Central Chess

PLAYED on board one (of five) for Battersea 2 against Kings Head in division one of the Central London League last night.

Spanton (1972) - Richard McMichael (2266)

Philidor

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 e5!?

This has become fashionable, no doubt helped by being the top choice of the analysis engines Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 and its adoption by Magnus Carlsen.

4.Nf3

The 'obvious' 4.dxe5 dxe5 5.Qxd8+ is much less effective than might be thought. The main line continues 5...Kxd8 6.Bg5 Be6 7.0-0-0+ Nd7, which the engines reckon is slightly better for White after 8.f4 but only equal after the marginally more popular 8.Nf3.

4...exd4!?

The main move is 4...Nbd7 but the text is also quite popular.

5.Nxd4 Be7 6.Be2

The more-active 6.Bc4!? is less common, mainly, I suspect, because whites fear the bishop will become a target for black queenside play.

6...0-0 7.0-0 a6!?

The main line runs 7...Re8 8.f4 Bf8 9.Bf3 c5!?, which Komodo12.1.1 reckons is equal, although Stockfish14.1 gives White a slight edge.

8.a4 c5!?

This is the main move, and is the top choice of the engines. Clearly it weakens d6 and d5, but Black hopes active piece play will compensate.

9.Nb3 Nc6 10.Bf4 Be6 11.Bf3 Nb4

How should White proceed?

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12.Nd5?

Neil McDonald (2439) - Gavin Wall (2348), 4NCL (Birmingham, England) 2001, saw the superior 12.Re1. After 12...Re8 came 12.Nd5?, when 12...Nfxd5 13.exd5 Bf5 would have given Black an advantage similar to the one in my game.

12...Nfxd5 13.exd5 Bf5 14.c3

Not 14.Rc1? Bf6.

14...Nd3 15.Bc1 Bf6 16.Nd2 Re8 17.Nc4 h6?

Black is better after 17...Nxc1 18.Rxc1 b5.

18.a5 Ne5 19.Nxe5!?

Possibly better is 19.Nb6 Rb8 20.Be2.

19...Bxe5 20.Bg4 Qd7

Not 20...Bxh2+?? 21.Kxh2 Qh4 22.Bh3 g5 23.Ra4.

21.Bxf5 Qxf5 22.Be3

The engines prefer 22.h3!?

22...Re7 23.Qd2

Again h3 is recommended.

23...Rae8 24.Rae1

And again!

24...Bf6 25.f3?!

Probably better is 25.c4, and if 25...Re4 then simply 26.b3 seems to keep White's disadvantage to a minimum.

25...Bh4

Even stronger seems to be the engines' 25...c4.

26.g3

White loses a pawn after 26.Bf2, eg 26...Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Qxe1 Bxf2+ 29.Kxf2 Qxd5.

26...Bf6 27.g4!? Qd7 28.Bf4 Bg5?

Black is on top after 28...Qb5.

29.Bxg5 hxg5 30.Rxe7 Qxe7 31.Rf2 Kh7 32.Kf1 Qf6 33.Qd3+ g6

White to play and lose

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34.Re2?

Completely missing Black's reply. 34.Qd2 is dead-equal, according to the engines.

34...c4! 35.Qd4?

White is lost anyway, but this massively speeds the conclusion.

35...Qxf3+ 0-1

Kings Head won the match 4.5-0.5.