Thanks For Letting Us Know

BACK in December the London League postponed its January fixtures to June and announced a follow-up meeting on January 20 to decide if February's matches could go ahead.

The result of that meeting was published at the league's website this evening:

The London Chess League is resuming matches from February onwards

Please note that the League is continuing to adopt a policy that requires face coverings to be worn indoors at central venues unless a player has an exemption (same as pre-Christmas).

Our goal is to get as many people playing chess, safely, as possible. As such, we are asking players who are medically exempt, players who are uncomfortable playing against an opponent with no face covering, and players who have fluctuating conditions (e.g. asthma) which may sometimes require an exemption, to please make their captains aware in advance of matches, so that opposing captains can pair players together to ensure everyone gets a game, and minimise the possibility of a player travelling for no game to be played.

A Gem From Saturday

HERE is Kent U2050 captain Tim Gluckman's game on board eight (of 16) at Essex.

His notes are in italics.

Matthew H Shaw (1955) - Gluckman (1869)

SCCU U2050

Bird

1.f4 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 c6 5.0-0 Qb6+

This early development of the queen is the most-popular move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

6.d4!?

And this slightly strange-looking reply is much more popular than 6.e3 or 6.Kh1 (6.Rh2?! does not occur in Mega22).

6...Nf6 7.Ne5!?

This apparent-novelty, albeit transposing to a known position, is the top choice for a while of the analysis engine Komodo12.1.1, although it comes to prefer Stockfish14.1's 7.c4.

7...h5!?

Hinting at, but not committing to, castling long, against which White takes immediate measures.

8.c4 Be6 9.Nc3!? h4

White gets plenty of compensation for a pawn after 9...dxc4 10.Na4 and 11.Nc5, according to the engines.

10.Na4

An idea after …h4 is for White play g4 to seal up the h file, which is Black’s main hope of counterplay. Black must hold the pawn on d5 at all costs because if that is lost White will form a huge centre with pawns on c4, d4, e4 and f4, which will allow White to win the game in robot mode.

10...Qd8 11.Nc5 Bf5!?

An interesting positional pawn sacrifice. Certainly the black position looks rather passive after 11...Bc8

12.Nxb7 Qc8

How should White proceed?

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13.Qb3

This is Komodo12.1.1's top choice, at least for a while, although Stockfish14.1 strongly prefers 13.g4!? Bxg4 14.Na5!? h3 15.Bh1, claiming a large advantage for White (Komodo12.1.1 disagrees). The conservative 13.Nc5 also seems very reasonable.

13...hxg3 14.hxg3 Bh3

The point of the pawn sacrifice. Now Black will have at least some counterplay based on the h file.

15.Nc5 Bg2 16.Kxg2 Qh3+ 17.Kf2

How should Black proceed?

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17...Nbd7

I fantasised for a while with ideas based around Ng4 and Bxd4+, forking king and the knight on c5. However, Black is one tempo short and White’s piece-coordination with, e.g. e3 or Be3. [TH's annotation seems truncated here] The main weakness for Black is the lame queenside. White threatens to play Qb3 [Qb7 presumably] so instead of pursuing chimeras of attack, I decided to develop.

The engines point out after 17...Ng4+!? that 18.Nxg4? is good for Black thanks to 18...Qxg4 (rather than 18...Bxd4+?? 19.Be3), when Black has a strong attack thanks to the twin threats of ...Rh2+ and ...Bxd4+. But White can instead play 18.Ke1, emerging a pawn up with Black's attack seemingly out of steam.

18.Qb7?

I expected all the knights coming off and switching to a quieter position in which White is a pawn up but Black should have some counterplay based on the exposed position of the white king.

The engines give 18.Ncxd7 Nxd7 19.cxd5!?, when Black is hard-pressed to find a decent reply, eg 19...cxd5 20.Qxd5 Qh2+ 21.Ke1 Qxg3+ 22.Kd1 0-0 23.Nxd7 Rfd8 24.f5! leaves White with a very strong attack. Best may be 19...Rb8 20.Qf3 cxd5 21.Qxd5 Qh2+, but 22.Qg2 seems to hold everything together for White, who emerges two pawns up, albeit in a position with practical chances for Black, who has the safer king.

18...Nb6

Even stronger seems to be the engines' 18...Rd8!?, when it is White's turn to have difficulties finding a decent continuation, eg Stockfish14.1's 19.Qxc6 runs into 19...Ng4+ when 20.Ke1 (20.Nxg4? Qxg4 is even worse) does not work thanks to 20...Bxe5 21.fxe5 Qxg3+ with a strong attack for a pawn. Komodo12.1.1 suggests 19.Ncxd7 but then 19...Ne4+! 20.Ke1 Qg2! threatens a quick mate, so White has to play 21.Qb3, when 21...Nxg3 22.Qf3 (only move) Qxf1+ 23.Qxf1 Nxf1 24.Kxf1 dxc4 leaves material approximately equal but with the black pieces much better coordinated.

19.Qxc6+ Kf8

As usual I have succeeded only in creating a total mess.

The engines reckon the position is equal but precariously balanced, so much so that White has to find an only-move to stay in the game

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20.Be3!

Nothing else will do, it seems, certainly not 20.Ncd7+?? Nfxd7 21.Nxd7+ Qxd7, while the plausible 20.Ke1!? is probably best met by 20...Qg2+!? If then 21.cxd5 White is temporarily three pawns up but appears to be in trouble, eg 21...Rc8 22.Qb5 Qxg3+ 23.Kd1 Qg2 24.Re1 (24.Ke1?! Nfxd5 is not an improvement) Rh1 25.Bd2 Rxe1+ 26.Bxe1 Nfxd5, when Black has recovered two of the pawns and still has a big attack.

20...Rc8 21.Qb7

The engines reckon White had to play 21.Rh1!, when 21...Qxh1 22.Rxh1 Ng4+! 23.Nxg4 Rxc6 24.cxd5 Nxd5 is still precariously balanced.

Black to play and win

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21...Rxc5! 22.dxc5 Ne4+ 23.Ke1 Bxe5

This the point of the exchange sac on move 21. I have finally created luft for the king, which had been crippled by threats of a back-rank mate.

24.cxb6 Qxg3+ 25.Bf2 Bc3+!

A pseudo sac leading to mate in two if accepted.

26.Kd1 Nxf2+ 27.Kc2 Qe3 28.Qxd5

This allows a mating sequence, but 28.bxc3 Qxe2+ 29.Kb3 Qxc4+ 30.Kc2 Qd3+ 31.Kb3 Qb5+ 32.Kc2 Ng4 is overwhelming.

28...Qe2+ 29.Kxc3 Rh3+ 30.Kb4 Qxb2+ 0-1

Kent Debut

RECENTLY Tim Gluckman, captain of Kent U2050, asked if I would like to play for his team as my membership of Hastings & St Leonards, who are in the Kent League, makes me eligible.

I was happy to agree, not least because Sussex, my previous county, only have one out of a possible five sides in the Southern Counties Chess Union championships.

I made my debut for Kent U2050 yesterday on board three away to Essex.

Spanton (2042 ECF) - Roman Ismailov (1982 ECF)

Caro-Kann Classical

1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 c6 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3

More popular is 6.h4, but the two moves often transpose.

6...Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6

Here 10...e6 is more popular, but again transpositions are frequent.

11.Bf4

More common in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 11.Bd2.

11...e6 12.0-0-0

Komodo12.1.1 narrowly prefers the much-less popular 12.0-0!?

12...Be7 13.Ne4 Nxe4 14.Qxe4 Nf6

How should White proceed?

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15.Qe2!?

This involves a positional pawn sacrifice, and is the most popular move in Mega22. More solid is 15.Qd3, when 15...Qa5 16.Kb1 Nxh5?? fails to 17.Bd2.

15...Qa5 16.Kb1 Nxh5!?

Komodo12.1.1 and Stockfish14.1 prefer 16..Qb5.

17.Bd2 Qf5

Dmitry Jakovenko (2691) - Victor Bologan (2658), Corus B (Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands) 2007, saw 17...Qd5!? 18.Ne5 Nf6 19.f3 b5 20.g4 Rf8!? 21.Bf4 b4, when the game was prematurely agreed drawn in a position probably favouring White.

18.Ne5 Nf4

18...Nf6? 19.Rde1 gave White a large advantage, according to the engines, in Robin Swinkels (2422) - Jonathan Grant (2283), EU Championship (Drseden) 2007, and Swinkels went on to win on move 33.

19.Bxf4!

All three games in Mega22 to reach the position after 18...Nf4 saw 20.Qf3 Nd5, when Black is equal, according to the engines, and would have at least a slight edge after 20...Ng6, they reckon.

19...Qxf4 20.Rh3 Bf6 21.g3 Qf5

What should White play?

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22.g4?

Much better is 22.Rh5, when RI reckoned he intended 22...Qh7, claiming Black would be better. However the engines give 23.d5! with a strong initiative, eg 23...Bxe5 24.Rxe5 etc or 23...cxd5 24.Qb5+ etc. A possible improvement is the engines' 22...g5, but 23.f4 seems strong, eg 23...Qh7 24.d5 Bxe5 25.d6 or 24.Rdh1 gxf4 25.d5, although these lines are less clear.

22...Qf4 23.Rb3?!

White has full compensation for a pawn after 23.Rf3, according to the engines.

How should Black proceed?

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23...b6?

RI explained in the postmortem he meant to play 23...Rb8, the point being 24.Nxc6?? loses the knight to 24...bxc6 as the black queen defends the black queen's rook. Instead White should reply 24.Rf3 with good compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, which reckon best is 23...Bxe5 24.dxe5 with at least equality after 24...b5 or 24...0-0!?

24.Nxc6

Even stronger seems to be the engines' 24.Rf3!? Qh2 25.Qe4.

24...0-0 25.Ne5?

The engines much prefer 25.Re3 or 25.c4.

25...Rfd8

Very good for Black is 25...Bxe5!? 26.dxe5 Rfd8, according to the engines.

26.Rf3 Qh2 27.Rfd3

The engines prefer 27.Re3 so as to meet 27...Bxe5 with 28.Rxe5.

27...Rac8 ½–½

White, if anyone, is slightly better after 28.Re3, according to the engines.

Essex won the match 9.5-6.5.

A System Against The Liberated Bishop

MANY players like to start a game with 1.d4 followed by 2.Nf3, sometimes reversing the move-order but reaching the same positions.

There was a time when such games would see Black respond with 1...d5 and 2...Nf6, or the other way  around.

That is still common today, but increasingly blacks are trying other responses, including the so-called Liberated Bishop, ie 1...d5 and 2...Bf5.

I write "so-called" because the name was coined for grandmaster Alexey Bezgodov's 2014 New In Chess book The Liberated Bishop Defence.

I have a friend who bought the book and is keen on the analysis presented in it, although he has come to only play the system against d4 and Nf3 rather than against 1.d4 d5 2.c4.

My round-five game at Mariánské Lázně saw me employ a simple-to-learn but, I believe, effective set-up against the Liberated Bishop.

The full game can be seen at ML 5 but here I will concentrate on the opening.

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5

This position goes back to 1854 in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database. White's most-popular response is 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3, while also popular is 4.Qb3. Both white fourth-moves can be met by the sharp 4...Nc6!?, and you can expect a Liberated Bishop player to be well-prepared for these lines.

3.e3!?

This takes the game into the realm of the Colle, and was the usual reply in the early days of 2...Bf5.

3...Nf6

The game has transposed to a main line of the Colle, normally reached via the move-order 1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 Bf5. Magus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov and Levon Aronian are three strong players who have tried this system as Black, with Aronian having won from this position with both black and white.

4.Bd3!?

The second-most popular move in the position, behind 4.c4. The idea is simply to challenge Black's active bishop.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bxd3

This is by far the commonest response in Mega22, but other moves have been tried by strong players.

Second-most popular is 4...Bg6, when Edgard Colle - Savielly Tartakower, Bled (Yugoslavia) 1931, continued 5.Ne5 e6 6.Nxg6!? hxg6 7.Nd2 c5 8.c3 Nc6 9.Qe2 Qc7 with a slight edge for Black, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 (0-1, 43 moves).

Winning the bishop-pair but half-opening the h file is a controversial procedure, especially when the white king is likely to end up on the kingside (as happened in the game). However the position was arguably handled rather better by White in Priyadharshan Kannappan* (2525) - Jayaram Ashwin* (2468), St Louis SPICE Cup 2016, when White played to open lines for his bishops, viz 7.c4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 c5 9.dxc5 Qc7 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Bd2 Nxc3 12.Bxc3 (12.Qb3!?) Bxc3+ 13.bxc3 Qxc5 14.Rb1!? Qxc3+ 15.Qd2 Qc7 (after 15...Qxd2+ 16.Kxd2 Black cannot prevent Rxb7) 16.Qb2 Nc6 17.Qxb7 with maybe a slight edge for White (1-0, 47 moves).

Another reasonably popular choice is 4...e6!?, when Alexander Alekhine - Boris Kostić, Bled (Yugoslavia) 1931, continued 5.Bxf5 exf5 6.Qd3 Qc8 7.0-0 Bd6 8.b3 0-0 9.c4 c6 10.Nc3 (10.Ba3!?) b6 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 cxd5 13.Bb2 g6 14.Rfc1 Qa6 15.Qc3 Rd8 16.Ne5 Nd7 with an equal game, according to the engines (but 1-0, 47 moves).

5.cxd3!?

More popular is playing for development with 5.Qxd3, but playing for the centre with the text is an interesting alternative.

5...c6

Commoner, but scoring eight percentage points fewer in Mega22, is 5...e6, when the engines like 6.Qc2!?, delaying ...c5.

6.Nc3 e6 7.0-0

The thematic Colle move e4 is already good for White, according to the engines, which give White an advantage, especially after the most-popular response 7...dxe4.

7...Be7

The active-looking 7...Bd6?! is suspect because it sets up a white pawn-fork at e5.

8.Qe2

Again the engines prefer e4.

8...0-0

Here I played 9.Rd1!?, which is not bad, but almost certainly better is 9.e4, when White has an edge, albeit a small one. Tibor Dencsi (2338) - Balázs Csonka (2287), Hungarian Team Championship 2012, continued 9...Na6 10.Be3 Rc8 11.Rac1 Qa5 12.a3, when White is better, according to the engines (1-0, 47 moves).

*The grandmaster's name also appears as Kannappan Priyadharshan while his opponent also appears as Ashwin Jayaram.

CONCLUSION: playing to swop off Black's active light-square bishop is a valid plan against the Liberated Bishop, although Black should be fine with accurate play.

A Misplayed Ending

I MISPLAYED a fairly straightforward bishop-and-pawn ending in my round-four game at Mariánské Lázně.

The full game can be seen at ML 4 but here I want to concentrate on what went wrong in the ending.

White has just captured on f2

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White has more space but has an extra pawn-island, The black bishop is well-placed but the black queenside pawns could become targets for the white bishop. The analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon the position is dead-equal.

34...Bc2

Stockfish14.1 likes 34...b5 even though Black has to beware the vulnerability of a6 after 35.a5.

Komodo12.1.1 recommends 34...f5!?, which supports the bishop but puts another pawn on a light square. Stockfish14.1 reckons the reply 35.a5 gives White a tiny edge.

35.a5 Be4 36.h4 h5?!

Space is important in endings but here it was almost certainly more important to avoid putting more pawns on light squares.

37.Be2 g6

An unfortunate consequence of the previous move, but 37...Bg6? is worse, eg 38.Kf3 Kd6 39.e4 f6 40.Kf4 Ke7 41.Bc4 Kd7 42.e5 Ke7 43.d5 fxe5+ 44.Kxe5 Kd7 (44...Bf7 45.d6+) 45.d6 Bc2 46.Be6+ Kd8 47.Kd4 with Kc5-b6 etc to come.

38.Bf3

Position after 38.Bf3

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38...Bd5?

Black seems to hold after 38...Bxf3, eg 39.gxf3 f6! (an only-move, according to the engines) 40.e4 g5! (another only-move) 41.e5 Ke6, or 39.Kxf3 f5! (only-move) 40.Kf4 Kf6 (an only-move, but an obvious one) 41.g3 Ke6 42.Kg5 Kf7.

39.e4 Be6 40.Ke3 Kd6 41.Kf4 Bc4 42.Kg5

Neatly illustrating another problem with having all pawns on the same colour-complex as the bishop - the other-coloured squares become vulnerable to a king invasion.

42...Be6 43.Kf6 Bc4 44.g3 Bb3 45.g4

This was also strong on the previous move.

45...hxg4 46.Bxg4 Ba2

Or 46...Bc4 47.e5+ Kc7 (47...Kd5 48.Kxf7 Kxd4+ 49.e6 etc) 48.Ke7 Bd5 49.Bd7 etc.

47.e5+ Kd5 48.e6 1-0

CONCLUSION: positional mistakes in middlegames can often be corrected in time or masked in the hurly-burly of tactics, but positional mistakes in endings tend to be permanent and are the reason why the difference between masters and club players can be starkest in an endgame.

Veresov Trap

MY opponent in round three at Mariánské Lázně walked into a trap in the Veresov.

It arises after the moves 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Bf5 4.e3 e6 5.Bd3.

What should Black avoid?

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My opponent played the positionally plausible but tactically faulty 5...Be7?, which cost him a pawn after 6.Bxf5 exf5 7.Bxf6 Bxf6 8.Qf3 etc.

The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2022/01/marianske-lazne-round-three.html but here I want to look at what Black should have played.

A) 5....Bxd3

This is the main move in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

White normally replies 6.Qxd3 (6.cxd3!? is also popular), when the game David Bronstein - Robert Fischer, Mar del Plata 1960, continued 6...c5 7.Bxf6!? gxf6!? 8.dxc5 Nd7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 Nxc5 11.Qf3 Bg7, when Black may have a slight edge, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 (½–½, 65 moves).

B) 5...Bg6

This is less popular in Mega22 but more common in my praxis.

Kurt Richter, whose name is often joined with Gavriil Veresov in naming the opening, liked to meet 5...Bg6 with 6.Nf3, when the mainline in Mega22 runs 6...Be7 7.Ne5 Nbd7 8.f4 with a position reminiscent of the Stonewall Attack except the white dark-square bishop is outside of the white central pawn-chain.

Nino Batsiashvili (2436) - Inga Charkhalashvili (2334), Women's Rapid World Championship, Batumi (Georgia) 2012, continued 8...Nxe5 9.fxe5 Nd7 10.Bxe7 Qxe7 11.0-0 0-0, when Stockfish14.1 prefers White but Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as equal (1-0, 47 moves).

An aggressive alternative is 6.h4!?, when Marcin Krzyżanowski (2457) - Iwo Godzwon (2240), EU Rapid Championship, Katowice (Poland) 2017, saw 6...Be7 7.h5 Bxd3 8.Qxd3 h6 9.Bf4 c6 with Stockfish14.1. preferring Black but Komodo12.1.1 rating the game as equal (½–½, 97 moves).

CONCLUSION: Black has nothing to fear in the diagrammed position as long as 5...Be7? is avoided.

Championship Chess

PLAYED last night.

Hugo Bassa (no rating) - Spanton (2042 ECF)

Battersea Club Championship

French Advance (by transposition from the Sicilian Alapin)

1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6

The text trails 2...d6, 2...Nf6 and 2...d5 in terms of popularity in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

3.d4 d5 4.e5

4.exd5 keeps the game in independent Sicilian Alapin lines, and was the choice of Semyon Alapin.

4...Bd7 5.Nf3 Qb6

The idea of Black's move-order is (usually) to follow with ...Bb5 and exchange light-square bishops.

6.Qb3!?

An unusual way of cutting across Black's plans, but one that has been played by grandmasters, although in Mega22 it only dates back to 1969. The main line runs 6.Be2 Bb5 7.0-0 Bxe2 8.Qxe2 Qa6!? (8...Nc6 is also popular) 9.Qd1!? with a position slightly favouring White, according to Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

6...Nc6 7.Na3!?

The engines like this and the somewhat-more popular 7.Qxb6.

How should Black proceed?

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7...cxd4

This is apparently a novelty. Komodo12.1.1 prefers 7...c4 8.Qxb6 axb6, claiming equality. Stockfish14.1 fluctuates between 7...Qxb3, 7...f6 and 7...Qc7, in each case also claiming equality.

8.Qxb6 axb6 9.Nb5

The game has transposed to a known position in which Vladimir Bondarenko (2315) - Leonid Totsky (2450), Moscow 1995, continued 9...Ra5 10.Nbd4, when White had the upper hand, according to Stockfish14.1, although Komodo12.1.1 is less enthusiastic about White's chances, and the game was drawn in 52 moves.

9...Rc8 10.Nbxd4 Nge7 11.Bf4

The engines prefer 11.Be3!? Ng6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 with a roughly level position.

11...Ng6 12.Bg3 Be7 13.Bd3 0-0 14.h4!? Nxd4 15.Nxd4!?

The engines reckon the text and 15.cxd4 and of about the same value.

15...Bc5

The engines prefer 15...f6 16.Nf3 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 fxe5 18.Bxe5, albeit giving White a slight edge.

16.h5 Ne7 17.h6 g6

How should White proceed?

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18.Nc2!?

I thought this very strange but, once played, it comes to be Komodo12.1.1's top choice, although Stockfish14.1 narrowly prefers 18.Nf3.

18...Nc6 19.b4?

This seriously weakens the queenside. The engines prefer 19.0-0-0, 19.Ne3 or 19.Be2!?

19...Be7 20.a3?

Too slow. Black has at most a slight edge after 20.0-0-0 or 20.f4, according to the engines.

20...Na7?

Not active enough. Black is positionally winning, according to Stockfish14.1 after 20...f6 21.f4 fxe5 22.fxe5 Bg5, although Komodo12.1.1 'only' gives Black the upper hand.

21.Kd2 Bb5

At last getting in the thematic move (see note to 5...Qb6)!

22.Nd4 Bxd3 23.Kxd3 Rc4 24.f4 Rfc8 25.Rhc1!?

I thought this was a mistake, and rather a crass one at that, but the engines disagree.

25...Bf8

What should White play?

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26.Be1

Stockfish14.1 reckons White has an edge after 26.Bf2!? Bxh6 27.g3 (Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as equal). The point seems to be White is better placed for play on both flanks, for example if it were White's move the engines reckon best-play would go 28.a4 g5 29.Be3 Nc6 30.Nxc6 R4xc6 31.Bd4 Kg7 (31...gaxf4 32.Rh1). A plausible continuation given by Stockfish14.1 runs 32.Ra2 Kg6 33.Rh1 Bg7 34.fxg5 Ra8 35.Rf1 with pressure. Bearing this in mind, the engines reckon Black should meet 27.g3 with 27...g5 28.Be3 Nc6, when Black is a tempo up on the previous line and seems fine.

The text is the engines' second-choice, but probably is inferior because it interferes with rook-play along the first rank.

26...Bxh6 27.Bd2 Bf8 28.g4!?

Presumably played to attempt to restrain ...h5, but the engines do not like it, preferring the consolidating 28.g3.

28...Nc6 29.Nc2?

Black has the upper hand after 29.Be3 g5!? 30.Nxc6 R8xc6 but White is still in the game, according to the engines.

29...Na7?!

Stronger seems to be the engines' 29...g5, eg 30.Re1 gxf4 31.Nd4 Bg7!? 32.Bxf4 Rxd4 33.cxd4 Rc2, when Black is a pawn up with a big initiative.

30.Ne3

This is better, according to the engines, than trying for repetition with 30.Nd4, when 30...Nc6 returns to the position - good for Black - after 28...Nc6. Black also has 30...g5!?

30...R4c6

Black is slightly better after 30...Re4!?, when ....g5 and ...Nc6 are both strong threats, according to the engines.

31.g5 h5 32.gxh6 Bxh6 33.Ng4 Bg7 34.a4

Black apparently has only one move to maintain equality

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34...Kf8?!

It seems 34...Rc4 may be necessary, when neither side can make progress, according to the engines.

35.Nf6?!

The engines give 35.Be3 Rc4 36.Nf6 Bxf6 37.exf6 Nc6 38.Rh1 Ke8 39.Rh8+ Kd7 40.Rxc8 Kxc8 41.b5 Nb8, when White has a lot of play for a pawn.

35...Ke7 36.Ng4 Rh8 37.Rh1 Rcc8?!

White seems only slightly better after 37...Rxh1 38.Rxh1 Rc4.

38.b5

This is good enough for equality, according to the engines, but promising is 38.Be3!?, after which Black's defensive task is very difficult, eg 38...Rxh1 39.Rxh1 Rc6 40.Bd4 Nc8 41.Ne3 followed by c4.

38...Rxh1 39.Rxh1 Rh8 40.Rxh8 Bxh8 41.c4 Nc8 42.cxd5 exd5 43.Ne3 Ke6 44.Kd4?!

White is equal after 44.Nc2, intending Nd4(+), according to the engines.

44...Ne7?!

Almost certainly stronger is 44...f6 45.exf6 Bxf6+.

45.Bb4 Nf5+ 46.Nxf5 gxf5 47.Bd6 f6 48.Bc7 fxe5+ 49.fxe5 Bg7 50.Bxb6 Bxe5+ 51.Kd3 Kd7

How should the game finish?

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52.a5?

This loses whereas almost any bishop move, eg 52.Be3, 52.Bf2 or 53.Ba5, draws, according to the engines.

52...Bc7 53.Bxc7 Kxc7 54.Kd4 f4 55.Kd3 Kd6 56.Ke2 d4 57.a6 bxa6 58.bxa6 Kc6 0-1

A Challenge To The Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

MY round-two game at Mariánské Lázně featured White's main alternative to 3.d4 against the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6, namely 3.c3!?

As I pointed out in my notes to the game - the full score can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2022/01/marianske-lazne-round-two.html - 3.c3!? scores 54% in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, three percentage points more than 3.d4.

The main line continues 3...Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 d5 6.e5 (6.exd5 is also popular) Bg4, at which my opponent in the Seniors 50+ played 7.Qb3!?

However the main move is 7.Bb5+, and that is what I want to look at here.

Position after 7.Bb5+

Black's commonest reply is 7...Nc6, but White is thought to get an advantage with 8.Bxc6+!? bxc6 9.Nbd2 followed by kingside castling and a quick h3.

The move 7...Nd7!? is recommended in Chess Openings For Black, Explained (CIRC 2005) by Lev Alburt Roman Dzindzichashvili and Eugene Perelshteyn, and is the choice of my main analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

White commonly replies 8.0-0, which looks sensible as the white king is hardly going to be safe on the queenside.

Grandmaster Boris Savchenko has had this position three times in Mega22, playing 8...e6 the first time but 8...a6 subsequently.

Putting the question to the bishop is the recommendation of Alburt etc

White has three important responses.

A) 9.Bxd7+!?

After 9...Qxd7 White usually plays, albeit from a small sample, 10.Nbd2!?

Supporting the king's knight in this way is a common idea in lines stemming from 6.e5.

Alburt etc recommend 10...Nh6!?, which does not appear in Mega22.

The authors claim it gives Black "a good game," although the engines prefer White.

An obvious alternative is 10...e6, when 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 Ne7 gave White maybe a slight edge in Vadim Zvjaginsev (2640) - Jacek Gdański (2537), Fide World Championship Knockout (Moscow) 2001 (1-0, 44 moves).

B) 9.Ba4

All six games in Mega22 continue 9...e6 10.Nbd2, when the engines like Serguei Vesselovsky's 10...Rc8.

The game Ramil Hasangatin (2498) - Vesselovsky (2353), Tábor (Czechia) 2010, continued 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Nxf3 Ne7 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bf4 0-0 15.Qd2 Nb6 16.Bb3 g5!? 17.Be3 Nf5, when the engines give White a slight edge. The game was drawn in 34 moves, although the final position in Mega22 is clearly won for Black, so the game may have been inputted wrongly.

C) 9.Bd3

This is the move blacks should probably expect to see, at least at club level.

After 9...e6 10.Nbd2 Ne7 11.h3 Black can capture on f3, as often happens in these lines, but probably better is Igor Glek's 11...Bf5!?, when Miklós Németh (2469) Glek (2537), EU Cup (Ohrid, Macedonia) continued 12.Nb3 Qb6 13.Bg5 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 h6 15.Bd2 Nc6 16.Rfc1 0-0 with the engines giving White a slight edge, although the game was drawn in 65 moves.

CONCLUSION: 7.Bb5+ is a challenging move to face, but Black gets a reasonable game after 7...Nd7!?, even if White can claim a slight edge.

Can Black Really Accept The Vienna Gambit?

I WANT to look at some of the key points and interesting aspects of my games at Mariánské Lázně.

In round one - the full game cane be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2022/01/marianske-lazne-round-one.html - I reached with white, by an unusual move-order, the starting point of the Vienna Gambit.

Position after 3.f4

The game reached the diagram by 1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e4 e5 3.f4, but the normal move-order is 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.f4.

I have had this position, with white and black, 16 times, and on the previous 15 occasions the continuation was 3....d5. which occurs 7,319 times in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

Second-most popular is 3...d6, appearing 2,291 times, but my opponent in Mariánské Lázně played 3...exf4!?

This occurs 969 times, the earliest being a Gioachino Greco game or composition from 1620.

I replied, à la Greco, with 4.d4?!, but that is strongly disliked by the analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

They prefer 4.e5, which is easily the main move in Mega22.

Black has only two reasonable-looking replies, although nine other moves occur in Mega22, including 4...Ng4?? (11 times) and 4...Nd5?? (seven times).

A) 4...Qe7?! (180 games)

The idea is to avoid having to immediately retreat the king's knight, but the text only puts off a necessary evil and meanwhile invites the white queen's knight to later come to d5 with tempo.

After 5.Qe2 Ng8 6.Nf3 the engines reckon Black's best-try is 6...Qe6!?

However after, for example, 7.d4 Bb4 8.Bf4 White has restored material equality, is ahead on development and has the lion's share of the centre.

Position after 8.Bxf4 - White is much better

B)  4...Ng8 (441 games)

This is effectively forced, and White's reply of 5.Nf3, developing  a piece, supporting e5 and preventing ...Qh4+, must be best.

Black has two obvious plans: (i) hold on to the extra pawn, (ii) challenge the white centre.

B1 5...g5

The engines at first like 6.Bc4 and 6.d4, but they come to prefer the most-popular response in Mega22,  6.h4, albeit at times fluctuating between h4 and d4.

Black should reply 6...g4. which gives at least equality against every continuation except the brave 7.Ng5!

B1.1 The key point is White can meet 7...h6?! with 8.Nxf7 Kxf7 9.Qxg4 d5 (what else?) 10.Qxf4+, when, for a knight, White has two pawns and a full-scale king-hunt.

A likely continuation is 10...Ke8 11.Be2 (threatening Bh5+ in some lines; also strong is11.Bb5+!? c6 12.Rf1) 11...Be6 12.0-0 Bg7 13.Bh5+ Kd7 14.Bf7!? Qe7 15.Nxd5 with excellent winning chances.

Position after 15.Nxd5 - White seems to be winning, but the whole line is very sharp

B1.2 Instead of 7...h6?! the engines give 7...d5 8.exd6 Bxd6 9.Bc4 (the only move to keep an advantage, according to the engines).

After 9...Qe7+ 10.Qe2 Be6 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Qxe6 White has got the pawn back and has the better position.

Alternatively 9...Nh6 10.0-0 0-0 11.d4 f3!? leaves White with a pleasant choice between recovering the pawn immediately with 12.gxf3 and building an attack with 12.Nce4.

The line with 9...Nh6 may be Black's most-promising in variations where Black holds on to the extra pawn, but still seems very good for White 

B2 5...d6

Attacking the white centre has a more-modern feel to it than the materialistic lines.

After 6.d4 dxe5 White should avoid 7.Nxe5? Qh4+ in favour of 7.Qe2!, which seems better than the more-popular 7.dxe5, but interesting is Stockfish14.1's 7.Bb5+!? c6 8.Bc4.

Position after 7.Qe2! - it occurs 13 times in Mega22 but blacks have tried eight different moves

B2.1 Stockfish14.1 reckons Black's best is 7...Be7, when 8.Qxe5 Nf6 9.Bxf4 c6 leaves White with an edge, according to the engines, after 10.Bd3 or 10.Bc4. But Black should beware the plausible 9...Qd6?!, when the engines reckon 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.0-0-0 is positionally winning for White. 

B2.2 Komodo12.1.1 suggests 7...Be6, when 8.Bxf4!? exf4 9.d5 Qe7 10.dxe6 Qxe6 11.Qxe6+ fxe6 12.Bc4 gives White lots of compensation for two pawns, but the position looks unclear.

CONCLUSION: Black can accept the Vienna Gambit, and the rarity of such lines may give a well-prepared player practical chances as there are pitfalls for both sides. But objectively 3...exf4!? is almost certainly inferior to the mainline 3...d5.

Organisers' Photos From Mariánské Lázně

https://www.zonerama.com/CzechTour/Album/8083880

Summing-Up Mariánské Lázně

MY score of +4=3-2 in the Seniors 50+ gained me 44.8 Fide elo.

I finished tied for fifth to 11th (fifth on tiebreak), winning 1,000 Czech crowns (just over £30).

Mariánské Lázně Round Nine

PLAYED a Pole this morning.

Spanton (1825) - Tomasz Sielicki (1876)

Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

Magnus Carlsen has recaptured this way, which is slightly more popular than 5...gxf6 but scores 52% in ChessBase's Mega database compared with 55% for the latter move.

6.Nf3 Bd6 7.Qe2+?!

This probably deserves a straight question-mark, except for the fact it was played by Djurabek Khamrakulov (2495) in a blitz win over 2662-rated Hrant Melkumyan.

7...Be7?!

This also looks bad but was played last year by 2527-rated Guillermo Vázquez in a blitz win over Nataliya Buksa (2419). Melkumyan preferred 7...Qe7?!, which seems too obliging as it lets White exchange queens. Almost certainly best is 7...Be6.

8.Be3 0-0 9.Qd2 Re8 10.Bd3 Bd6

There are 59 examples of this position in Mega22, but all with Black to move

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11.0-0

Despite White being a clear tempo up on known theory, Komodo12.1.1 reckons the position is equal, although Stockfish14.1 hovers between equality and White having a slight edge.

11...Nd7 12.Bf4 Nf8 13.Rfe1 Be6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.a4!?

This gains space but arguably weakens the white queenside, or at least makes it more difficult for White to achieve c4 followed by d5.

15...Ng6 16.Bxg6 hxg6

TS offered a draw.

Not a pawn-formation seen every day, but the engines reckon if anyone has an advantage it is Black

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17.Re3 Bg4 18.Rae1 Red8 19.h3 Be6

Not 19...Bxf3 20.Rxf3 Qxd4?? 21.Re8+ Kh7 22.Qxd4 Rxd4 23.Rxa8.

20.Rd1 Rd7 21.b3 Rad8 22.c4 g5 23.g4 Qf4 24.Rd3 Kh7!? 25.Qxf4 gxf4 26.Kg2 g5 27.Rd2 Kg6 28.Rd3 Rd6

Not 28...Rh8?? as that loses the bishop to 29.d5.

29.Rd2 Rd7 ½–½

A winter wonderland

Mariánské Lázně Round Eight

PLAYED a Dutchman this afternoon.

Peter Hulshof* (2138) - Spanton (1825)

Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+

King's Fianchetto Opening

1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.d3

We are in the world of reversed openings. The game starts as a Modern Defence with colours reversed and White having an extra tempo ...

3...Nf6 4.c3

... now it is a reversed Pribyl with White having an extra tempo ...

4...Be7 5.Nf3

... and now White has an extra tempo in a reversed Pirc.

5...Nc6 6.Qc2 a5 7.0-0 0-0

By a slightly unusual route the game has reached a position occurring 59 times in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database

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8.e4

This and 8.Nbd2 are the popular continuations.

8...Re8 9.h3 h6 10.Re1 Bf8

Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 reckon Black has an edge after 10...d4!? 11.cxd4 exd4.

11.Nbd2 Be6 12.b3 Qd7 13.Kh2 Rad8 14.Bb2

How should Black proceed?

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14...g6?

The engines reckon Black is better after the active 14...dxe4 15.dxe4 Bc5, and probably also after the immediate 14...Bc5. The text prepares to redevelop the bishop to g7 but gives White time to generate an initiative based on the weakness of e5.

15.exd5 Bxd5 16.Ne4 Bg7 17.Rad1 b6 18.c4!?

What should Black play?

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18...Nb4?

The position is equal, according to the engines, after 18...Bxe4 19.dxe4 Qe7.

19.Qb1

Even stronger seems to be the engines' 19.Qe2!? Bxe4 20.dxe4 followed by capturing on e5 with either bishop or knight.

19...Ba8?!

Almost certainly better is 19...Bxe4 20.dxe4 Qe7, although again the e5 pawn drops.

20.Nxe5 Qf5 21.f4

Can Black play 21...Nxd3 to win back the pawn?

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No.

21...Nxd3?

It was better to play on a pawn down, albeit without any compensation.

What is White's winning move?

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22.Nxf6+!

Black is at least equal after every other continuation, according to the engines.

The game finished:

22...Bxf6 23.Rxd3 Bxg2 24.Kxg2 Bxe5 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Qxf5 gxf5 27.Bxe5 1-0

*PH is 49 but qualifies for the tournament as his 50th birthday is this year.

I guess "Irish Pub" is the world's commonest bar sign

Will They Or Won't They? Have They Or Haven't They?

THE London League cancelled its January fixtures, announcing:

The committee are planning to meet on the 20th of January to evaluate whether February's matches will also go ahead, but will act earlier if circumstances change such that we are able to or indeed, need to make a decision sooner.

So the question is, will February's fixtures go ahead, and when will the players be allowed to know?

Mariánské Lázně Round Seven

PLAYED this afternoon.

Spanton (1825) - Miroslav Pálek (2115)

Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+

Pirc

1.Nc3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be2 0-0 6.0-0 c6 7.a4 Qc7

The text, 7...Nbd7 and 7...a5 are about equally popular.

8.h3 Nbd7 9.Be3 b6 10.Qd2 Re8!?

The main move is 10...Bb7 but the text has also been tried by grandmasters.

11.Rfe1 a6 12.e5!?

This seems to be a novelty - it is not in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database - and seems to be a  good one. It is easily the top choice of Stockfish14.1, and comes to be Komodo12.1.1's top choice ahead of 12.g4!?, which probably would also be a novelty.

12...Nd5!?

The engines prefer 12...dxe5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 Qxe5, albeit liking White after 15.Bxb6.

13.exd6 Qxd6 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.bf4 Qc6 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 f6 18.Bg3

How should Black proceed?

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18...Be6?!

Consistent with previous play is 18...e5!?, but 19.c4 is hard to meet thanks to the black queen being on the same diagonal as the black queen's rook. Bad is 19...e4? as 20.cxd5 Qxd5 means the black queen is also on the same diagonal as the black king, so 21.Rac1 gives White a strong initiative. Instead the engines suggest 19...Bb7, but White has promising play after Stockfish14.1's 20.Rac1 and Komodo12.1.1's 20.dxe5 fxe5 21.Qxd5+ Qxd5 22.cxd5 Bxd5 23.Rad1.

Rather than 18...e5!? the engines give 18...Bb7, but prefer White after, for instance, 19.Ra3!?

The problem  with the text is it gives White time to build pressure against the black queenside.

19.Bf3 Bf7 20.c4! Ra7!?

Black loses material after 20...Qxc4?? 21.Rac1, but the text is as awkward as it looks. The engines suggest something like 21...a5 or 21...Qd7, albeit with a large advantage for White.

21.Rec1 Qd7 22.a5 b5

This is almost certainly better than 22...bxa5?! 23.c5.

How should White proceed?

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23.cxb5!

23.c5 creates a passed pawn and leaves White with an edge, but the queenside is blocked and so Black is largely let off the hook.

23...Qxb5
23...axb5 24.Rc5 appears even worse for Black.

24.Rc5 Qd7

White has a backward b pawn but the activity of the white pieces more than makes up for this.

25.Rac1 e5!?

Trying to keep the white rooks off the seventh rank. The engines prefer 25...h5, but White remains well on top.

26.dxe5 Bf8

The engines reckon Black should give up a pawn by 26...fxe5 27.Bxd5, but agree White is winning.

White has three ways of sacrificing the exchange; which is best, or is another move better?

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27.e6!?

Good enough for a large advantage, but not best, according to the engines, which prefer two of the three possible exchange sacrifices.

A) 27.Rxc7?? Rxc7 28.Rxc7 Qxc7 29.e6 is spectacular but good for Black after 29...Qc5 30.exf7+ Kxf7 31.Bxd5+ Kg7.

B) 27.exf6!? Bxc5 28.Rxc5 is very strong for White, but not best, according to the engines.

C) 27.Rxd5! gets the engines' verdict, and if 27...Bxd5 then 28.Bxd5+ Kh8 29.exf6 and Black is busted, eg 29...Rd8 30.Qe3 with three pawns and an attack for the exchange (note that 30...Qxd5? is met by 31.Qxa7).

27...Bxe6 28.Rc7 Rxc7 29.Rxc7 Qb5 30.Qd4 Bg7 31.Qa7 Bf8!?

The bishop has to move, even though that allows:

32.Rxh7

But even better is the engines' 32.Qb6!

32...Qxa5 33.Rc7

Not 33.Bd6?? Qe1+ 34.Kh2 Bxd6+.

33...Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Qxb2 35.Qxa6 Qa3

What should White play?

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36.Qc6?!

Almost certainly better is the engines' 36.Qb6, eg 36...Qb4 37.Qc6 Re7 38.Bxd5 Bxd5 39.Qxd5+, when White has won a pawn and still has threats against the black king.

36...Qa8 37.Rb7?!

And here 37.Qc2, avoiding heavy-piece exchanges, is probably best.

37...Re7!

This gives up a pawn, but after ...

38.Bxd5 Qxb7 39.Qxb7 Rxb7 40.Bxb7 Bc5

... MP offered a draw as White has no realistic winning chances (as I was about to discover).

The game finished:

41.Be4 Kf7 42.Bd3 Bd5 43.Kg1 Kg7 44.Bc7 Kf7 45.h4 Kg7 46.g3 Bf3 47.Bf1 Kf7 48.Bg2 Be2 49.Bd5+ Kg7 50.Kg2 Bg4 51.f3 Bf5 52.g4 Bd3 53.Kg3 Be3 54.Bd6 Bd2 55.Bc5 Be1+ 56.Bf2 Bd2 57.f4 Be2 58.Be4 Kf7 59.f5 gxf5 (59...g5 60.h5 is also drawn) 60.Bxf5 Kg7 61.Be4 Kf7 62.h5 Kg7 63.Bf3 Bc4 64.Bd4 Be6 65.Be4 Bg5 66.Kf3 Bb3 67.Kg3 Kf7 68.Bg6+ Kg7 69.Bc5 Bd5 70.Bf5 Bc6 71.Be7 Kf7 72.Bd6 Ba4 73.Bf4 Kg7 74.Bxg5 fxg5 75.Kf3 Kh6 ½–½
The final position is evaluated by Komodo12.1.1 as giving White the upper hand; Stockfish14.1 correctly assesses it as dead-equal.

The sign says chess sets can be hired for free from the Mariánské Lázně tourist office for playing outdoors

Mariánské Lázně Round Six

PLAYED this afternoon.

Ronald Vögerl (1904) - Spanton (1825)

Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+

Chigorin

1.d4 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.e3 e5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Nf6

This move, which has been recommended by Alexander Morozevich, has replaced 7...Qd6 as the most-popular continuation, the latter having earlier replaced 7...exd4.

8.f3

This and 8.c4 are almost equally common in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database.

8...0-0 9.c4

This scores 65% in Mega22, compared with 53% for the more-popular 9.e4.

9...Qd6 10.d5 Nb8!?

Grandmaster Stuart Conquest has played the more-popular 10...Nd7, the idea being to meet 11.e4 with 11...Ne7!?, facilitating ...f5.

11.Bd3!?

This seems to be a novelty, albeit in a position only occurring six times in Mega22. GM Conquest, this time on the white side, preferred 11.Ne2.

11...Na6 12.Ne2 Nc5 13.Bc2

How should Black proceed?

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13...e4!?

My main analysis engines, Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, prefer 13...c6 14.e4 b5!?, when play might continue 15.cxb5 cxd5 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.0-0 Qb6 18.Rf2!? with an unclear position they reckon offers equal chances.

14.Ng3

Stockfish14.1 gives 14.0-0!? as positionally winning for White, but Komodo12.1.1 reckons White only has a slight edge.

14...Re8?!

The engines reckon Black should attack the white central-queenside with 14...c6 or 14...exf3 15.gxf3 b5.

15.0-0 h5 16.Bc3!

This is the best move in a complicated position, according to the engines.

16...h4 17.Nxe4 Ncxe4 18.fxe4 Ng4!?

Probably objectively better is 18...Nxe4, but then 19.Qh5!? Qg6 (forced) 20.Qxh4 wins a pawn and more-or-less ends Black's attack.

19.e5

Even stronger seems to be 19.Rf4!? as 19...Nxe3 fails to 20.Qd4.

19...Rxe5!

The best chance.

How should White proceed?

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20.c5?

Certainly not 20.Bxe5? Qxe5 21.g3 Qxe3+ 22.Kh1 (22.Kg2? h3+) Nf2+ 23.Rxf2 Qxf2, when Black has won a pawn and still has a strong attack.

But strong is 20.Qd3 as 20...Re4 runs into 21.Rf4 (this is also the answer to 21.Rh5, eg 21...h3 22.Qe4 Bf5 23.Qd4)) f5 22.Raf1, and if 22...g5?! then White wins with a double exchange-sacrifice: 23.Rxg4! Rxg4 24.Rxf5! Bxf5 25.Qxf5.

Also seemingly good for White is 20.Qd4!?

20...Qxc5

What should White play?

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21.Qf3?!

Best seems to be 21.Bd4, although after 21...Qd6 (not 21...Qxd5?? 22.Bxe5 Qxe5 23.Qd8+ ...Qe8 24.Qxe8#) White has a worse version of the position after 19...Rxe5! as 22.Qd3 can be successfully met by 22...Rh5 23.Rf4 h3 since 24.Qe4 Bf5 cannot be met by 25.Qd4, as in the previous note, because the d4 square is occupied. Instead the engines reckon White should play 22.h3, when 22...Nxe3 23.Bxe5 Qxe5 24.Re1 Bxh3! 25.Qd2 Re8 26.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 27.Rxe3 Rxe3 28.gxh3 is a complicated line ending with an imbalanced but apparently equal position.

21...Qxe3 22.Qxe3

This is almost certainly better than 22.Kh1?! Qxf3, when both 23.gxf3 and 23.Rxf3 run into 23...Re2.

22...Rxe3 23.Rae1?!

This looks natural but probably better is the engines' 23.Bd2, although they reckon Black is better after almost any rook move along the e file, providing Black does not fall for 23...Re2 24.Rae1 Rxd2?? 25.Re8#.

23...Bd7 24.Bd4 Ree8 25.h3 Nf6!

Offering back a pawn is better than sending the rook out of play with 25...Nh6.

26.Bb3

White could win back a pawn by 26.Bxf6 Rxe1 27.Rxe1 gxf6 28.Re4, but Black is still better. Similarly Black is better after 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.Bxf6 gxf6 28.Rxf6.

26...Bb5 27.Rxe8+ Rxe8

Completing development, but possibly better is 27...Ne8, one point being that after 28.Re1 Nd6 Black cannot really play 29.Re7?! as White has 29...Nf5.

28.Rc1 c6 29.a4

What should Black play?

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29...Bxa4!?

The main alternative, according to the engines, is 29...Bd3 30.dxc6 bxc6 31.Bxa7, when White seems to have full compensation for being a pawn down. Indeed the passed a pawn could prove very dangerous, supported as it is by the bishop-pair.

30.Bxa4 Nxd5

How would you assess this ending?

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Black has four pawns and a knight for two bishops, which is a slight material edge, using Larry Kaufman's computerised database analysis of piece values (see: https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-evaluation-of-material-imbalances-by-im-larry-kaufman): 4P + N (worth 3.25 pawns) = 7.25 while 2B (each worth 3.25, but plus 0.5 for being a pair) = 7.

However the pawns are a long way from queening, and on the kingside two white pawns are effectively holding up three black pawns.

The engines at first reckon the position is roughly equal, but come to give White a slight edge. I suspect the fairest answer is unclear, and certainly difficult for both sides to play.

31.Bf2

Not 31.Bxa7? although after 31...Ra8 White has 32.Bxc6 bxc6 33.Bf2. Similarly White has to beware 31...Re4 32.Rd1 Nf4 33.Kf2 Ne6.

31...b6?!

Almost certainly better, as soon will be clear, is 31...a5.

32.Bf2 g5?

Better is 32...Nf4, although White seems to have good play, eg 33.Ra1 Re7, when White can choose between winning a pawn by 34.Bxh4 or 34.Bxb6!?

33.Re1?

Piece exchanges probably favour the player with the extra pawns, but in any case correct is 33.Ba4, after which White has at least the upper hand.

33...Rxe1+ 34.Bxe1 Kf8 35.Ke2 Ke7 36.Kf3 Kd6 37.Bf2?!

Probably better is 37.Bd2 f6 38.Ke4.

37...a5 38.Bb3!?

The engines' 38.Be1!? seems to delay the black queenside more, but that is a hard move to play after having just moved the bishop from e1 to f2.

38...b5 39.Ke4 a4 40.Bxd5 cxd5+

Even stronger sems to be the engines' 40...f5+!?, the point being 41.Kxf5 Kxd5 allows Black to queen with relative ease, eg 42.Be3 a3 43.Bxg5 b4 44.Bc1 c5 45.Kg4 c4 46.Kxh4 a2 47.Bb2 c3 48.Ba1 c2 etc.

41.Kd3 Ke5 42.g4!?

This probably does not help but White is lost anyway.

42...f5 43.Bd4+ Kf4 44.Be3+ Ke5

Not 44...Kg3?? 45.gxf5.

45.Bxg5

Or 45.Bd4+ Ke6 46.gxf5+ Kxf5 47.Ke3 g4 48.hxg4+ Kxg4 49.Kf2 b4 etc.

45...fxg4 46.hxg4 h3 0-1

Winter in Mariánské Lázně is a long way from being over

Mariánské Lázně Round Five

PLAYED this afternoon.

Spanton (1825) - Petr Šobotník (1914)

Mariánské Lázně Seniors 50+

Colle

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5

This move experienced a surge in popularity thanks to grandmaster Alexey Bezgodov's 2014 New In Chess book The Liberated Bishop Defence.

3.e3

The attempt at an outright refutation begins with 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3.

3...Nf6 4.Bd3 Bxd3

This is much more popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database than the main alternatives 4...Bg6 and 4...e6.

5.cxd3!?

5.Qxd3 is commoner but the text has also been played by GMs.

5...c6 6.Nc3 e6 7.0-0 Be7

7...Bd6?! might look more aggressive but after 8.e4 Black will be obliged to either move the bishop again or move the king's knight to a less-favourable square.

8.Qe2 0-0 9.Rd1!?

The rook shadows the black queen but is blocked by two white pawns, a situation that will not change unless Black plays ...dxe4 in response to e4, or at some point plays ...c5. So quite possibly better is 9.e4.

9...Nbd7 10.e4 Rc8

My main analysis engines, Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1, reckon ...dxe4 favours White.

11.Bf4

11.e5 is an obvious alternative, but there is no rush to play this. Definitely bad is 11.Bg5? Nxe4 12.Bxe7 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Qxe7, when White has lost a pawn.

11...Nh5 12.Be3

How should Black proceed?

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12...g6

I was apprehensive about 12...f5!?, which comes to be Stockfish14.1's top choice, and is Komodo12.1.1's for a while. However the engines reckon something like 13.Re1 Qe8 14.exd5 exd5 may give White a slight edge.

13.e5!?

Hoping to exploit the dark-square holes on Black's kingside, but the engines prefer holding back on pushing the e pawn and perhaps getting on with development with 13.Rac1.

13...Ng7 14.Bh6 Re8 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.Qe3 h6 17.Qf4 Rh8!?

White is not the only one who can attack on the kingside.

18.Rac1 g5 19.Qg3

Not 19.Qd2?? g4 20.Ne1 Bg5, but possible is 19.Qe3 g4 20.Nd2.

19...Kh7 20.Nd2 Qg8 21.Ne2 Qg6 22.f4 Rcg8 23.Rf1 gxf4!?

This comes to be Komodo12.1.1's top choice, at least for a while, but is not liked by Stockfish14.1, which reckons 23...Rg7 leaves Black with a slight edge (Komodo12.1.1 very slightly prefers White).

24.Qxg6+ fxg6

How should Black recapture?

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24...fxg6?!

This is the worst of the three choices, according to the engines, which reckon 24...Kxg6 25.Nxf4+ Kg7 is equal while 24...Rxg6 25.Nf4+ may give White a slight edge, however Black replies. The problem with the text is e6 becomes awkward to defend.

25.Nxf4 Nf8

Not 25...Bg5?? 26.Nxe6 Bxd2? (26...Be3+ 27.Kh1 h5 28.Rf7+ is better but still horrible for Black) 27.Rf7+ Rg7 28.Rxg7#.

26.Nf3?!

This relinquishes White's advantage, according to the engines, which reckon White has a very nice game after 26.Nb3 Rg7 27.Nc5 Bxc5 (forced) 28.dxc5.

26...g5 27.Nh5 Nd7

If 27...Kg6 I was contemplating a strong pawn sacrifice in 28.Nf6! Bxf6 29.exf6. Black cannot accept the pawn as 29....Kxf6? 30.Ne5+ Ke7 31.Rf7+ Ke8 32.Rxb7 is catastrophic, and so has to play 29...Nd7, but then 30.Ne5+ Nxe5 31.dxe5 gives White a protected passed pawn, albeit with lots of play left in the game.

28.g4 Rf8 29.Rc2 Kg6 30.Rf2

Black to play and lose

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30....Rf7??

Black is at least equal, according to the engines, after 30...Rh7 or 30...a5.

31.Nh4+ 1-0

Black is losing more than just the exchange, viz 31...gxh4 32.Rxf7 Rh7 33.Rxh7 Kxh7 34.Rf7+ etc.

Mariánské Lázně has many interesting old buildings