English 65+ Round Seven

Morning mist

I was upfloated against the tournament leader, who won his first six games, and so was on 2.5pts more (the type of 'mismatch' that occurs in a seven-round swiss that has only 16 players, the low number being probably in large part due to a clash with Guernsey's 50th anniversary festival, which starts tomorrow with a return to the popular Peninsula Hotel).

Ian Snape (2161 ECF/2090 Fide) - Spanton (1944 ECF/2035 Fide)

Réti Opening

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 d4!? 4.Nf3 c5 5.d3 Nc6 6.0-0 Nf6 7.e3 Bd6!? 8.exd4 cxd4 9.a3 a5 10.Bg5!? h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6

Giving up the bishop-pair is a standard manoeuvre in this line - White in return gets the e4 square for the queen's knight

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12.Nbd2 Bc7 13.Ne4 Qe7 14.b4

How should Black proceed?

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14...e5?

Seemingly a novelty, and not a good one. Stockfish19 and Dragon1 give 14...axb4 15.axb4 Rxa1 16.Qxa1, when best may be 16...f5!? 17.Nc5 0-0, with equal chances, according to the engines.

15.b5 Nb8?

Better is 15...Nd8. After the text, Black's pieces on the queenside get in each other's way.

16.Re1

Possibly even stronger is 16.c5 or 16.Rc1, in each case with immediate queenside play.

16...Nd7?!

Black should probably castle.

How should White proceed?

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17.Nxd4! exd4

After 17...0-0 18.Nf5, Black is a pawn down and with a bad position.

18.Nf6+

Also strong are 18.Nc3!? and 18.Nd2, but 18.Nd6+? Bxd6 19.Rxe7 Bxe7 gives White at best only a slight edge, according to the engines.

18...Nxf6 19.Rxe7+ Kxe7

How would you assess this middlegame?

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White has queen and pawn for rook, bishop and knight, which, materially, favours Black, who also has the bishop-pair. But Black's king is exposed, and the black pieces are uncoordinated. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth about a rook (Stockfish19), or at least more than a minor piece (Dragon1).

20.c5!

The engines agree this is easily the best continuation.

20...Re8 21.b6 Be5?!

Probably better, or, at least, slightly less worse, is 21...Bd8.

22.f4 Bb8 23.c6 Bg4 24.Qc2 bxc6?

24...Bd6 is an improvement, but 25.cxb7 Rb8 26.Re1+ Kf8 27.Rxe8+ Nxe8 28.Qa4 leaves White well on top.

25.Bxc6 Rec8?

Again ...Bd6 is an improvement.

26.b7 Rxc6 27.bxa8=Q Rxc2 28.Qxb8

The tactics are over, and White is left with queen for bishop and knight

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28...Bf3 29.Re1+ Kd7 30.Qa7+ Kc6 1-0