BEAU CHESS - the post-work workings-out of a chess amateur

I begin this blog after getting back into league chess following many years' absence due to work. My post-job status also means I am able to play more tournament chess. My new club in London is Battersea and my first game for them is on Thursday September 14, 2017. I start with a Fide rating of 1858, an ECF grade of 169 (=1968 elo) and an ICCF correspondence rating of 2267. My current Fide is 2035, my ECF is 1942 and my ICCF is 2374.

Showing posts with label Bavarian International Open. Show all posts

Monday, 6 November 2023

Summing Up Tegernsee

MY score of +2=1-6 in the Bavarian International Open lost exactly 66 Fide elo.

Sunday, 5 November 2023

Bavarian International Round Nine

FACED a Slovak junior (born 2011).

Spanton (1858) - Sofia Timagina (1523)

1.Nc3

1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6!?

Developing the king's bishop may be better.

6.Bh4

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Ndb5 Qe5!? 8.Nd5, claiming at least a slight edge for White.

6...Be7 7.Nf5 g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.e4!?

Probably a novelty. Known moves are 9.Nxe7 and 9.Nd4.

How should Black respond?

*****

9...Nxe4?!

Black should probably play 9...Bxf5, with an unclear position that the engines reckon is balanced.

10.Nxg7+?

Correct is 10.Nxe7, when the engines reckon best-play runs 10...Qxe7 11.Nd5 Qd7, and either 12.Bd3 or 12.f3 with what they reckon is much more than enough compensation for a pawn.
10...Kf8 11.Nh5 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bf5!?

The engines give Black the upper hand after 12...Bf6.

13.Bd3 Qd7 14.0-0 Bg4 15.Be2 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 Re8 17.f4 Bd8 18.Qf3?!

The engines agree best is 18.Qb5, although, while Komodo14.1 then gives White a slight edge, Stockfish16 awards the same advantage to Black.

18...Qf5 19.fxg5?!

White should probably keep tension in the position with 19.h3.

19...Qxf3 20.Rxf3 hxg5 21.Nf6 Bxf6 22.Rxf6 Re3 23.Raf1 Rh7 24.R6f3 Rxf3 25.Rxf3

Black is a pawn up and has the better structure - advantages that add up to roughly the equivalent of a minor piece, according to the engines

*****

25...Kg7 26.Kf2 Kg6 27.Ke2 f5 28.h3 f4 29.Be1 Re7+ 30.Kd1 Ne5 31.Rf2 Nc4 32.Bd2 Re5 33.h4 Rd5 34.hxg5 Kxg5 35.Kxc1 Rxd2 36.Rxd2 Nxd2 37.Kxd2 Kg4 (0-1, 37 moves).

Bavarian International Round Eight

FACED a German junior (born 2013).

Ruben Serwane (1561) - Spanton (1858)

Scandinavian

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 c6!?

A rare gambit whose chief merit is surprise-value.

3.dxc6 Nxc6 4.h3!?

Objectively this cannot be best, but it has the practical merit of almost certainly taking the opponent out of preparation.

4...e5 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bc4 Bc5 7.d3 0-0 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bxf6 Qxf6 10.Ne4 Qe7 11.Nxc5 Qxc5

White has simplified the position to an extent, but Black's lead in development gives full compensation for a pawn, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1

*****

12.Bb3 a5 13.a4 Nd4 14.Bc4 e4

Black is better after 14...Be6!, the point being 15.Bxe6? loses to 15...Nxc2+.

15.Ne2 exd3 16.Bxd3 Re8 17.0-0 Nxe2+ 18.Bxe2 Qe5?

This forks the white bishop and b pawn, but there is a complete answer. Instead 18...Bf5 is equal, according to the engines.

19.Bb5 Re6?

Black cannot afford to give up the back rank, so had to play 19...Rf8.

20.Qd8+ Kh7 21.Rae1 Qg5?!

Probably better are 21...Qf6 and 21...Qd6.

22.Qxg5 hxg5 23.Rxe6 Bxe6 24.Rd1 Rc8 25.c3 g4!? 26.hxg4 Bxg4 27.Rd4 Be6 28.Bd7 Rc5 29.Bxe6 fxe6 30.Rd6 Rc4

Black is a pawn down and about to lose a second one, so this is a rook-and-pawn ending that is certainly not drawn

*****

The game finished:

31.Rxe6 Rxa4 32.Rb6 Ra1+ 33.Kh2 a4 34.Rxb7 a3 35.bxa3 Rxa3 36.Rc7 Kg6 37.Kg3 Kf6 38.f3 Ra2 39.c4 Rc2 40.c5 g6 41.c6 Ke6 42.Rc8 Kd6 43.Rg8 1-0

Saturday, 4 November 2023

Random Tegernsee Shots

Bavarian International Round Seven

FACED a German junior (born 2011).

Spanton (1858) - Jakob Greive (1441)

Spanish Classical

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5

How should White respond?

*****

4.c3!?

This is second in popularity to castling, but is slightly preferred by Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

4...d6?

The main move is 4...Nf6. There are 591 examples of the text in Chessbase's 2023 Mega database, but it is a mistake.

5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3

Even stronger is 7.Kf1!, when the mainline in runs 7...Bd7 8.Qa4 Nge7 9.d5 with a winning advantage for White.

7...a6 8.Ba4 b5 9.Bc2 Bg4 10.Be3 Nf6 11.0-0 0-0

How would you assess the coming middlegame?

*****

The most significant factor is that White has more central space. Admittedly Black has pressure against the white centre, but the engines reckon White has the upper hand.

12.h3

This natural-enough move may be a novelty. Known moves are 12.Ne2!? and 12.Bg5!?

12...Bh5 13.a4 Bxc3!? 14.bxc3 Re8

How should White proceed?

*****

15.d5?

White is at least slightly better after both 15.axb5 and 15.Bg5!?, according to the engines.

15...Ne5 16.g4?

16.Kg2 keeps White's disadvantage to a minimum.

16...Nfxg4! 17.Nxe5?

Better, but still losing, is 17.hxg4.

17...Nxe3 18.Qxh5 Rxe5 19.Qxe5

Even worse is 19.Qe2? Qg5+ etc.

19...dxe5 20.fxe3 Qg5+ 21.Kf2 Qh4+ 22.Ke2 Qxh3 23.axb5 Qg4+ 24.Kd2 Qg2+ 25.Kd3 h6?!

Stronger is 25...Qg6.

26.Rg1?

I rejected 26.bxa6 because of 26...Rxa6?, missing that 27.Rg1 etc draws.

26...Qf2?

Better is 26...Qf3, and if 27.bxa6? then 27...f5 is strong.

27.Rgf1 Qg2 28.Bb3?

Again bxa6 was possible and desirable.

28...Qg6 29.c4 Qb6 30.Rfb1 a5 31.Bd1 g6 32.Bg4 Qd6 33.Ra4 h5 34.Bf3 f6 35.Rc1 Qc5 36.Rh1 Kf7 37.Bg2 Kg7 38.Bh3 Kh6 39.Bd7 Ra7 40.Be8 Qe7 41.Bc6 g5 42.Ra2 h4 43.Rc2?! Qa3+ 44.Rc3 Qc5 45.Bd7 a4

White faces too many passed pawns

*****

46.Rf1 Kg7 47.Ra1 a3 48.Ra2 Qb4 49.c5!?

Desperately trying for counterplay.

49...Qb1+ 50.Rcc2 Qd1+ 51.Kc3 Qe1+ 52.Kd3 Qb1 53.Bc6 Qb3+ 54.Ke2 Qb4

Also probably winning is 54...Qxc2+!?, but there is no need for such 'heroics'.

55.d6!? cxd6 56.b6 Ra6 57.Bb7 Qb5+ 58.Kf2

Black to play and win

*****

58...dxc5!

All other moves at best draw, according to the engines.

59.Bxa6 Qxa6 60.Rxc5 Qxb6 61.Rc3 Qb4 62.Rcxa3 Qxe4 63.Ra4 Qf5+ 64.Kg2 e4 65.Rf2 Qg4+ 66.Kf1?

A better try is 66.Kh2, hoping for 66...Qg3+ 67.Kh1 Qxf2?? 68.Ra7+, after which White draws by stalemate.

66...Qd1+ 0-1

Friday, 3 November 2023

Bad Wiessee

THE best-known town on the Tegernsee is Bad Wiessee, a settlement dating back to 850.

From small beginnings it took until the 1400s to reach "proper village" status, according to the tourist board.

Wiessee, as it was originally called, became famous all over Germany after engineers, who were drilling for oil, found a hot spring.

It turned out to have a very potent combination of iodine, sulphur and sodium chloride.

The prefix Bad, meaning Spa, was officially added in 1922, and the town received many notable visitors, especially in the 1930s.

Catholicism is still strong

Former venue of the springtime seniors' tournament, which is now held further along the shore in Rottach-Egern

Combined fountain and sundial

Farmhouse in the centre of town

Lake view

Bavarian International Round Six

Michael Schulz (2083) - Spanton (1858)

QGD Normal Variation

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3!? c5 5.Nc3 Nc6

Aron Nimzowitsch recommended playing the Normal Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined with white

*****

Nimzowitsch's idea was that sometimes White should give Black an isolated queen's pawn, and sometimes White should accept an IQP. He believed playing thus was a good way to increase positional understanding.

6.cxd5 exd5 7.Be2 Be6 8.0-0 a6 9.b3 Be7 10.Bb2 0-0

Now both sides have castled, who do you think stands better?

*****

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give White a slight edge.

11.Rc1

White threatens to gain a large advantage with 12.dxc5.

11...cxd4 12.Nxd4 Rc8 13.Na4 Nxd4!? 14.Qxd4 b5!?

The engines prefer 14...Qa5 or 14...Qd6, in both cases preventing 15.Nc5.

15.Nc5 Qa5?

This encourages White to play a move that is useful anyway. Victor Manuel Garcia Cuenca (2369) - Luis E Valle (2268), Chess.com Blitz 2022, went 16...Qd6 (the position was reached by a different move-order) 17.b4 Qb6?! 18.g4!? with White enjoying the upper hand, according to the engines (1-0, 31 moves).

16.b4 Bxc5 17.Rxc5

The engines agree this is slightly better than capturing with the pawn.

17...Qd8

Not 17... Qxa2?? 18.Ra1 Qb3 18.Ra3.

18.Rfc1 Qd7 19.a4 Rxc5

19...bxa4 20.Bxa6 Rxc5 is less worse, according to the engines, but still deeply unpleasant.

20.bxc5!?

The engines again slightly prefer capturing with the pawn.

20...Rc8 21.axb5 axb5 22.Qb4 Qb7 23.Bd4

This is better than allowing opposite-coloured bishops by 23.Qxb5? qxb5 24.Bxb5 Rb8 25.Bxf6 Rxb5.

23...Bd7 24.h3 Ne4 25.Rb1 Bc6?!

There was no need for this tidying-up move, so perhaps counterplay with 25...Qc7 was better, but the engines reckon White has a positionally won game.

26.Ra1 Ra8 27.Ra5!? Rxa5?!

Probably better is 27...Ng5.

28.Qxa5 h6??

The back rank had to be protected.

29.Qd8+ Kh7 30.f3 b4!?

This is Komodo14.1's top choice, at least for a while, but the position is hopeless.

31.fxe4 fxe4 32.Qb6 1-0

Thursday, 2 November 2023

Tegernsee Town

THE town of Tegernsee grew up around St Quirinus's Abbey, which was founded in 746.

It became a popular pilgrimage destination after the abbey received from the Vatican the body of Quirinus, a Roman tribune whose tongue, hands and feet were cut off in 116 before his execution.

The abbey was secularised in 1803 and became a summer residence for the kings of Bavaria.

Approaching the town from the north

Tourism dominates today, but agriculture is still important

Rathaus (town hall)

Former abbey

Wednesday, 1 November 2023

Bavarian International Round Five

Spanton (1858) - Alberto de Luna Butz (1585)

Scandinavian

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd6 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nge2!?

The mainline in ChessBase's 2023 Mega database runs 5.Nf3 a6 6.Bg3 Bg4 7.Bg2, with at least a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1

5...c6 6.Bf4 Qd8 7.g3 Bg4 8.Bg2 e6 9.h3 Bxe2!?

The engines are not keen on this surrender of the bishop-pair.

10.Qxe2!?

This seems to be a novelty.

How should Black respond?

*****

*****
10...Bd6

Grabbing the d pawn with 10...Qxd4?! looks risky, and the engines demonstrate why with 11.Nb5!, eg 11...Qb4+ 12.c3 Qxb5 13.Qxb5 cxb5 14.Bxb7 etc. Even worse is 11...Qxb2? 12.Nc7+ Kd7 13.0-0 with a winning attack, according to the engines.

11.Be5 Qe7?! 12.0-0

This is enough for at least a slight edge, but the engines give 12.Nb5! cxb5 13.Bxd6 etc. If 12...Bxe5, then 13.dxe5 Nd5 14.Nd6+ with a positionally won game, according to the engines.

12...0-0

With both sides castled, how would you assess the position?

*****

White has more space in the centre, and the bishop-pair. Black can remove the bishop-pair, but at the cost of conceding even more space. The engines reckon White is at least slightly better.

13.Rfe1 Nbd7 14.Rad1 Rfd8!? 15.Qf3

The engines like 15.Nb1!?, eg 15...Rac8 16.Nd2 Ne8 17.f4 with what they reckon is at least a slight edge for White.

15...Bb4 16.a3 Bxc3 17.Qxc3 Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nd5 19.Qf3 Nb6!?

The engines quite like this retreat.

20.Qf4 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 Rd8 22.Rd6!?

What should Black play?

*****

22...Nc8

The text and 22...Rxd6 23.cxd6 Qd7 are of roughly equal value, according to the engines.

23.Rd4 Rxd4 24.Qxd4 Nb6 25.a4 Qd7 26.Qxd7 Nxd7

Who, if anyone, stands better in this bishop-v-knight ending?

*****

White has more space and has the better minor piece for playing on both wings. But there are no rival pawn-majorities, which would especially favour the bishop, and the engines reckon White at best has a slight edge.

27.f4 f6!? 28.exf6 gxf6 29.Kf3 Kf7 30.Ke3 Ke7 31.Kd4 Kd6

The white king is more active, but there is no easy breakthrough

*****

32.b4 b6 33.c3 e5+ 34.Ke4 a5 35.Kf5?!

Decentralising the king is often risky.

How can Black exploit White's last move?

*****

35...exf4

White would face grave difficulties if Black had found 35...b5!?

After 35...b5!?, how can White save the game?

*****

If 36.axb5?!, then 36...a4 seems strong, and if 37.Be4 then 37...cxb5 gives Black a protected and passed a pawn.

If 36.bxa5. then 36...bxa4 is good as the white passer is much more easily stopped.

After 36.fxe5, both 36...Nxe5 and 36...fxe5 look good.

The engines reckon the only way to equalise is 36.Bxc6!?, eg 36...Kxc6 37.axb5+ Kxb5 38.bxa5 Kxa5 39.g4, after which it seems White can swop off the remaining black pawns and so draw.

Back to the game:

36.gxf4 c5

If 36...b5 then 37.Bxc6!? Kxc6 38.axb5+ Kxb5 39.bxa5 Kxa5 40.Ke6 may be even slightly better for White, but Black should draw, according to the engines.

37.b5

Black to play and draw

*****

37...Ke7?

This is too passive, and will end with Black in zugzwang. Correct is going for counterplay with 37...c4, when 38.Bc6? Nc5 39.Kxf6 Nxa4 40.f5 Nc5! wins, eg 41.Kg7 a4 42.f6 a3 43.f7 Ne6+ etc. However White draws with other bishop moves, including 38.Bf3 and 38.Bf1.
38.Bc6 Nf8 39.Bd5!

Preventing ...Ne6 and threatening Bg8. Other moves only draw, it seems.

39...Kd6 40.Bg8 Ke7 41.c4

Black is in zugzwang

*****

41...h6 42.h4 h5 43.Bd5 Nd7 44.Bf3 Nf8 45.Bd5

Intending to meet 45...Nd7 with 46.Kg6.

The game finished:

45...Nh7 46.Kg6 Nf8+ 47.Kxh5 Ne6 48.Bxe6 Kxe6 49.Kg6 1-0

Tegernsee Card

HOTEL guests receive a Tegernsee Card, which entitles the bearer to free travel on local buses, discounts to attractions and, as I understand it, two free journeys on the two ferries that crisscross the lake.

Handy ... in theory

This morning I walked from my hotel to the town of Tegernsee, intending to down an espresso or two and enjoy the bright sunshine.

But as I approached I saw a ferry come into view, and decided to take it to the next stop, which in this case was Bad Wiessee on the other side of the lake.

Unfortunately it turned out my card had not been properly activated.

However the steward issued a ticket anyway, advising me to contact my hotel reception, which I did later. With any luck this will mean I have two free ferry-journeys left.