Benidorm (Meliá) U2000: Game Five

Spanton (1895) - Artem Gukasov (1788)

Pirc

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2

Most popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 6.Bd3, when 6...Nc6 and 6...Na6 occur 3,138 times each.

6...c5 7.d5

The mainline in Mega22 runs 7.dxc5 Qa5 8.0-0 Qxc5+ 9.Kh1 with an equal position, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02. ChessBase classifies the position after 7.d5 as a Schmid Benoni.

7...a6 8.a4 e6 9.0-0 exd5 10.exd5 Bf5 11.h3 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Bxe4 13.Ng5 Re8

White gets a dangerous initiative after 13...Bf5!? 14.g4 Bc8 15.f5.

14.Nxe4 Rxe4

How would you assess the coming middlegame?

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White has the bishop-pair, but Black's only bishop exerts a powerful influence on the long dark diagonal. The engines reckon the position is completely equal.

15.Bf3 Re7 16.f5!? Nd7 17.fxg6

The engines prefer 17.Bg4!?

17...Bd4+ 18.Kh1 hxg6 19.c3!?

Better may be 19.Bg5.
19...Be3 20.Qd3?!

Better, according to the engines, is 20.Qe1!? Bxc1 21.Qxc1, although they give Black at least a slight edge, presumably mainly thanks to having the better minor piece (the knight has a great outpost at e5).

20...Bxc1 21.Raxc1 Ne5

This is good, but even stronger, according to the engines, is 21...Re5!?, eg 22.Rcd1 can be met by 22...Qg5 with menacing threats. Best may be 22.Qd2 but 22...Qh4 is intimidating.

22.Qd2 Qd7

Perhaps 22...Nc4!? is better.

23.b3 Rae8 24.c4!?

Another pawn on a light square (the same colour complex as the bishop), but I was worried about a later ...c4!?

24...Nxf3?

This gives away Black's advantage. The knight, unassailable on e5, is much better than the bishop. The engines agree keeping the minor pieces on leaves Black with the upper hand, but they do not agree on how Black should proceed. Komodo13.02 likes 24...f5, while Stockfish15 suggests 24...b5!? or 24...Qd8!?

25.Rxf3 Re2 26.Qf4 Re1+ 27.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 28.Rf1 Rf5 29.Qf6 Re3 30.Rf4 Qe7 31.Qxe7 Rxe7 32.Rxf6 Rd7

The position looks promising for White, but the engines rate it as equal

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33.g4 a5!?

I expected 33...Kg7, when I intended 34.g5, but that is completely equal, according to the engines, which also give 33...b5!? 34.axb5 axb5 35.cxb5 Kf8 as completely equal.

34.Kg2 Kf8 35.Kf3 Ke7 36.Rf4

Also equal is 36.g5 Rd8 with ...Rh8 to come.

36...f6!? 37.Re4+ Kf7 38.Re6

Black to play and draw

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38...g5!

Everything else seems to lose, eg 38...Rd8 39.h4 Rd7 40.Kf4 Rd8 41.g5 f5 42.h5 gxh5 43.Kxf5 etc.

39.Kg3 Re7 40.Rxe7+ Kxe7 41.h4 gxh4+ 42.Kxh4 Kf7 43.Kh5 Kg7 44.g5 fxg5 ½–½

There was nothing in 44...f5 45.g6 f4 46.Kg4 Kxg6 47.Kxf4 Kf6, eg 48.Kg4!?, when 48...Ke5? even loses, to 49.Kg5 etc.

Good News ... Bad News

PLAYED last night.

Spanton (Battersea 2 - 1952) - Jack Virgin (HMC 3 - 1881)

Central London League Division Two

Board Two

Benoni

1.Nc3 Nf6 2.d4 c5 3.d5

There are 3,193 games with this position in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database, the normal move-order being 1.d4 c5 2.d5 Nf6 3.Nc3.

3...g6 4.e4 d6 5.f4!?

Much more popular, and preferred by Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02, is 5.Nf3, one idea being to route the knight to c4. However Alexander Alekhine played the text in the 1912 stem game (a 19-move win against Grigory Levenfish).

5...Bg7

Levenfish played 5...Nbd7, but the text is the chief continuation today.

6.e5!?

The mainline in Mega22 runs 6.Bb5+ Nfd7!? 7.a4!? 0-0 8.Nf3 with advantage to White, according to the engines.

How should Black respond to White's pawn thrust?

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6...dxe5

This is most popular, but 6...Nfd7, suggested by Battersea player Victor Rumsey in the postmortem, is preferred by the engines. After 7.e6 fxe6 8.dxe6 my suggestion of 8.Bc4 is probably better than the known continuation 8.Bb5+?!, but the engines reckon Black has the upper hand. Whites have also also tried 7.exd6, when 7...exd6 is equal, according to the engines, but they reckon the pawn sac 7...0-0!? is strong. Interesting is the engines' top choice of 7.Be2!?, intending to continue in gambit style with 7...dxe5 8.Nf3. The position seems unclear but the engines have a slight preference for Black.

7.fxe5 Ng4?

This is the commonest continuation (just) in Mega22, but is a mistake. Black should play 7...Nfd7, when 8.e6.fxe6 9.dxe6 gives White a much- improved version of the first line in the previous note.

8.Bb5+ Kf8

Forced, as 8...Bd7?? loses a piece to 9.Qxg4.

9.e6 Bxe6?

This initiates a forcing sequence that wins material in the short term but gives White an overwhelming position. The engines suggest 9...Nf6 10.exf7 a6 11.Be8!? Nxe8 12.fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 13.Nf3, when material is level and Black has the bishop-pair, but the engines reckon White is positionally winning.

10.dxe6 Bxc3+ 11.bxc3 Qxd1+ 12.Kxd1 Nf2+ 13.Ke2 Nxh1

Black is the exchange and a pawn up, but the king's knight is doomed, and anyway White has a mate-in-five

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14.Bh6+ Kg8 15.exf7+!?

This is plenty good enough to win but Johann Blum - Heinrich Bruckhaus, German Championship Qualifier (Gelsenkirchen) 1947, saw the superior 15.Rf1, when Black resigned as mate cannot be avoided, eg 15...f5 is met by 16.Be8 etc (15.Be8 also mates).

15...Kxf7 16.Bc4+ e6

If 16...Ke8 then 17.Bg7, and if 16...Kf6 then 17.Rf1+ Ke5 18.Bg7.

17.Nf3 Nd7 18.Nf3 Rhe8 19.Rf1 Nb6 20.Ne5+ Kg8!?

This allows checkmate, but 20...Ke7 21.Rf7+ Kd6 22.Bf4 is also horrific, and 21...Kd8 is no improvement, even if White does not find the engines' long mating sequence starting with 22.Rxb7.

21.Rf7! Rf8

The point is 21...Nxc4 runs into 22.Rg7+ Kh8 23.Nf7# or 22...Kf8 23.Nd7#. The text is as good as any other try, according to the engines.

22.Rxf8+

The engines give a mate-in-seven starting with 22.Rg7+.

22...Rxf8 23.Bxe6+ 1-0

The bad news is we lost the match:

BATTERSEA 2...........................................................HMC 3

Philipp Even (1992).....................0-1..........................Julian Morrison (2006)

Tim Spanton (1952).....................1-0..........................Jack Virgin (1881)

Victor Rumsey (1802)...................½...........................Martin G Baker (1841)

Hendrik Wessels (1726)................½...........................Stephen Berkley (1761)

Stephen Welch (1460)..................0-1..........................Igor Naumov (1804)

.....................................................2-3................................................................

Game On

THE London League resumed play last night after taking January off because of covid fears.

I played on board one for Battersea 2 away to Lewisham 2, who play their London League home matches at a wine bar in Leadenhall Market, Central London.

Spanton (2040) - Mike Roberts (2056)

Division One West 

Benoni

1.Nc3 e6 2.d4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.e4 a6 5.a4 g6!?

With ...e6 having been played, more popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database are 5...Nf6, 5...Ne7 and 5...Be7, albeit the position after 5.a4 is not common.

6.Be2 Bg7 7.Nf3 Nf6!?

Five of the six games in Mega22 to reach the position after 7.Nf3 saw 7...Ne7, but Stockfish14.1 and Komodo12.1.1 prefer the text.

8.0-0 exd5!?

This slightly surprised me, but it has been played by a 2361 and the engines are OK with it.

9.exd5 0-0

By various transpositions the game has reached a position occurring 21 times in Mega22

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10.a5!?

This move, which has been played by a 2485, is not liked by the engines, which reckon White has an advantage after 10.h3.

10...Bg4

The engines like 10...Nbd7, eg 11.Bf4 b5!? 12.Bxd6 Re8 13.Re1 Bb7, claiming Black has decent compensation for a pawn, although Stockfish14.1 comes to prefer White.

11.Re1 Bxf3!?

This comes to be Stockfish14.1's second choice, at least for a while, behind 11...Nbd7.

12.Bxf3 Nbd7 13.Bf4 Qc7 14.Re7

The engines reckon White has a slight edge after 14.g4!?

14...Rfe8 15.Qe2 Bf8

An interesting line given by the engines runs 15...g5!? 16.Rxe8+ (an only-move as 16.Bg3?? loses to 16...g4) Rxe8 17.Be3 h6, when they reckon the position is equal.

16.Rxe8 Rxe8 17.Qd2 Ne5 18.Be2 Bg7 19.Ra4!?

Hinting at switching to the kingside. The text comes to be Stockfish14.1's top choice, at least for a while, although Komodo12.1.1 prefers a quite move such as 19.h3, 19.Bg3 or 19.Kh1!?

19...Nfd7 20.Bh6

How should Black proceed?

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20...b5?

Black has to be careful as the knight on e5 has no square to move to, so the engines give 20...Bxh6!? 21.Qxh6 f5, when the e5 knight can drop back to f7 to drive away the white queen, and 22.Rh4 is simply met by 22...Nf6, after which White is obliged to retreat with 23.Ra4.

21.axb6 Nxb6

White to play and win

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22.Rxa6??

This turns a win into a loss thanks to the weakness of White's back rank. Correct is 22.Bxg7, when 22...Kxg7 23.Rxa6 wins a sound pawn, while 22...Nxa4?! 23.Bxe5 wins two pieces for a rook.

22...Nec4 23.Qc1

Or 23.Bxc4 Nxc4 24.Qc1 Bxh6 etc.

23...Bxc3 (0-1, 35 moves) 

Battersea 2 won the match 4.5-3.5.

Opening Lessons From Wrocław VII

IN round seven I had white against Mateusz Ambrosiak (1441).

Benoni

1.d4 c5 2.d5

This 'automatic' reply is not the only choice of strong players, who have also tried e3, c3, Nf3, dxc5, e4, c4 and even Nc3.

2...g6 3.e4 d6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Nf3 Bg4?!

This seems a little strange in that after 6.h3 Black either gives up a tempo with 5...Bd7 or, as in the game, the bishop-pair. Normal is 5...Nf6, but the text has been played by grandmasters.

6.h3 Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Bg5!?

Usual is 8.Be2. The text is not much liked by the analysis engines Stockfish14 and Komdo12.1.1.

8...0-0 9.Be2 Na6

The knight is headed for c7 to support the queenside thrust ...b5.

10.0-0

White has connected rooks in just 10 moves, and the opening can be thought of as over

White has the bishop-pair and more central space, but Black is well-placed for action on the queenside. The engines give White the upper hand. The full game can be seen at https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2021/08/wrocaw-round-seven.html

Wrocław Round Seven

FACED a Pole born in the same millennium (just - 1997).

Spanton (1808) - Mateusz Ambroziak (1441)

Wrocław B

Benoni

1.d4 c5 2.d5 g6 3.e4 d6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Nf3

This is the most-popular move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database, and is also the choice of the engines Stockfish14 and Komodo12.1.1, but at least six other moves have been played by grandmasters.

5...Bg4?!

Normal is 5...Nf6. The text has been played by GMs, but seems a little strange as after ...

6.h3

... Black either has to retreat the bishop along the h3-c8 diagonal or, as in the game, give up the bishop-pair.

6...Bxf3 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Bg5!?

More usual is 8.Be2.

8...0-0 9.Be2 Na6

Part of a plan to get in the move ...b5.

10.0-0 Nc7 11.Qe3!?

This clears a path for the f pawn to advance, but White has to be wary of the fianchettoed bishop coming to d4 while the queen is on the same diagonal as the king.

11...Re8 12.Rad1 a6 13.a4 Rb8 14.Qd3?

Played to prevent ...b5, which of course it does not. The engines reckon White has a healthy advantage after 14.f4.

14...Nd7!?

There seems nothing wrong with 14...b5.

15.a5

How should Black proceed?

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15...b5!

Many players would hesitate to play this but the activity Black gets on the queenside more than compensates for contracting an isolated a pawn.

16.axb6

16...b4!? 17.cxb4 is an interesting way to slow Black on the queenside, but the engines slightly prefer the text.

16...Rxb6 17.b3 Rb4 18.f4

The engines suggest the more-circumspect 18.Nb1!? with what they reckon is a slight edge for White.

18...Bxc3!?

Giving up the fianchettoed bishop to win a pawn is a brave decision. The engines prefer 18...Nb5, or moving the queen to support play on the queenside, but they do not flash red at the text.

19.Qxc3 Rxe4 20.Bf3

The engines give 20.Qf3!?, when Stockfish14 reckons White has a slight edge but Komodo12.1.1 rates the position as more-or-less equal.

20...Nb5 21.Qa1 Rd4 22.Qxa6 Qb6?!

Black is equal after 22...Rxd1 23.Bxd1 Nd4, according to the engines.

23.Qa1?!

It was probably time to give up thoughts of mating on g7. Instead 23.Qxb6 Nxb6 24.Rde1 leaves White better.

23...Rxd1 24.Bxd1!?

The engines agree this recapture is a little better than the alternatives.

24...f6?!

This appears unnecessarily weakening. Black is at least equal after the engines' 24...c4+ 25.Kh2 cxb3 26.cxb3 Qe3!

25.Bg4!?

Stockfish14 comes to prefer this over the simple 25.Bh4, but Komodo12.1.1 slightly prefers the latter.

25...Qb7

The engines slightly prefer shutting out the light-square bishop with 25...f5!?

26.Be6+?

White has an edge after 26.Bh6 Nf8 27.Qa4, according to the engines. The text hands the advantage over to Black.

26...Kg7 27.Bh4 Nd4

Even stronger may be 27...Nf8.

28.Rf2?

The engines reckon White has to play 28.Bxd7 Qxd7 29.Qd1. After the text, they rate Black's game as winning.

28...Nf8 29.f5!?

The engines prefer 29.Bg4 or 29.Qe1, but still have Black winning.

29...Nfxe6 30.fxe6 Ra8 31.Qf1 Qxd5 32.Rxf6!?

This is White's best attempt, according to the engines, but not good enough.

The game finished:

32...Ne2+ 33.Kh1 Ng3+! 34.Bxg3 fxe6 35.Qb5 Ra1+ 36.Kh2 Qxe6 37.Qb7+ Kh6 38.Qb8 Rd1 39.Qf8+ Kg5 40.Qg7 h5 41.h4+ Kf5 42.Qb7 Rd5 43.Qa6 g5 44.Qb7 Kg4 45.hxg5 h4 46.Bxh4 Qe5+ 0-1

Benoni

I LIKE to think this blog is nothing if not eclectic (catholic used to be a widely-understood synonym, but not these days), and in that spirit I present a Benoni from round three of the Fareham open.
Spanton (170) - Paul Northcott  (160)
1.d4 c5 2.d5 e5 3.e4 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 d6 6.Be2 Be7 7.Be3
Normal is 7.Nf3, which Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon leaves White the equivalent of at least a half-pawn up. But, to a large extent, it does not matter what White plays - the engines apparently love White's central space advantage.
7...h5?!
A hard-to-fathom novelty, which I thought was perhaps directed against a g4 thrust, which I had been considering. However, three rounds later I was sat next to PN when, playing with the white pieces, his game began something like 1.c3!? d6 2.h4!? I could not help thinking he is one junior who, for better or worse, has escaped the clutches of coaches.
8.h3
The engines agree this is best, one possible point of 7..h5?! being to follow-up with ...Ng4.
8...Nbd7 9.a5
Asking Black how he intends developing his light-square bishop.
9...b5
Stockfish10's top choice, but after …
10.axb6 Qxb6 11.Ra2
... we have a queenside set-up in which it is generally acknowledged that an a pawn is weaker than a b pawn.
11...Nf8 12.Nf3 Ng6 13.Qd2 Bd7 14.0-0 0-0 15.Rfa1 a5 16.Ne1 Ra7

Does the pawn-push b4 work for White?

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17.Bg5
I tried to make 17.b4! work but rejected it because of 17...Qxb4 18.Rb1 Nxe4 19.Rxb4 Nxd2, missing that after, say, 20.Rb6, the black knight on d2 is lost.
Nevertheless, White is also much better after the text.
17...h4
This comes to be Stockfish10's choice, but Black is in big trouble whatever he plays.
18.Nf3 Qb4 19.Bd3 a4!?
This is the engines' first or second choice, but it loses a pawn.
20.Nxa4 Rfa8 21.Qxb4 cxb4 22.Nc3! Rxa2 23.Rxa2 Rb8
I expected 23...Rc8, but the text is the engines' choice.
24.Nd1 Bb5 25.Nxh4 Nxh4 26.Bxh4 Bxd3 27.cxd3 Nxd5 28.Bxe7 Nxe7
The smoke has cleared, and White is a good pawn up. But the extra pawn is on the kingside, and there is the added complication of Black having an advanced queenside pawn.
29.Kf1 Rc8 30.Ke1 Nc6 31.Ne3 Nd4 32.Nc4
The engines have generally agreed with the recent sequence of moves for both sides, and White's advantage seems assured as the knight on c4 prevents funny business down the c file.
32...Rc6 33.Ra4 Kf8 34.Ra7
Not 34.Rxb4?? Nc2+.
34...Ke8 35.Rb7 Ra6 36.Kd2 Nb3+ 37.Ke3 Nd4 38.Rb6
Not 38.Rxb4?? Nc2+.
38...Ra1!?
The best practical chance as after 38...Rxb6 39.Nxb6, Black has a bleak defensive task.
39.Nxd6+?!
The engines give 39.f4 Re1+ 40.Kf2 Re2+ 41.Kf1 Rc2 42.Nxd6+ Ke7 43.fxe5 Rxb2 44.Nf5+ Nxf5 45.exf5 with a winning rook-and-pawn ending.
39...Kd7 40.Nxf7?!
The engines are unsure how to proceed, but best seems to be 40.Nc4 Kc7 41.f4 Re1+ 42.Kf2 Re2+ 43.Kf1 Rxb2 44.fxe5, when White is two pawns up but Black's b pawn is a source of counterplay.
40...Re1+?
Much less clear is 40...Kc7, eg 41.Rg6 Re1+ 42.Kd2 Re2+ 43.Kd1 Rxb2 44.Nxe5 b3 45.Rxg7+ Kc8, when White is four pawns up but the engines give White just a slight edge after, for example 46.Nc4 Rxf2 47.h4 b2 48.Nxb2 Rxb2 49.h5. However, this looks a very difficult position for Black to play over the board.
41.Kd2 Re2+ 42.Kd1 Rxb2 43.Nxe5+ Kc7 44.Nc4 Rb1+?
The engines give 44...Rxf2 45.Rxb4 Rxg2 46.Ne3 Rg1+ 47.Kd2 Nc6 48.Rb5, when White is two pawns up and should win.
45.Kd2 b3 46.Rg6 b2 47.Rxg7+ Kc6 48.Nxb2 1-0

Benoni? Morra? No, Caro-Kann!

JOE Skielnik emailed re my game earlier this week in the Battersea Club Championship (https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/10/benoni-no-morra-gambit.html).
The game began 1.d4 c5 2.e4 cxd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Nf6 5.Qe2 d6 6.0-0 g6 7.Rd1 Bg7 8.c3 0-0 9.cxd4 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5

Position after 10...Nxd5 in Spanton (168) - Paul Stokes (158)

Joe writes: "The position at move 10 could theoretically arise from the Caro-Kann."
He gives the sequence: 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nf3 (as Joe points out, 5.Nc3 is more normal, but 5.Nf3 has been played by Karpov and Short) g6 6.cxd5 (again Nc3 is more popular, but cxd5 has been preferred by Nakamura, Karjakin and Hebden) Nxd5 7.Bc4 Bg7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qe2 Nc6 10.Rd1

Position in the Caro-Kann after 10.Rd1

The exact same position has been reached. However, there is a small but rather important difference between the two diagrams.
In the first, the blob at the bottom-lefthand corner shows it is White to move, while in the second the blob is Black.
Joe says: "Black has gained a move by not including ...d6 before ...d5, which surely proves that the Caro-Kann is better than the Sicilian …"