League Chess

PLAYED on top board last night for Battersea 2 in division one of the Central London League against HMC.

Spanton (2040) - Thomas Villiers (2277)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 e5!?

The most-popular continuations are 5...Nc6 and 5...Nf6, both of which are much preferred by Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1.

6.c3 Nf6 7.Qe2!?

The engines prefer the main continuation in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, 7.Re1.

7...Nc6 8.Rd1 Qg4!?

This forestalls, or at least discourages, the line-opening 9.d4.

9.d3

Nevertheless 9.d4 has been played in a handful of games, whereupon 9...Qxe4 10.Qxe4 Nxe4 11.dxe5 dxe5 12.Re1 f5 13.Nbd2 Nxd2 14.Nxe5 is equal, according to the engines.

9...c4?!

Probably better is simple development with 9...Be7.

10.Nbd2 cxd3 11.Qxd3 Be7 12.h3

How should Black proceed?

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12...Qh5?

The queen will quickly run out of decent squares on the kingside. The engines give 12...Qe6 13.Nc4 0-0!? 14.Ne3 with the upper hand for White, but not 14.Nxd6?? Rad8 etc.
13.Nf1 Nd7

Maybe slightly better is 13...Qg6!?, when the engines continue 14.Ng3 Nh5 15.Nf5 0-0, but White is well on top, eg 16.Nxe7+ Nxe7 17.Qxd6.

14.Ng3 Qg6 15.Be3

Also very strong is 15.Nf5.

15...Rd8 16.Nf5 0-0 17.Nxe7+ Nxe7 18.Qxd6 Nc6 19.Qxg6 hxg6 20.Rd6 Nf6 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Bg5 Rd6 23.Bxf6!?

The engines prefer 23.Re1.

23...gxf6 24.Kf1 Nd8 25.Ke2 Ne6 26.g3 Nc5 27.Nd2 Na4

Not 27...Nd3? 28.Nc4 Rd7 29.Rd1 Nc5 30.Rxd7 Nxd7, after which Black has no compensation for being a pawn down.

Position after 27.Na4 - how should White proceed?

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28.Nc4?

The obvious 28.Rb1 is best. I rejected it because of 28...Rb6 29.Nc4 Nxc3+, missing that White has 30.Kd3!, when 30...Nxb1 31.Nxb6 axb6 32.Kc2 is very good for White, eg 32...Kf8 33.Kxb1 Ke7 34.a4! Kd6 35.Kc2, which the engines reckon is a winning pawn-ending.

28...Rc6 29.Kd3 b5?!

29...Nc5+ 30.Ke3 Na4 is equal.

30.Na3?

White has the better of a rook-and-pawn ending after 30.Na5 Nxb2+ 31.Kc2 Ra6 32.Kxb2 Rxa5 33.a4!, according to the engines, the key point presumably being White's more-active king.

30...Nxb2+ 31.Kc2?!

Almost certainly better, but still good for Black, is 31.Kd2 a6 followed by developing the white rook.
31...Na4 32.Nxb5?

The engines reckon White should play 32.c4!?, but Black has a large advantage.

32...a6

Or 32...Na7 33.Rxc3+ Kd2 34.Rc7.

33.Rb1 axb5 34.Rxb5 Rxc3+ 35.Kd2 Ra3 36.Rb8+ Kg7 37.Ra8 Rxa2+ 39.Ke3 Nc3 0-1

HMC won the match 4-1.