Birthday Surprise

YESTERDAY, my 65th birthday, saw me playing for Wessex Some Stars B against Cambridge University C in Division Three South of the Four Nations Chess League at the Maidenhead Holiday Inn, Berkshire.

Spanton (2040 ECF/1901 Fide) - Miroslaw Walkusz (2060 ECF/1944 Fide)

Board One (of six)

French Alekhine-Chatard

1.Nc3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.h4!?

This is the first time this gambit, credited to Adolf Albin, has appeared in a game of mine

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6...a6

This is the commonest way to meet the gambit, the main idea presumably being to follow with ...c5 at a time when White cannot use the b5 square for a minor piece.

The commonest acceptance line runs 6...Bxg5 7.hxg5 Qxg5 8.Nh3 (this is probably better than Albin's 8.Nf3) Qe7, when both 9.Nf4 and 9.Qg4 are popular.

7.Qg4 f5?!

Most popular in ChessBase's 2022 Mega database is 7...Bxg5 8.hxg5 c5 9.g6 f5 with an unclear position; Stockfish14.1 gives White the upper hand but Komodo12.1.1 reckons the game is equal.

8.Qh5+ Kf8!?

Probably slightly better is 8...g6 9.Qh6 Bxg5 10.hxg5 Qe7, albeit the engines much prefer White.

9.Nh3

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 9.g4!?

9...Qe8 10.Bxe7+ Qxe7?!

This loses a pawn, so Black probably has to play 10...Ke7, although the engines reckon 11.Qg5+ gives White at least the upper hand.

11.Nf4 Qf7

White threatened 12.Ng6+, and if 11...Kg8 the engines give 12.Ncxd5! exd5 12.Nxd5 Qf7 13.Qxf7+ Kxf7 14.Nxc7 Ra7 15.e6+ etc.

12.Qxf7+ Kxf7 13.Ncxd5! exd5 14.e6+ Ke8?!

Marginally better seems to be 14...Ke7.

15.exd7

Even stronger seems to be 15.Nxd5!?

15...Kxd7 16.Nxd5 Re8+ 17.Kd2 Nc6 18.c3 Kd6 19.Nf4 b5 20.Bd3 Na5 21.b4 Nc4+ 22.Bxc4 bxc4 23.Rhe1 Bd7 24.Rxe8 Rxe8 25.Re1 Rxe1

Black could not really avoid rooks coming off, but after ...

26.Kxe1

... the minor-piece ending is easily won for White.

26...Be8 27.Kd2 g6 28.Ke3 h6 29.Nh3 Ke6 30.Kf4 Kf6 31.g3 Bc6 32.Ng1 g5+ 33.hxg5+ hxg5+ 34.Ke3 Bd5 35.Nf3 Be6 36.Ne5 Ke7 37.Nc6+ Kd6 38.Ne5

Not 38.Nd8?? as the knight is lost after 38...Bd5, while 38.Nb8? seems to let Black off with at least a draw after 38...Bc8.

38...Ke7 39.d5!? Bxd5 40.Kd4 Ke6 41.Nxc4 Bc6 42.Ne5 Be8 43.c4 Ba4 44.Nd3

Now a second pawn falls.

The game finished:

44...Bc6 45.Nc5+ Kf6 46.Nxa6 f4 47.gxf4 gxf4 48.Nxc7 1-0

Wessex won the match 3.5-2.5.

Yesterday Once More

MY game from the 4NCL yesterday.
John T Fletcher (2002/188) - Spanton (1840/170)
Division 4, Board 1, The Full Ponty v Wessex C
Veresov
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Nbd7
Easily the most-popular reply to the Veresov. It scores a much-higher percentage in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database than the second-most popular move, 3...e6.
4.Nf3 h6 5.Bh4
Gavriil Veresov preferred 5.Bf4 in a game in the 1955 Belarusian championship, but switched to the text nine years later in Moscow.
5...e6 6.e3 c5 7.Bb5!?
This is strange, although it has been successfully played by a 2410, and the analysis engine Stockfish10 flickers between the text and 7.Be2.
7...a6 8.Bxd7+ Bxd7 9.Ne5
Presumably White's idea is he has given up the bishop-pair but has a well-posted knight at e5.
9...Be7 10.0-0 Rc8 11.a4N 0-0 12.Qd3 Nh5!?
A good rule-of-thumb has it that when you have a bad bishop (in this case my shut-in light-square bishop), you should not exchange your good bishop. I knew the rule but felt it was desirable to exchange a pair of minors to dissipate any kingside attack White might be hoping to build up.
Perhaps a better way of doing this is 12...Ng4!?, when White is more-or-less obliged to let the queens come off too by13.Bxe7 Nxe5 14.Bxd8 Nxd3.
13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Ne2 Nf6 15.c3 Bc6 16.Ng3 Qe8 17.Qd1 cxd4!?
This is always a double-edged move in this type of position as the half-open e file might prove more valuable for White than the half-open c file does for Black.
18.exd4 Nd7 19.Nxc6
I thought a better try is 19.f4, although Stockfish10 and Komodo10 give 19...g6!? with what they at first call equality, but quickly switch to preferring White. I was leaning towards 19...Nxe5, when 20.fxe5 looks promising for White, eg 20...f6?! 21.exf6 Rxf6 22.Rxf6 gxf6 23.Nh5 with a decidedly draughty black king.
19...Rxc6 20.Re1 Nb6 21.Qg4 Qd8 22.h4
White's attack may look menacing, but it is surprisingly easily dealt with. Meanwhile, White has queenside weaknesses to worry about.
If 22.Nh5, then 22...Qg5 23.Qxg5 hxg5 is at least equal for Black, according to the engines.
22...f5 23.Qf4 g5 24.hxg5 hxg5 25.Qf3
The black king may look draughty here, but White cannot get at it. Meanwhile Black's kingside space advantage means the white king is in danger from an attack down the h file.
25...Rf7 26.a5!?
The engines quite like the text, which somewhat baffles me, but they prefer 26.Nh5, when they reckon 26...Qf8 27.Qg3 Qh6 28.Nf4 is equal.
26...Nc4 27.Re2

How should Black proceed?

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27...Qf6
27...Rh7 was possible, but I did not like the reply 28.Nxf5!?, when the engines continue 28...exf5 (not 28...Rf7?? 29.Nh6+) 29.Rae1 Qd7 30.Re8+ Kf7 31.R8e7+ Qxe7 32.Rxe7+ Kxe7 33.Qxf5 with a position difficult to assess (Stockfish10 reckons it is equal; Komodo10 slightly prefers Black).
28.Rae1 Rh7
Perhaps I should have satisfied myself with grabbing a pawn by 28...Nxa5, but I thought I had bigger fish to fry, and anyway the a5 pawn is not going away.
29.b4?
On 29.b3 I was planning 29...Qh6 (29...Nxa5 is much stronger), missing that White has 30.Qh5! (but not 30.bxc4?? Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Nxh1 Rxh1#). The engines give 29.Rxe6! Rxe6 30.Qxd5 Rhe7 31.Qxc4 with a slight edge to Black.
29...Qh6
The threat is 30...Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Nxh1 Rxh1#.
30.Re5
White is lost whatever he plays. I expected something like 30.Rc2, but had seen 30...f4 wins a piece. The text offers an exchange to break the attack, but Black can do better.
30...Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Nd2+ 0-1
My two wins over the weekend saw me gain 20 Fide elo.
The Full Ponty won this match 4-2.

Yesterday

HERE is my game from the 4NCL yesterday.
Spanton (1840/170) - Ryan Cheung (1681/149)
Division 4, Board 1, Wessex C v West Is Best 3
Spanish Exchange
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Be3 0-0-0 9.Nd2
If 9.Nc3, then 9...Bb4 is slightly annoying.
9...Ne7 10.f3
Normal is 10.0-0-0, but under the influence of my Lasker's Spanish Inquisition series, I wanted to keep my king  in the centre/kingside as Emanuel Lasker often did in 5.d4 lines of the Exchange Variation of the Ruy Lopez.
10...c5 11.N4b3 b6 12.a4?!
Castling long was still possible. The text creates a weakness as the white a pawn never manages to soften up Black's queenside, and anyway White is never likely to want to play axb6 as that would undouble Black's c pawns.
12...Nc6 13.Ke2 Be6 14.c3
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer 14.Nc1 Nb4 15.Kd1, but give Black a large advantage.
14...f5 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.Ne4 h6 17.Rad1 Be7
The engines reckon Black should avoid allowing a rook-exchange, which lets White develop his king's rook, by playing, for example, 17...Bd7!?
18.Rxd8+ Rxd8 19.Rd1 Ne5?!
But now the engines reckon Black is much better after 19...Rxd1 20.Kxd1 Bd7.
20.Rxd8+ Kxd8 21.Nbd2 Be6
If 21...c4?, then 22.Bd4.
22.Bf4 Nc4 23.b3?
Correct is 23.Nxc4 Bxc4+ 24.Ke3, and if 24...Bb3, then 25.a5, when Stockfish10 reckons Black is slightly better, but Komodo10 rates the position as level.
23...Nxd2?
Black wins a pawn with 23...Na5 as 24.c4 fails to 24...Nxb3.
24.Nxd2 a5 25.Be5 g6 26.c4
White has stabilised the queenside and still has a kingside pawn-majority, but the bishop-pair is so powerful the engines reckon the position is dead-level.
26...Bd6!? 27.Bf6+!?
The engines reckon that after 27.Bxd6 cxd6 White may be slightly better, but I felt there were zero winning chances.
27...Kd7 28.g3 Bf5 29.Ne4 Ke6 30.Bc3 h5 31.Ke3 Be5 32.Bxe5 Kxe5 33.f4+ Ke6 34.Nd2 Bc2 35.h3 Kf5 36.Ke2??
36.Kf3 holds the balance.
36...g5?
Missing a win by 36...h4, eg 37.Kf2 hxg3+ 38.Kxg3 Bd1, when White is in zugzwang after 39.h4 c6, or 37.gxh4 Kxf4 38.Kf2 c6, and again White is in zugzwang.
37.fxg5 Kxg5 38.Kf3 Bf5
Black has to be careful after this. It was simpler to maintain pressure on the white queenside by 38...Kf5, as 39.g4+ hxg4+ 40.hxg4+ Ke5 seems strong for Black.
39.Ne4+ Kg6?
39...Kh6 40.g4 hxg4+ 41.hxg4 Bg6 42.Kf4 Kg7 43.Ke5 Kf8 holds.
40.g4 Bd7
40...hxg4+ 41.hxg4 Bd7 42.Kf4 also looks problematic for Black, as does 40...Be6 41.Kf4.
41.gxh5+ Kh6
Not 41...Kxh5?? 42.Nf6+.
42.h4 Bh3 43.Ng3 Bd7 44.Kf4 c6
There does not seem to be any defence.
45.Ke5 Bg4 46.Kd6 Bf3
Or 46...Bd1 47.Kxc6 Bxb3 48.Kxb6 Bxa4 49.Kxa5 etc.
47.Kc7 b5!?
This gives White chances to go wrong.
48.cxb5 cxb5 49.axb5 c4 50.bxc4 a4 51.Nf5+ Kxh5 52.Nd4 Bd1 53.b6?
Much simpler is 53.Nc6 a3 54.Nb4 as Black cannot stop one of White's queenside pawns promoting.
53...a3 54.b7 a2 55.b8=Q a1=Q 56.Qh8+ Kg4 57.Qg7+?!
Best, according to the engines, is 57.c5.
57...Kh3
Not 57...Kxh4?? 58.Nf5+ Kh5 59.Qxa1.
58.Qd7+ Bg4 59.Qd5 Kxh4
Now White only has a one-pawn advantage, which means Black draws if he can sac his bishop for the pawn.
60.Nb5 Qg7+ 61.Kb6 Qf6+ 62.Nd6 Qb2+ 63.Kc5 Qa3+ 64.Kd4 Qb2+ 65.Kc5 Qa3+ 66.Kb6 Bf3 67.Qd4+ Kh3 68.Nb5 Qa8 69.Qd7+ Kg2 70.Qc7 Qf8 71.c5
After a lot of manoeuvring, the pawn advances, but Black still has decent drawing chances. Stockfish10 reckons the position is equal, but Komodo10, which I think sometimes overvalues material differences in endings, reckons White has the upper hand.
71...Qf6+ 72.Qd6

Should Black exchange queens?

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72...Qg5?
72...Qxd6+ 73.cxd6 Bg4 74.Kc7 Kf3 75.Kc6 Ke4 76.Nc3+ Ke5 is a draw, according to Stockfish10, but Komodo10 still believes White has the upper hand. The Nalimov endgame tablebase shows exchanging queens does indeed draw.
73.Nd4
The engines agree White is much better.
73...Bg4?!
The bishop should surely stay on the long light-square diagonal, ready to capture if the pawn advances.
74.c6 Qc1 75.Qd5+ Kh3 76.c7 Qb2+ 77.Nb5 Qf2+ 78.Qd4?
78.Nd4 is better.
78...Qf5?
Stockfish10 reckons 78...Qxd4+ 79.Nxd4 Kg3 is a draw; Komodo10 has White winning. Again Stockfish10 is correct, according to Nalimov.
79.Nd6 Qb1+ 80.Ka7 Qa2+ 81.Kb8 Qb3+ 82.Nb7 Qg3 83.Qh8+ Kg2 84.Qb2+ Kg1 85.Qb6+ Kg2 86.Nd6 Qh3 87.Qb2+ Kg1 88.Ne4 Qf3 89.Qd4+ Kg2 90.Qd2+ Kg1 65mins less 91.Qb4 Qf4 92.Qb1+ Kg2 93.Qb2+ Kf3 94.Nf6 Bf5 95.Qc3+ Kf2 96.Nd5 Qf3 97.Qd2+ Kg3 98.Qe1+ Kg4?
The engines have had White winning since Black's 78th move, but I was not finding it easy. However now White can exchange minor pieces and so eliminate Black's ...BxP drawing resource.
99.Ne3+ Kf4 100.Nxf5 Qb3+ 101.Kc8 Kxf5 102.Qe8 Qb6 103.Qe7 Kf4 104.Kd7 Qb5+ 105.Kd8 Qd5+ 106.Ke8 Qa8+ 107.Kf7 Qd5+ 108.Kg6 Qg2+ 109.Kh7 Qh3+ 110.Kg8 Qg4+ 111.Kf8 Qc8+ 112.Kf7 Kf3
The checks have effectively run out as 112...Qf5+? loses trivially to 113.Qf6.
113.Qd8 Qb7 114.Qd7 Qb3+ 115.Kf8 Qb4+ 116.Qe7 Qb7 117.Kg7 Kg3 118.Qe5+ Kf3 119.Kg6 Kg2 120.Kg5 Qc8 121.Qe4+ Kg3 122.Qf4+ Kh3 123.Qh4+ 1-0

The Short And The Short Of It

HAD a much shorter game today in division four of the 4NCL - under three hours and only 31 moves.
I won on top board for Wessex C against The Full Ponty, and am now waiting at Maidenhead train station for disrupted rail services to get going again ...

The Long And The Short Of It

AM playing for Wessex C in division four of the 4NCL this weekend at the Holiday Inn in Maidenhead, Berks.
My game today was the last to finish - six-and-a-half hours and 123 moves.
That is the second-most moves I have ever played, at least in a game where the score was kept to the end.
I have just arrived home and made myself fruit salad with yogurt for dinner, and am much too tired to even think about annotating the game tonight, so am keeping this post short.
Suffice it to say for now that I won my game - far from convincingly, I fear - and Wessex C won the match, against West Is Best's third team, 5-1.
Addendum 10/2/20: updated to change "much to tired" to "much too tired." I clearly was tired!