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.
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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
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