World Senior Team Championship 65+ Round Seven

FACED a Kazakh international master today.

Aitkazy Baimurzin (1997) - Spanton (1896)

English Symmetrical

1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.c4

Choosing an English Opening setup, rather than a King's Indian Attack with 5.e4. The most popular move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database is 5.d3, which essentially delays the decision so as to get more information about Black's intentions. The text is second-most popular, followed by 5.c3!? and 5.e4.

5...Nf6

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 prefer the more popular - and much more successful, percentage-wise - 5...e6!?, when the main line in Mega25 runs 6.Nc3 Nge7 7.d3 0-0, with what the engines reckon is equality.

6.Nc3 0-0 7.d3

Again the engines prefer the main line, which here runs 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 d6 10.Qd3, when White is slightly better, according to the engines.

7...d6

This position occurs 5,146 times in Mega25

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8.a3 e5!?

The symmetry often continues with 8...a6 9.Rb1 Rb8 10.b4 cxb4 11.axb4 b5 12.cxb5 axb5, and can carry on with 13.Bd2 Bd7 14.Qc1 Qc8 15.Bh6 Bh3 16.Bxg7 Kxg7 17.Qb2 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 Qb7 19.e4 e5 etc, although usually one player diverges much earlier.

The engines do not like the text.

9.Rb1

This is normal, but the engines suggest sacrificing a pawn with 9.b4!?, when they reckon 9...cxb4 10.axb4 Nxb4 11.Ba3 leaves White slightly better.

9...a5 10.Ne1!?

The knight is headed to c2, from where it can support pushing the b2 pawn, and may go via e3 to d5 - a common idea when Black leaves a hole at d5.

How should Black respond?

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10...Nd4!?

Preparing to exchange the e1 knight if it goes to c2, or obliging White to site a pawn on the e3 square. Most popular is 10...Be6!?, while the engines suggest 10...h6!?
11.e3 Nc6 12.h3!?

Preventing ...Bg4.

12...Nh5 13.Nd5 f5?!

The engines dislike this, claiming 13...Nf6!? gives equality.

14.b4 axb4 15.axb4 Nf6 16.bxc5!?

The engines agree this is best, presumably because they reckon Black's weaknesses at b7 and c5 outweigh White's at d3.

16...dxc5 17.Rb5 Ra5 18.Qb3 Kh8?!

Probably too slow. The engines give 18...e4!? 19.Nxf6 Qxf6 20.dxe4 fxe4 21.Bd2, claiming White is at least slightly better.

How should White exploit Black's play?

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19.Bd2?!

The engines like 19.Bb2!? Rxb5 20.Qxb5 Qd6 21.Ba3 Nd7 22.Nf3, after which Black is not immediately losing material, but the engines reckon White is positionally winning.
19...Rxb5 20.Qxb5 Qd6 21.Nc2?!

White is at least slightly better after 21.Qb2, according to the engines.

How does Black equalise?

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21...e4!

The engines also quite like 21...g5!?, intending to try to open lines on the kingside, but agree the text is best.

22.dxe4!?

Black may have a slight edge after this, according to the engines, which prefer 22.Bc3, 22.Qb3 or 22.Rc1.

22...fxe4!?

The engines agree this is better than recapturing with the knight.

23.Qb3?!

Probably better is the engines' 23.Rd1! Nxd5 24.Be1!?

23...Ne5 24.Bc3 Nf3+?

Black has at least a slight edge after 24...Nxd5 25.cxd5 b5, according to the engines.

25.Kh1?

After 25.Bxf3!? exf3 26.Qb2!? (26.Kh2? Qd7) the engines reckon White is at least slightly better, eg 26...Bxh3 27.e4! Qe6 (27...Bxf1? 28.e5) 28.Rb1, and if 28...Bg2 then 29.Nf4.

25...Nxd5 26.Bxg7+?

Better seems to be 26.cxd5, but 26...b5 gives Black the upper hand, according to the engines.

26...Kxg7 27.Rd1?

This is Dragon1's second choice, at least for a while, but White should play 27.cxd5, although the engines reckon 27...Qf6! is winning as the threat of ...Nd2 cannot be successfully met, eg 28.Rd1 Ng5, or 28.Bxf3 Qxf3+ 29.Kh2 Qe2.

27...Qb6! 1-0

TEAM RESULT

Marat Primbetov (2103) = Brian Hewson (2039)
Vladislav Nasybullion (IM 2339) 1-0 Anthony Ashby (2049)
Aitkazy Baimurzin (IM 1997) 0-1 Tim Spanton (1896)
Alexey Blokhin (1829) 1-0 Charles Higgie (1945)
KAZAKHSTAN 2.5-1.5 ENGLAND 3