Sergiy Teslya (2059) - Spanton (1954)
Sicilian Grand Prix Attack
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3!?
There are 404 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, including being played by Magnus Carlsen. The move is Dragon1's second choice, at least for a while; Stockfish18 prefers 5.a4!?
5...d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.d3
This has been tried by David Howell and Alexander Morozevich, but Carlsen both times preferred castling.
7...Nge7 8.Ba2!? 0-0
This is the commonest continuation in Mega26, but Stockfish18 suggests 8...b6, 8...d5 or 8...Rb8. Dragon1 at first quite likes castling, but comes to prefer 8...b6 or 8...Rb8.
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| How should White proceed? |
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9.h4!?
This is the engines' top choice.
9...d5 10.h5 Nd4 11.hxg6
This has been played by a 2623, and comes to be Dragon1's top choice, at least for a while, but Stockfish18 suggests apparent-novelties in 11.Qd2!?, 11.Bd2 and 11.Ne2!?
11...fxg6 12.Ng5!? h6 13.Nf3
The engines reckon this apparent-novelty is a slight improvement on Anton Demchenko (2623) - Eduardo Jesús Méndez Fortes (2250), Chess.com Blitz 2023, which featured 13.Nh3, after which 13...b5 14.Ne2 dxe4 was at least equal for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 53 moves).
13...Kh7
Strengthening h6, but weakening g5.
14.Qd2!? dxe4?!
The engines strongly dislike this. Stockfish18 gives 14...Qc7 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Bd7, claiming a slight edge for Black, although Dragon1 reckons it is White who has at least a slight edge.
15.dxe4 Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 Qxd2+ 17.Bxd2 e5?!
This is Dragon1's top choice, for a short while, but the engines come to agree 17...b6 is best, albeit awarding White the upper hand.
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| What should White play? |
*****
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18.Ne2?!
The engines reckon White has a positionally won game after 18.fxe5!? Rxf3 19.e6!?, eg 19...Rf6? loses to 20.Bg5. Stockfish18 gives as best 19...b5!? 20.Bg5 c4!?, but 21.Bxe7 Bxe6 22.0-0-0 is clearly winning. Dragon1 suggests 19...a5, but 20.Bc4 (Stockfish18 reckons 20.Bg5 is even stronger) Nc6 21.Nb5 Nd4 22.Nxd4 cxd4 23.0-0-0 is very strong.
18...Bd7?!
Probably better are 18...exf4 and 18...Nc6.
19.0-0-0 Rad8?
Possibly best is 19...Nc6, although the engines prefer White after both 20.c3 and 20.f5!?, eg 20.f5!? gxf5 21.c3!? f4!? (this is best, according to the engines) 22.Bxf4! Bc8 23.Bd2 Rxf3, when they agree White has more than enough for a pawn, but they disagree on how to proceed.
20.Be3
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| How should Black continue? |
*****
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20...b6
The best the engines can come up with is 20...Bb5!?, when 21.c4 Rxd1+ 22.Rxd1 Bc6 23.Bxc5 Re8 24.Bxa7 wins two pawns.
21.fxe5 Rxf3?
The engines give 21...h5, but White has several strong continuations, including 22.Nf4 Bh6 23.Nd5 Bxe3+ 24.Nxe3 Rxf3 25.Ng4!?, when Black has no good answer to Nf6(+).
22.Bg5 Bf8
There is no satisfactory move..
The game finished:
23.e6 Kg7 24.Bxh6+ Kf6 25.Bxf8 1-0
Hammersmith 2 won the match 4.5-3.5.
My Battersea Season 2025-6
Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf
16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552
18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675
16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665
23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805
18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840
20/11/25 CLL W 1891 1866 1 1911
25/11/25 BCC B 1891 1817 1 1955
9/12/25 LL W 1904 1982 1 2008
16/12/25 LL B 1904 2046 0 1968
18/12/25 CLL B 1904 2066 1 2018
6/1/26 CLL W 1929 2150 = 2066
7/1/26 LL W 1929 1971 = 2058
8/1/26 CLL B 1929 1800? = 2038
13/1/26 LL B 1929 2035 1 2067
27/1/26 LL B 1929 2089 0 2041
29/1/26 CLL B 1929 1882 = 2031
3/2/26 BCC W 1928 1836 1 2043
12/2/26 CDL B 1928 1890 1 2057
25/2/26 LL B 1928 1863 = 2047
26/2/26 CLL B 1928 2015 0 2025
3/3/26 CDL B 1914 1976 1 2043
24/3/26 BCC W 1921 1780 1 2049
26/3/26 CLL B 1921 1942 = 2045
31/3/26 CDL B 1921 2091 0 2030
7/4/26 BCC B 1938 1505* 1 2030
9/4/26 CLL W 1938 2012 = 2029
30/4/26 CLL W 1938 2285 0 2023
7/5/26 CLL W 1939 2007 1 2037
9/6/26 LL B 1954 2059 0 2024
CLL: Central London League
LL: London League
BCC: Battersea club championship
CDL: Croydon & District League
I also have a win-by-default in the Central London League
*A win against a 1505 counts as a 1905 performance, so I have excluded this game from calculating my season's performance as it would lower my average despite me winning.
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