London League

PLAYED on board five (of eight) for Battersea against Wood Green in division one last night.

Graeme Buckley (IM 2393) - Spanton (1924)

Spanish Open/Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!?

An interesting wrinkle, avoiding the Berlin Wall: 5...Nd6 6.dxe5 Nf5 7.Qxd8+ etc. Magnus Carlsen is among those who have played the text.

How should White respond?

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6.Ba4

This transposes to the Open Variation, White can keep the game in independent lines with 6.Bxc6, when the mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 6...dxc6 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.dxe5, with Black's bishop-pair outweighing the disadvantages of an Exchange-style pawn-structure, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

6...b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Bxe6

This is the starting tabiya of the Open Variation of the Spanish - there are 12,293 examples of the position in Mega24

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9.Be3

This is fourth-most popular, behind 9.Qe2, 9.Nbd2 and especially 9.c3.

9...Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.Nbd2 f5?!

This is probably too loosening. The engines prefer 11...Bg4, 11...Nxd2 or 11...Qd7.

12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Re1

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 13.Ng5!?

13...Ng4?!

This seems to be a novelty, and almost certainly not a good one. The engines suggest 13...Kh8 or 13...Qd7, reckoning Black is only slightly worse.

14.Bg5 Bxg5?

Better is 14...Bf7, but 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Ng5 gives White at least the upper hand, according to the engines.

15.Rxe6 Qd7?

Better is 15...Na5, albeit 16.Nxg5 Qxg5 17.Nf3 costs Black the d pawn.

The game finished:

16.Nxg5 Rxf2 17.Qxg4 Rxd2 18.Qf5 1-0

Wood Green lead the match 7-0, with one game sent for adjudication.

Addendum 19/4/24: the adjudicated game came back a draw.

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

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London league                B       1924        2393                    0            1979