Morphing The French XXII

FACED a junior (born 2009) in the last round at Hradec Králové, which was played on November 13.

The game gave me another chance to try to play against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.

Spanton (1804) - Lukas Zelba (1883)

Hradec Králové Round Nine

French Exchange

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Nc6!?

As far as I can discover, Morphy never faced this continuation, which scores 63% for Black in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

6.0-0 Nge7

This move, which is the most popular continuation, has been played by Vladimir Kramnik and many other strong grandmasters.

7.Re1 Bg4 8.c3 Qd7

There are more than 1,000 games with this position in Mega22.

9.Nbd2 0-0-0!?

Castling on opposite flanks is often suggested as a recipe for Black to avoid a draw, and the text has been played by the likes of  Alexander Alekhine, Rudolf Spielmann, Nigel Short and Wesley So. That is a very good pedigree, but the move is certainly risky.

The stage is set for rival flank attacks

10.b4 Rdf8?!

Apparently a novelty, and almost certainly not a good one as the rook's prospects for action seem slim on the f file. The main moves are 10...Ng6 and 10...Rde8.

11.b5 Nd8 12.a4 f6 13.a5 g5 14.b6 Kb8 15.bxa7+ Ka8!?

A reasonably well-known idea - the king shelters behind an enemy pawn.

16.Rb1 h5 17.c4 h4?!

Also dubious is 17...dxc4?! 18.Nxc4, when the threat is 19.a6 b6 20.Rxb6! Possibly best is 17...Bf5, but the engines reckon White is much better after 18.Bxf5 Nxf5 19.c5.

18.c5 Bxh2+?!

Best, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, is 18...Bf4, but they reckon 19.a6 gives White a large advantage.

19.Kxh2 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 g4 21.Qe2 g3+ 22.Kg1 Nec6 23.Nf3 Re8 24.Be3 f5 25.a6 f4 26.axb7+Nxb7 27.Qb2 1-0

Hradec Králové Round Eight

Marek Krása (1619) - Spanton (1804)

Queen's Pawn Irregular

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.a3!?

This is more popular than you might think. There are 189 examples of the move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, including being played four times by Éric Prié. Some of the ideas will become clear as the game progresses.

3...c5 4.e3

This is the main move, but Prié preferred 4.c3 the only time in Mega22 he faced 3...c5.

4...Nc6 5.dxc5!?

Both Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 like this, which is preparation for fianchettoing the dark-square bishop.

5...Bxc5 6.c4

The immediate b4 is more popular.

6...Nf6!?

The engines are not keen on this natural-looking developing move, preferring 6...a5 or 6...Be7!? The latter is not in Mega22, but the idea is to meet 7.b4 with 7...Bf6.

7.b4

This was the choice of Magus Carlsen and other strong grandmasters when they reached the position after 6...Nf6!? by transposition.

7...Bd6 8.Bb2 0-0 9.Be2!?

Possibly a novelty. Normal is 9.Nbd2.

9...Qe7

The engines strongly prefer 9...dxc4!? 10.Bxc4, reaching a position that occurs once in Mega22, but with White to move.

10.0-0 Rd8 11.Qc2 Bd7

Black has connected rooks, and the opening can be thought of as being over. How would you assess the position?

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Black's position looks a little cramped, to me, and the black light-square bishop is not very impressive, but Black has a lead in development. White's dark-square bishop is powerful, and White is threatening to grab more space on the queenside at a suitable moment (but White has to be careful this does not give Black a free hand in the centre). The engines reckon White has at least a slight edge.

12.Rd1

But they are not keen on this, preferring 12.Nbd2 or 12.c5!?

12...Rac8 13.Nc3?!

This allows a simple combination, although the resulting position is not completely clear-cut. Probably better is 13.Nbd2 or 13.c5!?

13...dxc4 14.Bxc4 Nxb4 15.axb4 Rxc4 16.Qd3 Rc6 17.b5 Rb6 18.Qe2?

The obvious 18.Rxa7 is best, according to the engines, although they reckon Black has a slight edge.

18...Bb4 19.Rxa7 Bxc3 20.Bxc3 Bxb5 21.Rxd8+ Qxd8 22.Qc2!?

This is best, according to the engines.

How should Black proceed?

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22...Rc6?

This lets White equalise. The engines reckon 22...h6!? is enough for at least a slight edge.

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23.h3??

Apparently oblivious to the danger down the c file. The simple 23.Rxb7 Ba6 28.Rb3 is equal.

23...Qc8

Also very strong is 23...Nd5.

24.Qb2?

Better is 24.Qa2 Ba6 25.Be5, but Black is effectively the exchange up.

24...Rxc3 25.Qxb5 Rc1+ 26.Kh2 Qb8+ 27.g3 Qxa7 28.Qd3 Rc8 29.g4 h6 0-1

Hradec Králové Round Seven

Spanton (1804) - Jiří Kůtek (1545)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.d4!?

More popular are 4.Bxc6 and especially 4.0-0.

4...cxd4 5.Qxd4 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3

At the cost of giving up the bishop-pair, White has obtained a handy lead in development.

7...Nf6 8.Bg5 e5!?

This is Black's second-most popular choice, but a long way behind 8...e6.

9.Qd3 Be7 10.0-0-0 Ng4

This is best, according to Stockfish14.1, although Komodo12.1.1 narrowly prefers 10...0-0.

11.Bxe7 Qxe7 12.Rd2 Rd8 13.Nd5!?

The engines do not like this, preferring 13.Rhd1, 13.h3 or 13.Qc4.

13...Bxd5 14.Qxd5 0-0 15.Rhd1 Nf6 16.Qd3 Qc7!?

Black could catch up in development with 16...Rfe8 and thus equalise, according to the engines.

17.Nxe5!? d5

Maybe even better is the engines' 17...Qa5!? 18.Nc4 Qxa2 19.Na3 d5.

18.Nf3 Nxe4 19.Re2 Rfe8 20.Rde1 Kf8!?

A risky manoeuvre with so much material on the board. The engines prefer 20...Re6.

21.g3 Qc5 22.Nd2 g6 23.Nb3 Qb6 24.f3 Nf6 25.Nd4 Rxe2 26.Rxe2 Qc5 27.c3

How should Black proceed?

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27...Nd7?!

Probably the wrong idea. The engines reckon White is only slightly better after 27...Re8 28.Rxe8+ Nxe8 29.Qe3 Qe7 30.Qh6+ Kg8 31.Kd2.

28.Qe3 a6?

Missing White's pawn-winning threat. The engines give 28...Kg8, but strongly prefer White after 29.h4.

29.Qh6+ Kg8 30.Nf5 Qf8

Black loses at least the exchange after 30...gxf5? 31.Qg5+ and 32.Qxd8+.

31.Ne7+ Kh8 32.Qxf8+ Nxf8 33.Rd2 d4 34.Rxd4 Rxd4 35.cxd4 Kg7

35...Ne6 fails to the simple 36.d5.

36.Kd2 Kf6 37.Nd5+ Ke6 38.Nf4+ Kd6 39.Kd3 h5 40.Ke4 Nd7 41.Kd3 b5 42.Kc3 a5 43.Nd3 g5 44.h4 f6 45.Nf2 gxh4 46.gxh4 f5 47.Nd3 Nf6 48.Nf4 Nd5+?!

Letting the knights come off does not help Black's cause, but Black was almost in zugzwang.

49.Nxd5 Kxd5 50.b3?

One of the few moves that does not win.

Black to play and draw

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50...Kd6?

As I saw to my horror while waiting for JK to move, Black draws with 50...b4+ 51.Kd3 f4, when White has to avoid the losing 52.Kd2? (but 52.Kc2 and 52.Ke2 hold).

The game finished:

51.a4 bxa4 52.bxa4 Kd5 53.Kd3 f4 54.Kc3 Kd6 55.Kc4 Kc6 56.d5+ Kd6 57.Kd4 Kd7 58.Ke5 Ke7 59.Kxf4 1-0

Hradec Králové Round Six

NOW that I have a working laptop again, I hope to catch up with posting my recent games.

Ironically, or perhaps not, I can now access the 2022 version of ChessBase's Mega database through ChessBase 9, which I will use for the foreseeable future rather than ChessBase 16, which at least for now I regard as much less user-friendly.

Spanton (1804) - Miroslav Macho (1653)

Hradec Králové Round Six

Vienna Game

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.f4 d5 4.fxe5 Nxe4 5.Nf3 Be7 6.d3

The main line in Mega22 runs 6.Qe2 Nxc3 7.dxc3, which the analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon very slightly favours Black.

6...Bh4+!?

A very rare continuation, which is quite liked by the engines, although they prefer the normal 6...Nxc3.

7.g3

Not 7.Nxh4?? Qxh4 8.g3 Nxg3.

7...Nxc3 8.Nxc3 Be7 9.Bg2

White has gained two tempi (g3 and Bg2) compared with the normal line starting with 6...Nxc3, but the engines reckon White has at best equality

9...0-0 10.0-0 Bg4 11.Rb1 Qc8 12.d4 c6 13.Bf4 b6 14.Qd2 Bh3?!

This is presumably meant to weaken the white king's position, but the coming exchange is of doubtful value as the black light-square bishop is more active than its white counterpart.

15.Bg5 Bxg5 16.Qxg5

Good enough for an advantage, but the engines prefer 26.Nxg5!?

16...Bxg2?! 17.Kxg2 Na6 18.Nh4 Nc7 19.Nf5 Ne6 20.Qg4 Qe8 21.Nd6!?

This is a strong outpost for the knight, but the engines reckon the knight is even better off staying on f5, so they prefer 21.Rf3 or 21.h4.

21...Qe7 22.Rf5?!

Much better, according to the engines, is 22.Nf5.

22...f6 23.Rh5?

This lets Black equalise. Correct is building up with 23.Rbf1.

23...fxe5 24.Nf5 Qd7

How should Black proceed?

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25.Nxg7??

Losing instantly. There were several ways to maintain equality, including 25.Nh6+ Kh8 26.Rxe5.

25...Nf4+ 0-1

ChessBase 16

WENT to Chess & Bridge in Baker Street, bought ChessBase 16 and have installed it on my new computer, along with the 2022 edition of Mega database.

All in all, the bottle of water I spilt on my old laptop has proved a very expensive spillage indeed.

Laptop Problems

RANG the computer repair shop that told me my laptop would be ready today, only to learn the new keyboard it requires has been ordered from China and there is no estimated delivery date.

I have been without a laptop long enough, so I bought a new one from Currys for £429.

I have successfully loaded ChessBase 9 and installed a database of my games, but frustratingly cannot fathom how to access the 2022 Mega database (it is on the computer's hard drive, but that is as far as I can get).

Beat The ... Baltic Defence

IN this series I am looking at the statistically best way to play against popular opening lines.

The numbers are drawn from the 2021 edition of ChessBase's Mega database, ignoring, where possible, those results that include very few games and so are statistically insignificant.

The Baltic Defence: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 Bf5!? is one of those openings that tends to be forgotten for years until a new book or magazine article thrusts it back into the limelight.

White's most-popular response is 3.Nc3, which scores 55%, but 3.cxd5 scores a much-more impressive 66%.

Position after 3.cxd5

Black nearly always continues by exchanging on b1, but two other moves are occasionally played.

A) 3...Bxb1 (1,292 games)

After 4.Qa4+ the line splits.

A1 4...c6 5.dxc6!? Nxc6 6.Rxb1, after which the line splits again.

A1.1 6...e5!? 7.Bd2 (7.dxe5?? Bb4+), when A1.1a 7...Qxd4 8.Qxd4 exd4 9.g3 scores 80% for White and A1.1b 7...exd4 8.g3 Qd5 9.Nf3 scores 71% for White.

A1.2 6...Qxd4 7.Qxd4 Nxd4 8.e3 Nc6 9.Nf3 scores 76% for White.

A2 4...Qd7 5.Qxd7+ Nxd7 6.Rxb1 Ngf6 7.Bd2!? Ndb6 8.f3!? scores 70% for White.

B) 3...Qxd5?! (44 games)

After 4.Nc3 the line splits.

B1 4...Qd8 5.e4 Bg6 reaches a position in Mega21 in which White scores 100% with 6.Nf3, 6.Be3 and other moves, albeit from small samples.

B2 4...Qa5 5.Bd2 c6 6.e4 Bg6 7.Nf3 scores 75% for White, albeit from a small sample.

C) 3...Nf6!? (41 games)

After 4.Qa4+!? the line splits.

C1 4...Qd7 5.Qxd7+ Nbxd7 6.Nc3 Nb6 7.f3 scores 81% for White, albeit from a small sample.

C2 4...c6 5.dxc6 Nxc6 6.e3 scores 100% for White, albeit from a small sample.

Mill Hill

WAS in the U2200 section today but withdrew after round one due to the playing conditions.

It was so cold I wore a fleece, something I virtually never do indoors (other players were huddled in overcoats).

The venue was spacious but the tables were so poorly laid out that my chair was bumped into every time someone went by.

And the men's toilets had only one cubicle, and that with a broken lock.

On a brighter note, the one game I played I won with white in 19 moves against Joseph McGrath Williams (no over-the-board rating, but an ECF online standard rating of 2078).

Beat The ... Pseudo-Trompowsky

IN this series I am looking at the statistically best way to play against popular opening lines.

The numbers are drawn from the 2021 edition of ChessBase's Mega database, ignoring, where possible, those results that include very few games and so are statistically insignificant.

The Pseudo-Trompowsky: 1.d4 d5 2.Bg5!? is often thought of as a modern idea but dates back to at least 1855.

Black's most-popular response, 2...h6, scores 46%, but best, at least statistically, is 2...f6, which scores 50%.

Position after 2...f6

White almost always retreats the dark-square bishop to h4 or f4.

A) 3.Bh4 (434 games)

After 3...c5!? the line splits.

A1 4.e3 Nh6 scores 75% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

A2 4.dxc5 e5, after which the line splits again.

A2.1 5.e4 d4 scores 77% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

A2.2 5.e3 Bxc5 scores 50% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

B) 3.Bf4 (357 games)

After 3...c5!? the line splits.

B1 4.e3 Nc6 5.Nf3 g5!? 6.Bg3 h5 scores 86% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

B2 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Qb6 scores 90% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

B3 4.Bxb8!? Rxb8 scores 50% for Black, albeit from a small sample.

What Goes Around, Comes Around

FLICKING through an old copy of the US Chess Federation magazine Chess Life, dated September 2004, I came across a letter that is still relevant today.

Evans on Chess

Hopefully you can read the letter, from a reader in Canada, and the reply from grandmaster Larry Evans.

But if not. here is the gist:

Q. In his novel The Queen's Gambit, Walter Trevis wrote: "You don't get the girls in High School by being a chess or pool player ... many players are loners trying to escape from personal problems." Why do we play?

A. Because, as one fan said, "Chess is the most enjoyable waste of time you'll ever experience."

A few things sprung to my mind (as well as the obvious one that Trevis and Evans appear to assume "a chess or pool player" is male).

First, it never occurred to me that pool players are loners, and I do not believe many people would lump chess and pool players together in this way.

Second, I am far from sure chess players are loners.

True, there are many people in the world of chess with low social skills - that goes with the territory of an activity in which verbal communication is low on the list of requirements.

But the average chess player, even if never playing abroad, can meet in a handful of tournaments more people from different cultures and social backgrounds than the average person in the street meets in a lifetime.

So, yes, you can be a loner and enjoy the game, but the chances are that as a chess player you meet and mix with a relatively diverse section of the world's population.

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round 10

WON with black in 43 moves against Frank Gillespie (1496 ECF/1321 Fide).

Civil War

PLAYED on board two (of eight) tonight for Battersea 2 against Battersea 1 in the London League Division One West.

Thanks to the match being played at our home venue, everyone ignored the league's rule about mandatory facemasking.

I drew with black in 61 moves against Philipp Even (2014 ECF), but Battersea 2 lost the match 3.5-4.5, not least due to defaulting on board five.

Playing Against Oneself

IT is always interesting to see what players choose when they find themselves facing one of their own favourite systems.

So I was pleased when I recently came across a game in the January 2005 issue of Chess in which Jovanka Houska played 1.e4 and met with the reply 1...d5.

Her notes from the magazine are in italics.

Houska (2298) - Chrissy Oquendo Serrano (-)

Women's Olympiad (Calvià, Mallorca) 2004

Scandinavian

1.e4 d5

These days JH is more likely to play 1...c6, but the two times I played 1.e4 against her in the mid-1990s she replied with the text and followed up with 2...Nf6.

2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.Bc4!?

More popular are 4.Nf3 and especially 4.d4.

4...Nf6 5.d3!?

A dangerous system and one not to be underestimated.

The move scores a very respectable 59% in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database.

Less popular, but arguably more natural, is 5.d4, which also scores 59% in Mega21. The latter move takes more space in the centre, but the text controls the e4 square and will blunt the power of the black light-square bishop if it takes up its common post on f5.

5...c6 6.Bd2 Qc7 7.Qe2 e6

7...Bf5 is more active but ... far more risky. Unlikely as it may seem, the bishop becomes a target for the (white) kingside pawns.

8.Nf3 Bd6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Ne4!?

JH gives this an exclamation mark, without a comment (however, see her note below to Black's reply). Certainly many players would 'automatically' centralise the rooks in such a position, for example starting with 10.Rfe1. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 then give 10...b5 11.Bb3 and either 11...Nbd7 or 11..a4 with what they reckon is a level position.

10...Nbd7?!

I dislike this move. Black cannot afford to shut in one bishop and give the other one so freely. But also 10...Nxe4 11.Qxe4 Nd7 12.Bc3 provides White with easy play.

11.Nxd6 Qxd6 12.d4!?

A later game saw a 2052 play 12.Rfe1.

With the text White is saying, presumably, she has e4 under control and there is little chance of the black light-square bishop coming to f5, so the time is ripe for using the d pawn to grab central space.

12...Nd5

12...b6 is vital in order to develop the bishop.

The engines agree 12...b6 is best but reckon White has an advantage after 13.R(either)d1.

13.a4

Prophylaxis - Black's most positive feature in the position is the central placing of the knight. It is important for White to preserve her advantage by undermining the knight and then dominating the centre!

So the main point of 13.a4 seems to be to prevent ...b5 and thus allow an easy c4.

13...N7f6 14.Bb3 Nf4?

The knight leaves its post without prompting. More normal in such positions is to attack the white centre with 14...c5 or prepare to develop the light-square bishop with 14...b6. However the engines reckon both those moves leave White with a large advantage.

15.Qe1

The engines' 15.Qe5!? seems strong, forcing 15...Qxe5 16.dxe5 N6h5, when they reckon Black's lack of coordination helps give White a winning advantage.

15...Re8?

As JH points out, 15...Rd8 is better.

16.a5

Missing 16.Qe5! Qxe5 17.dxe5 N6h5 and it will take Black a long time to untangle the knights as well as all her other pieces.

16...Bd7 17.Ne5

Qe5 is still strong.

17...N4d5 18.c4 Ne7 19.Rd1 Rad8 20.Bg5 Ng6 21.Bc2 Rc8 22.Qe2Qe7 23.Rd3

White's space advantage makes it easier to manoeuvre her pieces.

23...h6?

Obliging White to smash the black kingside pawn-formation. The engines give 23...c5, but reckon White has a positionally won game.

24.Bxf6

The engines point out also strong is 24.Bxh6!? gxh6 25.Rg3.

24...gxf6

Black's position is so bad Komodo12.1.1 prefers giving up the light-square bishop with 24...Qxf6!?

25.Nxg6 fxg6 26.Rh3 Kh7!?

This allows a pretty finish, but the objectively best 26...f5 27.Rxh6 is miserable enough.

White to play and win

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27.Bxg6+! 1-0

The bishop cannot be captured, eg 27...Kxg6? 28.Qh5+ Kg7 29.Rg3+ Kh7 30.Qg6+ Kh8 31.Qxh6+ Qh7 32.Qxf6+ Qg7 33.Qxg7#

Interesting 'Tube Puzzle'

IT is more than a year since I posted a Tube Puzzle, but I cannot resist printing the following serial number from a Southern train: 78552.

As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.

What makes this special is that there is a perfect solution, ie one that uses the numbers in the order they appear. 
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My solution: 7 + 8 (÷ 5) = 5 - 2

4NCL Division 3S Round Two

PLAYED on board five (of six) for Wessex Some Stars B against Celtic Tigers 2 today.

I won with black in 55 moves against John Goodacre (1773 ECF - no Fide), but we lost the match 3.5-2.5.

4NCL Division 3S Round One

PLAYED on board five (of six) for Wessex Some Stars B against Cambridge University Y this afternoon.

The 'university' team consisted of juniors - one so junior she needed a booster seat on her chair to see over the board.

I won with white in 31 moves against Daniel Evans (1533 ECF - no Fide).

The match score as I post this is 4-1 to WSS B.

Evening update: WSS B won 4-2.

New 4NCL Season

THE first fixtures in the 2021/22 season of the Four Nations Chess League get underway today.

I am playing for Wessex Some Stars B in Division Three South, which is being held at Milton Keynes.

Computer Update

A NEW keyboard for my water-damaged laptop is due to arrive at the repair shop on November 29, and the full cost, including labour, should be £109.99 (plus £25 I have already paid for the problem to be diagnosed), I am told.

Better late than never, I guess ...

Central London League

PLAYED on board one (of five) for Battersea 2 against Athenaeum in division one tonight.

I lost with black in 37 moves against Dimitar Mogilarov (2165 ECF).

Update: Athenaeum won the match 4-1.

Modern Boost

HAD my covid booster this morning.

Because my first two jabs were with the dodgy AstraZeneca vaccine, I was given the Moderna one this time.

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round Nine

WON with white in 14 moves against Harry Gold (1376 ECF/1274 Fide).

ChessBase Sale

CHESSBASE'S 24-hour November sale has begun.

I have used it to upgrade to Mega database 2022 for 47.57 euros, including postage (but no VAT - a Brexit bonus!), instead of the normal EU price of 69.90 euros.

Fingers Crossed

TOOK my laptop in for repair this morning.

I suspect the water I spilt on it has led to major damage, but I think the £25 I have spent on the computer's state being diagnosed is worth it.

Passing Time At Prague Airport

 

Summing Up HK

MY score of +5=0-4 saw me lose 25.4 Fide elo.

HK Round Nine

WON with white in 27 moves against a Czech junior (born 2009) rated 1883.

HK Round Eight

WON with black in 29 moves against a Czech rated 1619.

HK Round Seven

WON in 59 moves with white against a Czech rated 1545.

Calamity Revisited

AFTER several days of having a laptop that more-or-less worked normally despite my spilling water on it, the keyboard went haywire this afternoon and now I cannot use the computer at all.

And I followed that by losing with white in 25 moves to a Czech rated 1653.

Hradec Králové Round Five

Pavel Mráz (1508) - Spanton (1804)

Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

1.Nf3 c5 2.e4 g6 3.Bc4!?

This move, a speciality of Ilya Smirin, is more popular than might be expected, ranking third in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database behind 3.d4 and 3.c3 but well ahead of 3.Nc3 and 3.g3.

3...Bg7 4.c3

Smirin's choice, and preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 over the more-popular 4.0-0.

4...e6 5.0-0

Smirin played 5.d4 in wins against fellow grandmasters Monika Soćko and Gadir Guseinov. The main line after 5.d4 continues 5...cxd4, when Smirin likes the slightly unusual 6.Nxd4!?

5...Ne7 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4!? 0-0 8.Qb3?!

This seems to be a novelty, and is probably not a good one, not least because it does not stop the threatened ...d5. The main line, as far as there is one, goes 8.Bg5 a6, reaching a position in the Smirin - Soćko game where 9.Nd2 was played, which the engines reckon gives White a small edge.

8...d5 9.exd5 exd5 10.Bd3 Nbc6 11.Nxc6

The engines prefer 11.Be3.

11...bxc6 12.Be3 Bf5 13.Qc2 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Nf5 15.Bc5 Re8 16.Nd2 Qc7 17.Nf3 Rab8 18.b3

This is not strictly necessary as the b2 pawn is taboo after 18.Rfe1!?

18...Re4 19.Rfe1 Rbe8 20.Qc2

Not 20.Rxe4? dxe4 21.Qe2 Bxc3.

How should Black proceed?

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20...a6

Putting the pawn on a square where it is not attacked by the white bishop, the point being that 20...Rxe1+ 21.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 22.Nxe1 Qe5?! 23.Nf3 Qxc3 24.Qxc3 Bxc3 25.Bxa7 favours White, who has the outside passed pawn.

However, better is 20...Nh4!? I rejected it because of 21.Rxe4? Nxf3+ 22.gxf3 dxe4 23.Re1, missing that 23...Re5 is very strong. The engines give 21.Qd2, claiming only a small edge for Black after 21...Nxf3+ 22.gxf3 R4e5.

Possibly even a tad stronger, according to the engines, is 20...Qa5!?, eg 21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Bb4 Qb6 with continuing pressure.

21.Rxe4 Rxe4 22.Re1?!

The engines prefer 22.Rc1 or 22.h3.

The text looks as if it fully justifies 20...a6, but after ...

22...Rxe1+ 23.Nxe1 Qe5 24.Nd3! Qxc3 25.Qxc3 Bxc3 26.Bb4

... the engines reckon the position is dead-equal.

Dead-equal? Maybe, but I think it is easier for Black to play

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26...Bd4

I felt this move kept most play in the position, but not 26...Bxb4? 27.Nxb4, which is good for White.

27.Kf1

This is almost certainly better than 27.Bc5?! a5.

27...Kg7 28.Bc5?!

The engines reckon White keeps equality, despite being a pawn down, after both 28.Ba5!? and 28.g4!?

28...Kf6?!

Black has a slight edge after 28...a5 and possibly after 28...h5, according to the engines.

29.Bxd4+?

Equal is 29.g4 Bxc5 30.Nxc5, after which White will recover his pawn but Black's pieces are active enough to hold the draw. White also regains his pawn after the text, but in much less-favourable circumstances.

29...Nxd4 30.Nc5 a5 31.Nb7

What is Black's best continuation?

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31...a4

This gives an advantage, but even stronger seems to be the engines' surprising 31...Ke6!? 32.Nxa5 Kd7, the point being the awkward position of the white knight, eg 33.Ke1 c5 34.Kd2 Kc7 35.Kd3 Kb6 36.b4 Nb5 etc.

32.bxa4 Ke6 33.Ke1?!

Probably stronger is pushing the a4 pawn as quickly as possible, eg 33.a5 Kd7 34.a6 Kc7 35.Nd6!? Kb6 36.Nxf7, when White is, at least temporarily, a pawn up, but after 36...c5 Black's connected passers seem strong.

33...Kd7 34.Kd2 Kc7 35.Nc5

PM offered a draw.

35...Ne6 36.Nb3

The engines reckon 36.Nd3 f6 37.Nb4 prolongs resistance.

36...Kb6 37.g3 c5 38.Kc3 c4 39.Nd2

Not 39.Nd4?? Nxd4 40.Kxd4 Ka5 etc.

39...Ka5 40.f4 f5?

40...Kxa4 wins easily.

White to play and draw

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41.Nf3

The time is right to sac the knight, ie 41.Nxc4+! dxc4 42.Kxc4, when Black's win has vanished, according to the engines.

Note that after 40...Kxa4 the sac does not work, eg 41.Nxc4+?! dxc4 42.Kxc4 Ka3 43.Kd5 Ng7! 44.Ke5 Ne8 etc.

41...Kxa4 42.Ne5 Kb5 43.Nf3 Kc5 44.Ne5 d4+ 45.Kc2 Kd5 46.Nd7 c3 47.Nb6+ Kc5 48.Nd7+ Kb4 49.Ne5 Ka3

White has to either allow a second pawn to fall or retreat the king.

The game finished:

50.Nc6 Kxa2 51.Nb4+ Ka3 52.Nd3 Ka4 53.Nc1 Nc5 54.Ne2 0-1

Hradec Králové Round Four

TODAY is the double-round day at Hradec Králové.

This morning I faced a Polish teenager (born 2003).

Spanton (1804) - Bartosz Smukowski (1558)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 c6 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6!?

Perhaps slightly better known is 5...gxf6, but the text, which has been a favourite of players such as Tartakower, Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, Alekhine, Flohr and Donner, is preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1.

6.Nf3 Be6 7.c3 Nd7 8.Bd3 Qc7 9.0-0 Nb6 10.Re1 0-0-0 11.a4 Bd6?!

The engines suggest 11...g5, albeit preferring White.

12.Qc2?!

More-forceful play is required. After 12.c4 Black appears to be in difficulties, eg 12...Bb4 13.a5! Nd7 14.Bd2 Bxd2 15.Qxd2, when White's queenside play is ahead of Black's play on the kingside, or 12...Nd7 13.c5!? Bf4 14.b4, when again White's play seems much quicker.

12...g5 13.g3 h5 14.Bf5 Bd7?!

The natural-looking 14...Qd7 15.Bxe6 fxe6 is equal, according to the engines.

15.c4 Bb4 16.Re2

Also good is 16.Bd2.

16...Rde8 17.Be3!?

The engines prefer 17.Rxe8+ Rxe8 18.a5 Bxf5 19.Qxf5+ Qd7 20.Qd3.

17...h4 18.g4 Bxf5 19.Qxf5+ Qd7 20.Qxd7+ Kxd7 21.b3 h3

How should White proceed?

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22.Nd2?

White is slightly better, according to the engines, after both 22.Ne1 and 22.Kf1.

22...Rh4 23.Rae1??

23.Kf1 keeps the loss to a single pawn.

23...Rxg4+ 24.Kh1 f5 25.f3 Rg2 26.Bf2

Or 25.Rxg2 hxg2+ 26.Kxg2 f4.

26...Bxd2 0-1

Hradec Králové Round Three

WAS upfloated against a Frenchman who does not have a Fide rating.

Vincent Haefliger - Spanton (1804)

Sicilian 2.g3

1.e4 c5 2.g3!?

Grandmaster Nigel Davies explains on his Closed Sicilian dvd for ChessBase that he used to play this in order to try to reach a Closed Sicilian set-up without committing to the move Nc3, the point being White often wants to play c3 in the Closed Sicilian to evict a knight from d4.

2...d5

This, he says, is the move that made him give up on the idea. The commonest move, by quite a margin, in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database is 2...Nc6, which is preferred by Komodo12.1.1 (Stockfish14 likes the text).

3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bg2 Qe4+?!

Grandmasters tend to play 5...Qe6+ or 5...Nc6.

6.Kf1

White can offer a pawn with 6.Qe2!? as 6...Qxc2!? allows White plenty of compensation after, for example, 7.Na3 or 7.0-0. However the text is the main line and is preferred by the engines.

6...Nc6 7.d3 Qe6

The same position is often reached in the 5...Qe6 line, except there White will not have got in the move d3. The engines reckon the tempo difference is enough to turn a roughly equal line into one that is advantageous for White.

8.Bf4 Nf6!?

The engines prefer 8...Qd7.

9.h3 Bh5 10.g4 Bg6

Sacrifices on g4 do not work, eg 10...Nxg4? 11.hxg4 Qxg4 (11...Bxg4 12.Nbd2) 12.Qd2.

11.Nc3 Rd8?

Black needs to defend against the threat of Nb5, and the engines reckon best is 11...Rc8.

12.Nb5 Nd5 13.c4 Qf6

White to play and win

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14.cxd5?

Correct is 14.Bg5 Qxb2, which VH said after the game he had looked at but could not calculate the complications. The engines reckon best-play runs 15.cxd5 (not 15.Rb1? Nc3) Bxd3+ 16.Qxd3! Qxa1+ 17.Ne1 when Black, if anyone, is ahead on material, but White's lead in development and the endangered black king mean White is winning, eg 17...Nd4 18.Nc7+ Kd7 19.Nb5!

14...Qxf4 15.dxc6?

The engines reckon 15.d4 is about level.

15...Bxd3+ 16.Kg1?!

Probably better is 16.Qxd3 Rxd3 17.c7 Kd7, when the engines find 18.Ne5+! Qxe5 19.Bxb7 Qxc7 20.Nxc7 Kxc7, albeit leaving Black a pawn up.

16...Bxb5 17.Qe2??

As often happens in chess, mistakes closely follow mistakes. The engines reckon best is 17.Qc1 Qxc1+ 18.Rxc1 Bxc6 19.Rxc5, when Black is a pawn up and has the bishop-pair on a relatively open board.

17...Bxe2 0-1

Castle Of The Queen

HRADEC Králové, which means "castle of the queen" in Czech, was for hundreds of years part of the Habsburg empire, becoming Königgrätz in German.

The city is perhaps best known to historians for giving its name to the 1866 battle that decided the Seven Weeks War.

Prussia's victory over Austria helped lead to a united Germany that excluded Austria - future German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck apparently feared catholic Austria within Germany would provide too much of a counterbalance to protestant Prussia.

These days the city is something of a tourist destination, at least within Czechia and other parts of Central Europe, which is why it has many more restaurants and bars than its population of under 100,0000 would otherwise suggest.

As well as the chess festival - this is the 11th edition - Hradec Králové also hosts other cultural events and has the impressive-looking (at least from the outside) East Bohemian Museum.

The East Bohemian Museum

Hradec Králové Round Two

FACED a teenager (born 2004).

Matěj Vošmik (1464) - Spanton (1804)

Scotch

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

A little refinement in the move-order. The point is that after 4...Bc5 White, in addition to the currently popular 5.Be3 and 5.Nxc6, has the old mainline 5.Nb3. Whether Black should be denying White the chance to play the old main line is arguable.

5.Be3 Bc5

The normal move-order to reach this position is 4...Bc5 5.Be3 Qf6.

6.c3 Nge7 7.Bc4 0-0 8.0-0 Bb6 9.Re1!?

A relatively new move - the first appearance in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database is from 1992 - whereas 9.f4 goes back to the Dubois-Steinitz match of 1862.

9...Na5?!

Possibly a novelty, and probably not a good one. The main move is 9...d6, which Komodo12.1.1 reckons equalises although Stockfish14 gives White a slight edge.

10.Bd3 d5?

This was the point of ...Na5, but the continuation is tactically flawed. The engines give 10...d6 or 10...Nac6, preferring White.

White to play and win material

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11.Qf3?

11.exd5 wins at least a pawn as 11...Nxd5? fails to 12.Qh5 etc.

11...Qxf3 12.Nxf3 Bxe3 13.Rxe3 dxe4 14.Bxe4 Nc4?

14...Nac6 is roughly equal.

15.Bxh7+ Kxh7 16.Rxe7 Rd8 17.Na3!

This slightly surprising move is best, according to the engines.

17...Nxa3 18.bxa3 c5?!

There is no good continuation, but probably better than the text is the engines' 18...Kg8, although 19.Rxc7 wins a second pawn.

19.Rae1?!

Perhaps overly cautious. The engines like 19.Rxf7 or 19.Ng5+.

19...f6 20.h3 Bd7?!

My originally intended 20...b6 is better, according to the engines.

21.Rf7 Bc6 22.Ree7 Rg8 23.Rxf6 Rge8 24.Rff7?

The engines reckon White should preserve his kingside pawn-structure with 24.Ng5+ Kg8 25.Rff7 Rxe7 27.Rxe7.

24...Rxe7 25.Rxe7 Rd8?!

The engines prefer going for a rook-and-pawn ending with 25...Bxf3 26.gxf3 Rd8 27.Rxb7 Rd3, when White is temporarily three pawns up but they reckon 'only' has the upper hand.

26.Ng5+ Kg6

How should White proceed?

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27.Rxg7+??

27.h4 is the simplest way to keep well on top.

27...Kxg7??

Black is winning after 27...Kf6 as White loses a piece.

The game finished:

28.Ne6+ Kf6 29.Nxd8 Bd5 30.c4 Bxc4 31.Nxb7 Bxa2 32.Nxc5 Ke5 33.f3 Kd4 34.Ne4 Kc4 35.h4 a5 36.h5 a4 37.h6 1-0

Hradec Králové Round One

Spanton (1804) - Pavel Jirásek (FM 2271)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6

This is regarded as a positional approach. More popular is 4.0-0.

4...bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Qe2 Qc7 7.e5!?

The idea is to make it awkward for Black to mobilise the light-square bishop.

7...f6 8.Bf4 Ng6 9.Bg3 fxe5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Qh5+!?

White has the upper hand after 11.Bxe5 d6 12.Bg3, according to Stockfish14, but Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as equal..

11...g6 12.Qxe5 Qxe5 13.Bxe5 Rg8 14.Nd2 d6 15.Bc3 Be7 16.Ne4

The engines prefer 16.a3, intending b4, eg 16.a3 Rb8 17.b4 cxb4 18.axb4, which undoubles Black's c pawns but leaves Black with a weak a pawn.

16...e5 17.Bd2 Bf5

How would you assess this position?

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Black has retained the bishop-pair and freed his light-square bishop. Black also has more space in the centre, but has one more pawn-island than White and his pawns in general are disrupted. The engines reckon the position is equal.

18.0-0?!

The engines strongly dislike this because it gives Black the chance to dissolve his doubled pawns. Instead they suggest 18.f3.

18...g5!?

Stockfish14 reckons 18...c4 leaves Black much better. Komodo12.1.1 also prefers 18...c4, but reckons Black has at best a slight edge.

19.b3 Kd7 20.Rad1 Raf8 21.Be3 h5 22.Ng3 Bg6 23.Ne4 Bh7 24.f3 Rf7 25.a3 a5!?

Preventing b4 but creating another target for White. However, the engines do not believe the drawback is serious - indeed the text is Komodo12.1.1's top choice for a while.

26.a4 Kc7 27.Bd2 Kb6 28.Be3?!

This makes it easy for Black to mobilise his central pawns. Probably better is the engines' 28.Rde1, although Stockfish14 continues 28...d5!? 29.Nf2 Bd6, albeit slightly preferring White.

28...d5 29.Nf2 Bd5 30.Rde1 Bd6 31.Bd2 Bd7 32.Bc3 Re7 33.Re2?!

Black now gets an initiative. The engines prefer 33.g4!? Rf8 34.Kg2 Ref7 35.gxh5 Rxf3 36.h6!?, claiming equality.

33...g4 34.fxg4 hxg4 35.Nh1!?

The knight is destined to never leave the corner, but the engines reckon 35.g3 also gives Black an edge.

35...c4

The engines reckon the best way to play this idea is 35...e4!? 36.dxe4 c4.

36.d4?

Better is 36.bxc4 Bc5+ 37.Nf2 with at best a slight edge for Black.

36...cxb3 37.Rb1?

Better, according to the engines, but still horrible is 37.cxb3 exd4 38.Bxd4+ c5 39.Rxe7 Bxe7, when the black bishop-pair and passed pawn give a large advantage.

37...e4?!

Almost certainly even stronger is 37...exd4, with similar play to the previous note.

38.cxb3?!

I got cold feet about Rxb3+ because a4 would be weak, but the engines reckon it is the better option.

38...Rh8 39.g3 Ka6 40.Reb2 Rf8 41.Rf1

Consistent is 41.b4, but the engines reckon Black is winning after 41...Rb8.

41...Rf3 42.Rxf3 gxf3 43.Kf2 Bf5 44.Bd2 c5 45.Be3 cxd4 46.Bxd4 Ba3 47.Ra2

Not 47.Rc2? e3+ etc.

47...Bc1 48.h4 e3+ 49.Kxf3 Be4+ 50.Ke2 Bf5!?

Also winning is 50...Bxh1 despite the small amount of counterplay White gets after 51.Rc2.

51.Kf3 Re4 52.Bc3 Bg4+ 53.Kg2 d4 54.Be1 d3 0-1

My laptop seems to be back to working more-as-less normally, despite me spilling water over it yesterday, except that the arrow keys no longer have any effect.

Calamity!

THIS afternoon, shortly before round one at Hradec Králové, I knocked a bottle of water over my laptop.

Initially the result seemed pretty devastating, but now, more than three hours later, the computer is working a little better, but some keys still do not function.

How much I will be able to blog is up in the air.

There was more bad news when I lost my game with white in 54 moves to Fide master Pavel Jirasek (2271).

An Englishman Abroad

FLEW to Prague yesterday to play in a CzechTour congress at Hradec Králové, a city about 60 miles east of the capital.

There are 71 entries from 13 countries, the full list being at http://chess-results.com/tnr584333.aspx?lan=1&art=0&turdet=YES&flag=30

The venue is the Hotel Černigov, opposite the main train station, which was also the venue when I played eight years ago.

It was dark when I arrived, but I was interested to see how much had changed since my previous visit and so walked to the old town, which is a good 20 minutes away.

I do not remember this giant Tesco

I very much recall this red miniature Eiffel Tower

Some things have stayed essentially the same for hundreds of years (apart from the nature of the traffic in the foreground)

The main tournament is nine rounds over eight days, starting today at 4pm, with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment.

The hotel had been recently refurbished in 2013 at a time when quite a few of the CzechTour venues were unreconstructed from the communist era.

It remains good value: 38 euros a night for a single room, including breakfast.

Central London League

PLAYED last night on board two (of five) for Battersea 2 against HMC in the Central London League's division one.

Tim Villiers (2304 ECF) - Spanton (2019 ECF)

Chigorin

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3

White has a huge choice on move three in the Chigorin, with radically different styles of play possible. The text, which scores an impressive 61% in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, is second in popularity to 3.Nf3, which scores 56%.

3...Nf6

The main line in Mega21 runs 3...dxc4 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.e4, favouring White, according to the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1.

4.Bg5!?

More popular are 4.Nf3 and 4.cxd5, but the text is also played by grandmasters.

4...Ne4

How should White proceed?

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5.Nxe4

The engines like Serbian international master Marko Nenezic's 5.e3!?, which he used in 2016 to beat Chigorin specialist Igor Miladinović. The point is that 5...Nxg5?! (Miladinović preferred 5...Nxc3 6.bxc3 g6, but was already worse, according to the engines) runs into 6.cxd5, eg 6...Nb8 7.h4 etc. The engines suggest meeting 5.e3!? with 5...f6 6.Bh4 and either 6...e5 or 6...Nxc3, although they again prefer White.

5...dxe4 6.e3?!

The engines give another remarkable-looking line: 6.d5 e6!? 7.Bxd8 Bb4+ 8.Qd2 Bxd2+ 9.Kxd2 Nxd8, which was played as long ago as the 1928 olympiad. The position is dead-equal, according to the engines, although in practice White scores very well (63%) with 10.e3.

6...f6 7.Bh4

TV said in the postmortem he was thinking of playing 7.Bf4? until he saw ...e5 would come with tempo.

7...e5 8.d5

How should Black proceed?

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8...Ne7

8....Bb4+? is not as bad as we both thought, eg 9.Ke2 Nb8 10.Qa4+ Qd7 11.Qxb4 Qg4+ etc. Nevertheless the text is much better.

9.Qc2!?

Playing to win a pawn looks critical, but the engines prefer 9.Bg3 or 9.Ne2.

9...Nf5 10.Qxe4 Bb4+ 11.Ke2

TV rejected 11.Kd1 because of 11...c6.

11...Nxh4?!

TV's 11...0-0 and the engines' 11...c6 are almost certainly better. I also strongly considered 11...Nd6!?, intending ...Bf5, but rejected it because of 12.Qc2 (the engines also point out the possibility of 12.Qxe5+!?).

12.Qxh4 Bd7!?

Hoping to get in a quick ...b5, and keeping the option of castling long, but Stockfish14 prefers 12...c6, while Komodo12.1.1 likes 12...0-0 or 12...Bf5.

13.f3?!

Creating a hole for the king, and a possible retreat route for the white queen, but the engines prefer 13.a3 Be7 14.Ke1!?

13...0-0 14.Kf2

TV was strongly critical of this in the postmortem, saying he should have played 14.a3 Be7 15.Qe1, but the engines prefer - marginally in the case of Komodo12.1.1 - the text.

14...Be7

Ironically the bishop falls back without being forced to. The idea is to push black kingside pawns to open lines to the white king.

15.Qe4 f5!?

Offering a second pawn. Also strong, according to the engines, is 15...Bc5.

16.Qc2

16.Qxe5? Bf6 17.Qf4 (17.Qg3? Bh4) g5! (stronger than 17...Bxb2) 18.Qg3 f4 19.exf4 g4! is horrific for White.

16...f4

The engines prefer 16...Bc5!?

17.e4?!

The engines reckon 17.g3 or 17.Bd3 is better, but give Black an edge.

17...Bc5+ 18.Ke2?!

Probably better is 18.Ke1.

18...Qh4?!

This is strong, but the engines' 18...c6, seeking to open more lines, is probably even stronger.

19.Kd3?!

This looks like trying to jump into the flames, but 19.Kd1 c6 is also good for Black, according to the engines.

19...b5

Not 19...Bxg1? 20.Rxg1 Qxh2 as White is probably slightly better after 21.Qf2.

20.Nh3 bxc4+ 21.Qxc4

21.Kxc4 can be met by 21...Rab8! as 22.Kxc5 runs into a mating sequence starting with 22...Qe7+.

21...Bd4!

This is the best square for the bishop. It cannot be challenged (except by sacrificing the exchange) and menaces much of the white position.

22.d6+ Kh8 23.dxc7 Bxh3 24.gxh3 Qf2 25.Be2 Bb6?

Black is winning easily after 25...Rac8, one threat being 25...Rxc7!? But even worse than the text is 25...Bxb2,when 26.Rab1 starts to bring the white position to life.

26.Raf1 Qe3+

Even better, according to the engines, is a move neither of us considered, namely 26...Qg2!? The idea is to avoid an exchange of queens, while maintaining an attack.

27.Kc2 Rac8 28.Kb1 Rxc7 29.Qd3 Rfc8 30.Qxe3 Bxe3 31.Rd1 Bd4

The engines prefer getting rid of Black's bank-rank mating problems with, for example, 31...h6.

32.Ba6?!

Safest is 32.Rc1, but presumably our large rating difference came into consideration.

32...Rb8 33.b3 Rb6?

The engines reckon Black still has a sizeable advantage after 33...Rc3, eg 34.Rhf1 Rc6! 35.Bd3 Rh6.

34.Rc1 Rbc6 35.Rc4 Kg8 36.Rhc1 Rxc4 37.Bxc4+ Kf8

How would you assess this ending?

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White is a pawn up and has a 2-1 queenside majority. True, White has a smashed kingside, but even if Black were to win the h3 pawn, for example, there would still be difficulties in creating a black passer. Nevertheless the engines reckon the ending is dead-equal.

38.a3 a5!?

TV said he was surprised by this, thinking it better for Black to leave the pawn where it is and wait for White to advance. But after I played the move he came to think it might be best. The engines at first agree with TV's original assessment, but also come to be happy with the text.

39.Ka2 Ke7 40.b4 axb4 41.axb4 Kd6

The engines prefer going after the white kingside pawns, starting with 41...Kf6!?

42.Kb3 Rb7 43.Rd1 Ra7 44.Rd2 Ra1 45.Rg2 Rc1 46.Be2

47.Rxg7?? loses the bishop to 47...Rc3+ etc.

46...g6 47.Ka4 Kc6 48.Bb5+ Kb6 49.Bd3 Rc3 50.Be2 Rc1 51.Kb3 Rg1

The engines reckon White has a slight edge after this, but of course the game should be drawn.

52.Rxg1 Bxg1 53.Kc4 Kc6 54.Bd1 Bb6 55.Ba4+ Kd6 56.Kb5 Kc7 57.Bb3 Bg1 58.Bc4 Bf2 59.h4!? h6 60.h3 Be3 61.Bf7 g5 62.Kc4 Kd6 63.h5 ½–½

HMC won the match 3.5-1.5.

Lessons From Scarborough V

Samuel A Milson (2138 ECF/2069 Fide) - Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide)

Scarborough Round Five

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Bc4!?

Overwhelmingly more popular is 6.Nxd4, but the text is the top choice of the analysis engine Stockfish14 and is also liked by Komodo12.1.1.

6...d6 7.Nxd4 Bxd4 8.c3 Bb6 9.a4 a6?!

Probably better is 9...c6, and if 10.b4 then 10...a5.

10.a5 Ba7 11.Be3 Bxe3!?

This is best, according to the engines.

12.fxe3 0-0 13.Nd2 Be6 14.Qf3 Bxc4 15.Nxc4 Qd7

Stockfish14 likes 15...b5!?

16.h3 Rae8 17.Qg3 Re6 18.Rf5 Ne8 19.Raf1 Rg6 20.Qf2 Qe6 21.b3 Rf6 22.Qh4 Rxf5 23.Rxf5

The engines reckon 23.exf5?! Qd5 is very good for Black.

23...g6 24.Rf3 f6 25.g4 c6 26.g5 d5 27.Nd2

How should Black proceed?

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27...fxg5?!

Komodo12.1.1 reckons Black has a tiny edge after 27...dxe4 or 27...f5, while Stockfish14 recommends 27...dxe4 and 27...Kg7, evaluating the position as equal.

28.Rxf8+ Kxf8 29.Qxh7 g4 30.Kg2 gxh3+ 31.Qxh3 Qxh3+ 32.Kxh3 Kf7 33.exd5 cxd5 34.e4 Ke6 35.Kg4

What should Black play?

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35...dxe4?

The game is equal, according to the engines, after 35...Nf6+ 36.Kg5 Nh5 or 35...Nc7.

36.Nxe4 Kd5 37.Kg5 Nc7?

Better is 37...Ng7, although White is still well on top.

38.Kxg6

Even stronger is the engines' 38.Kf6, putting Black in zugzwang.

38...Ne6 39.Kf5 Ng7+!?

Possibly better is the semi-forced 39...Nf4 40.d4 Nd3 41.Nf6+ Kd6 42.Ke4 Nf2+ 43.Ke3, when the engines want to offer the black knight with 43...exd4+!? 44.Kxf2 dxc3 45.Ne4+ Kc6. Komodo12.1.1 reckons White is winning; Stockfish14 gives White just a slight edge.
40.Kg4 Ne6

How should White proceed?

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41.b4?

White is winning after 41.Kf3, according to the engines.

41...Nf4 42.Nc5

Black to play and draw

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42...Nxd3?

Correct is 42...Ne2, eg 43.c4+ Kd4 44.Nxb7 Kxd3 45.b5 Nd4!

43.Nxd3 Kc4 44.Nc5!

44.Nxe5+ Kxc3 is a draw.

44...Kxc3 45.Nxb7 Kxb4 46.Kf5 Kb5 47.Kxe5 Kc6 48.Nd6 Kc5 49.Ke6 Kc6 50.Ke7 Kc7 51.Nc4 Kc6

White to play and win

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52.Nd2!

The key idea.

52...Kc7

Or 52...Kc5 53.Nb3+ Kb4 54.Kd6 Kxb3 55.Kc5 (55.Kc6? Kc4 draws) Kc3 56.Kb6 Kc4 57.Kxa6 etc.

53.Nb3 Kc6 54.Ke6 Kc7 55.Kd5 Kb7 56.Kd6 1-0

Lessons From Scarborough IV

Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide) - Peter JE Ackley (2142 ECF/2008 Fide)

Scarborough Round Four

Pribyl

1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 c6 4.f4

This aggressive continuation is second in popularity in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database to 4.Be3.

How should Black respond?

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4...d5!?

This is easily Black's most-popular reply, despite the loss of tempo in taking two moves to get the d pawn to d5.

5.Nf3

The main line runs 5.e5 h5 6.Nf3 Bg4 (also popular is 6...Nh6) 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3, when White has a slight edge, according to Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1.

5...Bg4 6.Be2 dxe4 7.Nxe4 Bxf3?!

Giving up the bishop-pair without being provoked by h3 looks strange in what is a relatively open position.

8.Bxf3 Bg7 9.c3 Nd7 10.0-0 Ngf6 11.Be3

The engines prefer 11.Nf2!? or a queen move, ie 11.Qe2 or 11.Qb3.

11...Qc7 12.Qd2 Nd5 13.Rae1 0-0

This is probably better, and certainly safer, than 13...0-0-0?!

14.g3 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Nf6 16.Ng5!?

Hoping to maintain winning chances by avoiding a further exchange, but the engines prefer 16.Nc5 (Komodo12.1.1) or 16.h4!? (Stockfish14).

16...e6 17.Kg2 Rac8 18.Re2 b6 19.Rd1 Rfd8 20.Red2 h6 21.Ne4 Nxe4 22.Bxe4 Bf6 23.Rd3 c5 24.d5 exd5 25.Rxd5 Rxd5 26.Rxd5 Rd8 27.Qd4 Rxd5 28.Qxd5 Qd8 29.Qxd8+ ½–½

After the game PA said the system he chose leads to an interesting game IF White makes it interesting; otherwise White just has a slight edge. He had expected me to want to make it interesting, he said, but had been proven wrong.

Coulsdon Autumn Daytime Round Seven

PLAYED this afternoon.

Spanton (2019 ECF/1804 Fide) - Venerando Bermudez (1737 ECF/1672 Fide)

Spanish Cozio

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 e5

One point about Black's move-order is it avoids the King's Gambit. Whether Black should be trying to avoid that opening is another matter.

3.Bb5 Nge7 4.Nc3

The main moves are 4.0-0 and 4.c3, but the text is also often played by grandmasters.

4...a6

This became popular after Black experienced difficulties with 4...g6 5.d4 exd4 6.Nd5!?
5.Ba4 b5 6.Bb3 Na5?

VB had arrived at the board late, and probably should have spent more time settling down before starting the game.

7.Nxe5 Nxb3 8.axb3 d6 9.Nf3 Ng6? 10.Nxb5

Believe it or not, this may be the first move of the game not to appear in databases. A game from the semi-finals of the 2011 Algerian women's championship saw White play 10.h3?, although she went on to win.

10...Bg4 11.Nc3 Ne5?!

Probably a little better is 11...Nh4, but it should not change the outcome of the game.

12.d4 Nxf3+ 13.gxf3 Bh5 14.Qd3 Qc8 15.Bf4 Bg6 16.Nd5

Played with the coming combination in mind.

16...Qb7!?

For a while this is the top choice of both Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1, which only goes to show how desperate Black's position is.

How should White proceed?

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17.Rxa6! c6

Or 17...Rxa6 18.Qxa6 Qxa6 19.Nxc7+ etc.

18.Rxa8+ Kd7 19.Rxf8 Rxf8 20.Ne3 (1-0,  43 moves)

Lessons From Scarborough III

Raymond J Gamble (1885 ECF/1871 Fide) - Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide)

Scarborough Round Three

Colle

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Bd3 Nc6!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database runs 4...f5 5.c4 (also popular is 5.0-0) c6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.b3, reaching a Dutch Stonewall position from which White scores an impressive 64%.

5.Nbd2 Nf6 6.c3!?

This is a popular continuation, narrowly eclipsed by 6.0-0, but it is arguably too slow. The analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer 6.c4, seeking to inhibit ...e5. Black can try 6...e5!? anyway, but 7.cxd5 (much better than 7.c5 e4, according to the engines) Nxd5 8.Be4!? Nde7 9.dxe5 Nxe5 10.0-0 favours White, according to the engines.

6...e5 7.dxe5 Nxe5 8.Nxe5 Bxe5

How should White proceed?

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9.f4?!

Seeking to gain the initiative, but almost certainly too weakening. The engines reckon 9.0-0 and 9.Qc2 give equality but 9.Nf3 Bd6 gives Black a tiny edge.

9...Bd6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Kh1

Getting rid of the backward pawn with 11.e4? runs into 11...Bc5+ 12.Kh1 Ng4.

11...Re8 12.Qf3?!

Probably better is 12.Nf3.

12...Qe7 13.Re1 Ne4 14.Bxe4!?

This is Stockfish14's choice - Komodo12.1.1 prefers 14.Qf1 - but the move is horrible from a positional view.

14...dxe4 15.Qf2

White's backward pawn is no longer on a half-open file, but to achieve this White has had to give up his better bishop and permanently concede central space.

15...c6!?

The engines suggest 15...a5 (or 15...Rad8) and if 16.Nc4, which I was afraid of because Black would lose the bishop-pair, they reckon 16...a4!? 17.Nxd6 Qxd6 is very good for Black.

16.b3

Now 16.Nc4 can be met by 16...Bc7, preserving the bishop-pair and preventing 17.Ne5. The knight would later be vulnerable to being hit by ...b5.

16...a5 17.a3 b5 18.Bb2 Bf5 19.Nf1 Be6 20.Nd2 f5

I was slightly concerned that ...f5 gave White a pawn-lever in the shape of g4, but arranging that with advantage is no easy task.

21.Rec1 Rab8 22.Qe2 Bc5!?

The engines strongly prefer 22...Red8.

23.b4 Bb6 24.c4

How should Black proceed?

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24...axb4?!

The engines strongly dislike this at first, although it comes to be Komodo12.1.1's second-choice. They reckon Black should keep the position closed with 24...a4!?

25.cxb5!?

I expected 25.axb4, when 25...Qxb4?? 26.Ba3 is a disaster for Black, and other moves give little more than equality, eg 25...bxc4?! 26.Nxc4 Qxb4 27.Nxb6 Qxb6 28.Bd4 gives White a strong initiative for the pawn, one line running 28...Qb5 29.Qxb5 cxb5 30.Ra7.

25...cxb5 26.axb4 Red8 27.Bc3 Rd3 28.Nc1 Bc4 29.Qe1 Rbd8 30.Rd1?!

The engines prefer 30.Be5 or 30.h3, but reckon Black is well on top.

30...Rxd1 31.Rxd1 Rxd1 32.Qxd1

What is Black's best continuation?

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32...Qa7?

This throws away Black's advantage. Also no good is 32...Bxf1? 33.Qxf1 Bxe3 34.Qxb5, but the engines reckon Black wins with 32...Qd8 33.Qxd8+ (more-or-less forced) Bxd8, when pawns are equal, materially, but Black's bishop-pair, space advantage and better-placed king give a large advantage.

33.Ng3 Be6 34.h3!?

White has to be careful about falling into a back-rank mate, but also playable is 34.Bd4.

34...Bxe3 35.Qd8+ Kf7

White to play and draw

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36.Nh5?

White draws with 36.Qg5, when the engines reckon Black has nothing better than 36...Qa2 (36...g6?? loses to 37.Qf6+) 37.Qxg7+ Ke8 38.Be1! Qb1 39.Qh8+ Kd7 40.Qg7+ (not 40.Qxh7+?? Kc6) with a draw by repetition as 40...Kc6?? loses to 41.Qc3+ etc.

Also better than the text is 36.Bxg7!? Qe7 (36...Kxg7?? loses to 37.Nh5+) 37.Qh8 Qe8 38.Qxh7 Qg8 39.Qxg8+ Kxg8 40.Bc3, although the black position is certainly easier to play after 40...Bxf4.

36...Qd7 37.Qxd7+

Forced, as otherwise the threat of ...Qd1+ wins, eg 37.Qh4 Qd1+ 38.Qe1 Qxe1+ 39.Bxe1 g6 40.Ng3 Bxf4, when Black is two pawns up and has much the better pieces.

37...Bxd7 38.Nxg7 Bxf4 39.Nh5 Bd6 40.Nf6 Be6 41.Nxh7

White restores material equality (in pawns) but the knight will be out of play for several moves.

41...Kg6 42.Nf6 Be7 43.Ne8 f4 44.Kg1 e3 45.Be1 Bc4 46.Nc7 Kf5 47.Na6 Bf6 48.Nc5 Bb2 0-1

Lessons From Scarborough II

Spanton (1979 ECF/1731 Fide) - James M Wheeler (1938 ECF/no Fide)

Scarborough Round Two

French Classical Steinitz

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nf3!?

This move, recommended by Tarrasch, scores just 45% in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, while 5.Nce2 scores 56% and 5.f4 scores 57%.

5...c5 6.dxc5

The engines give 6.Ne2!? as an interesting alternative to the overwhelmingly more-popular text.

6...Nc6 7.Bf4 Bxc5 8.Bd3 a6 9.0-0 b5 10.Qe2 h6 11.Rfe1 Nb6

Can you find a winning combination for White?

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No.

12.Rad1

Not 12.Bxb5? axb5 13.Qxb5 Qe7 14.Qxc6+ Bd7, when the engines reckon best is 15.Qb7 0-0 16.Be3 Rfb8 17.Qc7 Bxe3 18.fxe3 Nc4 19.a4 (19.b3 Rc8 20.Qb7 Na5 etc) Rxb2, which they rate as giving Black much the better game.

12...b4 13.Nb1 Na4 14.Bc1?!

Almost certainly too passive. White has an advantage after 14.c4, which seeks to open lines for White's better-developed pieces.

14...Qb6 15.c4 bxc3 16.Nxc3 Nxc3 17.bxc3 a5 18.Bf4?!

The engines like 18.Nd4!?, the point being 18...Nxd4 19.cxd4 Bxd4 20.Ba3 looks promising for White.

18...0-0

JW explained after the game that he changed his mind about playing 18...Ba6 because of Rb1 followed by Bb5, but the engines show 19.Rb1? is punished by 19...Bxf2+!

19.Rb1

This looks natural, but quite possibly better is 19.Bb1!?, the point being to threaten to set up a bishop-queen battery on the b1-h7 diagonal. The engines continue 19...Ne7 20.Nd4, claiming a slight edge for White.

19...Qc7 20.Qd2 Be7?!

A better defensive try may be 20...Ba6.

Can you find a winning combination for White?

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21.Bxh6! gxh6 22.Qxh6 f5 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.Re3 Bc5

This is Black's best move, according to the engines, but White is winning.

25.Nd4 Qg7?!

Probably better is 25...Qh7!? 26.Rh3 Qxh3 27.gxh3 Rg8, but 28.Qxg8+ Kxg8 29.Nxc6 leaves White with two extra pawns, albeit all the white pawns are isolated and two of them are doubled. Black also has the bishop-pair, but the engines reckon Black is lost.

26.Rh3+ Kg8 27.Qh5?

Much better is the simple 27.Qxg7+ Kxg7 28.Nxc6, when White is up two good pawns.

27...Nxe5 28.Rg3 Qxg3??

Black should play 28...Ng4, when best-play, according to the engines, runs 29.h3 Bd6 30.Nxf5! exf5 31.Rxg4! fxg4 32.Qxd5+ Rf7 33.Qxa8 with what they reckon is a balanced position, although it is one in which it would be easy for either player to go wrong.

29.hxg3 Nxd3 30.Rd1

Missing a mating attack with 30.Qg6+ Kh8 31.Rb7! Bxb7 32.Nxe6 etc.

30...Nb2?

Better is 30...Ne5, although the engines reckon White is better after 31.Re5.

31.Qg6+ Kh8 32.Qh6+ Kg8 33.Nxe6 Bxe6 34.Qxe6+ Kg7 35.Rxd5

Materially Black is doing OK with rook, bishop and knight for queen and three pawns, but the black pieces are uncoordinated and the black king is wide open to attack.

35...Rad8!?

Setting a trap. All other continuations also lose easily, according to the engines.

36.Rxd8

Not 36.Rxc5?? Rd1+ 37.Kh2 Rh8+ and mate.

36...Rxd8 37.Qe5+ Kg6 38.Qxc5 Rd1+ 39.Kh2 Nd3 40.Qxa5 Nxf2 41.Qb6+ 1-0