4NCL Round One

THE 2021-22 season of the Four Nations Chess League began on November 20.

I am playing in Division Three South for Wessex Some Stars B, who in the first round were paired against an all-junior team, Cambridge University Y.

Spanton (2019 ECF/1804 Fide) - Daniel Evans (1533 ECF/no Fide)

Board Five (of six)

French Classical Steinitz

1.Nc3 e6 2.d4 Nf6 3.e4 d5 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Nf3 c5 6.dxc5 Bxc5

Black usually plays 6...Nc6 before capturing on c5 (with bishop or knight), but here the move-order does not change anything.

7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Bf4

8.Qe2!? would be the way to try to take advantage of Black's move-order, but it is far from clear that this improves on the text.

8...Qb6!?

More popular are 8...f6 and 8...a6, although the text has also been played by grandmasters, and at first looks promising in that White cannot defend both f2 and b2.

9.0-0 Qxb2?!

However, although this is easily Black's commonest move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, it is probably a mistake.

10.Nb5

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

10...Bb6

Most popular in Mega22 is 10...0-0, but that allows many strong replies, including the classic Greek Gift sacrifice of 11.Bxh7+ Kxh7 12.Ng5+, eg 12...Kg6 13.Qd3+ f5 14.exf6+ Kxf6 15.Rfb1. Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon best, or rather least-worse, is 10...Rb8, but 11.Bd2 is very strong, as is an apparent novelty suggested by the engines, 11.a4!?, eg 11...Qb4 12.c4 (12.Qa5 cxd5) dxc4 13.Bd2.

In a nutshell, there seems no satisfactory continuation for Black.

11.Qe2 Qb4 12.Nd6+ Kf8 13.Bd2

The engines' 13.c4!? may be even stronger, eg 13...dxc4 14.Bxc4 Bc7 15.Rab1Qa4 16.Nxf7! Kxf7 17.Ng5+ with a huge attack.

13...Qa3

It is not clear whether the queen would help on the kingside after 13...Qg4, or rather become a target, eg 14.h3 Qh5 15.Bf4 Nc5 16.g4!? Qxh3 17.Ng5.

14.Bf4 h6

The engines prefer this to repeating with 14...Qb4, when they reckon 15.c4 is strong.

15.Rfb1 a6 16.Rb3 Qa4 17.Bg3 Nb4?!

The engines give 17...Bc7, albeit preferring White.

18.Rab1 Bc5 19.Nh4 Bxd6 20.exd6 Nxd3 21.cxd3

DE offered a draw.

21...b5

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

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22.Rc1

This maintains a large advantage but the engines reckon 22.Ng6+! fxg6 23.Qxe6 is overwhelming.

22...Kg8 23.Rbc3 Kh7 24.Nf3 Bb7 25.d4 Rhc8 26.Rc7 Qa3 27.Rxc8 Rxc8?

Better, but not by a huge amount, is 27...Bxc8.
28.Qc2+ g6 29.Qxc2 Qxa8 30.h3 1-0