enough compensation for a pawn.

13.Ba3 a5

There is nothing better, according to the engines.

14.Nb5 Bf4 15.cxb4 axb4 16.Bb2 Bxd2

16...Nf6 and 16...f6 are not significantly better.

17.Qxd2

This is better than the also-strong 17.Bxg7, according to the engines.

17...Qxc4 18.Bxg7?!

White is still on top after the text, according to the engines, but stronger seem to be 18.Qg5+ Ne7 19.Rfe1 Re8 20.Rac1 and 18.Nxc7 Qxc7 19.Rac1 Qa5 20.Bxg7.

18...Qxb5 19.Bxh8?!

There was no need to capture on a8 immediately, so the engines prefer 19.Rfb1 or 19.Rab1.

19...d6 20.Rfb1 Ra4

Now the tactical melee is over, how would you assess this middlegame in which Black has two pawns for the exchange?

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Black's queenside pawns are clearly dangerous, but they are in front of a vulnerable king and the black kingside pawns are weak. The engines reckon White has the upper hand.

21.Qd4?!

Planning a kingside raid, but this proves a distraction. The engines reckon White should activate the passive queen's rook, eg 21.Rb2 Be6 22.Rc1, but they are by no means sure about this and in most lines White's advantage soon declines to a slight edge.

21...Be6 22.Qg7 Ne7 23.Qf8+?

The engines prefer 23.Qxh7 but Stockfish14 reckons Black has a large advantage, although Komodo12.1.1 evaluates the position as dead-equal.

23...Qe8 24.Qxe8+?!

Exchanging queens favours Black, but Black is also on top after 24.Qg7.

24...Kxe8 25.Re1 Kd7!?

This is Stockfish14's choice but Komodo12.1.1 prefers 25...Rxa2. I rejected the latter because I did not want to give up my only rook in exchange for White's passive rook and a pawn that is weak anyway.

26.Re2 Ng6 27.Bf6 Nf4 28.Rd2 Nd5 29.Bb2 c5 30.f4!?

This is Stockfish14's second choice for a short while, but White is lost however he continues.

30...Nxf4 31.Be5 Nd5 32.Bb2

Consistent is 32.Bg3, but Black has several good moves including 32...f5, 32...Kc6 and 32...b3.

32...c4 33.Bd4 c3 34.Rf2 b3 35.a3 Rxd4 0-1

Calvià Round Seven

MY game last night against a junior (born 2006).

Spanton (1731) - Toni Tomás Viver (1308)

QGD Exchange

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Ne4!?

Seeking exchanges with ...Ne4 is a common theme in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, but it is unusual for it to be played so early. However is has been tried at this point by grandmasters.

8.Bf4!?

Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer this to the more-common 8.Bxe7.

8...Bf5!?

This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database behind 8...Nxc3 and 8...f5.

9.Qc2

The engines prefer 9.Bxe4, as played in 2009 by four-time Ukrainian champion Valeriy Neverov in a win over a 2033.

9...Bb4?!

Black is falling dangerously behind in development. The engines prefer 9...Qa5, claiming a slight edge for White.

10.Ne2 Bg6 11.0-0 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bd6 13.Rab1 b6 14.Rfe1?!

White is still better after this, but White's play will be on the queenside, so better moves are 14.Rfc1 and the engines' 14.Rfd1!?

14...Bxd3 15.Qxd3 0-0 16.c4 dxc4

The c6 pawn will be weak after this, but even worse would be allowing cxd5.

17.Qxc4 b5?!

Increasing the weakness of c6.

18.Qc2 a5 19.d5 Bb4

How should White proceed?

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20.Red1

Interesting is 20.dxc6!? White seems better after 20...Bxe1 21.c7 Bxf2+ 22.Kxf2 Qc8 23.Nd4 Na6 24.Rxb5 and after the engines' 20...Nxc6!? 21.Qxc6 Bxe1 22.Rxe1. However the engines prefer the text.

20...c5?

Better, but still very good for White, is 20...cxd5 21.Qd3.

21.Nc3?

21.Qb2 a4!? 22.a3 Bxa3 23.Qxa3 wins the black bishop and, although the queenside pawn-mass looks scary after 23...b4, the engines reckon White is winning. Black can save the bishop with 21...c4, but 22.a3 Bd6 23.Qxb5 is strong.

21...Bxc3 22.Qxc3 Qb6 23.Rdc1

Perhaps 23.Bxb8!? is better.

23...Nd7 24.e4 f6?!

An almost-certainly better way of restraining the e pawn is 24...Rfe8.

How should White proceed?

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25.Be3?

This looks aggressive, but achieves little. The engines give 25.Qh3 Rf7 26.Qe6!, when White has the initiative.

25...Rfc8

Black has at least equalised, according to the engines.

26.a3?!

This is not liked by the engines, although they cannot agree what White should play. One line given by Komodo12.1.1 runs 26.d6 b4 27.Qd2 Kh8, claiming a slight pull for Black. One of Stockfish14's lines runs 26.Qd2 b4 27.d6, reaching the same position as Komodo12.1.1 but continuing 27...Ra6 28.Qd5+ Kh8 29.a3 with equality, eg 29...Qxd6 30.Qxd6 Rxd6 31.axb4 axb4 32.Rxb4.

After the text, TTV offered a draw (twice) before playing:

26...Rab8 27.f4!?

Striving for counterplay, but perhaps better is 27.Bf4, although the position is difficult for White.

27...b4 28.axb4 axb4 29.Qc4?!

Slightly better, according to the engines is 29.Qb3.

29...Qb5 30.Rb3?!

The attempted blockade is easily broken. Probably better is 30.Kf2, although 30...Qxc4 31.Rxc4 Rb5 leaves Black on top.

30...Qxc4 31.Rxc4 Rb5 ½–½

I felt I had to accept TTV's latest draw offer in view of 32.Rc1 c4. The engines reckon White's best chance lies with 32.g4, assessing 32...Nb6 33.Rxc5!? Rbxc5 34.Bxc5 Rxc5 35.Rxb4 Rf1+ 36.Kf2 Nd7 as only slightly better for Black. However they reckon a more-patient approach, eg 32...Kf7 33.Kf2 Ke7 34.Bd2 Ra8 35.Rc2 Kd6 keeps Black well on top, albeit without an immediate breakthrough.

Calvià Round Six

MY game from last night.

Stephan Schliebener (2145) - Spanton (1731)

QGD Exchange

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 c6 7.Bd3 Be7 8.Nge2 Nf8!?

Castling is very much the main line, but the text has also been played by grandmasters.

9.Qc2 Ne6 10.Bxf6!?

The main move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database is 10.Bh4. The idea of capturing on f6 is to accelerate White's queenside minority attack.

10...Bxf6 11.b4

Almost certainly not 11.Bxh7?! g6 12.Bxg6+ fxg6 13.Qxg6+ Ke7, when it is hard to believe in White's attack.

11...a6 12.a4 g6

This enables castling, and at the same time is preparation for an exchange of light-square bishops.

13.0-0 0-0 14.Qb3 Ng7

My main analysis engines reckon Black is slightly better after 14...Be7 (Komodo12.1.1) or 14...a5!? (Stockfish14).

15.b5 axb5

The engines slightly prefer 15...a5!?

16.axb5 Bf5 17.Nf4 Bxd3?!

Good for White seems to be 17...g5?! 18.Rxa8 Qxa8 19.Bxf5 Nxf5 (19...gxf4?! 20.Bb1 is worse, according to the engines) 20.Nd3, but the engines also dislike the text.

Komodo12.1.1 suggests 17...Qd6 18.Bxf5!? Nxf5 19.Nd3 Rfc8, claiming equality.

Stockfish14 gives 17...Rxa1!? 18.Rxa1 g5!? 19.Bxf5 gxf4, claiming a very small edge for Black.

18.Nxd3 Ne6 19.bxc6 bxc6 20.Na4 Qa5!?

The engines prefer 20...Be7, when Komodo12.1.1 reckons the position is roughly equal, but Stockfish14's verdict of a slight edge for White is how I would assess it.

21.Qb6 Ra6?!

The engines prefer the sensible, albeit passive, 21...Rfc8.

22.Qxa5 Rxa5 23.Nb6

Can you find a winning combination for Black?

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No.

However, Stockfish14 reckons best-play from the diagram runs:

23...Rxa1 24.Rxa1 Nxd4!?

Komodo12.1.1 prefers 24...Kg7, but then 25.Rc1 is hard to meet, eg 25...Rb8 26.Nd7 when 26...Rc8 fails to 27.Nxf6 Kxf6 28.Nb4. But White should probably avoid 26.Rxc6?!, when the engines give 26...Bxd4!, which draws after 27.exd4 Nxd4 28.Rd6 Nf5 29.Rc6 Nd4 etc. However in this last line White can try 27.Nxd5!? Rb3 28.Ne1, when White is a pawn up but Black is very active and all the pawns are on one side of the board.

25.exd4 Bxd4 26.Ra6 Rb8 27.Ra8

This is the move I missed in calculating my combination.

27...Rxa8

The engines prefer 27...Rf8!? 28.Rxf8 Kxf8 29.Nd7+ Ke7 30.N7e5 Bxe5!? 31.Nxe5 c5, claiming White has the upper hand but is not winning.

White only has the upper hand, according to Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1

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28.Nxa8 Bc3?

Black must lose a pawn, so should activate the king instead of shifting the bishop to no effect.

29.Nb6 Kg7 30.Na4 Bd4 31.Nb4 Ba1 32.Kf1 Kf6 33.Ke2 Ke6 34.Nxc6+ Kd6 35.Nb4 Be5 36.h3

I had hoped for something like 36.Ke3, when 36...Bxh2 37.g3 traps the bishop, but after 37...h5 38.Kf3 h4 39.Kg2? hxg3 40.fxg3 Bxg3 41.Kxg3 the position is drawn. However I missed that White wins by untrapping the bishop with 39.gxh4.

The game finished:

36...Kc7? (White is winning comfortably anyway, but this tired move accelerates the process) 37.Nxd5+ Kc6 38.Nac3 Kc5 39.Kd3 h5 40.Ke4 Bg7 41.Kd3 g5 42.Ne3 f6 43.Nf5 Bh8 44.Ke4 1-0

Calvià Round Five

MY game from last night.

Spanton (1731) - Alberto De Luna Butz (1601)

Scandinavian

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6

This move, which dates back to 1968 in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, and is the top choice of Komodo12.1.1, long ago overtook 3...Qd8 as the second most-popular continuation behind 3...Qa5.

4.d4 c6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.g3

The main line runs 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nc4 Qc7 8.Qf4 Nb6 9.Bf4 with a slight edge for White, according to Komodo12.1.1 and Stockfish14.

6...Bg4 7.Bg2 e6 8.0-0 Be7 9.Bf4 Qb4

How should White proceed?

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10.Rb1?!

White is still better after this passive move, according to the engines, but it is unnecessary. Normal is 10.Qd2 (the engines reckon 10.a3 is even stronger), when 10...Qxd2? 11.Rab1 Qa3 12.Rxb7 Bb4? runs into 13.Rb1 (13.Rxb4!? Qxb4 14.Rb1 Qa5 15.Bxb8 is also strong) Bxc3 14.Rxb8+ Rxb8 15.Rxb8+ Ke7 16.Rb7+, when White's position is overwhelming, according to the engines.

10...0-0 11.a3 Qa5 12.h3 Bxf3!?

The engines slightly prefer 12...Bh5, but there is not a lot in it.

13.Qxf3 Nbd7 14.Rfe1 Rfe8 15.Kh2 Nd5 16.Nxd5 exd5

Black can hope for a minority attack after 16...cxd5, but the engines reckon the vigorous 17.c4!? foils this and gives White the upper hand.

17.Re2 Bf6 18.c3 Rxe2 19.Qxe2 Qd8 20.h4?

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20...Nf8?

Black wins a pawn with 20...Bxh4, as I saw to my disgust almost immediately after playing 20.h4?

21.Bh3 Ng6 22.Bd2 Qe7 23.Qd3 Re8 24.Re1 Qd8 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.Bf5 Nf8 27.Qf3 Qd8 28.Qg4 Qe7 29.h5 Ne6 30.Qe2 h6?!

This seems an unnecessary concession. The engines prefer 30...g6.

31.f4 Nc7?!

This allows what is probably an unfavourable liquidation into an ending.

32.Qg4?

I did not see much advantage for White after 32.Qxe7 Bxe7 33.Bc8 b6 34.Bb7 c5 35.dxc5, but the engines reckon White is quite a bit better whichever way Black recaptures. The text lets Black equalise, according to the engines.

32...Ne8 33.Bc2 Nd6 34.Qf3 Kf8

Also good is 34...Ne4.

35.Qe3 Qxe3!?

Again ...Ne4 is good. Exchanging queens does not alarm the engines, but has the practical disadvantage of  allowing White a new set of plans in a classic bishop-pair versus knight-and-bishop endgame.

36.Bxe3 Bd8!?

Playing for ...f5 is the correct plan, according to the engines.

37.g4 Nc4 38.Bc1 Bh4 39.b3 Nd6 40.Bd2 Ke7 41.Kh3 Bf2 42.g5?!

The engines are happy enough with this but probably better is my original idea of 42.Kg2 Bh4 43.Kf3.

42...f5

At last getting in his ...f5 plan. The engines marginally prefer this to the move that worried me more, ie 42...Ne4, when White will be obliged to give up the bishop-pair, eg 43.Bxe4 dxe4 44.Kg2 e3 45.Bc1 hxg5 (45...Be1 also looks good) 46.fxg5 f5 with what the engines reckon is an equal game.

43.gxf6+ Kxf6 44.Kg2 Bh4

DL offered a draw in my time.

45.Kf3

How should Black proceed?

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45...Ne8

The engines give 45...Nf5!?, which I thought was impossible because of 46.Kg4, but then comes 46...Be1! Instead White should probably mark time with something like 46.Bd3, when 46...g6 47.hxg6 Kxg6 is equal (48.Kg4 is not a problem for Black as he has 48...h5+).

46.a4 Nd6 47.Bd3 b6?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 47...Ke6 with a minimal edge for White.

48.c4 dxc4 49.bxc4 Ke6 50.c4!

This gives White a decent advantage.

50...bxc5 51.dxc5 Nb7 52.Bc4+ Kf5 53.Bd3+ Ke6 54.Be4?!

Almost certainly better is 54.Kg4 Bf6 55.Bc4+ Ke7 56.Be3, when White has gained space. I am fairly sure I was worried about 54...Be7, but should have seen that 55.Bc4+ Kd7 56.Bc3 is very strong.

54...Nxc5 55.Bxc6 Kd6 56.Bb5 a6 57.Bf1

If 57.Be8 then 57...Ke7.

57...Nxa4 58.Bxa6 Nc5 59.Bf1 Nd7 60.Kg4 Bf6 61.Bb4+ Kd5

Not 61...Ke6?? 62.Bc4#.

62.Kf5 Nc5 63.Bg2+ Kd6 64.Kg4 Bd4 65.Kf5 Bf6 66.Kg6 Bd4 67.f5 Bf6 68.Bd2 Bd4 69.Bh3 Ke7 70.Bb4 Kd6 71.Bg4 Be5 72.Kf7 Bf6 73.Bd2 Bd4

DL offered a draw in my time (just).

74.Bf4+ Kd5 75.Bf3+

Black has two legal replies - one draws, one loses

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75...Ne4?

The decentralising 75...Kc4 leaves White with at best a slight edge. After the text, Black is lost.

76.Kg6 Bb2

White to play and win

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77.Bxh6?

The simplest way to win is 77.f6! Bxf6 78.Kf5 etc. Indeed Black cannot prevent the f6! idea, so 77.Bg2 also wins, eg 77.Bg2 Bc3 78.f6!

77...gxh6 78.Bxe4+

Also insufficient are 78.Kxh6 Ke5 79.Bxe4 Kxe4 80.Kg6 Kd5 81.f6 Ke6 82.f7 Ke7 etc and 78.f6 Bxf6! 79.Bxe4+ Kxe4 80.Kxf6 Kf4 81.Kg6 Ke5 82.Kxh6 Kf6 etc.

78...Kxe4 79.f6

Black to play and draw

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79...Kf4?

Several lines draw including 79...Ke5 80.f7 Ba3 81.Kxh6 Kf6 etc, 79...Bxf6! 80.Kxf6 Kf4 81.Kg6 Ke5 82.Kxh6 Kf6 etc and 79...Ba3 80.Kxh6 Kf5 81.Kg7 Kg5 82.h6 Bb2.

80.f7 Ba3 81.Kxh6 Kf5

White to play and win

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82.Kg7

Not 82.Kh7? Kf6 83.Kg8 Kg5 etc.

82...Kg5 83.h6 Bb2+ 84.Kg8 1-0