Kraków Seniors Round Four

Spanton (1743) - Marek Michalik (1623)

Alekhine

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Be3 Bf6 9.Nge2

It might seem we have come a long way from the opening, but there are 322 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

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9...Bg4 10.f3!?

Alexander Alekhine played 10.a3?! in a 1932 simul. After 10...Nxd4 11.f3 Nxe2 12.Qxe2 Be6 Black was clearly better, the game being drawn in 41 moves.

10...Bh5 11.0-0 Bg6!?

This is the commonest move in Mega24.

12.Re1 Qd7!?

Probably a novelty.

It seems risky leaving the black king uncastled for so long, but is there a refutation?

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Apparently not. The game continued:

13.Ne4 Be7 14.Qd2 d5!?

This more-or-less equalises, if followed up correctly.

How should White proceed?

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15.Nc5?!

Probably better is 15.cxd5, when Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 15...Nb4!?, one line running 16.d6!? Nxd3 17.Qxd3 cxd6!?, after which the engines marginally prefer White.

15...Bxc5 16.dxc5 dxc4??

This loses a piece, albeit for two pawns. Better are 16....Bxd3 17.cxb6 dxc4, with approximate equality, and 16...Nxc4 17.Bxc4 dxc4 18.Qxd7+ Kxd7 19.Rad1+ Kc8, after which the engines reckon Black may have an edge, but the position looks much easier for White to play.

17.Bxg6 hxg6

There is nothing better.

18.cxb6 axb6 19.Qxd7+ Kxd7 20.Nc3 Ra5!? 21.Rad1+ Kc8 22.Rd5 Nb4 23.Rxa5 bxa5

Black's queenside pawn-structure has been straightened out, to an extent, but from White's viewpoint fewer pieces make an accident less likely 

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24.Rd1 c6 25.a3 Nd3 26.b3 Re8 27.Bb6 Re1+!?

The engines are happy with this, but Black's practical chances are reduced almost to zero.

28.Rxe1 Nxe1 29.bxc4 Nc2 30.a4 Na3 31.c5 (1-0, 45 moves)

Happy (Early) New Year

SHORTLY before the start of yesterday afternoon's round, one of the players came up to my board, wished me Happy New Year and presented me with a book.

I say "one of the players" as I was rather taken by surprise and did not pay proper attention as to whom it was, but I think it was the top seed, Fide master Sergej Shilov.

We played four years ago at Olomouc, when I successfully claimed a draw by threefold repetition in an ending of queen versus queen and pawn. Clearly I must have behaved properly while doing so as there appear to be no hard feelings.

Anyway, the book he gave me is Jerome K Jerome's Three Men In A Boat.

I have the book at home, but what makes this edition something of a collectors' item is that it was published in 1955 by the "Foreign Languages Publishing House" of Moscow.

An English-language edition but published in the Soviet Union

The book has endnotes, also in English, including an explanation that Margate is "a sea-side health resort on the Kent coast," and that the expression "don't look half bad" means "look attractive."

It may come in handy as I have only brought two books for reading material on this trip and I am fair shooting through the first of them, Lewen Weldon's Hard Lying - An Intelligence Officer On The Levantine Shore 1914-19 (much more fun than its title might suggest).

Kraków Seniors Round Three

Marek Niedźwiecki (1367) - Spanton (1743)

Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.g3!?

Overwhelmingly most popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database is the consistent 4.d4.

4...d5

This seems a naturally aggressive response, but when Accelerated Dragon guru John Donaldson reached the position, in 1997 in the Isle Of Man, he played 4...d6.

5.Qc2?

Apparently a novelty, and certainly not a good one.

5...dxe4 6.Qxe4 Nf6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Bg2 Bf5 9.Qb3

How should Black proceed?

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9...Qd3?!

I missed White's reply. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 like 9...Nc6.

10.Ne5 Qd6

Despite the sub-par ninth move, Black is still better.

11.f4?!

The engines give 11.Nc4 Qe6+ 12.Ne3 Nc6 13.Qxe6 Bxe6 with just a slight edge for Black.

11...Nc6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.0-0

Both sides have castled - how would you assess the position?

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Black's queenside pawns are shattered, but that is unlikely to prove significant unless an ending is reached. Meanwhile White is well-behind on development and has the more-exposed king. The engines reckon Black is positionally winning.

13...Bd3 14.Re1 c4 15.Qa3 c5!?

Sacrificing the exchange to keep mating-hopes alive.

16.Bxa8!?

White is losing anyway, according to the engines, but this capture is hard to justify on any but materialistic grounds.

16...Rxa8 17.b4 Qd5 18.Qa5 Ne4 19.bxc5 Bd4+!?

Another sacrifice, although this one is temporary at most

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20.Re3!?

The mainline I had calculated runs 20.cxd4 Qxd4+ (20...Nxg3!? is even stronger, according to the engines) 21.Re3 Qxa1 22.Qb4 Qxa1 23.Qxb1 Bxb1, after which Black emerges a knight up.

20...Bxc5

This threatens ...Bxe3+ followed by ...Qxa5.

21.Qa4 Nxg3!?

The sacrifices keep coming, but that is not surprising when one looks at the state of the white queenside.

22.hxg3 Qf3 23.Qxc4!?

Desperation, but White is mated after the 'obvious' 23.Kh2, eg 23...Bxe3 24.dxe3 Be4 etc.

23...Bxc4 24.d4 Qd1+ 25.Kh2 Qxc1

The game finished:

26.dxc5 Qxe3 27.Na3 Qf2+ 28.Kh3 Be6+ 29.g4 0-1

Siting

THE area known today as the city of Kraków began as a hamlet on a hill beside the Vistula, which runs 651 miles from near the borders of Czechia and Slovakia to the Baltic.

Linguists generally agree the name of the river comes from an early Indo-European word meaning to flow slowly.

The Vistula lives up to its name while passing through Kraków

The Vistula was a major trading route and had many legends attached to it, perhaps the most famous being that of Princess Wanda.

According to the story, she became queen of the Poles on the death of her father, King Krak, and was courted by a German prince.

When she refused to marry him, he invaded, but was repelled. However Wanda committed suicide by drowning in the Vistula in the somewhat optimistic hope this would prevent future invasions.

Kraków Seniors Round Two

Spanton (1743) - Piotr Sanetra (2012)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7,Nxd4 c5 8.Ne2 Ne7!?

This rare continuation has been tried, according to ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, by three players rated over 2400, scoring +1=2-0

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9.Bf4 c6 10.Bd6 Ng6!?

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 agree this is Black's best move.

11.Bxf8 Rxf8

Black no longer has the bishop-pair as compensation for an inferior pawn-structure, but the engines reckon White is at best slightly better

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12.Nbc3 b5 13.0-0-0 Bd7 14.h4 0-0-0

Both sides have castled - who stands better?

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White has the better pawn-structure, but Black has the only piece that can operate long-range on diagonals, which seems to be enough for the engines to call the position completely equal.

15.h5 Ne5 16.f3 g5!?

Counter-intuitive, but the engines are OK with it.

17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Nf4 Rh8!?

A clever way to discourage Nd3.

19.Rde1!?

After 19.Nd3 Nxd3+ 20.cxd3 White gets a backward pawn on a half-open file.

19...Kc7 20.Nfe2 Be6 21.Nf4 Bc8 22.Nd1 a5 23.Rxh8!? Rxh8 24.Ne3 Rh4

PS offered a draw.

25.Ne2 Be6 26.a3

Not 26.Ng3? Bxa2 27.b3 c4 28.Kb2 as 28...cxb3 saves the bishop, thanks to 29.cxb3? losing to 29...Nd3+ etc.

26...a4 27.Ng3 Nc4 28.Nxc4 Bxc4

Black has reached an ending of rook-and-bishop versus rook-and-knight, but still has the inferior pawn-structure - completely equal, according to the engines

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29.Kd2 Rh2 30.Rg1 Kd6 31.Ke3 f6 32.Kf2 Ke5 33.Ke3 g5 34.Nh1 Be6 35.Nf2 c4 36.c3 f5 37.exf5 Bxf5 38.Nh1

The engines reckon 38.g4!? gives a slight edge.

38...Rh8 39.Ng3 Bc2 40.Kd2 Bd3 41.Ke3 Rh2 42.Kf2 Rh6 43.Re1+ Kd5 44.Re8 Rf6!?

Continuing to play actively.

45.Rg8 Bg6 46.Ne2 Ke5 47.g3 Rd6 48.Nd4 c5 49.Ne2 Rb6?!

The engines reckon 49...Kf6 maintains equality.

50.Rc8

White is better after 50.f4+!?, according to the engines.

50...Kd6 51.f4 gxf4 52.Nxf4 Bc2 53.Rd8+ Kc7?

White only has a slight edge after 53...Kc6, according to the engines.

White to play and win

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54.Nd5+??

This turns a win into a loss. Correct is 54.Rd2. I rejected it because of 54...Be3, but the engines continue 55.Ke3 Ba8 56.Rd5, which wins a pawn and kills Black's counterplay down the b file as 56...Kc6 is met by 57.Rd8, eg 57...Bb7 58.Nd5 Ra6 59.Kf4, after which Black is in a sorry mess on the queenside, while the f pawn prepares to march on.

54...Kxd8 55.Nxb6 Be4
This is what I missed. There is no saving the knight.

The game finished:

56.Ke3 Bg2 57.g4 Kc7 58.Nxa4 bxa4 59.Kf4 Kd6 60.Kf5 Bh3 61.Kf4 Ke6 62.g5 Bf4 0-1

Location

HOTEL Galaxy is beside the Vistula river, about a 20-minute walk from the main square in old-town Kraków.

I used Google Maps to get there, the shortest route being a series of switchbacks.

The twin towers of St Mary's Basilica in the old town

I doubt I could have found my way back, at least not without internet access, so instead I walked down to the river and turned left.

This took more like 30 minutes, but was much more interesting and much easier.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy bar now has a chess menu, and the price of a half-litre of beer has dropped from 18 zloty (about £3.60) to 14 zloty (about £2.80).

But the wifi is getting worse. Last night I watched, on my laptop, Wolves beat Brentford 4-1, but the wifi was so feeble I only saw one goal live.

Kraków Seniors Round One

Jakub Marszałek (1345) - Spanton (1743)
Vienna Game

1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e4 e5 3.a3!?

An interesting bit of tricoration. One idea is that after 3...d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 White can play 5.Qh5.

Position after 5.Qh5 - this is a Steinitz Variation of the Scotch with colours reversed and White having the extra move a3, which cuts out the response ...Nb4

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3...Bc5

A more-measured response - hoping to make 3.a3!? seem irrelevant.

4.Be2 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.d3 0-0

It still looks like a Reversed Scotch, but with White having played much more passively than Black normally would

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7.Nf3 Nc6 8.0-0 Re8 9.Ne4 Bb6!?

Looking after the kingside with 9...Be7 or 9...Bf8!? may be better.

10.c3

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 10.c4!? Nf6 11.Bg5 with an initiative, not least thanks to the threat of 12.c5.

10...h6 11.Ng3 Be6 12.Bd2 Qf6 13.Re1 Rad8

Black has activated every piece (apart from the king), while White is still to move his queen and king's rook - nevertheless the engines reckon the position is equal

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14.b4 Nf4 15.Bxf4 Qxf4 16.Qd2 Qf6 17.Ne4 Qe7 18.h3?!

Almost certainly too slow. The engines suggest something like 18.Ng3!? a6 19.Qc2 Qd7 20.a4 with more-or-less equal chances.

18...f5 19.Nc5!?

Even worse, according to the engines, is 19.Ng3 e4.

19....Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxc5

I have given back the bishop-pair but emerged a pawn up and with more space and the better pawn-structure

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21.Qb2 b6 22.Rad1 a5 23.Rd2?!

The engines much prefer 23.d4.

23...e4 24.d4 Qd6 25.Nh2 Ne5!? 26.Red1 Nc4 27.Bxc4 Bxc4 28.Nf1 f4 29.d5?

White should have done something about Black's threatened next move.

Black to play and get a large advantage

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29...e3 30.fxe3 fxe3 31.Re2

The engines agree this is best, but after ...

31...Bxe2 32.Qxe2 Qxa3

...Black is the exchange and two pawns up.

The game finished:

33.Rd3 Qc5 34.Kh2 Rxd5 35.Qa2 c6 36.Qe2? Qd6 37.Kh1 Rxd3 38.Qg4 e2 0-1

Alarming

FOR the best part of 30 minutes last night - it might have been longer - an alarm rang in Hotel Galaxy with a recorded announcement in four languages: Polish, English, German and Russian.

The gist of the message was that a "hazard" had been detected, but the room was safe, so stay where you are, do nothing and await "further instructions."

The alarm was played over and over again until it stopped just as suddenly as it began, but without "further instructions."

While the alarm was ringing, I called Reception to try to find out what was going on, but could not understand what I was being told, not least thanks to the loudness of the alarm.

I sent an email: For goodness sake STOP
Later in the evening I received a reply: Dear Sirs,
next time you hear the alarm for your safety we recommend you leave the room.
I answered: But the alarm said the room was safe and that I should do nothing until "further instructions," which never came!
And in turn received: Dear Sir

The alarm was triggered by a third party. After the fire brigade checked the building, it turned out to be false.

Meanwhile, for those thinking of coming here for the world senior team championships in July, I can report my room has a comfortable double-bed (not the common Continental practice of two single mattresses pushed together) and a decent shower, but the wifi fades in and out most annoyingly, especially when trying to watch football.

Early-morning view of the Vistula river from my room

There was a wide choice at breakfast, with OK orange juice but the usual machine coffee.

My favourite, fruit salad, was not available per se, but was easy enough to make.

Getting There

I CAUGHT a National Express coach from near London's Liverpool Street Station, taking just under 55 minutes to reach Stansted airport.

The flight with Ryanair was uneventful, or, rather, excellent, in that we arrived about 25 minutes early, thanks to strong tailwinds.

I got a taxi from Kraków airport, and was given the choice of two fares - quick for 149 złoty (about £30), and slower for 129 złoty (about £26).

Choosing the latter, I arrived at the four-star Hotel Galaxy in about 30 minutes.

Christmas tree in the lobby

First impressions are certainly favourable, although the promised fridge in the room is in reality a crowded minibar.

There are lots of shops nearby, including a large mall. Almost everything was shut today, but I found a nearby Żabka convenience store that was not only open, but had fresh bread.

Poles Apart

AM making final preparations for flying to Poland tomorrow for a tournament in Kraków.

There are eight sections, plus a blitz, and I will be playing in the seniors, which has 38 entries.

The time limit is 40 moves in 90 minutes, a further 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment from move one.

The first four rounds, Dec 27-30, start at 16:00; round five on New Year's Eve is at 08:30, with New Year's Day a free day; rounds six and seven are at 09:00 and 16:00 on Jan 2; round eight on Jan 3 is at 16:00; round nine on Jan 4 is at 09:00.

No doubt there are good reasons for the peculiar schedule, but I hope I am not one of those who fail to turn up for one round or another.

The venue, Hotel Galaxy, is also likely to be the venue for the world senior team championships in July.

Benidorm Lessons: Danger Can Lurk In Shadows

The following position occurred in my round-nine game.

Black has just castled

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I played 12.Rc1, 'shadowing' the black queen.

At first glance that may not seem particularly threatening as there are two knights and a pawn between the rook and the queen.

But after Black returned the compliment by shadowing my queen with 12...Rd8, I was able to continue 13.Nd5!, gaining the upper hand.

LESSON: the queen is the most powerful piece on the board, but its very strength can also make it the most vulnerable.

Benidorm Lessons: Bad Exchanging

IN the following round-eight game I could not help wincing when my opponent played what proved to be the losing move.

White to play and lose

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When under pressure in a piece-and-pawn ending, it is very often a mistake to swop off into a pure pawn-ending.

Here 40.Qd3? Qxd3+ 41.Kxd3 Kf5 42.Ke2 Ke4 43.c4 a5! (the only winning move) 44.b3 f6 45.Kf2 Kd3 46.Kf3 Kc3 forced White's resignation.

LESSON: if under pressure, only enter a pawn-ending when you are certain it is drawn or if you can see no reasonable alternative.

Benidorm Lessons: Analyse, Analyse, Analyse!

HOW should White proceed in the following round-seven game?

Black has just played 25...Nc5-e6

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It is not possible to play a decent game of chess without knowing general principles, or 'rules', such as rooks belong behind passed pawns, castle early in open positions, a knight on the rim is dim, etc.

Such rules guide us as to what to look for - without them we would be randomly searching for moves in the style of very early, and very weak, engines.

But rules can also make us lazy, and such was the case in this game when I played 26.Nxh5?

What could be better? At one stroke I give Black three isolated pawns, two of which are doubled, and I give myself bishop-v-knight on a relatively open board.

But after 26...gxh5 White cannot save the h4 pawn#, and I faced a tough struggle to save the game.

LESSON: rules are helpful, but should be thought of as aide-memoires rather than must-dos. Nothing beats concrete analysis.

Benidorm Lessons: Don't Panic

IT is White to play and win in this round-six game.

Black has just played 50...e3

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I suspect most people would have found the winning 51.Bb5, which is even easier to find when told there is a winning move. Black can reply 51...a4, but 52.Bc4 takes care of that (other moves also win).

But in the heat of battle I allowed myself to be intimidated by the black pieces around my king, and by the threat posed by two widely separated passed pawns.

I can remember thinking I might end up losing the game if I were not careful, and so I bailed out with 51.f8=Q?

After 51...Rxf8 52.Re7 Kxh3 the game was quickly drawn, not least thanks to an inept attempt to win with rook and bishop versus rook.

LESSON: keep a cool head. When up by significant material, there is almost always a win. Unless in time trouble, take as much time as required to find the win. Even if the position happens to be an exception and is not won, taking extra time will still help find the best way to proceed.

Benidorm Lessons: Lusty Pawns

THE following position was reached in round five after I captured on e4.

Materially there is not much in it - Black has rook and two pawns for a pair of minor pieces - but how should White proceed?

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The game went 23.Bc4+ Kh8 24.Re1?, apparently putting pressure on the passed pawn. But after 24...e3 25.Nf3 Re4 White loses a piece.

Instead White should have blockaded the passed pawn.

Normally this would call for withdrawing the dark-square bishop, but here 24.Be3? runs into 24...Rcd8 25.Qc3 Rd3!

So necessary was 24.Qe3, which Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon would have been even stronger the previous move.

LESSON: Aron Nimzowitsch warned that passed pawns have a "lust to expand," and the danger of that happening can be just as great in a middlegame as in an ending.

Benidorm Lessons: Black's Most Sensitive Square

THE following position was reached early in my round-four game.

I have just captured on e6

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Play continued 8...dxe6?! 9.Qxd8+ Nxd8?! 10.Nc3, after which Black has no good way to protect his queenside. 

The game finished quickly: 10...f6 11.Nb5 g5? 12.Be3 Kd7? 13.0-0-0+ 1-0.

Slightly better, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1, is 10...Nc6, but 11.Nb5 Rb8 12.Be3 is deeply unpleasant for Black.

Another obvious try is 10...a6, but 11.Na4 is very strong, eg 11...Nc6 12.Nb6 Rb8 13.0-0-0, although Black is not immediately losing material

LESSON: beginners' books often point out how weak the square f7 is in the opening, but with queens off the board Black's weakest square is often c7, which needs careful watching.

Benidorm Lessons: Exchanging Queens

IN round two the following position was reached after 20 moves.

How should White continue?

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I played 21.Qxf8?!, after which Black is positionally winning, according to Stockfish16, although Komodo14.1 gives White 'only' the upper hand.

Probably I should have played 21.Qh5, when Black is still better, but White has counterplay thanks to the somewhat exposed position of the black king.

LESSON: the side with the safer king should keep queens on the board, unless there is a concrete reason to avoid doing so.

Benidorm Lessons: Pawn Grabbing

I REACHED the following position with black in round three.

White has just played 9.Nb1-c3 - how should Black continue?

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The game saw 9...e3?! 10.Bxe3 Bxc2?, winning a pawn but getting a lost position.

After the further moves 11.Rc1 Bg6 White could have gained a large advantage with 12.0-0, followed by Rfd1.

My opponent preferred 12.Rd1+?!, but was winning anyway, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

LESSON: grabbing a pawn in the opening when well behind in development is often a recipe for disaster.

Benidorm Lessons: Don't Delay

IN round one the following standard position from the Accelerated Dragon, via a Hyper-Accelerated move-order, was reached after three moves.

I have just played 3...Nc6

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My opponent confirmed afterwards he was planning to set up a Maróczy Bind, but instead of the immediate 4.d4 he played 4.Nc3.

That is not a bad move as such, but after 4...Bg7 White is unable to get in d4, and so there is no Bind.

Indeed after the further moves 5.Be2 d6 6.0-0 e5!? we had a blocked centre in which the most important pawn-breaks are along the f file.

Position after 6...e5!?

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White's f pawn is obstructed by the king's knight, while Black's is free to advance.

The game continued 7.d3 Nge7, after which Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 already give Black a tiny edge.

LESSON: a good plan can sometimes become impossible to execute if delayed by just a move.

League Chess

PLAYED on board two (of five) for Battersea 2 against HMC 3 in division two of the Central London League last night.

Mei-En Emmanuelle Hng (2152) - Spanton (1888)

Réti

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3 Nc6 4.exd4 Nxd4 5.Nxd4 Qxd4 6.Nc3 Bg4!?

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 6...c6 7.d3 Nh6!? 8.Be3 Qd8 with an equal game, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

How should White respond?

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7.Qa4

This and 7.Be2 are almost equally popular in Mega24, but the engines marginally prefer 7.Qb3!?

7...Bd7 8.Qc2

The engines again prefer Qb3.

8...Nf6

Black has a slight edge after 8...Nh6!? or 8...e5, according to the engines.

9.d3 Bc6!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer 9...Bf5.

10.Be3 Qd7 11.d4 e6 12.f3 Be7 13.Bd3 0-0 14.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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The key feature is White's extra space in the centre and on the queenside - enough for a slight edge, according to the engines.

14...h6 15.Rad1 Rad8 16.Rfe1 b6 17.Qe2 Rfe8 18.Bb1 Bb4!? 19.Qc2 Bb7 20.Bf4 Bxc3?!

Almost certainly better is 20...Bd6, and if 21.Be5 then the calm 21...Qe7, the point being 22.Bxf6 Qxf6 23.Qh7+ Kf8 has not really got White anywhere.

21.Qxc3 c5 22.Be5 cxd4 23.Rxd4 Qe7 24.Red1 Rxd4 25.Qxd4 Bc6 26.a3 Qc5 27.b4

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 27.Qxc5 bxc5 28.b4.

27...Qxd4+ 28.Rxd4 Rc8 29.Kf2 Kf8?!

Probably better is 29...Nd7, albeit with advantage to White.

30.b5!?

This anti-positional-looking move is Stockfish16's top choice, and becomes Komodo14.1's once it has been shown the move on the board.

30...Be8 31.Bd6+ Kg8 32.Be7?!

This eases the pressure. The engines give best-play as running something like 32.a4 g6 33.Bd3 Kh7, with what they reckon is a positionally won game for White, although they disagree how White should proceed.

32...Nd7 33.Be4 Ne5 34.Bd3

White is still better after 34.Bb7!?, according to the engines, the point being 34...Rc7 can be met by 35.Bd6 Rxb7 36.Bxe5 f6 37.Rd8 Kf7, when they reckon White has a slight edge.

34...Nxd3+ 35.Rxd3 f6?!

I missed that Black can completely equalise with 35...Rxc4!?, meeting 36.Rd8 with 36...f5.

36.Rd8 Rxd8 37.Bxd8 e5

How would you assess this opposite-coloured bishops ending?

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The vulnerability of Black's queenside pawns makes the ending trickier than it might appear at first sight. Komodo14.1 fluctuates between giving White a slight edge and the upper hand, while Stockfish16 reckons White has only a tiny pull.

38.Ke3 Bf7 39.Kd3

Black to play and draw (probably)

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39...Kf8?

This loses because the black king cannot get to the c5 square. Black therefore had to try 39...f5, which seems to give the required counterplay, eg 40.Bc7 e4+ 41.Kd4 e3.

The game finished:

40.Bc7 Ke7 41.Bb8 Kd7 42.Bxa7 Kc7 43.c5 bxc5 44.Bxc5 h5 45.a4 f5 46.a5 Be8 47.Ke4 g5 48.a6 Bf7+ 49.Kd3 Bd5 50.b6+ Kb8 51.b7 1-0

The result of the match has not been yet published at the league website, but HMC 3 were leading 4-0 with one game to come. Addendum 19/12/23: HMC 3 won 4.5-0.5.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT..........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League              B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                 W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League B      1882         2152                    0            2023

How To Get Stronger Overnight

THIS blog is averaging 109 views a day.

The number tends to go up when I am playing a tournament, and falls back afterwards.

Most of those views, I would guess, are from players with a Fide rating under 2000.

All such players will see their strength increase on New Year's Day, or, to be more precise, will see their Fide rating increase.

What is happening is that the international chess federation, commonly known by its French acronym Fide, reckons it has detected deflation in the ratings of players U2000.

On January 1 all such players will get a one-off rise using the formula: (2000 - rating) x 0.4.

My rating is 1743, but I lost 7.2 elo at Benidorm, so I would normally expect my new rating on January 1 (ratings come out monthly) to be 1736.

However, using the anti-deflation formula [2000 - 1736 = 264; 264 x 0-4 = 105.6; 1736 + 105.6 = 1841.6] I will boast a rating of 1842.

And, hey presto!, I am suddenly 'improving' at the pace of a junior. Ain't life grand?

Junior Jeopardy

RECEIVED the following comment from Joe Skielnik re this month's Benidorm congress.

Teenagers run amok in Benidorm!
It seems harder to gain rating points these days. I just did a quick survey of performances. 15 players gained over 100 rating points and they were all under 16 years old (apart from 1 aged 19). This included an under 8 year old who gained 184 rating points. Fairly understandable I suppose, but from whom did they take these points? (Are they not taught to respect their elders?) The road to chess improvement clearly involves a journey in time rather like "Going back to the future".

Summing Up Benidorm

MY score in the U2000 of +4=3-2 cost 7.2 Fide elo, even though I finished 76th against a seeding of 112th.

Benidorm U2000 Round Nine

FACED a Spain-registered player in the last round.

Spanton (1743) - Vladislav Oreshkin (1916)

English Symmetrical

1.g3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Bg2 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.0-0 Qc7 6.Nc3 a6 7.b3 Rb8 8.a4!?

Somewhat surprisingly, at least to me, this move not appear in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database. Known moves are 8.Bb2 and 8.d4.

8...d6 9.d4 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Be7 11.Bb2 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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Black has a central pawn-majority, but White has more space on the central-queenside, and the white bishops are more active than their Black counterparts. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give White a slight edge.

12.Rc1 Rd8

If Black had seen what was coming, he might have preferred the engines' 12...Nxd4 13.Qxd4 b6, with a Hedgehog position that the engines reckon slightly favours White.

How should White proceed?

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13.Nd5! Qd7!?

This is best. Black certainly should not play 13...Qa5?? as that loses a piece to 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe7+. Also bad is 13...exd5?, eg 14.cxd5 Bd7 15.dxc6 bxc6 16.Bxc6, after which White is a pawn up and has targets at d6 and a6. And if 13...Nxd5!? then 14.cxd5 exd5 15.Bxd5 Bd7 16.e3 with kingside play is very strong.

14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe7+ Qxe7 16.Bxc6

White is a pawn up and has the bishop-pair

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16...Rb6 17.Bg2 e5 18.Qd3 Nd7 19.Ba3 Nc5 20.Bxc5 dxc5 21.Bd5 Bh3 22.Rfd1 Rdb8 23.Rb1 g6 24.Qf3 h5 25.Qd3 Kg7 26.Qc3 f6 27.Qd3 Bf5 28.e4 Bh3 29.Qe3 Bd7 30.Qd3 Bh3 31.Qe3 Bd7 32.Qd3 ½–½

I could see no way to make progress. After 32...Bh3 the engines give best-play as something like 33.a5!? Rb4 34.Rd2 Qc7 35.Ra2 Qd7 36.f3 Qe7 37.Qe3, claiming White has the upper hand, but not making progress, as far as I can tell.

Benidorm U2000 Round Eight

FACED a Spanish teen (born 2004).

Jorge De La Cruz Martín (1300) - Spanton (1743)

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.Nf3 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.e3 0-0

This position first appears in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database from a game in Calcutta in 1856

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6.c3 b6 7.Nbd2 Bb7 8.Ne5!?
Normal is 8.Bd3, but the text is also quite popular and has been played by my opponent's near-namesake Christhian Cruz (2579).

8...Nc6!?

This may be a novelty.

9.Ndf3 Bxe5

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 9...Ne7!?, eg 10.Bb5!? Nf5 11.Bc6 Bxc6 12.Nxc6 Qe8 13.Bxd6 Nxd6 14.Nce5 c5, claiming a slight edge for Black.

10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Bxe5 Nd7 12.Bg3 Qe7?

Careless.

13.Bxc7 e5?!

The engines strongly dislike this, presumably because Black ends up with an isolani.

14.Bxe5 Nxe5 15.dxe5 Qxe5 16.Qd4 Qg5 17.g3 Rac8 18.Bg2 Rc4 19.Qd3 Re8 20.0-0 Rd8 21.Rfd1 Rcc8 22.Rd2 h5 23.h4 Qe7 24.Rad1 g5!?

Desperately seeking counterplay before Black goes two pawns down.

25.Qf5 gxh4 26.Bxd5?!

Almost certainly much stronger is capturing one of the h pawns.

26...Bxd5 27.Rxd5 hxg3 28.Rxd8+?!

The engines much prefer 28.Qxh5.

28...Rxd8 29.Rxd8+ Qxd8 30.fxg3

The queen-and-pawn ending is completely drawn, according to the engines

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30...Qd1+ 31.Kg2 Qd2+ 32.Qf2 Qd5+ 33.Kh2 Qxa2 34.Qd2 Qe6 35.Qd4 Qf5 36.Qd2 Kh7 37.Kg2 Qe4+ 38.Kf2 Qf5+ 39.Ke2 Kg6 40.Qd3?

This throws away the draw ... if Black plays precisely.

40...Qxd3+ 41.Kxd3 Kf5 42.Ke2 Ke4 43.c4

Black to play and win with an only-move

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43...a5!

Other moves draw, eg 43...f6 44.b4! f5 (44...a5? loses to 45.c5 a4 46.cxb6 a3 47.b7 a2 48.b8=Q a1=Q 49.Qf4+ Kd5 50.Qd4+ etc) 45.b5 Ke5 46.Kd3 Ke6 47.Kd4 Kd6 gives a position in which neither side can make progress.

44.b3 f6 45.Kf2 Kd3 Kf3 Kc3 0-1

Benidorm U2000 Round Seven

FACED an Indian junior (born 2009).

Spanton (1743) - Pridhish Kumar (1241)

French Burn

1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4 dxe4

Via an unconventional move-order the game has reached the starting point of the Burn Variation of the French Defence.

There are 15,256 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

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5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6!?

Giving up the bishop-pair is slightly anti-intuitive, but is easily the most popular continuation in Mega24.

6...Bxf6 7.Nf3

White argues that the well-placed knight on e4, and an advantage in central space, outweigh Black's bishops.

7...Nd7 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bd3 Qe7!?

This is a slightly awkward placing for the queen as it obstructs the black dark-square bishop. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 like the relatively rare 9...e5!?

10.g4!?

Stockfish16 suggests castling long; Komodo14.1 suggests castling short.

10...g6 11.Nxf6+ Qxf6 12.Be4

The engines give White a slight edge after 12.Qe3.

12...e5 13.g5 Qd6 14.0-0-0 exd4 15.Nxd4

Now both sides have castled, and the centre has been cleared of pawns, how would you assess the position?

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White is ahead on development, and Black has weak kingside dark squares. But it is not clear White can exploit these, and meanwhile White's kingside pawns are ragged. The engines reckon the position is equal.

15...Nc5 16.Bg2 c6?!

This may be too slow. The engines prefer 16...Bg4.

17.h4!?

White's attack will turn out to be less threatening than it may look. Instead White would get an initiative after the engines' 17.Qe3.

17...Bg4 18.f3 Bh5!?

The engines are happy with this side-lining of the bishop.

19.Ne2 Qxd2+ 20.Rxd2 Rfd8 21.Rhd1 Rxd2 22.Rxd2 Re8 23.Ng3 Rd1+ 24.Rd1 Rxd1+ 25.Kxd1

Very quickly the game has reached a minor-piece ending that the engines reckon slightly favours White

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25...Ne6 26.Nxh5?!

Almost certainly a positional misjudgment, as will be seen. The engines give 26.Kd2 with a slight edge for White.

26...gxh5

Black's kingside pawns are smashed, but White cannot save the h4 pawn.

27.Bh3 Nf4 28.Bc8 b6 29.Bb7 c5 30.Kd2 Ng6 31.Ke3 Nxh4 32.f4?!

This probably makes matters worse by creating another target for the black knight. Better is 32.Ke4.

32...Nf5+ 33.Kf2

Not 33.Ke4?? Nd6+ etc.

33...Kg7 34.Be4 Nd6 35.Bf3 Kg6 36.Be2 h6

Undoubling the black h pawns. Black is winning (Stockfish16) or at least has the upper hand (Komodo14.1).

37.Bd3+ Kg7 38.b3?!

Probably better is capturing on h6 as a white pawn on f4 will be easier to defend than one on g5.

38...hxg5 39.fxg5 f6

A simple solution to clearing a path for the black king. White is more-or-less forced to exchange.

40.gxf6+ Kxf6 41.Kf3 Kg5 42.c3 Nf5 43.a3 Nd6 44.b4 c4 45.Bf1 Nb5!?

The engines prefer 45...Kf5 or 45...h4.

46.Bxc4 Nxc3 47.Kg3 Ne4+ 48.Kg2

Not 48.Kf3?? Nd2+ etc.

48...Kf4 49.Be2 Nf6 50.a4 Ke3?

Komodo14.1 quite likes this, although it seems to throw away the win; both engines prefer 50...Nd5.

51.Bf1 Nd5 52.a5 Nxb4 53.axb6 axb6

Is Black winning?

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Yes, says Komodo14.1; no, says Stockfish16. More importantly, Syzygy, the endgame tablebase, shows the position is drawn.

54.Kg3 Nd5 55.Kh4 Nf6 56.Bb5 Kf4 57.Bd3 Ke5 58.Bc4 Kd4 59.Bf1 Nd5 60.Kxh5 Nf4+ 61.Kg5 Nd3 62.Bh3 b5 63.Be6 b4 64.Kf5 Ne5 65.Ba2 Nc4 66.Ke6 Kc5 67.Kf5 Kd4 68.Ke6 Kc3 69.Kd5 Na3 70.Kc5 Nc2 71.Bg8

PK played on to move 84, but then conceded the draw

Benidorm U2000 Round Six

FACED a Spain-registered player.

Spanton (1743) - Benjamin Bote Kobolo (1935)

Nimzowitsch Defence

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Bg4 5.Be2 e5 6.Be3 Be7 7.h3 Bd7 8.d5!?

When to play this thrust, if to play it all, is often a key decision in this type of position; here it seems well-timed.

8...Nb8 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0

Castling long is an obvious alternative, while Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 like 10.g4!?

10...h6 11.Rad1 Nxe4?!

The engines strongly dislike this.

12.Nxe4 f5

How should White proceed?

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13.Nc3

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 13.Nxe5!? dxe5 14.d6!? cxd6 15.Qd5+ Kh7 16.Nxd6.

13...f4 14.Bd4 exd4 15.Nxd4 f3?!

Another sacrifice, and this time not a temporary one.
16.Bxf3 Bg5 17.Qd3 Qf6 18.Ne6!?

How should Black respond to a white knight landing on e6?

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18...Rf7

The engines prefer 18...Bxe6 19.dxe6 Nc6, but reckon White is positionally winning.

19.Ne4 Qxb2 20.N6xg5

The simple 20.Nxc7 may be even more powerful.

20...hxg5 21.Nxg5 Rf5 22.Ne6 Bxe6?!

Almost certainly better is the engines' idea of giving up the exchange with 22...Rxf3 23.Qxf3 Na6.

23.dxe6 Re5 24.Rb1 Qxa2 25.Bxb7 Qxe6 26.Bxa8 Nd7

Black is a rook down, but carries on.

27.f4 Rc5 28.Rfe1 Qf7 29.Qe4 Nb6 30.Bc6 d5 31.Qe8+ Qxe8 32.Bxe8 Kh7 33.Re2 Rc4 34.f5 Kh6 35.Ra1 Kg5 36.Bg6 Na4 37.g4 a5 38.Be8 Nc3 39.Re7 Kh4 40.Bd7 Ne4 41.Rxg7 Rxc2 42.Re1 Kg3 43.Re3+ Kf4 44.Rxe4+!?

Giving up the exchange to simplify matters.

44...dxe4

White is now up a bishop rather than a rook

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45.f6 Kg3 46.Bb5 c6!? 47.f7 Rg2+ 48.Kh1 Rh2+ 49.Kg1 Rf2

If 49...Rg2+ White wins after 50.Kf1 Rf2+ 51.Ke1 cxb5 52.g5, eg 52...Rf5 53.g6 a4 54.Rg8.

50.Bxc6 e3 51.f8=Q?

Winning is 51.Bb5.

51...Rxf8 52.Re7 Kxh3 53.Rxe3+ Kxg4 54.Re5 Rf6 55.Bd7+ Kf4 56.Rxa5 Ke3

BBK offered a draw in my time.

57.Ra4 Rd6 58.Bg4?

Extinguishing any hopes of winning.

58...Rd4 ½–½