Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the Battersea club championship.

Paul Stokes (1785) - Spanton (1958)

English/French

1.c4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Bb5+

There are 698 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database

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5...Nbd7!?

Black scores an excellent 56% with this move, but 43% with 5...c6 and 41% with 5...Bd7.

6.Nc3 Be7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.d4 Nb6 9.0-0 Nbxd5

Now both sides have castled and Black has recovered the pawn, how would you assess the position?

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It is a typical IQP setup with a full set of minor pieces on the board. The only slightly discordant note is White's light-square bishop probably wants to be on d3. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon the position is equal.

10.Re1 c6!?

This spends a tempo sending the white king's bishop to a better square, but Black wants use of the e8 square, and a pawn on c6 controls b5 as well as restraining the isolani.

11.Bd3 Re8 12.h3 Be6!? 13.Bd2

The engines like this, but also give 13.Ng5!?, one point being after 13...Bd7 14.Nxd5 Black is obliged to recapture with 14...cxd5, giving symmetry.
13...Nb4!? 14.Bb1 Qd7 15.a3 Nbd5 16.Ne5 Qd6 17.Bd3 Rad8 18.Qc2 h6 19.Rad1 a6!?

The engines prefer 19...Nxc3!? or 19...Qc7.

How should White proceed?

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20.b4?!

This prevents ...c5 but lets Black exchange a pair of knights without White having the option of supporting the isolani with bxc3. The engines suggest 20.Na4, which Dragon1 reckons gives a slight edge, although Stockfish17 disagrees.

20...Nxc3 21.Bxc3 Nd5 22.Bb2 Nf4!?

Suddenly Black menaces the white kingside - how should White respond?

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23.Nc4?!

The engines reckon two moves give complete equality: 23.Bh7+!? and 23.d5!?, eg 23.Bh7+!? Kg8 24.Be4, or 23.d5!? Nxd5 Bh7+ Kh8 25.Bf5!? Bg5 26.g3!? Qc7!? 27.Bxe6 Rxe6 28.h4 Bf6 29.Ng6+! Kg8 30.Rxe6 fxe6 31.Bxf6 Nxf6 32.Re1, with what the engines agree is sufficient compensation for a pawn.

23...Qd5 24.Ne3?

Consistent but bad. White had to play 24.Bf1, when the engines give Black 'only' a slight edge.

24...Qg5 25.Kh2?

Better is 25.Kf1?, but the engines reckon Black is winning, one line running 25...Bd6 26.Bc1 Bd5 27.f3 Qg3 28.Nxd5 Nxd5 with a continuing attack, although White has not lost material. Note that 25.Kh1? is, according to the engines, even worse than the text, eg 25...Bd6 26.Rg1 Nxd3 27.Rxd3 Qh4, when there is no good defence to ...Bxh3!

25...Bd6 26.g3 Bxh3!?

A double-piece sacrifice, but simpler and also winning are 26...Nxh3 and 26...Qh5.

27.gxf4?

Best, according to the engines, is 27.Bh7+!? Kh8 28.Be4, but 28...Qh5 29.Kg1 Re7!? is very strong, eg 30.gxf4 Rde8 31.f3 f5 32.Nxf5 Qg6+ 33.Kh1 Bxf5 leaves White with a horrendously weak king.

27...Qxf4 28.Kxh3 Qf3+ 0-1