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| Kenilworth clock tower, built as a memorial to a local businessman's wife, keeps good time after being restored following bombing in the German blitz of November 1941 |
IN round one I played Paul Littlewood, whom I mistakenly thought was the reigning 65+ champion.
In fact he is the 50+ champion, and it was the real reigning 65+ champion whom I played this afternoon in the second of today's double-round games.
Kevin Bowmer (2045 ECF/2100 Fide) - Spanton (1972 ECF/1860 Fide)
Spanish Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1
This is a lot less popular than 5.d4 but has been tried by many top players including Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
5...Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1!?
This paradoxical-at-first-sight retreat is easily the main move in the position.
7...Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.Nc3!?
The main move is 9.d4, but again both Carlsen and Caruana have tried the text.
9...Bf6 10.Re1
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| How should Black proceed? |
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10...c6
The text, 10...Nf5 and 10...Re8 are of roughly equal popularity in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, with a slight preference shown for 10...Re8, although the text has the best percentage score. The main idea of the text is to prevent Nd5.
11.d4 Re8 12.Rxe8+
The engines slightly prefer 12.Bd4 or 12.d5.
12...Qxe8?
This has been played by a 2478, but now White is clearly better. After 12...Nxe8 13.Ne4 d5 14.Nxf6+ Qxf6 White has won the bishop-pair, but is only slightly better, according to the engines.
13.Qd3!
Preventing ...Nf5, but not 13.Bd3? Bxd4 14.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 as 15.Qxd4?? loses instantly to 15...Qe1#.
13...Qe6?!
13...Qe1?! 14.Rb1 seems very good for White, but the engines prefer 13...Qd8, to allow for ...Ne8, albeit they reckon White is well on top.
14.d5
Even stronger, according to the engines, is the immediate 14.Bd2, when there is no time for 14...Nf5? as 15.Re1 wins.
14...Qf5 15.Bd2
The engines prefer 15.Qg3, but the text is also enough for an edge.
15...b5?
As KB pointed out in the postmortem, this is weakening. He expected 15...b6, which the engines quite like, although they prefer 15...Qxd3 16.Bxd3 b6, albeit giving White a slight edge.
16.Re1?!
The engines reckon White should either avoid an exchange of queens, for example with 16.Qg3, or initiate it himself with 16.Qxf5 Nxf5 17.a4.
16...Bb7?
Better is 16...Qxd3 17.Bxd3 Bb7, when White has an edge but not much of one, according to the engines.
17.dxc6!?
This is good for a large advantage, but even better is 17.Qg3, according to the engines.
17...Qxd3 18.cxb7 Qxf1+ 19.Kxf1 Nxb7 20.Nxb5 Bxb2 21.Nxa7?!
The engines prefer 21.Re7 or 21.Rb1.
21...g6?!
Almost certainly better is 21...Nd6, when the engines reckon White is only slightly better after 22.Bb4 Rxa7 23.Bxd6.
22.Rb1 Rxa7 23.Rxb2 d6 24.Be3 Nc5 25.Bxc5!?
KB explained he went for the rook-and-pawn ending as he felt it was a relatively simple way to win.
25...dxc5 26.Ke2 Ra3?!
KB said it was better to mobilise the king, and the engines agree.
27.Kd2 c4?!
Again mobilising the king is probably better.
28.Rb4?!
Better seems to be 28.Kc1, the idea being 28...c3 can be met by 29.Rb8+ Kg7 30.Kb1 etc.
28...Rxa2
A better try, according to the engines, is 28...c3+ 29.Kd3 Kg7, although Stockfish14.1 reckons White is winning and Komodo12.1.1 gives White the upper hand.
29.Rxc4 Kg7 30.Re4
The black king is cut off from the c pawn's queening square, and the win should be relatively straightforward.
30...h5 31.h4?!
White has no need to play on the kingside - the c pawn should be pushed as quickly as possible.
31...f5!?
The engines prefer the more-restrained 31...f6.
32.Re2!?
The engines prefer keeping the rook more flexible with 32.Re3.
32...Ra4 33.g3 f4 34.Kd3 Kf6 35.Re4 Ra3+ 36.c3 fxg3 37.fxg3 Kf5!?
The engines prefer 37...g5 or 37...Ra8.
38.Re3 g5 39.hxg5 Kxg5 40.Kd4 Kg4 41.Rd3?
Winning is 41.c4, as we shall see.
41...Rb3 42.Re3
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| Black to play and draw |
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42...Ra3?
I was happy to repeat the position as I had calculated that c4 only drew, but correct is 42...Rb8 or 42...Rb1, eg 42...Rb8 43.c4 Rd8+ 44.Kc5 Rc8+ 45.Kb4 Rb8+ 46.Kc3 Rc8 etc.
43.c4 Rxe3 44.Kxe3 Kxg3 45.c5 h4 46.c6 h3 47.c7 h2 48.c8=Q Kg2
Or 48...h1=Q 49.Qg8+ Kh3 50.Qh7+ Kg2 51.Qg6+ Kh3 52.Qh5+ Kg2 53.Qg4+ Kh2 54.Kf2 etc.
49.Qc2+ Kh3 50.Qe4 1-0
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