King's Gambit

PLAYED on board three (of eight) last night for Battersea 2 against Dulwich in London League Division Two.

Haran Rasalingam (2030) - Spanton (1947)

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d5!?

This is a rare and sharp line in what is already a sharp opening.

ChessBase's 2022 Mega database has 104 games with this position, including eight of mine

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4.Nxe5!?

This is the choice of Stockfish15 and Komodo13..02, but the mainline in Mega22 runs 4.exd5 e4 5.Ne5 Nf6, with what the engines reckon is an equal position.

4...dxe4 5.Qh5

Komodo13.02 likes the text, but Stockfish15 prefers 5.Bc4!?, with an unclear position.

5...Be6 6.Nxf7 Bxf2+!?

This is the point of Black's play - giving up a pawn, or rather two or three pawns, but making the white king a target.

7.Kxf2 Bxf7

Probably not 7...Qd4+?! 8.Ke1 Bxf7 9.Qb5+.

8.Qe5+ Ne7 9.Qxe4!?

This is Stockfish15's choice, but Komodo13.02 prefers 9.Qxg7 Rg8 and either 10.Qf6 or 10.Qxh7 (the third pawn) with unclear play.

9...0-0 10.Bc4 Nbc6 11.Re1?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 11.Bxf7+ Rxf7 12.d4!?, offering back one pawn in return for speeding development.

11...Nd4

I looked at the engines' choice, 11...Nd5, but failed to evaluate it properly. They reckon it gives Black a large advantage, eg 12.d3 Re8, or 12.g3 Qd7, or 12.Nc3 Nxf4!?

12.Bxf7+?

White's best seems to be 12.Qxe7, when the engines reckon both 12...Bxc4 and 12...Qxe7 13.Rxe7 Bxc4 give complete equality.

12...Rxf7 13.Na3

Black to play and win

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13...g5?

The problem with this is not so much that it weakens the black king's position, but that there is a much better move in 13...Nd5, eg 14.g3 Nxf4! 15.gxf4 Qh4+ etc.

14.d3 gxf4?!

Consistent but dubious. The engines like piece-development with 14...Nc6 or 14...Nf5.

15.c3 Ndc6 16.b4!?

This seems irrelevant to the position. The engines suggest 16.d4.

16...Nd5 17.Bd2 Re7 18.Qf5

How should Black proceed?

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18...Ne3?

White seems better, but by a much smaller margin, after 18...Rf7.

19.Kg1??
Stunningly bad. Correct is 19.Bxe3 fxe3+ 20.Kg1, when it is White who has the safer king, is a pawn up and threatens to win the e pawn.

19...Nxf5 0-1

The match was drawn 4-4.