Devan Patel (2052) - Spanton (1958)
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Jobava-Prié
1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.Nc3 Bd6 4.e3!?
This popular response to ...Bd6 is the top choice of Stockfish17 and Dragon1, and is easily the main move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, scoring 60%.
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| How should Black respond? |
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4...Nf6
This and 4...Bxf4 are equally popular in Mega25, and both have been played by Magnus Carlsen.
5.Nf3 0-0 6.Bd3 Bxf4!?
The mainline in Mega25 runs 6...c5 7.dxc5!? Bxc5 8.0-0 Nc6, with what the engines reckon is equality.
7.exf4 Qd6
Baadur Jobava (2713) - Mohamed Tissir (2380), World Blitz Championship (Dubai) 2014, saw 7...c5!? 8.dxc5 Qc7 9.Qd2 Qxc5 10.0-0-0!?, with equal chances, according to the engines (but 1-0, 28 moves).
8.Ne2!?
Apparently a novelty. The engines prefer the known moves 8.Qd2 and 8.Ne5.
8...b6
Black can grab a pawn with 8...Qb4!? 9.c3 Qxb2, but Stockfish17 reckons White has decent compensation, starting with 10.a4, although Dragon1 gives Black a slight edge.
9.c3 c5 10.Ne5 Ba6 11.0-0!?
The engines agree with not preserving White's good bishop, although note that after 11.Bc2 Bxe2!? 12.Qxe2 Black cannot win a pawn by 12...cxd4 13.cxd4 Qb4+ 14.Qd2 Qxb2?? as Black loses the queen to 15.Bxh7+ etc.
11...Bxd3
White has the upper hand after 11...c4?! 12.Bc2, according to the engines.
12.Qxd3 Ne4 13.f3!?
This evicts the black knight, but probably reduces White's chances of attacking on the kingside.
13...Nf6 14.Rfe1 Nc6
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| Now both sides have connected rooks, how would you assess the position? |
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White has a half-open file and a well-placed knight at e5, but Black has pressure against d4 and no weaknesses. The engines reckon the position is equal.
15.Qb5!?
The engines are not keen on this aggression, preferring 15.Nxc6!? Qxc6 16.f5 exf5 17.Qxf5.
15...Rfc8
The engines reckon Black is slightly better after 15...Ne7!?, the idea being that with b6 protected by the black queen, the white queen can be driven off with ...a6.
16.Rad1 cxd4?!
Better, according to the engines, are 16...Ne7!? and 16...c4!? One problem with the text is that it helps White activate his poorly knight.
17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Rxd4 Rc5 19.Qd3 Nd7 20.g3
If 20.c4 then 20...Nxe5, when 21.fxe5 dxc4! gives Black at least equality, while after the engines' choice, 21.Rxe5!?, Black has 21...Rd8, the engines reckoning 22.cxd5 Rxd5 23.Rexd5 exd5 gives complete equality.
20...Rd8 21.Ra4 a5 22.a3 b5!?
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| How should White respond to this pawn thrust? |
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23.Rxa5!?
The engines marginally prefer this over 23.Nxd7!?
23...Qb6?
Necessary is 23...Nxe5. when the engines reckon Black has enough for a pawn.
24.Nxd7 Rxd7 25.Qd4
Not 25.Ra8+?? Rc8+.
25...Qxa5 26.Qxc5 g6
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| White has won a good pawn |
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27.a4?!
The engines suggest consolidation with 27.Rd1.
27...Rc7
Not 27...Qa4?? 28.Qc8+, but Black is more-or-less fine after 27...d4!, when 28.Qxb5 Qa7 29.cxd4 Rd5!. with ...Rxd4 to come, gives Black good drawing chances, according to the engines.
28.Qxb5 Qa7+ 29.Kg2 Rb7 30.Qe8+ Kg7 31.Re2 Re7?
A big mistake, according to the engines, whereas they reckon 31...Qa6 followed by 32...Rb3 leaves White with at best a slight edge, despite being two pawns up, the point being Black has tremendous pressure against the white queenside.
32.Qc6 Rc7 33.Qd6 Kg8!? 34.Qe5 Rb7
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| How can White preserve all three queenside pawns? |
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35.f5!?
Ingeniously giving up a doubled pawn, so the queen can protect a4, but the engines prefer 35.g4, 35.Qd4 or 35.b4, reckoning White is still winning even after giving up a passed pawn.
35...gxf5 36.Qf4 Qa6 37.Rd2 Qc4?!
Probably better is 37...Rb3.
38.Qxc4 dxc4 39.Rd4?!
Patience is required, eg 39.Kf2!? Ra7 40.Ke3 Rxa4 41.Kd4, when material is equal but White is winning, according to the engines.
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| How should Black proceed? |
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39...Rc7?
As usual, passivity is the wrong choice in rook endings. After 39...Rxb2+ 40.Kh3 Ra2 41.Rxc4 White has major difficulties activating the queenside. Indeed Stockfish17 reckons the position is completely equal, although Dragon1 gives White a slight edge.
40.Rd8+ Kg7 41.Rb8 Kf6 42.f4 Ke7 43.Kf3 Kd6 44.Ke3 f6 45.Rb6+ Kd5 46.Rb5+ Rc5!?
At first the engines reckon this is best, but still losing. Dragon1 sticks to that verdict, but Stockfish17 comes to prefer retreating the king.
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| How should White proceed? |
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47.Rxc5+!?
This is definitely best, according to Stockfish17, although Dragon1 for quite some time prefers 47.b3!?
47...Kxc5 48.a5!? e5
Black's hope for counterplay comes from threatening to create a protected passed pawn.
49.fxe5 fxe5
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| White to play and win |
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50.g4??
This turns a win into a loss. There was no rush to break up Black's duo, so 50.h3 is good (other moves also win, including 50.Kf3), eg 50...h5 (50...e4 is met by 51.g4) 51.Kf3 Kb5 52.g4 fxg4+ 53.hxg4 hxg4+ 54.Kxg4 Kxa5 55.Kf5 Ka4 56.Kxe5 Kb3 57.Kd5 Kxb2 58.Kxc4 Ka3 59.Kb5 etc.
50...fxg4 51.a6 Kb6 52.a7 Kxa7 53.Ke4 Kb6 54.Kxe5 Kb5 55.Kd5
Also losing are 55.Kf5 and 55.Kf6.
55...h5 56.Ke4
55...h5 56.Ke4
Or 56.Kd4 h4 etc.
56...Ka4 (0-1, 63 moves)
UCL won the match 4.5-3.5
UCL won the match 4.5-3.5
MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2024-5
DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF
12/9/24 Central London League W 1933 1886 1 2286
26/9/24 Central London League B 1933 2112 1 2399
15/10/24 Club Championship W 1968 1578 1 2259*
31/10/24 Central London League B 1968 1867 0 2061*
19/11/24 London League W 1957 1991 1 2127*
21/11/24 Central London League B 1957 2035 = 2112*
27/11/24 London League W 1957 1723 = 2056*
12/12/24 Central London League B 1965 2153 0 2018*
7/1/25 Club Championship B 1958 1785 1 2037*
9/1/25 Central London League B 1958 1851 0 1978
14/1/25 Eastman Cup B 1958 2052 1 2021*
*My season's performance is slightly better than this, the point being my win against a 1578 counts as a 1978 performance, which lowers my average despite me winning the game.
