Thanks to modern engines, most games are drawn, but occasionally a game escapes that fate, or is interesting for other reasons.
William Grummitt (1656) - Spanton (2325)
PJB (Phillip J Beckett) Celebration
London System
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.e3 c5 6.c3 0-0 7.Bd3 Qc7 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black has managed to get two pawns abreast on the fourth rank, but still has to solve the problem of what to do with the bad light-square bishop. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 call the game equal.
9...Bxg3 10.hxg3 b6 11.Re1 Bb7 12.e4 cxd4!? 13.Nxd4
13.e5 dxc3 slightly favours Black, according to the engines.
13...Ne5!?
This may be a novelty, and the engines reckon it is an improvement on the known 13...Nc5.
14.Bc2 dxe4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.Bxe4 Rad8 17.Qe2 Nxe4 18.Qxe4 Rd5
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| How has the mass-swop of minor pieces affected the balance? |
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Black has the only pawn on the two central files, and has a kingside majority that could prove a significant middlegame factor. White has the potential endgame advantage of a farside pawn-majority. Dragon1 reckons Black is slightly better, but Stockfish17 calls the position equal.
19.f4!?
This preempts Black on the kingside, and protects the white knight's outpost, but weakens the defences of the white king.
19...Nc4!? 20.b3 Nd6 21.Qe3 Rd8 22.g4!? h5!? 23.gxh5 Nf5 24.Nxf5 Rxf5
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| How would you assess this heavy-piece middlegame? |
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White has got rid of the doubled pawn, and is temporarily, but only temporarily, a pawn up. Meanwhile, Black continues to have the less-airy king. Dragon1 gives Black a slight edge; Stockfish17 still calls the game equal.
25.Rad1 Rxh5 26.c4 Qe7 27.Rd4 Qf6 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.g3?!
25.Rad1 Rxh5 26.c4 Qe7 27.Rd4 Qf6 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.g3?!
WG offered a draw.
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| White's 29th move has defended f4, but left the white king looking even more airy - the engines reckon White should have played 29.Rf1 (Stockfish17) or 29.Qf3 (Dragon1) |
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29...b5!?
This looks bonkers at first sight, but the idea is to free the d5 square for the black queen and/or rook as they hopefully close on the white king.
30.cxb5 g6!?
Giving the black king an extra square to go to in case of a check on the back rank.
31.Kg2?!
Not 31.Qxa7?? as 31...Qd5 quickly decides the game. Dragon1 suggests 31.Rf1, while Stockfish17 recommends the 'greedy' 31.a4!?, although in both cases the engines reckon Black is better after 31...Qd5.
31...Rxa5 32.Qxa7!?
The engines agree 'greed' is best, and White's queenside pawn-duo looks dangerous, but the most significant feature in the position remains the safety of the white king.
32...Rh5 33.Rf1
White can bring the queen back to defend the king with 33.Qe3?!, but 33...Qa8+ forces 34.Qe4, after which 34...Qxa2+ and 35...Qxb3 removes White's queenside pawns, leaving Black a pawn up.
33...Qd5+ 34.Rf3 Qf5
34...Qd2+ is a major alternative, and it is hard to tell which is better.
35.Qg1
Dragon1 for quite some time much prefers 35.Qb8+?! Kh7 35.Qa7, but then 35...Qh3+ 36.Kf2 Kg8!? is probably strong.
35...Qh3+ 36.Kf2 Rc5 37.Re3 Qh5!? 38.Re2!?
This is Dragon1's top choice, until it comes to agree with Stockfish17 that 38.Qe1 is better. Interestingly, having come to that conclusion, Dragon1 likes 38.Qe1 even more than Stockfish17 does, the latter reckoning there is not all that much between the two moves.
38...Rc3 39.Qg2 Qg4 40.Ke1 e5!?
Dragon1 much prefers 40...Rd3, but Stockfish17 claims 41.Qf2 holds. Meanwhile 40...Rxg3?! seems to let White off the hook after 41.Qa8+ Kg7 42.Qe4.
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| How should White respond? |
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41.fxe5
The position is very difficult. The text comes to be Dragon1's choice, ahead of 41.Qd5!?, which for a long time is Stockfish17's preference. However, then 41...Qxg3+ 42.Kd2 Rc8! 43.Qxe5 Qg1 44.Re1 Qa7!? 45.Ke2 Qxa2+ 46.Kf1 Qxb3 again reaches a position in which Black is a pawn up and has much the safer king. Stockfish17 comes to suggest 41.Kd2, but 41...Rc5 looks strong. Stockfish17 then continues with 42.Qe4 Qxg3 43.Qe3 Rd5+ 44.Kc3, but then 44...Qxe3+!? 45.Rxe3 exf4 gives Black what both engines reckon is a winning rook-and-pawn ending.
41...Qd4!?
Dragon1 likes 41...Rxg3?!, claiming 42.Qe4 Qg5 43.Kd1 Rc3 44.Re1 Qc1+ 45.Ke2 Qb2+ 46.Kf1 Rg3 wins for Black, but Stockfish17's 47.e6! draws, as Black is obliged to take a draw with 47...Qf6+ 48.Ke2 Qb2+ 49.Kf1 etc. For a while Dragon1 reckons 47...Qh2? wins, but soon sees White has 48.exf7+ Kh7 49.f8=N+!, eg 49...Kg8 50.Qc4+!? Kh8 (50...Kxf8 allows a quick checkmate starting with 51.Qf4+) 51.Nxg6+!? Rxg6 52.Qd4+ Rg7 53.Re8+ Kh7 54.Qd3+ Rg6 55.Re7+ Kh6 56.Qe3+ Rg5 57.Re6+, after which the white king is mated whether it advances or falls back.
42.Kf1 Qd3 43.Kg1
Dragon1 reckons 43.Kf2 is a better try, but Black seems to have several wins, eg 43...g5!? 44.a4 (White's pieces have no good moves, so pushing pawns is the only hope) g4 45.a5 Qd4+ 46.Kf1 Rf3+, which wins the white queen as 47.Ke1 allows a mate in four: 47...Qa1+ 48.Kd2 Qb2+ 49.Kd1 Qb1+ 50.Kd2 Rd3#.
43...Rc1+ 44.Kh2 Qf5 45.Qe4
If 45.Re4, then 45...g5 wins.
45...Qh5+ 46.Kg2 Qh1+ 47.Kf2 Qg1+ 48.Kf3 Rc3+ 49.Re3 Qf1+ 50.Kg4 Rxe3 51.Qe3
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| Now Black has a mate-in-two, which WG allows me to play, but White is lost anyway |
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51...Qf5+ 52.Kh4 Qh5#
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