THE last two rounds at the Cotswold Congress in Gloucester today just about summed up the trend of my recent (and not-so-recent) performances.
This morning I outplayed a 168, but several times failed to play the killer continuation (despite vaguely considering it), swopped off into a safe plus-over-minus ending (rather than play a much better but much sharper late-middlegame), obtained a massively superior rook-and-pawn ending … and miserably failed to convert it.
This afternoon I lost to a 173 by blundering a piece, albeit in a much-worse position.
In both cases, and in the previous four rounds, I more-or-less completely forgot my pre-tournament resolution to play more solidly.
I finished the tournament with a score of +2=2-2 for an ECF grading performance of 161.8.
My last alcoholic drink was on April 2 - tonight I have had a pint of stout, a pint of dry cider, a pint of dark ale and two glasses of red wine.
Something needs to change.
Addendum: make that three glasses ...
Showing posts with label Gloucester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gloucester. Show all posts
Monday, 27 May 2019
Sunday, 26 May 2019
Young & Old
PLAYED a 156 junior this morning and a 146 senior this afternoon at Gloucester in rounds three and four of the 51st Cotswold congress.
The morning game, which ended in a draw by perpetual check, was one of those that seemed exciting and tense with both players hovering on the brink of destruction for many moves - but the engines show it to have been riddled with fairly elementary mistakes to such an extent that both players deserved to have lost.
The afternoon game was at least publishable.
Ernest White (146) - Spanton (171)
Closed Sicilian
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3!?
Nakamura has played this move, which is a favourite of Rozentalis.
3...Nc6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.d3 0-0 7.0-0
Spassky surprised Petrosian with 7.Nh4!? in their 1966 world championship match. The game was a 29-move draw.
7...d6
Much less popular, but arguably more thematic in that it is often the move Black should go for in the Sicilian when it can be safely played, is 7...d5!? Judit Polgar is among strong players who have chosen it. I rejected 7...d5!? because I felt it simplified the position somewhat and I wanted a more complex game.
8.h3 Bd7 9.Be3 e5!?
A Botvinnik set-up, but with the king's knight on f6 instead of e7. The text scores very well, albeit from a small sample size. Four moves - 9...a6, 9...Rb8, 9...Qc8 and 9...Rc8 - are more popular in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
10.Qd2 Nd4 11.Ne1 b5 12.Nd1 b4 13.Bxd4 exd4
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EW wisely played ...
14.b3
The engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon White is lost if he grabs the exchange by 14.e5?! dxe5 15.Bxa8. Certainly I felt Black's compensation after 15...Qxa8, in the shape of a pawn, the bishop-pair and the weakened position of White's king, would be very promising.
14...Be6!?
Getting ready to deal with a White knight landing on c4, but the bishop becomes a target for White's f pawn..
Stockfish10 suggests 14...Bc6! I rejected it because of 15.e5, but 15...Nd5 seems very strong for Black, eg 16.exd6 (the engines prefer 16.Bxd5, which only goes to show how bad White's position is) Qxd6, when the game has opened up in the centre and on the kingside for Black's bishops.
15.f4 Nh5?
I probably should have got on with queenside play, which is where I have more space, eg 15...a5.
16.Kh2?!
The simple 16.g4 Nf6 (16...Ng3?? loses the knight to 17.Rf3) returns to the position after 15.f4, but with White to move and with his g pawn on g4 instead of g3. So 15...Nh5? should have lost two tempi.
16...Qd7!?
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17.Nf3
The engines come to like this move, although at first they favour queenside action with 17.Nb2 or 17.a3.
If White takes up the challenge of Black's last move by trapping the light-square bishop, Black gets a strong attack after 17.g4 Bxg4 18.hxg4 Qxg4, or 17.f5 Be5 18.fxe6 Nxg3!
17...Bh6 18.Nb2 Rae8 19.Nc4?
This natural-looking continuation turns out to be a mistake. The engines suggest moves such as 19.Ng5 or 19.Rae1 with, at most, a tiny edge for Black.
19...f6?
I rejected the stronger 19...f5 because I thought 20.e5? allowed White to close the position, or get a knight on the e5 square. I missed that after 20...Bxc4 21.bxc4 dxe5, White cannot play 21...Nxe5?? as the f4 pawn is pinned. After 19...f5, the engines reckon best play runs 20.Ng1 fxe4 21.dxe4 Bxc4 22.bxc4, when Black is clearly better.
20.Qe2?
This breaks the pin but runs into a combination. The engines reckon the game is more-or-less equal after a move such as 20.Rae1 or 20.Qf2.
20...d5 21.Ncd2
Or 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Qf2 Bxc4 23.dxc4 (or 23.bxc4) Re3.
21...Bxf4
This may be good enough for an advantage, but the engines point out the more spectacular 21...Nxg3! 22.Kxg3 Bxf4+! 23.Kxf4 Qd6+ with a raging attack. I did vaguely consider the idea during the game, but failed to give it enough attention.
22.gxf4 Nxf4 23.Qf2
The importance of 20...d5, in that in induced 21.Ncd2, is now clear. Without it my combination would not have worked as here, instead of Qf2, White would have Qd2, hitting the black knight.
23...Bxh3 24.Bxh3 Qxh3+ 25.Kg1
Black has three pawns for a knight, and chances against White's king.
25...dxe4 26.dxe4 g5
The engines switch between preferring the text, 26...f5 and 26...d3.
27.Rae1?
This loses. White had to play 27.Qh2, when Black can swop queens and play a late-middlegame with three pawns for a knight, or keep the queens on and play for chances against White's exposed king. It may be a matter of taste as the engines reckon both options give equal chances.
27...g4
This is even stronger than 27...d3.
28.Qh2 gxf3 29.Qxf4??
Loses instantly, but 29.Rxf3 Qxh2+ 30.Kxh2 Ng6 does not hold out much hope either.
29...Qg2#
The morning game, which ended in a draw by perpetual check, was one of those that seemed exciting and tense with both players hovering on the brink of destruction for many moves - but the engines show it to have been riddled with fairly elementary mistakes to such an extent that both players deserved to have lost.
The afternoon game was at least publishable.
Ernest White (146) - Spanton (171)
Closed Sicilian
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.g3!?
Nakamura has played this move, which is a favourite of Rozentalis.
3...Nc6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.Bg2 Nf6 6.d3 0-0 7.0-0
Spassky surprised Petrosian with 7.Nh4!? in their 1966 world championship match. The game was a 29-move draw.
7...d6
Much less popular, but arguably more thematic in that it is often the move Black should go for in the Sicilian when it can be safely played, is 7...d5!? Judit Polgar is among strong players who have chosen it. I rejected 7...d5!? because I felt it simplified the position somewhat and I wanted a more complex game.
8.h3 Bd7 9.Be3 e5!?
A Botvinnik set-up, but with the king's knight on f6 instead of e7. The text scores very well, albeit from a small sample size. Four moves - 9...a6, 9...Rb8, 9...Qc8 and 9...Rc8 - are more popular in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
10.Qd2 Nd4 11.Ne1 b5 12.Nd1 b4 13.Bxd4 exd4
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| Can you see a good combination for White? |
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No.
EW wisely played ...
14.b3
The engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon White is lost if he grabs the exchange by 14.e5?! dxe5 15.Bxa8. Certainly I felt Black's compensation after 15...Qxa8, in the shape of a pawn, the bishop-pair and the weakened position of White's king, would be very promising.
14...Be6!?
Getting ready to deal with a White knight landing on c4, but the bishop becomes a target for White's f pawn..
Stockfish10 suggests 14...Bc6! I rejected it because of 15.e5, but 15...Nd5 seems very strong for Black, eg 16.exd6 (the engines prefer 16.Bxd5, which only goes to show how bad White's position is) Qxd6, when the game has opened up in the centre and on the kingside for Black's bishops.
15.f4 Nh5?
I probably should have got on with queenside play, which is where I have more space, eg 15...a5.
16.Kh2?!
The simple 16.g4 Nf6 (16...Ng3?? loses the knight to 17.Rf3) returns to the position after 15.f4, but with White to move and with his g pawn on g4 instead of g3. So 15...Nh5? should have lost two tempi.
16...Qd7!?
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| Black's last move is provocative, but it does appear playable |
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17.Nf3
The engines come to like this move, although at first they favour queenside action with 17.Nb2 or 17.a3.
If White takes up the challenge of Black's last move by trapping the light-square bishop, Black gets a strong attack after 17.g4 Bxg4 18.hxg4 Qxg4, or 17.f5 Be5 18.fxe6 Nxg3!
17...Bh6 18.Nb2 Rae8 19.Nc4?
This natural-looking continuation turns out to be a mistake. The engines suggest moves such as 19.Ng5 or 19.Rae1 with, at most, a tiny edge for Black.
19...f6?
I rejected the stronger 19...f5 because I thought 20.e5? allowed White to close the position, or get a knight on the e5 square. I missed that after 20...Bxc4 21.bxc4 dxe5, White cannot play 21...Nxe5?? as the f4 pawn is pinned. After 19...f5, the engines reckon best play runs 20.Ng1 fxe4 21.dxe4 Bxc4 22.bxc4, when Black is clearly better.
20.Qe2?
This breaks the pin but runs into a combination. The engines reckon the game is more-or-less equal after a move such as 20.Rae1 or 20.Qf2.
20...d5 21.Ncd2
Or 21.exd5 Bxd5 22.Qf2 Bxc4 23.dxc4 (or 23.bxc4) Re3.
21...Bxf4
This may be good enough for an advantage, but the engines point out the more spectacular 21...Nxg3! 22.Kxg3 Bxf4+! 23.Kxf4 Qd6+ with a raging attack. I did vaguely consider the idea during the game, but failed to give it enough attention.
22.gxf4 Nxf4 23.Qf2
The importance of 20...d5, in that in induced 21.Ncd2, is now clear. Without it my combination would not have worked as here, instead of Qf2, White would have Qd2, hitting the black knight.
23...Bxh3 24.Bxh3 Qxh3+ 25.Kg1
Black has three pawns for a knight, and chances against White's king.
25...dxe4 26.dxe4 g5
The engines switch between preferring the text, 26...f5 and 26...d3.
27.Rae1?
This loses. White had to play 27.Qh2, when Black can swop queens and play a late-middlegame with three pawns for a knight, or keep the queens on and play for chances against White's exposed king. It may be a matter of taste as the engines reckon both options give equal chances.
27...g4
This is even stronger than 27...d3.
28.Qh2 gxf3 29.Qxf4??
Loses instantly, but 29.Rxf3 Qxh2+ 30.Kxh2 Ng6 does not hold out much hope either.
29...Qg2#
Saturday, 25 May 2019
How To Lose In One Move
OK, I was already worse when I blundered this afternoon in my round-two game from the Cotswold Congress in Gloucester, but even so …
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17...Bh5?? 18.Qf5+
The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 give best play as 17...d3!? 18.Rxd3 Rxd3 19.exd3 Nd4 20.Bxd4 Bxf3 21.Bxf3 Bxd4, when Black's better coordinated pieces, and White's backward d pawn, give some compensation for the pawn-minus.
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| White has just played 17.h3 in Michael Ashworth (188) - Spanton (171) |
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17...Bh5?? 18.Qf5+
The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 give best play as 17...d3!? 18.Rxd3 Rxd3 19.exd3 Nd4 20.Bxd4 Bxf3 21.Bxf3 Bxd4, when Black's better coordinated pieces, and White's backward d pawn, give some compensation for the pawn-minus.
Book Knowledge
PLAYING in Gloucester at the 51st Cotswold congress - six rounds over the three-day bank-holiday weekend.
Spanton (171) - Alun Richards (140)
Veresov
1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bg5 4.e3!?
More popular are 4.f3 and 4.Bxf6, but the text has also attracted the attention of strong players.
4...e6 5.Bd3 Be7?
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The problem with 5...Be7? is not that it allows White to give Black doubled pawns, but that it loses a pawn, viz:
6.Bxf5 exf5 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.Qf3 c6 9.Qxf5
Black has minimal, if any, compensation for the pawn, but naturally there should be a long way to go before the game is over.
9...0-0 10.Nf3 Qb6
This is Black's best chance, in my opinion, because it forces White to make a critical decision.
11.0-0!?
The obvious move is 11.0-0-0, but I was reluctant to give Black counter-chances when he is a pawn down without compensation. A 2200 in 2003 played 11.Rb1!?, and, considering I play Rab1 next move anyway, that might be the best practical choice.
11...Na6?!
The whole point of playing …Qb6 is to follow up, if allowed, with ...Qxb2, so 11...Qxb2 was the consistent continuation. However, White would still be better.
12.Rab1 Nc7?
Blocking the queen's retreat makes matters worse.
13.Na4 Qb4 14.Nc5 Be7 15.c3 1-0
An early resignation, but I think AR was disgusted with his play (I know the feeling!). Afterwards he said 3.Bg5 was a new move to him.
I celebrated my early win by spending some of my projected prize money at the Constables' bookstall, buying The Later Years Of Paul Keres (£10) and Alekhine's My Best Games Of Chess 1924-1937 (£5).
All I have to do now is win a prize ...
Spanton (171) - Alun Richards (140)
Veresov
1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bg5 4.e3!?
More popular are 4.f3 and 4.Bxf6, but the text has also attracted the attention of strong players.
4...e6 5.Bd3 Be7?
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| Why does Black's last move deserve a question-mark? |
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The problem with 5...Be7? is not that it allows White to give Black doubled pawns, but that it loses a pawn, viz:
6.Bxf5 exf5 7.Bxf6 gxf6 8.Qf3 c6 9.Qxf5
Black has minimal, if any, compensation for the pawn, but naturally there should be a long way to go before the game is over.
9...0-0 10.Nf3 Qb6
This is Black's best chance, in my opinion, because it forces White to make a critical decision.
11.0-0!?
The obvious move is 11.0-0-0, but I was reluctant to give Black counter-chances when he is a pawn down without compensation. A 2200 in 2003 played 11.Rb1!?, and, considering I play Rab1 next move anyway, that might be the best practical choice.
11...Na6?!
The whole point of playing …Qb6 is to follow up, if allowed, with ...Qxb2, so 11...Qxb2 was the consistent continuation. However, White would still be better.
12.Rab1 Nc7?
Blocking the queen's retreat makes matters worse.
13.Na4 Qb4 14.Nc5 Be7 15.c3 1-0
An early resignation, but I think AR was disgusted with his play (I know the feeling!). Afterwards he said 3.Bg5 was a new move to him.
I celebrated my early win by spending some of my projected prize money at the Constables' bookstall, buying The Later Years Of Paul Keres (£10) and Alekhine's My Best Games Of Chess 1924-1937 (£5).
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| Booking up |
Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Six Of The Best
PLAYED in the six-round open section of the 50th Cotswold Congress, held at King's School, Gloucester, over the Whitsun bank-holiday weekend.
The tournament turned out to be one of my best ever; I drew with a 192, drew with a 171, beat a 187, drew with a 188, beat a 180 and drew with a 188. That adds up to a 201 performance.
I have not yet gone over the games in depth, but am already aware I was missing a lot tactically. Fortunately for me, my opponents were generally missing more.
Can you find a good move for Black in this round-three game?
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If you came up with 28...Bc3?, you can console yourself with the thought that this was also the choice of my 187 opponent.
Black needed to play something like 28..Qb7.
The trouble with the move played is, as I had foreseen, it allows White's queen to enter Black's position unopposed. The game continued:
29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Qh3 Bb4 This seems to be as good as any other try. 31.Qe6+ Kg7 32.Qd7 Kg8 32.Kh8 was more resilient, but White still has a strong attack after, say, 32...Rd3 Qc5 33.Rf3. 33.h5 Qc5 34.h6 Qf8 35.Qxc6 (1-0, 56 moves).
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| King's School was founded by Henry VIII in 1541 in the shadow of Gloucester Cathedral |
I have not yet gone over the games in depth, but am already aware I was missing a lot tactically. Fortunately for me, my opponents were generally missing more.
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| Position after 28.Re1-d1 in Spanton (163) - Peter Martin (187) |
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If you came up with 28...Bc3?, you can console yourself with the thought that this was also the choice of my 187 opponent.
Black needed to play something like 28..Qb7.
The trouble with the move played is, as I had foreseen, it allows White's queen to enter Black's position unopposed. The game continued:
29.Rxa8 Rxa8 30.Qh3 Bb4 This seems to be as good as any other try. 31.Qe6+ Kg7 32.Qd7 Kg8 32.Kh8 was more resilient, but White still has a strong attack after, say, 32...Rd3 Qc5 33.Rf3. 33.h5 Qc5 34.h6 Qf8 35.Qxc6 (1-0, 56 moves).
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