Benidorm: Typical Mistakes & How To Avoid Them (Part Three)

THE following position was reached in my round-three game at the Benidorm (Meliá) U2000.

I have just retreated my dark-square bishop to g3 against Joan Fuster Aguiló (1772)

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

White has the bishop-pair, but two sets of doubled pawns and three isolated pawns. Black's bishop is very bad, thanks to the f7-c4 pawn-chain. 

Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon Black should play 14...Nc5, when they give best-play as 15.f3 b6 16.a4!? with possibly a slight edge for White.

The game saw 14...h5?, after which Komodo13.02 gives White the upper hand and Stockfish15 reckons White is winning.

The game continued 15.f4 g4 16.f5, when best may be 16...Nb8!?, whereas 16...Qb6? 17.fxe6 Qxe6 18.e4!? left White the equivalent of at least a minor piece ahead, according to the engines.

The move 14...h5? is a positional mistake, rather than a tactical one.

If JFA had asked himself which side of the board he should be playing on, the answer is very unlikely to have been the kingside.

Black has at best two pieces operating there, the king's rook and, arguably, the knight, whereas White has two bishops, the queen and the king's rook well-placed for kingside play.

So unless there is an immediate tactical point to playing on the kingside, Black should be looking elsewhere.