Spanton (1884) - Dashiell Shaw (2205)
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.cxd4 Nf6 7.Nc3 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 Bf5
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| By a slightly transpositional route, the game has reached a position occurring 136 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database |
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11.Nh4 Be6!?
A positional pawn sacrifice that Alexei Shirov (2715) used to draw against Garry Kasparov (2838) at Linares (Spain) 2002.
12.Nxe4
Kasparov preferred 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Na4, drawing in 26 moves.
12...dxe4 13.Bxc6 bxc6 14.Rxe4 c5 15.Nf3 Bd5
DS afterwards regretted not playing 15...Qd5!?, which might have been a novelty. However, Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon Black then no longer has full compensation for a pawn.
16.Re1 Bxf3 17.Qxf3 Qxd4 18.Qe3!?
This may be a novelty. The engines prefer the known moves, ie 18.Qe2, 18.Re4!? and 18.Bg5!?
18...Rab8 19.Qxd4!? cxd4
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| Black now has a passed pawn, albeit one that is likely to be effectively isolated for quite some time |
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20.Bg5?!
The simple 20,b3 is almost certainly better.
20...f6
Also good is 20...Rxb2 21.Bxe7 and either 21...Re8 or 21...Rc8.
21.exf6 exf6 22.Bc1 f5
Possibly stronger is immediately going after the seventh rank with 22...Rfc8, and if 23.Re2?! then 23...d3.
23.Rb1 d3
Again ...Rfc8 is possibly stronger. As DS pointed out in the postmortem, the pawn on d4 was doing a good job of restricting the white bishop.
24.Rd1 Rd8 25.Kf1 Rbc8
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| How would you assess this late-middlegame position? |
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All of Black's pieces are more-active than White's, and Black's passed pawn is much more threatening in the short and medium term than White's queenside majority is likely to become. However the d pawn is potentially vulnerable, which is presumably why the engines reckon the position is completely equal. Nevertheless I believe it is much easier for Black to play.
26.Be3 Rc2 27.Rd2 Rxd2
Possible is 27...Bxb2?! as 28.Rxb2?? loses to 28...Rc1+ 29.Rd1 Rxd1#. However the forcing line 28.Rxc2 dxc2 29.Rxb2 c1=Q+ 30.Bxc1 Rd1+ 31.Ke2 Rxc1 32.Rb8+, followed by Rb7+ and Rxa7 gives White practical winning chances over the board, even though Stockfish16 calls the position completely equal.
28.Bxd2 Kf7 29.Rc1!? Bxb2 30.Rc7+ Ke6 31.Rxa7 Rc8 32.Ra6+
32.Rxh7 is risky looking, but apparently playable.
32...Kd5 33.Ra5+ Kd4
Losing is 34.Be3+? Kc3.
34.Ra4+ Kd5 35.Ra5+ Ke6 36.Ra6+ Kd7 37.Ra7+ Ke8 38.a4!?
Hoping for counterplay, but the pawn proves no safer here than on a2, so this was probably a good time to get the king more into play with 38.Ke1, or to capture on h7.
38...Rc2 39.Ke1 Bd4 40.Rxh7 Ra2
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| White to play and hold the draw |
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41.Kd1?
Necessary is 41.Rc7.
41...Rxa4?
Winning is 41...Ra1+ 42.Bc1 Bc3!, eg 43.Rc7 Ba5 with ...d2 to come, or 43.Rh3 Bb2.
42.Rc7 Bxf2 43.Rc3
Best, according to the engines, is 43.g3!? with good drawing chances.
43...Ra1+ 44.Rc1 Ra4 45.Rc3 Ra1+ 46.Rc1 Ra7
Black is at least slightly better after 46...Ra3, according to the engines.
47.Rc1 Rd7 48.Bg5 Bb6
Played to stop 49.Kd2. If 48...Rd4 then 49.g3, and if 48...Bg1 then 49.h3, in each case with equality, according to the engines.
49.Rc6 Bc7 50.Rxg6 Bxh2 51.Re6+ Kf7 52.Rh7+ Ke6 ½–½
Battersea 2 won the match 3.5-1.5.
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
10/1/24 London League B 1884 2130 0 1964
11/1/24 Central London League B 1884 2278 1 2083
25/1/24 Central London League W 1884 2205 = 2100
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