Bad Bertrich Round Nine

Spanton (1946) - Andreas Kessler (2084)

French Exchange

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.c4 Qe7+!?

This has been played by grandmasters, but putting the queen on a central open file early on entails risk.

How should White respond?

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6.Be2

There is no need to worry about losing a pawn, although some strong players have preferred 6.Be3.

6...dxc4 7.0-0 Nf6

Hardly surprisingly, there are no games in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database with 7...b5? After the reply 8.Re1, Black has problems.

8.Bxc4 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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It may look like a typical opening position with an isolated queen's pawn, but in this one White will gain time threatening the black queen.

9.Re1 Qd8

More-or-less forced as after 9...Qd7?! White will pose problems with Bg5, and development of the black queen's bishop will be obstructed.

10.Nc3 Bg4 11.Bg5 Nbd7?!

The engines much prefer 11...h6, meeting both 12.Bh4 and 12.Be3 with 12...Nc6.

12.Qd3

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 12.h3, meeting 12...Bh5 with 13.g4!? Bg6 14.Ne5.

12...c6 13.Ne5

How should Black proceed?

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13...Qc7

Not 13...Be7?? 14.Nxg4 Nxg4 15.Bxe7, and if 13...Bh5? then 14.g4! is good as 14...Bg6 runs into 15.Nxg6 hxg6 16.Qxg6!?

14.f4

Stockfish17 gives 14.Nxg4 Nxg4 15.Qf5!?, when 15...Nxh2? can be met by 16.Ne4, and 15...Bxh2+ by 16.Kh1 Ngf6 17.g3!? Bxg3 18.fxg3 Qxg3 19.Rg1, when Black has no bishops left to worry the exposed white king.

Dragon1 suggests 14.h3 Be6 15.Nxd7 Qxd7!? (15...Nxd7 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.Rxe6) 16.Bxf6 Bxc4 17.Qxc4 gxf6 18.Ne4 with a strong attack.

14...Be6!?

The engines fluctuate between continuations, but eventually more-or-less settle on 14...a5!?, a possible continuation being 15.Rac1 Be6!? 16.Bxe6 fxe6, which is similar to the game.

15.Bxe6 fxe6 16.Rac1

With this move-order 16.Re3 my be an improvement.

16...a6 17.g3 Rae8

How should White proceed?

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18.Ne4?

The engines much prefer either 18.a3!?, eg 18...Nb6 19.Rc2 Nbd5 20.Nf3!?, or 18.Bxf6!?, when both 18...Nxf6 and 18...gxf6 can be answered by 19.Nf3!?, and 18...Rxf6?! by 19.Ne4.

18...Bb4?

The threat to e1 is easily met, after which the bishop is hanging. The engines reckon 18...Nxe4 19.Qxe4 Bxe5 20.dxe5 Nb6 gives Black a slight edge - the isolated e6 pawn is masked, and the white bishop is very restricted, albeit controlling d8.

19.Red1?!

The engines give 19.Bxf6!? gxf6 20.Nxd7 Qxd7 before moving the king's rook, although they cannot decide whether it should go to e3, e2 or d1.

19...Nxe4 20.Qxe4 Nf6

This lets White swop off the restricted bishop, so perhaps 20...Nb6 or 20...Bd6 is better.

21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Nf3 Qd6 23.Kg2 Qd5 24.Qxd5

The engines slightly prefer 24.Qb1!?

24...exd5 25.a3 Ba5 26.b4 Bb6 27.Re1 Re4 28.Rxe4!? dxe4 29.Nd2 Bxd4

Black may have an edge after 29...f5!?, according to the engines.

30.Nxe4 Bb2 31.Rb1 Bxa3 32.Rb3

Both 32.Nd6? and 32.Nc5? fail to 32...a5.

32...Bc1 33.Kf3 Kg7 34.Rb1 Ba3 35.Rb3

It was probably worth trying 35.Nc5!?, when Black more-or-less needs to find 35...Re8 (35...Rd8?? 36.Ne6+ etc), although then the engines reckon Black should hold, eg 36.Nd3 a5!? 37.bxa5 Re7.

35...Bc1 ½–½

Dama Negra Game Nine

Spanton (1895) - David Nechifor (1613)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7!?

Garry Kasparov played this and 4...Qxd7, but Magnus Carlsen, as far as I am aware, has only played the latter.

5.0-0 Ngf6 6.Qe2 e6

Developing the black king's bishop to e7 is much more popular than fianchettoing it.

7.c4 Be7

Black can prevent White setting up a Maróczy Bind by playing 7...e5!?, but the loss of tempo and the fact Black is left with a very bad bishop gives White at least a slight edge, according to Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02.

8.Nc3!?

Giving Black another chance to prevent a Bind. Carlsen in this position with white preferred 8.d4 in a 2016 blitz game against Hikaru Nakamura, which ended in a 77-move draw.

8...a6

Preventing the Bind with 8...e5!? favours White, according to the engines, but Black can instead play 8...Ne5!?, when 9.d4? Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 cxd4 is bad for White, and 9.Rd1 can be met by 9...Rc8, when 10.d4!? cxd4 11.Rxd4 looks awkward but seems playable. Instead White can reply to 9...Rc8 with 10.b3, but then 10...Qb6 again prevents a quick d4.

9.d4!?

Strong players have tended to prefer 9.b3 or 9.Rd1, but the engines like the text.

9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position?

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White has a Maróczy Bind without having a bad (light-square) bishop. The Bind is generally considered to work better when Black has played ...e6 and ...Be7, as here, rather than ...g6 and ...Bg7. In Black's favour is that a pair of minor pieces has been exchanged, which leaves Black less cramped than would otherwise be the case. The engines reckon White is slightly better.

11.Be3 Rc8 12.Rac1

Not 12.b3? b5.

12...Nc5 13.f3 Qc7 14.Rfd1 Rfd8 15.Bf2 Qd7!? 16.f4 Ne8 17.e5!?

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 17.b3 or 17.f5.

17...Qc7!?

This is the engines' top choice.

18.Nf3 Nd7 19.b3 dxe5 20.fxe5 Bc5 21.Ne4?

Black to play and gain a large advantage

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21...Bxf2+?

Black is on top after 21...Ba3, eg 22.Rb1 Nxe5 or 22.Rc2 Nxe5.

22.Nxf2 Qc5 23.Kh1 Nb6
The engines prefer 23...h6.

24.Ne4 Qc7 25.Rf1 h6!?

The engines reckon 25...Nd7 is necessary.

26.Rcd1

The engines give 26.c5!? followed by Nd6, claiming a large advantage for White.

26...Rd7

Black more-or-less equalises with 26...Nd7, according to the engines.

27.Rxd7

Better, according to the engines, is 27.Rc1 or 27.Rde1, the idea being to continue with c5.

27...Nxd7 28.Nf2 Rd8 29.Rd1 Nb8 30.Rxd8 Qxd8 31.Qd3 Qc7 32.Qe3 Nc6 33.Nd3 b6 34.Qe4 Qd7 35.Qe3 Qc7 36.c5!? b5

The position is now completely equal, according to the engines

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37.Nd4 Ne7 38.b4 Nc6 39.Qe4 Nxd4 40.Qxd4 Qc6 41.Nf2 Qd5!?

The engines are OK with this, but after ...

42.Qxd5 exd5

... Black has an IQP that appears harder to defend than White's isolani.

43.Nd3 Kf8 44.Kg1 Ke7 45.Kf2 Ke6

The engines prefer 45...d4!? 46.Kf3 f5 47.exf6+ Nxf6, albeit with at least a slight edge for White.

46.Ke3 Nc7 47.Kd4 Kd7!

The only move to keep the game going.

48.g3

The point of Black's last move is 48.Nf4 can be met by 48...Ne6+, forcing 49.Ke3 (49.Nxe6? fxe6 is dead-drawn because both sides have a protected passer) Kc6, although both 50.Ne2 and 50.g3 give White at least a slight edge, according to the engines.

48...Kc6 49.Nf4 g6

The engines reckon the text and 49...Ne6+, transposing to the previous note, are equally good.

50.h4 h5 51.Nh3 Ne6+ 52.Kd3 Kd7 53.Ng5 Ke7?

Black is at worst only slightly down after 53...Nd8!?, according to the engines.

White to play and win

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54.c6?

Best may be 54.Nxe6!? (the engines reckon 54.Nf3 is also strong) fxe6 55.Ke3, eg 55...Kf7 56.Kf4 Ke7 57.g4 hxg4 58.Kxg4 Ke8 59.Kg5 Kf7 60.c6 Ke7 61.a3! Kd8 62.Kxg6, after which Black queens first but White queens with check and is completely winning, according to the engines. Black's best chance may be 55...Kd7 56.Kf4 Kc6 57.g4 hxg4 58.Kxg4 a5!?, but 59.bxa5 Kxc5 60.Kg5 b4 (better than 60...d4?! 61.Kf4, according to the engines) 61.a6 Kb6 62.Kxg6 d4 63.h5 d3 66.h6 d2 67.h7 d1=Q 68.h8=Q gives White a winning queen-and-pawn ending, according to the engines, although there is a lot of play left in the position. These lines are difficult to calculate, even for engines, and perhaps 54.Nf3 would be the best practical choice. Either way, the text is a mistake.

Black to play and draw

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54...Nc7?

Black draws with 54...Ke8, and even 54...Kd8?! is better than  the text, according to the engines, the point being the 54...Nc7? lets the white king invade Black's position.

55.Kd4 f6 56.exf6+ Kxf6 57.Kc5 Ke7 58.Kb6 Kd8 59.Nf7+ Kc8 60.Ne5 d4 61.Nd3

Black's position is hopeless.

61...Kd8 62.Kb7 Nd5 63.Kxa6 Kc7 64.Kxb5 Nc3+ 65.Kc4 Nxa2 66.b5 Kb6 67.Nb4 Nc1

If 67...Nc3 then 68.Kxd4 Nxb5+ 69.Ke5 Kc5 70.Nd5 Kxc6 71.Ne7+ etc, but not 68.Nd5+? Nxd5 69.Kxd4 (69.Kxd5?? d3 etc) Ne7 (or 69...Nc7) with a draw.

68.Nd5+ Ka7 69.b6+ Kb8 70.c7+ Kb7 71.Ne7 1-0

Garry Kasparov's Forgotten Weapon Against The Queen's Gambit

ANYONE who is happy, when having the black pieces, to play 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 faces something of a dilemma if White continues with the main move 3.Nc3.

Black then usually plays 3...Nf6, at which point the commonest move in ChessBase's 2021 Mega database is 4.Bg5, which scores 59%, ie about four percentage points above White's usual score in large databases.

But there is worse to come - White can play 4.cxd5, the Exchange Variation, which scores a phenomenal 65%, the usual continuation being 4...exd5 5.Bg5.

It is instructive to compare this with White's second-most popular continuation at move three, namely 3.Nf3.

After the further moves 3...Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5, White's score plummets to 50%.

In other words, statistically speaking, White has lost the advantage of having the first move.

In practice White more often follows up 3.Nf3 Nf6 with 4.Nc3.

Black then has a large choice of respectable replies, including 4...Be7, 4...c6, 4...Bb4, 4...Nbd7, 4...c5 and 4...dxc4, each of which occurs at least 5,000 times in Mega21.

Most popular is 4...Be7, when White can again enter the Exchange Variation, but by now 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 scores only 56%, falling to 52% if Black responds with 6...c6.

True, 56% is marginally higher than White's usual average across all openings, but it is a significant drop from the 65% of 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5.

One of the main reasons the Exchange Variation with 3.Nc3 scores so much better than with an early Nf3 is that the former allows White to play the king's knight to e2.

This opens new possibilities for White, including a central advance with f3 and e4, which can be particularly effective as White in the Exchange Variation has a 2-1 central pawn-majority.

Another reason is that Nf3 played too early lets Black render the Exchange Variation largely harmless by more-or-less forcing off light-square bishops, as the following ICCF correspondence game illustrates.

James Cairney (1983) - Spanton (unrated)

2nd British Webserver Team Tournament 2013

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3!?

It would be over-the top to call this a mistake, but it scores just 45% in Mega21.

Black can now plan on playing ...Bf5, occupying the diagonal usually taken by the white light-square bishop.

5...c6

An immediate 5...Bf5!? may even be possible, the idea being that 6.Qb3 can be met by 6...Nc6 with sharp play.

6.Qc2

More popular is 6.Bg5, but Black can reply 6...Bf5, when 7.Qb3 Qb6 8.Bxf6 gxf6 is not considered particularly promising for White.

6...g6

My modern analysis engines, Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01, prefer a bishop move, eg 6...Be7, 6...Bd6 or 6...Bg4, but are fine with the text once shown it.

7.Bg5

Black is at least equal, and maybe even a tad better, after 7.e3 Bf5.

The text also sets a mini-positional trap that has snared grandmasters.

7...Bg7

The problem with 7...Bf5?! is that 8.Qb3 is awkward to meet since 8...Qb6?? is a gross blunder due to 9.Bxf6. Black's most-popular reply in Mega21 is 8...b6?, but 9.e4! dxe4 10.Ne5 Be6 11.Bc4 Qe7 12.d5 was catastrophic for Black in Péter Lukács (2460) - Jakab Attila (2396), Budapest GM-B 2002 (1-0, 15 moves). Black probably has nothing better than 8...Bc8, when 9.e4 is again strong.

Massively more popular than the text is 7...Be7, but 7...Bg7, which has been played by Euwe, Ragozin, Dreev and Negi, seems fine.

8.e3 Bf5 9.Bd3

Black is posed no problems by 9.Qb3 Qb6 10.Be2.

9...Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Nbd7 11.0-0

I see from my notes that two of my engines at the time, Stockfish3 and Houdini1.5a, reckoned White is slightly better, but Junior10 called the position equal. Today's engines, Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01, agree with Junior10.

11...0-0 12.Rfc1

White is preparing the dreaded Minority Attack, but, theoretically speaking, Black has nothing to fear here.

12...a5 13.Na4 Qe7 14.Bh4 Rfe8 15.a3 Qe6 16.Bxf6!?

This is Stockfish12's choice.

16...Bxf6 17.Qb3!?

The choice of both Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01, but it looks strange to me. Certainly, obstructing the b2 pawn does not help White's Minority Attack.

17...Ra7!?

This appears slightly awkward, but is a reasonably economical way of defending b7 and a5.

18.Nc3 Qf5 19.Rc2 g5!?

The classic black answer to a Minority Attack is to stabilise the queenside and counterattack on the other flank.

20.Re2 g4 21.Nd2 a4! 22.Qd1

22.Nxa4?! Bxd4.

22...Qg6 23.e4!

This central counterattack is also the choice of Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01.

23...Nb6

23...Bxd4 24.exd5 Rxe2 25.Qxe2 Bxc3 26.dxc6 bxc6 27.bxc3 was given by Houdini1.5a as equal, although Komodo11.01 - but not Stockfish12 - reckons White has a small edge.

24.exd5

Black seems fine after 24.e5 Bg5.

24...Rxe2 25.Qxe2 Nxd5

Not an easy position to assess

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White has an IQP, which is blockaded by a black knight, but otherwise the white position is sound, and the black kingside attack has been stopped in its tracks. Black's pawns are a little loose and the black rook is passive and not coordinated with the other black pieces, but the bishop bears down on the d4 target. My modern engines reckon the position is equal, and I believe that was also the verdict of my engines seven years ago.

26.Rd1 Nxc3!?

This unisolates d4 but gives White another isolani at a3. It also lets Black play ...b5 to protect a4 without worrying about the c pawn being backward on a half-open file, simultaneously solving the difficulty of the out-of-play black rook. However, White gets an initiative.

27.bxc3 b5 28.Qe8+ Kg7 29.Re1

Not 29.Qxc6?? Qc2, but after the text the c6 pawn is threatened.

29...Bg5 30.Nf1 f5 31.Qc8 Re7

Forced, otherwise White has 32.Re6.

32.Rxe7 Bxe7

Queen and knight can make a better team than queen and bishop, but here the bishop has targets and the white queen and knight are widely separated. However, the black king is much the more exposed, and the engines agree the position is still level.

33.Qd7 Qf6 34.Ne3 Kf8

After the natural-looking 34...Kg6!?, White can cause problems with 35.d5, although it is not clear that White gets a substantial advantage.

35.Nxf5

But not 35.Qxf5?? Qxf5 36.Nxf5 Bxa3, and the a4 pawn is too strong.

35...Bxa3 36.Qc8+ Kf7 37.Qd7+ Kg6!?

37...Kf8 repeats the position. The text keeps the game going, with both players walking a tightrope.

38.Ng3 Bf8 39.Qxg4+ Kf7 40.Qd7+ Kg8 41.d5 a3 42.dxc6

White has won two pawns, but the a pawn is a monster that can promote with check. The game is still level, according to the engines.

42...Qd6 43.Qg4+?!

White can force a draw by 43.Nf1 Qxd7 (other moves lose) 44.cxd7 Be7 45.Nd2. The text may also draw, but is less clear, and is dodgy from a practical view as Black keeps his passed pawn while White will lose his, meaning White cannot realistically win.

43...Kh8 44.Qe2 Qxc6 45.Qe5+ Kg8 46.Qg5+ Qg6!?

Black can force a repetition with 46...Kh8, or try for more in another way with 46...Kf7 47.Qh5+ Qg6 48.Qf3+ Qf6. But after the latter it seems both 49.Qh5+ and 49.Qb7+ draw, eg 49.Qb7+ (during the game I thought this was the surer draw for White, but now I am not so certain) Be7 50.Qxb5 a2 51.Qa4 Qe6 52.Ne4! Qxe4 53.Qxa2+, when White has queen and four pawns versus queen, bishop and one pawn. My engines at the time reckoned Black has the upper hand, but I could see no way to create winning chances, and my modern engines agree.

47.Qxb5 a2

White has engineered a new passed pawn (two actually, including the f pawn) and restored his two-pawn advantage, but the black passer has reached seventh heaven. Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon the game is level.

48.Qc4+ Qf7 49.Qg4+ Kh8 50.Qd4+ Bg7 51.Qd8+ Qg8 52.Qa5 h6 53.h4

It is interesting that both players have time to make quiet pawn moves. 52...h6 creates a square for the black king at h7, while 53.h4 removes the possibility of a back-rank mate and lets the white king move up to h2 if Black threatens a back-rank check to support the a pawn promoting.

53...Qe6

For a long time Stockfish12 shows 53...Qb3 as winning, but after I play through the moves 54.Qa8+ Kh7 55.Qe4+ Kg8 56.Qa8+ it agrees with Komodo11.01 that the game is drawn, eg 56...Bf8 57.Kh2 Qa3 58.Qd5+ Kh8 59.Nf5 a1=Q 60.Qd4+ Kh7 61.Qd7+ Be7 62.Nxe7 Q1xc3 63.Nf5+ and White has a perpetual.

54.Kh2?!

Komodo11.01 reckons this draws, but that is far from clear, as will be seen. However, 54.Ne4!? probably does draw, assuming 54...Qxe4 55.Qxa2 does not give Black winning chances after 55...Qxh4 or 55...Bxc3, which does seem to the case (I presume White's drawing chances are enhanced by the black h pawn's queening square being the opposite colour to the black bishop).

54...Be5 55.Qa3 Kg7 56.Qa5 h5 57.Qa3?

This loses.

Komodo11.01 gives 57.Kg1, and if 57...Kg6, which I have in my notes, it continues 58.Qa4 (I only had 58.Kh2, which it seems is definitely winning for Black), after which Stockfish12 switches between various moves, all of which at one time or another it reckons win for Black, but Komodo11.01 always manages to defend valiantly, sometimes with an assist from Stockfish12. There are several lines in which White can allow Black a second queen but still draw with perpetual check.

57...Bc7 0-1

Best-play seems to be something like 58.Qa8 (58.Qa4 Qd5 transposes) Qg8 59.Qa4 Qd5 60.f4 Kf8 (the king heads to the queenside for shelter!) 61.Qa3+ Ke8 62.Qa4+ Kd8 63.Qa3 Bxf4 (or 63.Ne2 Qa5 64.Qd1+ Kc8 65.Qa1 Qa4 66.c4 Qc2 67.Qh8+ Kb7 etc) 64.Qf8+ Kd7 65.Qg7+ Kc6 66.Qg6+ Kc5 67.Qa6 Bxg3+ 68.Kg3 Qd6+ etc.

White can make it an Exchange Variation as early as move three, but this approach is innocuous too.

Wolfgang Vullhorst (1820) - Spanton (2034)

Bad Wörishofen 2007

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.cxd5 exd5 4.Nc3 c6

The immediate 4...Bf5!? may be playable, intending to meet 5.Qb3 with 5...Nc6.

5.Qc2 g6 6.Bf4

This is the normal move in the position, but maybe White should try 6.e4!?, although it involves accepting an IQP that is already under restraint.

6...Bd6

I rejected 6...Bf5 because I wanted to oppose the active white bishop, and 6...Bf5 7.Qb3 more-or-less obliges Black to play ...Qb6, ruling out a quick ...Bd6. Nevertheless, 6...Bf5 is the main line.

7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.e3

8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Qe7 is at least equal and may be a tad better for Black, according to Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01.

8...Bf5 9.Bd3 Ne7 10.Bxf5 Nxf5 11.Nf3 Nd7 12.b4

WV offered a draw.

12...0-0 13.Qb3

13.b5 cxb5 14.Nxb5?! Qb4 15.Nc3 Rfc8 is good for Black, although the engines reckon 14.Qb3 keeps the game equal.

13...b5!

This is a common positional ploy in the Exchange Variation when White no longer has a light-square bishop. White's Minority Attack is halted, and Black creates an outpost at c4 that, if needed, can be occupied by a knight, thus covering the newly backward c pawn.

14.0-0 a5 15.a3 Qe7 16.bxa5!? Rxa5 17.Qb4?

17.a4 keeps White's disadvantage to a minimum.

17...Rfa8 18.Rac1!?

The engines reckon 18.Qxe7 Nxe7 19.Nb1 is objectively better, but it is horribly passive.

18...Rxa3

Black is a protected passed pawn up and has the more-active rooks. I went on to win (although only after blundering my advantage away and having to, in effect, win the game a second time).

So what has all this to do with Garry Kasparov? That is what I will come to in part two of this series.

Champion Repertoire (part two)

EMANUEL Lasker was world champion from 1894, when he dethroned William Steinitz (Steinitz changed his first name from Wilhelm as part of becoming a US citizen), until 1921, when he lost to José Capablanca (technically Lasker resigned his title in favour of the Cuban the previous year, but few people pay much attention to that).
A Lasker repertoire is more suitable than Steinitz's, in my opinion, for club players who want a less-tactical, arguably more positional, way of playing.
White
Open 1.e4 with the aim of playing a mainline Spanish: 1...e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 (Lasker is famous for playing the Exchange Variation: 4.Bxc6 but he played other moves, including 4.Bc4!? once, three times as often.) After the standard moves 4...Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 (he generally met 6...d6, another popular continuation in his day, with 7.c3) 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 he liked immediate central play with 9.d4. Lasker's opponents often played 8...Na5 9.Bc2 c5 whereupon Lasker again preferred immediate central play with 10.d4.
Against the Open Variation: 5...Nxe4 Lasker had most success, scoring 60% (all percentages are taken from ChessBase's 2020 Mega database), with 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.a4!? while scoring just 33% with the mainline 8.dxe5. The main reply to 8.a4!? today is 8...Rb8, which Lasker met with 9.axb5 axb5 10.dxe5 Be6 11.c3, reaching a position similar to main lines in the Open Variation but with White having control of the a file.
Against 3...Nf6 Lasker overwhelmingly chose 4.0-0, meeting 4...d6 and 4...Nxe4 with 5.d4, but against 4...Be7 he went 5.Nc3 d6 6.d4.
The other popular Spanish line in Lasker's day was the Steinitz Defence: 3...d6, which Lasker met with 4.d4 Bd7 5.Nc3.
Against the Petrov: 2...Nf6 Lasker was happy transposing to a Spanish Four Knights by 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.Bb5, the games usually continuing down the main line with 4...Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5.
Against the Philidor: 2...d6 he played both 3.d4 and 3.Nc3, scoring much better with the former, albeit from a small sample size.
After 1.e4 the second-most popular continuation of Lasker's opponents was the French Defence: 1...e6 2.d4 d5. Lasker usually met the Classical: 3.Nc3 Nf6 with 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Nb5!? This is still played by grandmasters and is quite liked by some analysis engines and should come as a surprise as today 7.f4 and 7.Qd2 are more popular.
Against the McCutcheon: 4...Bb4 Lasker scored 78% with 5.exd5.
Against the Winawer: 3...Bb4 Lasker generally played 4.e5, meeting 4...c5 with both the quiet 5.Bd2 or the sharper 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Qg4.
Lasker overwhelmingly played 2.Nf3 and 3.d4 against the Sicilian, scoring 64% against the move he faced more than three-quarters of the time, 2...Nc6.
Against the Caro-Kann: 1...c6 he generally played 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3.
Lasker varied his lines against the Scandinavian: 1...d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5/d8 to such an extent that is not really possible to give a recommendation based on his play, and this is also the case for Scandinavian lines with 2...Nf6.
Against Alekhine's Defence: 1...Nf6, the only other reply to 1.e4 he met more than twice, Lasker liked the Four Pawns Attack: 2.e5 Nd5 3.c4 Nb6 4.d4 d6 5.f4.
Black v 1.e4
Lasker usually played 1...e5, meeting the Spanish: 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 with 3...Nf6. After 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 he liked 5...Be7, avoiding the Berlin Wall: 5...d6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+. The main line after 5...Be7 goes 6.Qe2 Nd6 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.dxe5 Nb7, at which point Lasker's opponents generally diverged. The main continuation today is 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Re1, which Lasker usually met with 10...Nc5.
Against 4.d3 Lasker played what became Kasparov's choice, 4...d6 rather than 4...Bc5.
When opponents transposed to the Spanish Four Knights with 4.Nc3, games normally followed the mainline 4...Bb4 5.0-0 0-0 6.d3 d6 7.Bg5 Bxc3 8.bxc3 at which point Lasker liked to switch his queen's knight to the kingside, starting with 8...Ne7.
Against the Italian Game: 3.Bc4 Lasker played 3...Bc5 and 3...Nf6 with equal frequency and success. Often his games would reach the same position after 3...Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 or 3...Nf6 4.d3 Bc5. They typically continued 4.Nc3 d6 5.Be3 Bb6 with Lasker often delaying castling in favour of piece manoeuvres.
Against the Scotch: 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 he had most success with 4...Bc5, winning all seven games.
The King's Gambit: 2.f4 was out-of-favour at the highest levels in Lasker's day but he won both his games in Mega20 with 2...d5.
Black v 1.d4 and Others
Lasker was happy playing mainlines of the Queen's Gambit Declined: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6, meeting 4.Bg5 (no one played the Exchange Variation: 4.cxd5 against him) Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 with 8...dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nd5, which is still the main line today. Against 4.Nf3, games generally transposed to 4.Bg5 lines.
He met the Colle System: 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e3 10 times, generally playing 3...e6 4.Bd3 c5, following up with 5...Nc6 whether White played 5.Bd3, 5.b3 or 5.0-0.
After 1.Nf3 d5 opponents generally played 2.d4. Lasker met the Réti continuation 2.c4 too infrequently to give a repertoire recommendation.
He most commonly met the Bird: 1.f4 with 1...d5, and the English: 1.c4 with 1...e6 or 1...e5, scoring better, from a small sample, with the latter.

One of Lasker's greatest tournament successes was winning New York 1924 one-and-a-half points clear of a field that included reigning world champion Capablanca and future world champion Alexander Alekhine.
Alekhine - Lasker
Queen's Gambit Declined
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nbd7!?
This is still a popular option today although 4...Be7, 4...c6 and 4...Bb4 are commoner in Mega20.
5.cxd5!?
Alekhine transposes into an Exchange Variation in which White has played Nf3 rather than reserving the option of Nge2. True Black has played ...Nbd7 but this is normal in the Exchange.
5...exd5 6.Bf4!?
This scores four percentage points better in Mega20 than the more popular 6.Bg5.
6....c6 7.e3 Nh5 8.Bd3!?
Alekhine gave this a question mark, claiming White is for choice after 8.Be5! (Alekhine's punctuation) f6 9.Bg3 but Black seems to have at least a comfortable game after winning the bishop-pair with 8...Nxe5.
8.Bg5!? has been seen at high levels in modern play.
8...Nxf4 9.exf4 Bd6 10.g3 0-0 11.0-0 Re8 12.Qc2
There is no mate after 12.Bxh7+? Kxh7 13.Qh5+.
12...Nf8
A typical deployment for the black queen's knight in the Exchange Variation. Lasker has a typical QGD Exchange position for Black but White's kingside formation is somewhat unusual.
13.Nd1?!
Alekhine strongly criticised this, suggesting 13.Rfe1, which was played in Vladimir Fedoseev (2674) - David Howell (2686), Dubai 2015. That game continued 13...Rxe1+ 14.Rxe1 Bd7 15.f5!? Qf6 16.Ne5 Re8 17.f4 with a roughly level position (½–½, 55 moves).
13...f6!?
Alekhine gave this an exclamation mark but the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 much prefer 13...Bg4.
14.Ne3 Be6 15.Nh4
Many commentators suggested alternatives here, with Tarrasch's natural-looking 15.Rfe1 being perhaps the engines' choice (but their evaluations fluctuate quite a bit).
15...Bc7
Partly to line up against the isolani on d4 but also ensuring a white knight landing on f5 does not biff Black's dark-square bishop.
16.b4!?
White starts a Minority Attack, although this does not seem to fit in with playing on the kingside with Nh4.
16...Bb6 17.Nf3

How should Black proceed?

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17...Bf7!
Preparing to attack the defender of the weak-pawn d4.
18.b5?!
Continuing the Minority Attack but the engines suggest 18.h3!?, the idea being to meet 18...Bh5 with 19.Ng4.
18...Bh5 19.g4 Bf7 20.bxc6 Rc8 21.Qb2 bxc6 22.f5?
Played to prevent ...Ne6 but Black is left very weak on the dark squares, especially on the kingside. The engines prefer 22.Ng2 and if 22...Ne6 then one idea is 23.Qc2!? h6 24.Rae1 Nxd4 25.Nxd4 Bxd4 26.Rxe8+ Qxe8 27.Re1 when White has some activity for the pawn, but it is hard to believe it is enough.
22...Qd6 23.Ng2 Bc7 24.Rfe1 h5
Clearing the h7 square for the black knight to join the kingside attack.
25.h3
This further weakens the dark squares. The engines reckon a lesser evil was to give up a pawn by 25.g5!?
25...Nh7 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.Re1 Rb8 28.Qc1 Ng5! 29.Ne5
As Alekhine pointed out, no improvement is 29.Nxg5 Qh2+ 30.Kf1 fxg5 31.Ne3 Qxh3+ and ...hxg4.
29...fxe5 30.Qxg5 e4 31.f6 g6 32.f4!
Moving the light-square bishop is met by ...Qh2+.
32...hxg4!
Stronger than 32...exd3 33.gxh5.
33.Be2 gxh3 34.Bh5 Rb2
Also winning is 34...hxg2 35.Bxg6 Qxf4.
35.Nh4 Qxf4 36.Qxf4 Bxf4 0-1

My Best Ever Tournament (part two)

Spanton (2096) - Vladimir Tukmakov (2581)
Lausanne 1999 Round 2
Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik
Vladimir Tukmakov is a Ukrainian grandmaster whose best results, according to Wikipedia, were in the days of the Soviet Union when he finished second to Bobby Fischer at Buenos Aires 1970, second to Anatoly Karpov at Madrid 1972 and first ahead of Tigran V Petrosian at Vilnius 1978.
1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nxd5 6.d4 e6 7.Nf3 Bb4 8.Bd2
By a slightly unusual move-order, we have reached one of the main variations of the Panov-Botvinnik. I had just bought Jacob Aagaard's Easy Guide To The Panov-Botvinnik Attack - it had been published by Cadogan in the previous November - and had started playing the opening to learn how to use an IQP.
8...Nc6 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.0-0
Aagaard only covers 10.a3, which turns out for quite some time to be Stockfish10's top choice, narrowly ahead of the mainline text.
10...0-0
White seems to get more than enough compensation for a pawn after 10...Nxd4?! 11.Nxd4 Qxd4 12.Be3.
11.Qe2!?
However this move is labelled a "reckless pawn sacrifice" in Karpov & Mikhail Podgaets' 2006 Batsford book, Caro-Kann Defence: Panov Attack. Normal is 11.Bg5.
11...Be7
Critical is 11...Nxd4!? 12.Nxd4 Qxd4, when Larry Christiansen (2563) - Yasser Seirawan (2647), USA Championship 2000 (Seattle), quickly finished 13.Rfd1 Qg4 14.Qxg4 Nxg4 15.Be2 Nf6 16.Bf3 Bxc3 17.Bxc3 Nd5 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5 Bxe6 ½–½.
12.Rad1
Here the main move is 12.Ne4, but the text scores a better percentage in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
12...Nb4
Again Black can try grabbing the pawn. After 12...Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxd4, Stockfish10 and Komodo10 suggest 14.Bg5, which has been seen in three high-level games, with all three possible results having occurred.
13.Bb1 b6 14.Ne4!?
14.Rfe1 was played in Mihai Suba (2500) - Petrosian (2605), Interzonal 1982 (Las Palmas), which continued 14...Bb7 15.Ne5 Rc8 16.Qe3, transposing to a position that had been reached by Petrosian as White in 1967 against Miguel Najdorf. The latter played ...Nfd5 and lost; Petrosian, against Suba, played ...g6 and drew.
14...Ba6?!
This natural-looking move may be a mistake. My move 14.Ne4!? only appears once in Mega20, in the game Petra Papp (2256) - Pal Kiss (2362), Hungarian team championship 2011, and was met by 14...Nbd5 15.Ne5 Bb7 (½–½, 26 moves).
15.Nxf6+ gxf6

How should White proceed?

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16.Bxh7+?
In playing my 14th move, I had missed that 16.Qe4 is met by 16...f5. I thought the bishop sacrifice gave me my best chance of saving the game, but the engines point out 16.Qe3, when 16...Bxf1? leaves White on top after 17.Bxb4 Bc4 (17...Bxb4?? 18.Qh6) 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Nd2, eg 19...Bd5 20.Qg3+ Kh8 21.Qh4. Best for Black, according to the engines, is 16...Nd5, when 17.Qh6 f5 18.Rfe1 is slightly better for White, they reckon.
16...Kxh7 17.Qe4+ f5 18.Qf4 Rh8
Best, according to the engines.
19.Ne5 Kg8 20.Rfe1 Nd5?!
The engines much prefer 20...Kf8.
21.Qg3+ Kf8 22.Ng6!
My notes show Crafty - I do not know which version - did not like this move, but it is definitely White's best shot, according to modern engines.
22...fxg6 23.Qxg6 Qd6?
I recall being worried about 23...Bc8, which is indeed better than the text. But best, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, is 23...f4, blocking White's bishop from the kingside. They continue 24.Rxe6 Bc8 25.Re5, and now 25...Qd6!? or 25...Qe8!? to get queens off at the cost of returning some material, eg 25...Qd6!? 26.Qxd6 Bxd6 27.Rxd5 Ke7, when Black's extra bishop is worth much more than White's extra three pawns, according to Stockfish10, although Komodo10 is not so sure.
24.Bh6+ Rxh6 25.Qxh6+ Kf7 26.Qh7+ Kf6 27.Qh6+ Kf7 28.Qh7+ Kf6 29.Qh6+ ½–½
Tukmakov could have played on with 25...Ke8, but Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon 26.Rxe6 Qf4! (this seems an only-move) 27.Qh8+ Kf7! 28.Rxe7+! Nxe7 (it is important that the knight protects the black king from a check at a7) 29.Qxa8 Be2 is dead-level despite the unbalanced material (White has rook and three pawns for bishop and knight).

Civil War

PLAYED on bottom board for Battersea 2 against Battersea 1 in division one of the Central London League last night.
Tibor Jones (170) - Spanton (168)
Board 5
QGD Exchange
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3 Nbd7 8.Nge2
This has largely supplanted the traditional development of the white king's knight to f3, although both moves score very well in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
8...Re8 9.0-0 Nf8 10.f3
White normally plays Qc2 first, either here or earlier, but the text, which has been played by grandmasters, seems fine too.
10...h6 11.Bh4 Ng6 12.Bf2 c6 13.Qc2 Nf8 14.Kh1 Bd7 15.Rad1 Rc8 16.e4
The thematic pawn push. White establishes a strong centre that can easily prove a game-winner if Black does not successfully break it up.
16...dxe4 17.fxe4 Ng4
17...c5!? threatens to win the white light-square bishop, so White cannot keep two central pawns. Stockfish10 continues 18.Nf4 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Bd6 20.Bxa7 Qc7 21.Be3 Ng4 22.Qe2 Nxe3 23.Qxe3, when Black's bishop-pair and White's isolani give Black reasonable compensation for his pawn-minus. Komodo10 prefers 18.Qb3 Qb6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.h3 cxd4 21.Nxd4 Ba3!? 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.exd5 Bxb2 24.Nf5, when it is White who is a pawn down, at least temporarily, but has full compensation, according to the engine.
18.Ng3?!
On the engines' choice 18.Bg1, I intended 18...Bg5, but the engines reckon 19.e5 gives White a strong position, eg 19...Ne3 20.Bxe3 Bxe3 21.Ne4.
18...Bh4 19.e5?
The engines' 19.Qe2, guarding e3, is better.

How should Black proceed?

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19...Nxf2+?
I was so fixated on winning the bishop-pair that I did not consider 19...Bxg3, which wins the exchange as 20.hxg3?? Qg5 is catastrophic for White. Nevertheless, after 20.Bxg3 Ne3 21.Qf2 Nxf1 22.Rxf1, the engines reckon White has full compensation for the exchange, an indicator of just how strong White's centre is.
Also reasonable for Black is 19...c5, which, as at move 17, breaks up White's centre.
20.Qxf2 Be6 21.Nce4 Be7?!
The engines reckon it was better to let the e4 knight into d6, but of course White is much better.
22.Nf5 Bxf5?
It was important to keep f7 defended by the light-square bishop, although White seems to be winning in any case.
23.Qxf5 Qd5 24.Nc3 Qe6 25.Qh5 Rcd8 26.Bc2
Threatening Bb3.
26...g6!?
Giving up a pawn to relieve pressure on f7.
27.Qxh6 Qg4 28.Ne4 Qh4 29.Qe3 Ne6 30.Rf3 Bg5 31.Nxg5 Qxg5 32.Qf2?
White should have settled for 32.Qxg5 Nxg5 33.Rfd3, when he is a pawn up but the game has a long way to go.
32...Re7?
Missing the fairly simple, if you are looking for it, 32...Nxd4!, when Black is better, especially in the event of 33.Rxd4? Qc1+ (but not 33...Rxd4?? 34.Qxd4 Qc1+ 35.Bd1) 34.Bd1 Qxd1+ 35.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 36.Qg1 Rxg1+ 37.Kxg1 Rxe5.
33.Bb3 Rdd7
Not 33...Nxd4?? 34.Rxf7 or 33...Rxd4?? 34.Rxd4 Nxd4 35.Qxd4 Qc1+ 36.Bd1.
34.Rc3 Nf4 35.Rg3 Qh4 36.Qf3 Nd5 37.Rh3 Qf4??
This allows an immediate finish, but 37...Qg5 38.Rf1 leaves White in complete control.
38.Bxd5 1-0
Battersea 1 won the match 4.5-0.5.
My updated Battersea statistics for 2019-20
Event*..Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL..…...B....…..168...………169...……….....W
CLL...…..B...…...168...………196...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..168...………176...…………..L
LL....……W...…..168...…....…175...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...168...………192...…………..D
CLL...…..W...…..168...………181...…………..L
LL...…….W...…..168...………168...…………..L
EC...…….B...…..168...………175...……….….L
CLL...…...B.........168...………170...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +1=3-5 for a grading performance of 156.
In season 2018-19 I scored +12=12-13 for a grading performance of 169.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.
*CLL: Central London League; LL: London League; EC: Eastman Cup.

Game Of Missed Chances

PLAYED last night in the Battersea Club Championship.
Paul Stokes (158) - Spanton (168)
QGD 4...c5
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 c5!?
This little-known line has been tried by many strong players since Steinitz played it in his 1886 match against Zukertort.
5.cxd5 cxd4
Steinitz preferred 5...exd5 against Zukertort. Another alternative is 5...Qb6!?, known as the Dutch-Peruvian Gambit.
6.Qa4+!?
The main line runs 6.Qxd4 Be7 7.e4 Nc6 8.Qd2 Nxd5!? 9.exd5 Bxg5 10.f4 Bh4+ 11.g3 exd5 12.gxh4 Qxh4+ 13.Qf2 Qe7+ 14.Qe2 Be6 15.Nf3 d4, as seen in John M Quinn (187) - Spanton (161), Metropolitan 1993 (0-1, 36 moves), and several other games. Black has two pawns and an initiative for a knight. The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer White after the continuation 16.f5, which does not appear in ChessBase's 2019 database.
The text, which may have been first played by Ludek Pachman in 1949, is still sometimes chosen by strong players.
6...Qd7
Black has insufficient compensation for a pawn after 6...Bd7?! 7.Qxd4 exd5 8.Bxf6 (not 8.Nxd5?? Qa5+) followed by capturing on d5.
7.Qxd4 Nc6 8.Qd2 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 Qxd5
Jonny Hector (2485) preferred the engines' choice 9...exd5 in a 1989 loss to Juan Bellon Lopez (2470).
10.Qxd5 exd5 11.0-0-0?!
The white king is vulnerable on the queenside. Safer was Pachman's 11.Nf3, or, as played by Vadim Malakhatko (2594) in 2006, 11.a3.

Black to make his 11th move

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11...Be6
A routine move, but I had analysis from 1999 showing the strength of 11...Bf5! The point is that 12.Rxd5 is good for Black after 12...Rc8 (my note from 1999) or the engines' 12...Be6/12...Be4. Indeed the engines reckon White's best is 12.e4!?, when Black regains his pawn and still has threats against the white king.
12.Nf3 Rc8 13.Kb1 Bc5 14.e3 f6 15.Bf4 0-0 16.Be2 Nb4?
This would have been a good reply to 16.Bd3?, but here it is positively harmful as White gets to make a useful defensive move with tempo.
17.a3 Nc6 18.Rc1 Be7 19.Rhd1 Rfd8 20.h3 a6?!
Komodo10's second-choice for a while, but there was no need to guard the b5 square. A queenside attack with ...b5 is unlikely to ever be good and Black now has to be alert to a possible Bxa6.
21.g4
Stockfish10 wants to sac the exchange with 21.Rxc6!? when both 21...Rxc6 and 21...bxc6 are met by 22.Nd4.
21...g6 22.Bg3
The exchange sac is still possible but the engines reckon the text is even stronger.
22...Kg7 23.Bf1
Preparing to bring pressure to d5 by putting this bishop on the long light-square diagonal. Again the engines reckon Rxc6!? is a reasonable alternative.
23...f5?
The second-choice of both engines for a while, but I regretted the move almost as soon as I played it.
24.Ne5?
Exchanging pieces usually helps the player who does not have the isolani, but here Black's king is well-placed for an ending, and anyway 24.g5 makes Black's light-square bishop look silly.
24...Nxe5 25.Bxe5+ Bf6 26.Bxf6+ Kxf6 27.f3?!
This appears reasonable, but the engines do not like it, reckoning White is equal after 27.Be2.
27...Rxc1+ 28.Rxc1?!
Black is just a little better after 28.Kxc1 fxg4 29.fxg4 (or 29.hxg4 h5) Kxg5.
28...Rc8?
I rejected 28...d4! because of the obvious 29.Rd1, but the engines reckon Black is well on top after 29...Kg5. Also good for Black is the immediate 28...Kg5.
29.Rxc8 Bxc8 30.Kc2
PS offered a draw.
30...fxg4 31.hxg4!?
This lets Black create a passed h pawn, but it is not clear that 31.fxg4 is better. The engines reckon both moves give an equal position.
31...h5 32.gxh5 gxh5 33.Kd3 h4

White to make his 34th move

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34.Kd4?
White holds the balance with 34.Ke2.
34...Bd7?
34...h3 wins, eg 35.Kxd5 h2 36.Bg2 Kg5 etc.
35.Kxd5 Bc6+
The engines reckon 35...h3!? is a draw after, for example, the fascinating line 36.e4 h2 37.Bg2 Kg5 38.e5 Kh4 39.e6 Bc6+ 40.Kd4 Kg3 41.Bh1 Kf2 42.e7 Kg1 43.Ke3 Kxh1 44.Kf2.
36.Kd4 Bxf3 37.Bh3?
37.e4 holds.
37...Kg5 38.Ke5 Bg4 39.Bg2 Bc8?
39...h3 wins, eg 40.Bxb7 h2 41.Bh1 Be2 42.Kd6 Kg4 43.e4 Bf3 etc.
40.Kd6 Kg4 41.e4 Kg3 42.Bh1 Kh2 43.Bf3 Kg3 ½–½

Morphy v The Petrov (part four)

PAUL Morphy's fourth game against the Petrov came in 1859, and the start of the game has quite a modern feel to it.
Morphy - Wincenty Budzyński
Café de la Régence
Petrov Defence Classical Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Be7 7.0-0 Nc6
Morphy had played this line as Black three times in his match the previous year against Johann Löwenthal.
8.c4 Be6
This was Morphy's choice on the two occasions Löwenthal played 8.c4. David Hooper in A Complete Defence To 1 P-K4: A Study of Petroff's Defence (Pergamon Press, 1967) calls it "not so bad as its reputation."

White to make his ninth move

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9.Qb3!?
Löwenthal played 9.cxd5 in both games. Morphy's move, which has apparently not been repeated in master play, is not mentioned by Hooper.
9...Na5?
Immediately he has to think for himself, Budzyński goes wrong. Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 9...0-0, and if 10.Qxb7?!, then 10...Nb4 gives Black a good game.
10.Qa4+ c6?!
The retreat 10...Nc6 seems slightly better, but Black's loss of time must hurt him.
11.Re1
Preceding this move with 11.cxd5!?, as given by the engines, looks even stronger.
11...f5
The engines prefer to offer a pawn sac by 11...0-0!, the point being that 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.Bxe4 dxe4 14.Rxe4 Rc8 gives Black good compensation in the shape of the bishop-pair and better-coordinated development. But after 11...0-0!, they reckon White gets a slight edge with 12.Qc2 or 12.c5.
12.cxd5 Bxd5 13.Bd2!
Better than 13.b4 Nc4 14.b5 Nb6.
13...Nxd2 14.Nbxd2 b5 15.Qc2 g6 16.Rxe7+?
A miscalculation. White is much better after the simple 16.a4, which brings his final piece into play without, as in the game, sacrificing material.
16...Kxe7 17.Re1+ Kf7
Best, according to the engines, was the bold 17...Kf6!, which prevents White sacrificing further material. The engines reckon White would then have insufficient compensation for the exchange. 17...Kf6! also complies with the general rule that a king is safest when snug against its own pawns.
18.Bxf5! gxf5?
Black should have declined the bishop with 18...Re8 or 18...Kg7, in either case with an unclear position.
19.Qxf5+ Qf6
The engines prefer 19...Kg7, but White has a winning attack after 20.Qg4+ Kf8 21.Re5.
20.Ne5+ Kg7 21.Qg4+ Kh6 22.Re3 Bxg2
Desperate stuff, but Black cannot avoid a quick mate in any event.
23.Kxg2 Rhg8 24.Rh3+ 1-0

Draw Meister

PRIOR to this round-seven game in the 'Paignton' premier, my opponent had drawn five games and taken a half-point bye in his remaining one.
The finish of this game may help explain why he is such a 'solid' player.

White has just played 23.Ra1-d1 and offered a draw in Adrian Pickersgill (1948/170) - Spanton (1881/168)

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AP explained in the postmortem that he offered a draw because he thought the position was equal, which is confirmed by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
23...Qd6?
Playing on in this type of position helps explain, on the other hand, why so few of my games end in draws. Sometimes it seems I will play any move, just to keep the game going.
Here it would have made sense to play 23...h6 or 23...g6, to avoid back-rank mate problems, or 23...a6 to give the b5 pawn more protection. The problem with the text is that it unblockades the white isolani, and that is a problem because, as a general rule, isolated pawns become stronger the further they advance (provided they do not just become easily capturable).
24.a3?!
White is better after 24.d5, which takes the pressure off his isolani and drives Black's knight to an unfavourable square, eg 24...Na5 25.b3.
24...Rd7 25.Qh4
Pushing the d pawn is not so clear-cut now as Black replies 25...Ne7.
25...f6?!
This solves Black's potential back-rank mate problem, and restricts White's knight. But, to a certain extent, the knight is restricted anyway by being tied to the d pawn, and the text creates a new problem by weakening the e6 square.
26.Qh5 g6??
The best moves, it is said, contain more than one threat. Well, I saw that 26.Qh5 threatened to invade with a rook at e8, but I completely missed the other point of the move.
27.Qxb5
In one move the game has gone from equal material, but with White having the only isolani, to White being a pawn up, and Black having two isolanis against White's one.
27...Kf7?
I wanted to give extra protection to the e6 square to stop a white rook landing there, but there were more pressing problems. I rejected 27...Rb8 because after 28.Qc4+ Qd5 29.Qxd5+ Rxd5, White has 30.Re6, which is indeed good for White, although the engines reckon 30.Rc1 is even stronger.
28.b4?
White wins a second pawn after 28.Qc4+ Qd5 29.Qxd5 Rxd5 30.Rc1, eg 30...Rd6 31.d5 etc.
28...Rfd8 29.h3
29.d5 may be even stronger, but Black has no meaningful counterplay, so guarding against a back-rank mate (and doing so in a sensible manner) cannot be bad.
29...Kg7?
Setting up a white knight-fork at e6 does not help, but Black was in a bad way in any event.
30.Re3?
This time d5 was definitely stronger, and if 30...Ne5, then 31.Nd4 (with Ne6 to come), as 31...Qxd5?? loses to 32.Qxd5 (best) Rxd5 33.Rxd5 Ne6+.
30...Ne7 31.Rde1 Nf5 32.Re6?!
AP pointed out that better was 32.Re4, but the text should also win.
32...Nxd4 33.Nxd4 Qxd4 34.Re7+ Kh6 35.R7e4
White is better after the text, thanks to Black's weak queenside pawns and exposed king. But even stronger is 35.Qc6, when best, according to the engines, is 35...Rxe7 36.Rxe7 Qd1+ 37.Kh2 Qd6+ 38.Qxd6 Rxd6 39.Rxc7 Ra6 40.Rc3, with what I am sure is a technically winning rook-and-pawn ending.
White accompanied his last move with his second draw offer of the game, and this time even I could not find a (spurious) reason to play on.