Birthday Surprise

YESTERDAY, my 65th birthday, saw me playing for Wessex Some Stars B against Cambridge University C in Division Three South of the Four Nations Chess League at the Maidenhead Holiday Inn, Berkshire.

Spanton (2040 ECF/1901 Fide) - Miroslaw Walkusz (2060 ECF/1944 Fide)

Board One (of six)

French Alekhine-Chatard

1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4!?

This is the first time this gambit, credited to Adolf Albin, has appeared in a game of mine

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6...a6

This is the commonest way to meet the gambit, the main idea presumably being to follow with ...c5 at a time when White cannot use the b5 square for a minor piece.

The commonest acceptance line runs 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3 (this is probably better than Albin's 8.Nf3) Qe7, when both 9.Nf4 and 9.Qg4 are popular.

7.Qg4 f5?!

Most popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 7...Bxg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.g6 f5 with an unclear position; Stockfish14.1 gives White the upper hand but Komodo12.1.1 reckons the game is equal.

8.Qh5+ Kf8!?

Probably slightly better is 8...g6 9.Qh6 Bxg5 10.hxg5 Qe7, albeit the engines much prefer White.

9.Nh3

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 9.g4!?

9...Qe8 10.Bxe7+ Qxe7?!

This loses a pawn, so Black probably has to play 10...Ke7, although the engines reckon 11.Qg5+ gives White at least the upper hand.

11.Nf4 Qf7

White threatened 12.Ng6+, and if 11...Kg8 the engines give 12.Ncxd5! exd5 12.Nxd5 Qf7 13.Qxf7+ Kxf7 14.Nxc7 Ra7 15.e6+ etc.

12.Qxf7+ Kxf7 13.Ncxd5! exd5 14.e6+ Ke8?!

Marginally better seems to be 14...Ke7.

15.exd7

Even stronger seems to be 15.Nxd5!?

15...Kxd7 16.Nxd5 Re8+ 17.Kd2 Nc6 18.c3 Kd6 19.Nf4 b5 20.Bd3 Na5 21.b4 Nc4+ 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.Rhe1 Bd7 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Re1 Rxe1

Black could not really avoid rooks coming off, but after ...

26.Kxe1

... the minor-piece ending is easily won for White.

26...Be8 27.Kd2 g6 28.Ke3 h6 29.Nh3 Ke6 30.Kf4 Kf6 31.g3 Bc6 32.Ng1 g5+ 33.hxg5+ hxg5+ 34.Ke3 Bd5 35.Nf3 Be6 36.Ne5 Ke7 37.Nc6+ Kd6 38.Ne5

Not 38.Nd8?? as the knight is lost after 38...Bd5, while 38.Nb8? seems to let Black off with at least a draw after 38...Bc8.

38...Ke7 39.d5!? Bxd5 40.Kd4 Ke6 41.Nxc4 Bc6 42.Ne5 Be8 43.c4 Ba4 44.Nd3

Now a second pawn falls.

The game finished:

44...Bc6 45.Nc5+ Kf6 46.Nxa6 f4 47.gxf4 gxf4 48.Nxc7 1-0

Wessex won the match 3.5-2.5.