Morphing The French XVII

AM playing on board 19 for England against Switzerland in a friendly correspondence match at the Fide-recognised ICCF.

This game, which finished today, is my second attempt at correspondence chess to play against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.*

Spanton (2262) - Hans Graf (2287)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3

Morphy played this move all four times he reached the position after 6...0-0, but much more popular today is 7.Bg5!?, when the main line continues 7...Bg4 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.c3 c6 10.Qc2 Qc7 11.Rfe1 Rfe8 with a symmetrical position that Stockfish12 and Komodo11.01 reckon is equal.

7...Bg4 8.h3 Bh5

For 8...Be6?! see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french-part-four.html

9.Bg5 c6 10.g4!? Bg6 11.Ne5 Re8 12.f4!?

The engines reckon Black is better after 12.Nxg6 hxg6.

12...Qb6 13.Kg2 Bxd3

Not 13...Qxd4? 14.Bxg6, eg 14...Qxd1 15.Bxf7+ Kf8 16.Raxd1 Bxe5 17.fxe5 Kxf7 18.exf6 or 14...Bxe5 15.fxe5 Qxd1 16.Raxd1 Rxde5 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Bd3.

But possible is 13...Qxb2!?, when the engines give 14.Ne2 Be4+ 15.Kh2 with an unclear position that they reckon gives White good compensation, but no more, for a pawn.

14.Qxd3 Nbd7

White is winning after 14...Qxb2? 15.Rab1 Qa3 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Rxb7, according to the engines, eg 17...fxe5 18.fxe5 Re7 19.Rb3 Qa5 20.exd6 with a huge attack.

15.Rae1 Nf8 16.f5 Qxb2!? 17.Rb1 Qa3 18.Rxb7 Bxe5 19.dxe5 N6d7

Not 19...Rxe5? 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Ne4 Qxd3 22.Nxf6+ Kg7 23.Nh5+ Kg8 24.cxd3, when material is level but Black's uncoordinated pieces mean White is winning, according to the engines.

Position after 19...N6d7

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20.e6!?

This initiates a drawing combination that neither player can get out of. More enterprising, on the face of it, is 20.Ne2, but after 20...Qxa2 the engines reckon White must either seek a repetition by 21.Nc3 or play the same drawing combination as in the game, starting with 21.e6!?

20...fxe6 21.f6 gxf6 22.Rxf6 Rab8 23.Rxd7 Nxd7 24.Rf7

24.Rh6 comes to the same thing - both moves have to be met by 24...Nf8.

24...Nf8 25.Rxh7

The engines point out another draw by 25.Qf3 Qb2 26.Bh6 Qxc2+ 27.Kg3 Qg6 28.Rf6 Qc2 29.Rf7 etc.

25...Nxh7 26.Qg6+ Kh8 27.Bf6+ Nxf6 28.Qxf6+ Kg8 29.Qg6+ ½–½

*My first attempt: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/10/morphing-french-xvi.html

Morphing The French XIV

PLAYING on board eight (of 10) for Battersea last night against Athenaeum in the London League, I had my 14th chance to try to meet the French in the style of Paul Morphy.
Spanton (170) - John S Walton (152)
French Exchange
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Be7
Second in popularity to 5...Bd6.
6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3
Five moves are more popular in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, led by 7.h3, which restricts the black light-square bishop.
7...Re8
Another less-popular move, but there seems nothing wrong with it.
8.Re1 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.Bg5 Bg6?
Missing a tactic.

What did Black miss?

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11.Bxf6 gxf6
If 11...Bxf6, then 12.Rxe8+ Qxe8 13.Nxd5.
12.Nh4 Qd7 13.Qf3 Nc6 14.Nf5
14.Nxd5 is also good.
14...Nb4 15.Nxe7+
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer 15.h4.
15...Rxe7 16.Rxe7 Qxe7 17.Bxg6
Here the engines prefer 17.a3 Nxd3 18.Nxd5 Qd6 19.cxd3 Kg7 20.Nf4.
17...hxg6 18.Nxd5 Nxd5 19.Qxd5 Qb4 20.Qb3!?
Returning the pawn in the hope of a small positional edge. The engines give 20.Rb1 Re8 21.c3 with a slight edge for White.
20...Qxd4 21.c3 Qb6 22.Rd1 Qxb3 23.axb3 Kf8
White is slightly better thanks to having his rook on an open file and having the possibility of creating a passed h pawn.
24.Kf1
The engines like 24.Rd7 Rc8 followed by gaining space with g4 or b4.
24...Ke7 25.Ke2 Rd8?
The pawn-ending is problematic for Black.
One line given by the engines runs 25...a5 26.h4 Ra6 with a position they reckon is equal.
26.Rxd8 Kxd8 27.Ke3 Ke7 28.h4 Kf8!?
This move looks silly at first glance, but it comes to be Komodo10's choice. The idea is that the white king will have great difficulty invading the queenside, so Black moves his king to the h file to combat White's potential passer.
29.g4 Kg7 30.Ke4 Kh6 31.b4 f5+!?
A good practical try.
32.gxf5 Kh5 33.c4 Kxh4 34.c5
Simpler is 34.fxg6, eg 34...fxg6 35.b5 Kg4 36.c5 g5 37.c6 bxc6 38.bxc6 a5 39.b3 Kh3 40.Kf5 g4 41.Kg5 g3 42.fxg3 Kxg3 43.Kf5 etc.
34...g5

How should White proceed?

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35.Kf3??
This turns a win into a loss.
I rejected the winning 35.Ke5 (35.b5 is also good) because of 35...Kg4, missing that 36.Kf6 leads to a winning queen-and-pawn ending, eg 36...a6 37.Ke7 Kxf5 38.Kd7 c6 39.Kc7 Kg4 40.Kxb7 Kf3 41.Kxa6 g4 42.b5 Kxf2 43.bxc6 g3 44.c7 g2 45.c8Q g1Q 46.Qf5+ Ke3 47.c6 etc.
35...f6
White loses because he will eventually be in zugzwang.
36.b5 c6 37.bxc6 bxc6 38.Ke4 Kg4 39.f3+ Kg3 40.b4 a6 41.Ke3 g4 42.fxg4 Kxg4 43.Ke4 Kg5 0-1
Battersea won the match 7-3.
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.........170...………172...…………..L
LL...…….W...…..170...………183...…………..D
LL............W........170...…........180......……......L
LL....…….B...…..170....……...182...………….W
CLL...…...B...…..170...………183...……….….D
LL...……..B...…..170...………162...…………..W
LL...…….W...…..170...………172...…………..W
LL...…….W...…..170...………152...…………..L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=5-7 for a grading performance of 167.
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.

Morphing The French XIII

PLAYED in division one of the Central London League on board five (of five) for Battersea 2 against Pimlico Bishops last night.
The game gave me my 13th chance to try to play against the French in the style of Paul Morphy.
Spanton (170) - Robert Stern (172)
French Exchange
1.d4 e6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 c5 6.0-0
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 like 6.c3, but I did not believe that is the type of move Morphy would play if getting on with development were possible.
6.dxc5!? Bxc5 produces a very different type of game.
6...c4 7.Re1+ Be7 8.Bf1 0-0 9.b3
Kasparov played 9.Bg5 in a win over Korchnoi at Tilburg (Netherlands) 1991.
9...cxb3 10.axb3 Nc6 11.Nbd2
The main move is 11.Ne5 but the text has also been tried by a few 2400+ players.

How should Black proceed?

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11...h6
I did not understand the point of this, but RS explained after the game that his idea is to give his light-square bishop a retreat square on h7 in the event of it going to f5 and being attacked by Nh4.
However the immediate 11...Bf5 features in three games in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database by players rated 2431-2575. The point is that 12.Nh4?! runs into 12...Bg4, when the d4 pawn is hanging.
If 13.f3?, Black has 13...Be6, when both d4 and the knight at h4 are in danger.
If 13.Nhf3 (13.Ndf3?? loses to 13...Ne4, when the vulnerability of the knight at h4 is again apparent) then simply 13...Nxd4 is good.
That leaves 13.Be2 Bxe2 14.Qxe2 Re8 (14...Nxd4?! 15.Qxe7 Nxc2 gives an unclear position, but not 15...Re8?? 16.Qxd8), and now the engines agree the best White has is 15.Qd1 Nxd4 16.Bb2 Qb6 17.Bxd4 Qxd4 18.Rxe7 Rxe7 19.Nf5 Qe5 20.Nxe7+ Qxe7, when Black emerges a pawn up.
12.Bb2 Bf5
The arguably somewhat inconsistent 12...Bg4 was played in Lars Oskar Hauge (2431) - Gupta Prithu (2219), Rilton Cup (Stockholm) 2016. That game continued 13.h3 Bh5 14.Bd3 Bd6 15.c4 with a roughly level position (but 1-0, 30 moves).
13.Ne5 Re8
13...Nb4 14.Rc1 Na2 16.Ra1 Nb4 15.Ra1 Nb4 would be an invitation to an early draw. However 14...Rc8 would keep the game going.
14.Nxc6!?
This unisolates the d5 pawn but isolates the a pawn and creates a new weakness at c6. It also means White's backward c pawn is no longer on a half-open file.
14...bxc6 15.Nf3 Ne4
The engines give 15...a5!?, preventing a White piece going to a6.
16.Ne5 Qc7
Possible is 16...Bd6!? as 17.Nxc6? (the position is difficult to assess - one line given by the engines runs 17.Ra6 Bc8!? 18.Rxc6!? Bb7 19.Rxd6 Nxd6, when White has a pawn and the bishop-pair for the exchange) Bxh2+! 18.Kxh2 Qh4+ 19.Kg1 Qxf2+ gives what the engines reckon is a winning attack for Black.
17.Ra6 c5?
The engines give 17...Qb7, when they reckon 18.Nxc6 Bg5 19.Ne5 Nd2 20.Ra5 Nxf1 provides good compensation for the pawn.
18.Qf3 Be6
Best, according to the engines, is 18...Bh4 19.g3 cxd4 20.Bxd4 Bf6 21.Rxf6 gxf6 22.Nxf7 Qxf7 23.Qxf5, when, for the exchange, White has a pawn, the bishop-pair and an attack.
19.Rxe6! Ng5
19...fxe6 20.Qf7+ Kh8 21.dxc5 wins for White, as does 20...Kh7 21.Qg6+ Kg8 22.Qxe6+ Kh8 23.Rxe4! (other moves are also good) dxe4 24.Ng6+ Kh7 25.Qf5 etc.
20.Qh5 fxe6 21.h4 Ne4
Not 21...Nh7?? 22.Qf7+ Kh8 23.Ng6#.
22.Qf7+ Kh7
If 22...Kh8 then 23.dxc5 quickly wins.
23.f3
Even stronger is giving up a second exchange by 23.Rxe4! dxe4, and then 24.Qg6+, but I was not confident enough about this.
23...cxd4
I expected the engines' choice 23...Bd6, when I intended keeping the attack going by 24.Qg6+ Kg8 25.fxe4. The engines continue 25...Bxe5 26.dxe5 d4 27.Bc4, when White has two bishops for a rook, and an ongoing attack.
24.Qg6+ Kg8 25.Qxe6+ Kh8 26.Nf7+ Kh7 27.Qf5+??
I was so used to calculating lines with black pawns on g7 and h6 that I forgot they could move!
Both 27.Qxd5 Nc5 28.Bxd4 Bxh4 29.Rxe8 Rxe8 30.Nd6 and 27.Rxe4 dxe4 28.Qxe4+ g6 29.Bd3 Rg8 30.h5 win for White.
27...g6 28.Qxd5 Nf6
This looks strong but Black had to find 28...Nc3! 29.Rxe7 (White has a pawn for the exchange, but no bishop-pair, after 29.Bxc3?! dxc3, and his pieces are uncoordinated) 29...Qxe7 30.Qxd4 Qe3+ 31.Qxe3 Rxe3, when he emerges with two rooks for two bishops and two pawns, and is much better, according to the engines.

White to play and win

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29.Ng5+!
Not 29.Qxd4?? Bc5.
29...hxg5
29...Kh8 30.Qf7 hxg5 - there is nothing better - transposes.
30.Qf7+ Kh8 31.Bxd4 Qd6 32.c3 Rf8 33.Qxg6 Rae8 34.Qh6+
34.Bd3 also quickly mates.
34...Kg8 35.Bc4+ Rf7
If 35...Nd5 then 36.Qg7#.
36.Qg6+ Kh8 37.Bxf7 Qg3 38.Qh6#
The match was drawn 2.5-2.5.
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.........170...………172...…………..L
LL...…….W...…..170...………183...…………..D
LL............W........170...…........180......……......L
LL....…….B...…..170....……...182...………….W
CLL...…...B...…..170...………183...……….….D
LL...……..B...…..170...………162...…………..W
LL...…….W...…..170...………172...…………..W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=5-6 for a grading performance of 171.
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.

Morphing The French XII

WHILE playing at Bournemouth in October, I was invited by Keith Gregory to play for Wessex in Britain's top team competition, the 4NCL.
Today was the first chance to take him up on the offer, and I played on top board in division four for Wessex C against Oxford 4 at the Holiday Inn in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Spanton (1854/168) - A Philip Neatherway (1822/158)
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
My 12th attempt at playing against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
3...exd5 4.Nf3 Bg4
An aggressive choice that has been tried by Fabiano Caruana and Alexei Shirov. It was also the move Nigel Short played when Mikhail Gurevich, needing a draw to become a world championship Candidate, switched from his habitual closed openings to 1.e4 so he could essay the French Exchange against Short (Short won).
5.h3 
Massively more popular is 5.Be2, but the text has been played by Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.
5...Bh5 6.Bd3
Kasparov and Kramnik preferred 6.Qe2+.
6...Bd6 7.0-0 Ne7 8.Re1 0-0?
This allows a Greek Gift sacrifice.
9.Bxh7+ Kxh7!?
Objectively better is 9...Kh8, but after 10.Bd3 Black was a clean pawn down and had a weakened king's position in Herbert Kiefer - Siegfried Schön, Regensburg 1997 (1-0, 41 moves).
10.Ng5+ Kg6
Hopeless is 10...Kh6 11.Ne6+ Kg6 (or 11...g5 12.Bxg5+ Kg6 13.Qd3+) 12.Qd3+.
11.Qd3+ f5 12.Ne6 Qe8 13.Nxf8+ Qxf8 14.g4 Bxg4 15.hxg4 Qh8 16.gxf5+
I rejected returning the exchange with 16.Re6+ Kf7 17.Rxe7+ because, after 17...Kxe7 18.Bg5+ Ke8 (forced) 19.f4, I felt White's advantage is not as big as in the game, although Black undoubtedly has less counterplay.
The engines point out an improved version of returning the exchange, namely 16.Rxe7!, the point being that 16...Bxe7 allows 17.Qxf5#.
16...Kf7 17.Qf3 Qh2+ 18.Kf1 Nbc6 19.Be3 Rh8
I have made quite a few sub-optimal moves, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10, but have maintained a winning advantage. However, the problem with playing sub-optimally like this, apart from it being bad on principle, is that just one slip can turn a win into a draw or even a loss.
20.Nc3 Rh5 21.Qg2
Not 21.Nxd5?? Rxf5.
21...Qh4 22.Rad1 Rxf5 23.Ke2 Bf4 24.Rh1 Qf6 25.Rh3 Ng6 26.Nxd5!
This may look foolhardy, but was correctly calculated.
26...Qe6 27.c4
Not 27.Nc3?? Bxe3 28.Rxe3 (28.fxe3 Nf4+) Nf4+ 29.Kd2 Qxe3+ 30.fxe3 Nxg2.
27...Na5 28.Kd3?
I guess I was fixated on getting my king to queenside 'safety', whereas 28.Kf1 maintains White's winning advantage.

Black to play and equalise

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28...c6?
The engines reckon Black has equalised after 28...Nxc4 29.Kxc4 Ne7 or 29...Rxd5.
29.Nxf4 Qxc4+ 30.Kd2 Nxf4 31.Bxf4 Rxf4 32.Rf3 Qxd4+ 33.Kc1 Qc4+ 34.Rc3 Qe6
34...Qxa2 runs into 35.Rd7+, eg 35...Ke8 36.Rdd3 Kf7 37.Qh2 Qa1+ 38.Kc2 Qa4+ 39.Kb1. If in this line Black plays 35...Ke6, then 36.Qh3+ Kf6 37.Rd6+ Ke5 38.Qe3+ Kxd6 39.Qxf4+ Kd7 40.Rd3+ Ke7 41.Qd6+ and mates.
35.b3 Qf5
If 35...Qf6, then 36.Qg3 as 36...Rxf2 fails to 37.Qc7+.
36.Rcd3?
Again 36.Qg3 is good.
36...Rxf2 37.Rd7+

Black to play and draw

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37...Ke6?
Black draws with 37...Ke8 38.Rd8+ Kf7 39.R1d7+ Ke6 40.Rd6+ Kf7 41.R8d7+ Ke8 etc.
38.R1d6+ Ke5 39.Qxg7+ Ke4 40.Re7+ Kf4 41.Rf6 1-0
Wessex C won the match 4-2.

Morphing The French XI

Spanton (1951/168) - Seyon Rajeev-Lazar (1300/80)
Coulsdon Christmas U2000/170 Round 2
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
My 11th attempt at playing against The French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
3...exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 c6 8.Bg5 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5
For 9...Be6, see my game against Alan M Brown (1991/186): https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphing-french.html
For 9...Bxf3, see Morphy - Sicre: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french-part-six.html
10.g4 Bg6 11.Ne5 Nbd7
For 11...Re8, see my game earlier this month against Shlok Verma: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/12/morphing-french-x.html
12.Nxd7 Qxd7 13.Bxf6 gxf6

How should White proceed?

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14.f4
This was James Mason's choice in a draw with Adolf Schwarz at Vienna 1882.
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 prefer 14.Qf3!?, which was played by Mikhail Chigorin in a loss to Max Weiss in a later round of the same tournament.
14...f5 15.g5?!
15.gxf5 Bxf5 16.Bxf5 Qxf5 17.Qg4+ Qg6 is also a little better for Black, according to the engines.
15...Qc7
Mason - Schwarz saw 15...f6 16.h4 fxg5 17.hxg5, which the engines reckon is good for Black, especially after their continuation of 17...Qg7 (Schwarz played 17...Rae8), eg 18.Ne2 (or 18.Qf3 Qxd4+ 19.Kg2 Rae8) Bh5 19.Qd2 h6.
16.Qf3 Qb6 17.Ne2 Rab8?!
Played so b7 is not hanging after ...Qxb2, Rfb1, but it is slow. Black now gets a kingside initiative.
The engines prefer 17...f6 18.h4 fxg5 19.hxg5 Rae8.
18.h4 f6?!
18...h5 looks better.
19.h5 Be8 20.Qg3?
The simple 20.Bxf5 is strong, as is 20.g6, eg 20...hxg6 21.Qg2 Kg7 22.hxg6, when 22...Bxg6 loses to 23.Bxf5.
20...Kh8?
Much better is 20...Bxh5 21.gxf6+ Bg6.
21.g6
Black is lost.
21...Rg8
Or 21...hxg6 22.hxg6 Bxg6 23.Kf2 etc.
22.Bxf5 Qxb2
This does not help, but the engines cannot find a decent move for Black.
23.Kh1 Qa3 24.Qh4 Be7 25.gxh7 Rf8
Or 25...Rg7 26.h6 Rxh7 27.Rae1 with a huge attack.
26.Qg4 c5 27.Rg1
The game finished:
27...Qh3+ 28.Qxh3 Bd7 29.Qg4 Rf7 30.Qg8+ Rxg8 31.Rxg8#
Addendum 24/12/19: My opponent's 1300 rating turns out to be a converted ECF.

Morphing The French X

MY round-one game at the weekend's Northwick Park congress gave me my 10th chance to try to play against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
Spanton (1951/1680 - Shlok Verma (1691/156)
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 c6 8.Bg5 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5
The main move.
For 9...Be6, see my game against Alan M Brown (1991/186): https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphing-french.html
For 9...Bxf3, see Morphy - Sicre: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french-part-six.html
10.g4!? Bg6 11.Ne5 Re8
Critical is 11...Qb6!? when Stockfish10 and Komodo10 give a move that is not in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, namely 12.Bf4!?
Most successful of those moves played more than once, albeit from a small sample size, is 12.Bxf6. Géza Maróczy - Richard Réti, 1927 Olympiad (London), continued 12...gxf6 13.Nf3 Qxb2 14.Ne2 Qb6 15.Nh4 Re8 16.Nf5 Bf8 17.Neg3, when the engines reckon White has at least full compensation for the pawn (1-0, 43 moves).
12.f4 Bxd3 13.Qxd3
Black is lagging in development, and his next move exacerbates this, although it seems playable.
13...Be7!?
The engines suggest 13...Nbd7 or 13...Qc7!?, in each case with approximate equality.
14.Rae1 Ne4?
Seeking relief through exchanges, but the move is tactically flawed. The engines reckon White has at best a slight edge after 14...Nbd7.

White to make his 15th move

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15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Bxe7 Qxe7
16...exd3 17.Bxd8 is good for White, eg 17...Rxd8 18.Nxd3 when White is a pawn up as 18...Rxd4?? loses instantly to 19.Re8#
17.Rxe4 Na6
If 17...f6, which Black may have been relying on, then 18.Qb3+ Kf8 (or 18...Qe6 19.Nd7! Qxb3 20.Rxe8+ Kf7 21.Rf8+ etc.) 19.Ng6+ wins for White.
18.Rfe1 Qc7 19.Nf3 Rxe4 20.Qxe4
White is a good pawn up (1-0, 66 moves).
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Morphing The French - Taking Stock
Since posting my series on Paul Morphy's play against the French Defence (the first part is here: https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french.html), I have had 10 chances to try to emulate him, so this a good time to sum up how the experiment is going.
In those 10 games, I scored +6=2-2. My average elo (Fide or converted ECF) was 1928, and I preformed to a rating of 2026.
White is expected to perform at 35pts above rating, according to database computer analysis by IM - now GM - Larry Kaufman. Allowing for that, my performance is 63pts above expectation.
Ten games is a small sample size, but it is fair to say the results have been encouraging.

Morphing The French IX

Spanton (1934) - Jouko Duller Llopis (1736)
Benidorm U2000 Round 9
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.Bg5 c6 9.Re1
For the mainline 9.h3, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphing-french.html
9...Nbd7 10.h3 Bh5 11.g4!?
Always a committal move.
11...Bg6 12.Nh4
Normal is 12.Ne5, but it is not liked by Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
12...Bxd3 13.Qxd3 h6
13...g6 was played in a game in 1935.

White to make his 14th move

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14.Nf5?!
Retreating the bishop was almost certainly better.
14...hxg5 15.Nxd6 Qc7!
White has the better pawn-structure after 15...g6 16.Nxb7 Qb6 17.Nc5 Nxc5 18.dxc5 Qxc5.
16.Nf5 g6 17.Ne3?!
The alternative retreat, 17.Ng3, was probably better.
17...Kg7 18.Kg2 Rh8 19.Nf1 Nf8 20.Qg3 Qxg3+?!
The engines reckon Black has much the better game if he keeps queens on with 20...Qd7.
21.fxg3
It makes sense to cover the holes at f4 and h4.
21...Ne6 22.Nd2?? Nxd4 (0-1, 32 moves)

Morphing The French VIII

THE city of Benidorm is situated on a bay that consists of three beaches set between two promontories about four miles apart.
Each promontory has a stone watchtower. They were built to give the inhabitants of Benidorm, and other places further inland, advance warning of slavers raiding from Africa.
This morning I walked up to the west watchtower with John Nyman, formerly of Kings Head but now living in Torquay. Like me, he is playing in the U2000.

Looking across Benidorm from beside the west watchtower, with the playing venue, the Gran Hotel Bali, on the far left

Spanton (1934) - Javier Garcia Alvarez II
Benidorm U2000 Round 2
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5
My eighth attempt at playing against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy.
3...exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0-0 0-0 7.Nc3 c6 8.Bg5 h6
For the most popular move, 8...Bg4, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphing-french.html
9.Bh4 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5
For 10...Bxf3, see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/07/morphy-v-french-part-two.html
11.g4!? Bg6 12.Bxg6
Perhaps more promising is 12.Ne5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3, when White has a lead in development.
12...fxg6 13.g5?
Better was 13.Qd3, even though it allows 13...g5 14.Bg3 Bxg3 15.fxg3 Qd6 with fairly sterile equality.
13...hxg5
Black may be slightly better after the text, but 13...Nh5! 14.gxh6 Qd7 is even stronger.
14.Nxg5
14.Bxg5 Qd7 looks even worse for White.
14...Qd7 15.Qd3 Qf5 16.Qxf5 gxf5 17.Rae1 Nbd7 18.Re6 Bb4 19.Ne2 Rfe8 20.Nf4 Rxe6 21.Nfxe6 Nf8 22.c3 Bd6 23.Nxf8 Rxf8 24.Re1 Re8?!
Black gets into difficulties after this natural-looking move as it allows White to use his only trump in the position - the advanced knight. Black is fine after 24...Ne4.
25.Rxe8+ Nxe8 26.Ne6 b6!?
Stockfish10's second choice. I expected the engine's first choice, 26...Bc7, when 27.Bd8 Bxd8 28.Nxd8 Nd6 is equal. More problematic for Black is 27.Nc5 b6 28.Nd3 a5 (the threat was 29.Nb4) 29.Bg3 Bxg3 30.fxg3 Nd6 31.Ne5.
Komodo10 gives 26...Bf8 27.Nd8 Nd6 28.f3, with an edge for White.
27.Kg2
Taking a time-out to improve the king as Black does not have any really useful moves. Also promising is 27.Nd8 c5 28.Nc6 cxd4 29.Nxd4.
27...c5 28.Bg3
28.dxc5 was also good.
28...Bxg3
White seems better in the pawn-ending that arises after 28...Kf7 29.Bxd6 Kxe6 (29...Nxd6 30.dxc5 Kxe6 31.cxd6 Kxd6 transposes) 30.dxc5 Nxd6 31.cxd6 Kxd6 32.Kf3 Ke5 33.h4.
29.Kxg3!?
I felt that activating the king was more important than uniting White's kingside pawns.
29...Kf7 30.Nd8+ Kf6 31.Nc6?!
Probably better was 31.dxc5 bxc5 32.Nc6 (32.Nb7 c4 33.Na5 also favours White) Nd6 33.Nxa7.
31...a6?
31...cxd4 32.Nxd4 (or 32.cxd4 a5) Nd6 is equal, according to the engines.
32.Nb8
Maybe stronger is 32.dxc5!? bxc5 33.Nb8.
32...cxd4 33.cxd4 Nc7 34.Nd7+ Ke6 35.Nxb6 Nb5 36.Na4 a5?!
The engines prefer 36...Nxd4 37.Nc5+ Ke5 38.Nxa6, although White is clearly better.
37.Nc5+ Kf6 38.Nb3 a4 39.Nc5 a3 40.bxa3 Nxa3
40...Nxd4 41.a4 also wins for White, according to the engines.
41.h4 Nb5 42.Nb3 Nc3 43.a3 g5 44.hxg5+ Kxg5 45.Kf3 f4 46.Nc5 Nb5 47.Ne6+ Kf5

White to play and win

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48.a4!
The winning move. Only drawing is 48.Nxf4 Nxd4+ 49.Kg3 (or 49.Ke3 Nc2+) Ke4.
The game finished:
48...Nc3 49.Nc5 Na2 50.Nd3 Nc3 51.Nxf4 Nxa4 52.Nxd5 Nb2 53.Ne3+ Ke6 54.Ke4 Na4 55.f4 Nc3+ 56.Kd3 Nb5 57.f5+ Kd6 58.Kc4 Nc7 59.f6 Ke6 60.Ng4 Kf5 61.d5 Ne8 62.Kc5 1-0

Opening Evolution - Philidor Countergambit (part two)

Howard Staunton & John Owen - Paul Morphy & Thomas Barnes
London 1858
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 f5!?
Morphy played the Philidor nine times, which compares with three times for the Petrov and 50 times for 2...Nc6, according to ChessBase's 2019 Mega database. Eight of his Philidor opponents played 3.d4, with Morphy replying 3....f5!? four times, scoring +3=1-0, and the modern favourite 3...exd4 four times, scoring +2=1-1. The one time he faced 3.Bc4, Morphy also played 3...f5!?, with the game ending in a draw.
4.dxe5 fxe4 5.Ng5 d5 6.e6 Nh5 7.Nc3 c6 8.Ngxe4!? dxe4 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qe5 Rg8 11.Bxh6 Bxh6 12.Rd1

The same position as reached five times in games between Atwood and Wilson in the late 1700s (see part one of this series)

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12...Qg5!?
Wilson always played 12...Qe7, which is at first much preferred by Stockfish10 and Komodo10. But give the engines more time and their evaluations narrow, although still preferring Wilson's move. Saveilly Tartakower in 500 Master Games Of Chess calls 12...Qe7 "passive" and the text "more active," but does not explicitly state his preference.
13.Qc7
Tartakower comments: "For Black to have permitted this intrusion, which threatens Qxc8+ as well as a mate on the move, is proof of steady nerves or most-accurate calculation."
13...Bxe6 14.Qxb7 e3
Tartakower points out that this threatens ...exf2+ followed by ...Qe6#.
15.f3 Qe7!?
The engines prefer 15...e2 16.Bxe2 Qxg2 17.Rf1 Qxh2 18.Ne4! (if 18.Qxa8?! then 18...Qg3+ 19.Rf2 Be3 20.Ne4 Bxf2+ 21.Nxf2 Qc7, when material is level but the engines give Black an edge) Qh4+ 19.Rf2 Be3 20.Qxa8 Bxf2+ 21.Nxf2 Qb4+ 22.c3 Qb6, which is very similar to the line in brackets, but this time the engines slightly prefer White.
16.Qxa8 Kf7
White has emerged from the immediate complications with rook and pawn for bishop. If the white queen can escape from the corner, White must be much better.
17...Bf4?
The engines suggest 17...Kg7, while preferring White.
18.Be2?
Komodo10 likes Johann Löwenthal's suggestion of 18.g3 for quite some time, but eventually agrees with Stockfish10 and an anonymous ChessBase annotator that best is 18.Rd4, the point being to follow with Ra4.
18...Kg7 19.0-0
No longer so strong is Rd4 as Black has 19...Rc8, when 20.Ra4?? runs into 20...Na6 21.Qxc8 Bxc8. Note that if White had played 18.Rd4, the reply 18...Rc8 would not solve Black's problems as White has the pinning 19.Bc4, removing the threat of ...Na6.
19...Qc7?!
Threatening to win the white queen and also threatening ...Bxh2+. But White finds a strong reply, so it seems that better was 19...Rc8!?, when the white queen can be saved by 20.Rd6 Bxd6 21.Nxd6 Qxd6 22.Qxa7+. The engines continue 22...Bf7 23.Qxe3, when they much prefer Black, although the position is unclear as White has three pawns for a knight.
20.Nc5! Bxh2+ 21.Kh1 Bc8
White is the exchange up but the position remains complicated as his queen is still endangered and Black has mating threats.
22.Rd4 Bg3 23.Re4?
This loses. The engines give 23.Ne4! when the game's ...Kh8? loses to 24.Nxg3 Qxg3 25.Qxa7. However, Black can save the dark-square bishop, eg 23...Be5, when the engines reckon Black has full compensation for the exchange.
23...Kh8
The fate of the white queen will be irrelevant if Black delivers mate by switching his queen to the h file via g7.
24.Rd1 Qg7 25.Rh4!?
Desperation, but it contains a point Morphy & Barnes miss.
25...Bxh4?
Best was 25...Qe7 (other moves also win), eg 26.Rdd4 Qxc5.
26.Qxb8 Ba6 27.Qh2?
White had to find 27.Qf4, which, like the text, attacks the dark-square bishop, but has the crucial extra factor of covering the h6 checking square. After 27...Bxe2 28.Rd7 Be7 (the only way to save the dark-square bishop as well as Black's queen) 29.Ne6 Qf6 30.Rxe7! Qxe7 31.Qe5+ Rg7, White has a perpetual by 32.Qb8+ etc.
27...Bxe2 28.Rd7 Qh6 29.Ne4
Nothing gets White's piece back.
29...Bc4 30.Nf6 e2 31.Re7 Qc1+ 32.Qg1 Qxg1+ 33.Kxg1 e1=Q+ 34.Rxe1 Bxe1 0-1

Morphing The French IV

HAD my fourth chance to try to play against the French Defence in the style of Paul Morphy this afternoon.
Spanton (168) - Stephen Dilleigh (186)
Royal Beacon Seniors 50+, Exmouth, Round 2
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.0-0 Nb4!?
Not a popular choice, especially when compared with 6...Nge7 and 6...Bg4.
7.Re1+ Nge7 8.Be2 0-0 9.a3 Nbc6 10.Nc3 a6
Protecting against White winning the bishop-pair with Nb5.

SD said in the postmortem that from here to the end he felt he never fully equalised, but then again was never in serious danger 

11.Bd3 h6 12.h3 Bd6 13.Ne2 Qd7 14.Bf4 Bf5 15.Bxd6 Qxd6 16.Ng3 Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Qg6 18.Rad1 Rfe8 19.Kf1 Qxd3+ 20.Rxd3 Ng6 21.Rd3 Kf8 22.Nf5 Nge7 23.Nxe7 Rxe7 24.Rxe7 Nxe7 25.Ne5 Rd8 26.g4
Restricting the black knight.
26...Nc8 27.b3 ½–½

Morphy v The Evans (conclusions)

PAUL Morphy's huge score of +11=0-2 (84.6%) against the Evans is testament to his tactical and positional superiority over his opponents, who included some of the leading masters of the day.
Morphy treated the Evans, both as Black and as White, in the same way he treated other open games, ie with speedy development.
Although he always accepted the gambit, he rarely grabbed a second pawn in the opening, preferring to complete development.
From a theoretical viewpoint, it is impossible to say whether Morphy concluded that 5...Ba5 or 5...Bc5 was superior.
He played 5...Ba5 in his first six Evans' Gambits as Black before switching to 5...Bc5 in the next five, which included both his losses.
When he returned to 5...Ba5 in game 12, it might be thought significant, but in game 13 he went back to 5...Bc5.
Modern authors are almost unanimous in considering 5...Ba5 superior, and it scores a much better percentage in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
But Victor Bologan, in his repertoire book Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez, devotes more space to 5...Bc5, which he reckons most Whites have little idea how to play against.
The Evans is a rare bird in modern chess, even at club level, which makes it tempting for Blacks to spend just a little time learning a method of declining the gambit without trying for a refutation.
It is interesting to note in this respect that after 4...Bb6!?, which has been played by Carlsen and Aronian, White scores 51% in Mega19, while scoring 59% against 4...Bxb4. Other methods of declining, eg 4...Be7 and 4...d5!?, fare much worse.

Morphing The French III

HAD a third chance to try playing against the French Defence à la Paul Morphy in this morning's top-board game in the fourth round of the 23rd 4NCL U2000/175.
Spanton (1927/168) - Michael Dunkley (1732/152)
French Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bd6 5.Bd3 Nc6
This has been tried by aggressive players such as Morozevich and So.
6.0-0 Nge7 7.Re1 0-0 8.c3
Not 8.Bxh7+?? Kxh7 9.Ng5 Kg8 10.Qh5 Bf5.
8...Bf5 9.Nh4!?
This may be a novelty. The idea is to oblige Black, if he wants to exchange off White's 'good' bishop (based on the central pawn-structure), to do so in a way that develops the white queen to a good central square. Another way of trying to accomplish this is 9.Bg5, which is the most popular move in the position, but I rejected it because of 9...f6, when it is not clear White has achieved much.
9...Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Qd7 11.Nd2 Qg4?!
This looks aggressive, but the queen will be driven back with loss of time.
12.Ndf3 h6 13.h3 Qd7
Black loses his queen after 13...Qh5?? g4.
14.Ne5

Black to decide what to do about the knight on e5

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14...Bxe5!
The problem with 14...Nxe5 15.dxe5 Bc5 16.Be3 is that White's 4-3 kingside majority could form the basis of a dangerous attack.
15.dxe5 g5!?
Clearly this weakens Black's king, but MD has a specific idea in mind.
16.Nf3 Qf5 17.Qxf5?!
I thought 17.Qb5 left my kingside weak, but Black has no real attack.
17...Nxf5 18.g4 Ng7 19.Nd4?! Nxd4 20.cxd4 Ne6 21.Be3
Now White has two central pawns on the same-coloured squares as the bishop, which is severely restricted, and Black has a fine blockading square for his remaining knight. However, the bishop is not completely toothless as it has pressure against Black's g and h pawns.
21...a5
I felt 21...f6 was more promising for Black, but the text is fine.
22.Kg2 Kg7 23.h4 b6
Preparing ...c5.
24.Rac1?
Playing to stop ...c5, but it does not! Better was 24.Rad1, which prevents ...c5 because of the latent threat to Black's d pawn.
24...a4
Black could have played 24...c5 as 25.dxc5 is met by 25...d4 26.Bd2 bxc5, with a good position for Black.
25.Rh1 Rg8 26.hxg5 hxg5 27.Kg3 Ra5 28.Rhd1 Rb5 29.Rd2 Rh8 30.f4!?
Fighting for the initiative as my position has become very passive.
30...gxf4 31.Bxf4 Rb4 32.Be3 Rb5
This was another good time to play ...c5.
33.Rf1 Rh7
Black has a small edge after 34...Kf8, according to Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
34.Rf6 Rb4?
Again ...Kf8 was best, according to the engines.
35.g5!?
Putting another pawn on a dark square, but menacing Black's kingside. However, possibly even stronger was 35.Rfd2. I missed that 35...Kf8 can be well-met by 36.Bh6, which threatens to win with 37.Rxe6! fxe6 38.Rf8#.
35...Nf8?!
35...Kg8 is probably better, although White has the advantage after 36.Kg4.
36.Rc2
Even stronger is 36.Rdf2 Kg8 37.g6! I missed that 37...Nxg6? fails to 38.e6. That leaves 37...Rg7 38.Rxf7 Rxg6+ 39.Kh4 Ne6 40.Re7 with much the better game for White, according to the engines. One likely line, in what is a sharp position, runs 40...Nxd4 41.Re8+ Kg7 42.Kh5 Re6 43.Rxe6 Nxe6 44.Rf6 Nc5 45.Bh6+ Kg8 46.Rf8+ Kh7 47.Rf7+ Kh8 48.Re7 Rxb2 (not the best, but illustrative of Black's difficulties) 49.Kg6 Rg2+ 50.Bg5 Rxg5+ 51.Kxg5, and White wins the rook-v-knight ending despite being two pawns down.
36...c5! 37.dxc5 d4?
The engines give 37...Re4 as equal.
38.Bd2 d3 39.Rc3?
Stronger is 39.Rc1, threatening to win the exchange, as 39...Rxb2 is met by 40.c6.
39...Rxb2?
Black should have tried 39...bxc5 40.Rxd3 Rxb2, when 41.e6! Nxe6 (not 41...fxe6? 42.Rd8) 42.Bc3 Rc2 43.Rf2+ Rxc3 44.Rxc3 is certainly good for White, but the game is not over.
40.c6 Rxd2
Not much better is 40...Rh8 41.Rxd3 (41.c7 is also strong) Rc2 42.Rdf3 etc.
41.c7 Rdh2 42.c8=Q Ne6 43.Rxf7+ Kxf7 44.g6+ Kxg6 45.Qxe6+ Kg5 1-0

Morphy v The Evans (part 13)

FOUR years after his game against Augustus Mongredien, Paul Morphy played his 13th and final Evans' Gambit as Black.
His opponent was old French foe - and close friend - Jules Arnous de Rivière.
Rivière - Morphy
Paris 1863
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5
Morphy returns to the move that saw his two losses against the Evans.
6.0-0 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.d4 Bb6 9.Nc3
This is generally regarded by theorists as White's best try in the Normal Position, and is the choice of the engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10. But George Botterill* implies that he prefers 9.h3, stating: "Instead of doing something frantic, White decides that he will preserve all the advantages of his position and starts by preventing the annoying ...Bg4. There are many cases in which the most effective way of handling a gambit is just to strengthen your position in a quiet and methodical way, rather than forcing an immediate crisis."
9...Bg4
Harding prefers 9...Na5, which is the only move covered by Bologan (Kaufman does not reach this position as he only covers 7...Bg4 and 7...Bb6).
10.Bb5
Harding gives this an exclamation mark, saying it is "the only good move." He adds: "White is a pawn down but he has good development and a strong pawn centre, which means he can switch pieces quicker from one wing to the other." However, Howard Staunton's 10.Qa4!? and Pierre de Saint Amant's 10.Be3!?, both of which get on with development, seem playable, although the engines prefer the text.
10...Bd7
Returning the development tempo that White lost with 10.Bb5. An opponent of Morphy's played 10...Kf8!? against him in 1857, and this is treated as the mainline by Botterill and Harding.

White to make his 11th move

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11.Bg5!?
A key moment from a theoretical viewpoint.
Botterill gives 11.e5! (his punctuation) Nge7 12.Bg5, calling it "attractive for White." However, the engines reckon 12...h6 13.Bh4 g5 at least equalises for Black.
Harding also gives an exclamation mark to e5, but after 11...Nge7 12.Bg5 only mentions 12...dxe5 and 12...0-0.
11...Nce7?!
It is hard to understand this move when Black could have proceeded with development with 11...Nge7 or forced the g5 bishop to move with 11...f6.
12.Bc4 Be6 13.Qa4+?!
The engines' 13.d5 and 13.Bxe6 look considerably stronger, eg 13.d5 Bd7 14.e5 is very problematic for Black.
13...Qd7 14.Bb5 c6 15.Bd3 f6 16.Bh4?!
16.Be3 was probably a better retreat. The engines also point out 16.Rab1!?, threatening Rxb6.
16...Ng6 17.Bg3
An interesting alternative was 17.Nd5!?, possible because 17...cxd5? runs into 18.Bb5.
17...N8e7 18.d5 Bf7 19.Nb5!?
This is playable, but does not really achieve anything.
19...Bc5 20.Rac1 0-0 21.Nbd4 Kh8?!
It seems that better was ...Ne5, which was also good on move 19.
22.Bc4 Ne5 23.Nxe5 fxe5 24.dxc6 bxc6 25.Nb3 Bb6 26.Rfd1
White has completed development and has long-terms pressure on Black's centre.
26...Bh5 27.Rd2 a5 28.Qa3 Rad8!? 29.Bxe5 Rxf2 30.Kh1??
As an anonymous annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database points out, White is fine after 30.Rxf2 dxe5 31.Nc5! Qd4 32.Nd3.
30...Rxd2 31.Bxg7+ Kxg7 32.Nxd2
White is a bishop down and has no real attack against Black's king. The remaining moves were:
32...Qa7 33.Qg3+ Bg6 34.Rf1 Bd4 35.Nf3 Qc5 36.Bb3 Rf8 37.h4 Be5 38.Qg4 Qe3 0-1
*I have been comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

Morphy v The Evans (part 12)

PAUL Morphy returned to his first love of 5...Ba5 - the modern mainline - in his 12th Evans' Gambit as Black.
Augustus Mongredien - Morphy
Match game 7, Paris 1859
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.0-0 Nf6 7.d4 0-0 8.d5?!
The same doubtful move as played against Morphy by Hardman Montgomery (see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/09/morphy-v-evans-part-five.html).
8...Ne7 9.Qd3
Varying from Montgomery's 9.Qc2.
9...d6 10.h3 Ng6

Just for fun, see how many guesses it takes you to come up with White's next move

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11.Nh2?
White gambited a pawn and now switches into mega-defensive mode - no wonder Mongredien lost his match against Morphy +0=1-7.
11...Nh5 12.Bb3?
White had to get on with development … and hope for the best. The text allows Black strong kingside play.
12...Nhf4 13.Bxf4 Nxf4 14.Qf3 f5 15.exf5 Bxf5 16.g4!?
Desperation, but White's position was already lost.
16...Bd3 17.Qe3 Bb6 18.Qd2 Qh4 0-1

Morphy v The Evans (part 11)

PAUL Morphy's next Evans' Gambit opponent with the white pieces was James Kipping, a banker who had a plus score against Adolf Anderssen.
Kipping - Morphy
Birmingham 1858
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.d4!?
Kipping postpones castling in favour of what was then a relatively new plan - now the most popular one - of immediately advancing in the centre.
6...exd4 7.cxd4 Bb6 8.d5!?
8.0-0 d6 would reach the Normal Position.
8...Na5 9.Bd3 d6
White's play has been double-edged. His light-square bishop is blocked by its own central pawns. On the other hand, White has more space and the black queen's knight is sidelined. The engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 reckon White has full compensation for his sacrificed pawn.
10.Bb2 Nf6 11.h3 0-0 12.0-0 Nh5!?

The black king's knight eyes the undefended f4 square, but Morphy's main idea will be revealed by his next move

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13.Qd2 f5!?
Opening the centre for White's light-bishop might seem strange, but an exchange on f5 (or e4) will also help Black's light-square bishop and his king's rook.
14.Na3!?
The engines' second-choice, but they prefer 14.e5!?, after which 14...dxe5 15.Bxe5 Qxd5 16.Nc3 leaves White two pawns down but with tremendous activity.
Instead of the text, the natural-looking 14.Nc3 fxe4 15.Nxe4 allows the interesting exchange-sac 15...Rxf3!? The position is not clear, and Black is by no means forced to sacrifice, but it is understandable Kipping did not trust 14.Nc3.
One point about the text is that 14...fxe4 can now be met by 15.Bxe4, which would lose material, if the white queen's knight were on c3, to 15...Nc4 16.Qc2 Nxb2 17.Qxb2 Ng3 etc.
14...Ng3 15.Rfe1 fxe4 16.Bxe4 Bf5 17.Bxf5 Nxf5
Stronger may have been 17...Rxf5.
18.Re4 Qd7 19.Bc3 Bc5 20.Nc2 b6 21.Qg5 Rae8 22.Rae1 Rxe4 23.Rxe4 h6 24.Qg4 Rf7 25.Re6 c6 26.Ncd4?
A mistake in a tricky position. The engines reckon 26.Bf6!, forcing 26...Ne7, is equal after 27.Bxe7 Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Qxe7 29.Qc8+.
26...cxd5 27.Qg6 Ne7 28.Qg3 Nac6 29.Nxc6?
White had to save his rook by, say, 29.Re2, but Black is well on top in the simplified position that follows 29...Nxd4 30.Nxd4 Nf5 31.Nxf5 Qxf5.
29...Qxe6 30.Nd8 Qg6 0-1
White resigns because 31.Nxf7?? loses to 31...Qxg3, while 31.Qxg6 Nxg6 32.Nxf7 Kxf7 is another simplified position that should be an easy win for Black.

Morphy v The Evans (part 10)

George Medley - Morphy
London 1858
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6
Once again, the Normal Position.
9.Bb2 Nf6 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.e5 dxe5 12.dxe5 Ng4!?
Morphy is the first to deviate from his loss against Journoud & Rivière.
13.h3 Nh6
Playable was 13...Nxf2!? 14.Rxf2 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2, and now 15...Be6 to challenge the bishop-pair. Stockfish10 likes White, but Komodo10 reckons the position is equal.
14.Qa4 Bf5 15.Rad1 Qe7 16.Nb3

Morphy to make an uncharacteristic move

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16...Qb4!?
Morphy was not normally one to go for an exchange of queens, but perhaps he thought White's position was becoming menacing. The engines prefer getting on with development with 16...Rfd8.
17.Qxb4 Nxb4 18.Nbd4 Bxd4?!
Giving up the bishop-pair looks dubious. The engines suggest 18...Be4, but reckon White has full compensation for his pawn minus.
19.Nxd4 c6?
This is too slow. Development with 19...Rfd8 was better.
20.g4 Be4 21.f4?
Stronger was 21.Rfe1, and if 21...Bg6 (the bishop needs to cover f5 for the knight in the event of White pushing his g pawn), then 22.f4 wins material.
21...Kh8?!
Morphy had quite an off-day in this game. Better seems still to be ...Rfd8.
22.f5
The engines reckon 22.Ba3 and 22.e6 are stronger, but the text is good enough for an advantage.
22...Bd5 23.Bxd5 Nxd5
Black remains a pawn up, but his pieces are uncoordinated.
24.g5 Ng8 25.Rf3 Rfe8 26.e6 fxe6?!
26...f6 is probably better, but it is understandable Morphy did not want White to have a protected passed pawn on the sixth rank.
27.Nxe6 Rxe6?!
A desperate move that only speeds defeat.
28.fxe6 Nge7 29.Rf7 Rg8 30.Rdf1 1-0

Morphy v The Evans (part nine)

JULES Arnous de Rivière had the chance to play a third Evans' Gambit against Paul Morphy in Paris in 1858, this time in consultation with another French master, Paul Journoud.
Journoud & Rivière - Morphy
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6
Once again reaching the Normal Position.
9.Bb2 Nf6 10.Nbd2 0-0
So far the game has followed Rivière's last Evans' Gambit against Morphy, but here the partners play a major improvement over that game's 11.h3?!
11.e5 dxe5
Still the main reply today but, as stated in part eight of this series, the engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 suggest the seeming-novelty 11...Nh5!?
12.dxe5 Nd5 13.Ne4 Be6 14.Nfg5 h6!?
This appears to be the best move in the position, even though it weakens the light squares around Black's king.
14...Nf4 was tried six years previously by Moheschunder Bannerjee ("Mohishunder Bonnerjee" in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database) in two games against John Cochrane in Calcutta. Cochrane replied 15.Bxe6?! both times and won the games, but Black seems to stand well after 15...Nxe6 or 15...fxe6. The engines reckon much better for White is 15.Qc2!, continuing 15...Bf5 16.Nxf7! Rxf7 17.Bxf7+, all of which was played in Mikhail Chernov (2188) - Andrei Kuznesov (2288), Siberia Championship 2012. That game continued 17...Kxf7 18.Nd6+! Kg8 19.Nxf5, when White was the exchange up and had pressure against Black's king. Worse in this line would be 18...cxd6? 19.Qxf5+ Kg8 20.Qxf4, when Black is again the exchange down but with less active play. It seems Chernov (b1994), now an FM, had prepared well.
15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Qg4

Position after 16.Qg4 - as GM Nigel Davies might put it, Black's king has the wind blowing in his hair

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16...Kh8!
The 'obvious' 16...Qe7 fails to 17.Nf6+! Kh8 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Qg6! gxf6 20.exf6 Qh7 (20...Qf7? 21.Qxh6+ is a pawn-down version of the same line) 21.Qg7+ (21.f7+?? d4) Qxg7 22.fxg7+ Kg8 23.gxf8+ Rxf8, all of which was seen in Cochrane - Bannerjee, Calcutta 1852. White is clearly better, being the exchange up for a pawn, but the game has a silly finish in Mega19 (and chessgames.com) in which White resigns despite maintaining his material advantage.
17.Rad1!
An improvement on yet another Cochrane - Bannerjee, Calcutta 1852, game, which saw 17.Qxe6 Nf4 18.Qg4, when 18...Bd4! wins for Black, eg 19.Rfd1 (19.Bxd4 loses a piece to 19...Qxd4) Nxe5 20.Rxd4 Nxg4 21.Rxd8 Raxd8, with Black up the exchange and a pawn.
17...Rf4?
Morphy loses his way in the complications. 17...Qe7 was better. White can win back his pawn with 18.Bxd5 exd5 19.Rxd5, but Black is slightly better after 19...Rad8 thanks to White's weak e pawn.
18.Qxe6 Rxe4 19.Bxd5 Nd4 20.Rxd4 Rxd4 21.Bxd4 Bxd4 22.Re1?!
White can safely grab a pawn with 22.Bxb7 Rb8 23.Be4.
22...Qg5 23.Bf3
It seems Bxb7 was still possible, but Black gets a strong initiative with 23...Rf8.
23...Rf8 24.Qc4 c5?
Morphy's instinct was always against pawn-grabbing, but the text lets White's e pawn advance with menaces. Equal was 24...Bxe5 25.Bxb7.
25.e6 Qe7 26.Qa4
The engines reckon that stronger was centralisation with 26.Qd3, eg 26...Rf6 27.Qe4 b5 28.Qd5 b4 29.Qd7 Rf7 30.Qc8+ Rf8 31.Qxf8+! Qxf8 32.e7, winning. This line is by no means forced, but Black faces a difficult defence in any event.
26...Qh4 27.Qc2 Qe7 28.Qg6!
This is even better than transposing to the previous note with 28.Qd3, as after 28.Qd3 Black is not forced to play 28...Rf6.
28...Rf6
This is now forced, so White can transpose to the strong line given at move 26.
29.Qe4 Rf8
The engines come to prefer this to 29...b5.
30.g3
A horrible blunder would be 30.Qxb7?? Qxb7 31.Bxb7 Bxf2+ etc.
30...b5 31.Re2 b4 32.Bh5 a5 33.Bf7 a4 34.Qc2 Ra8 35.Qc4 Rb8 36.Qd5?
A mistake that allows serious counterchances. Better was 36.Bg6!, the point being that if 36...b3, as in the game, White has 37.Qxa4 b2 38.Bb1, leaving him a pawn to the good over the game continuation.
36...b3 37.axb3 axb3 38.Bg6 b2 39.Bb1 Rd8??
The position was dead-equal, but this uncharacteristic blunder by Morphy costs him the game.
40.Qf5
40.Qe4 also wins. Morphy must have seen 39.Bb1 as simply a defensive move, missing that it also sets up a possible battery against h7. Black would have been fine after 39...g6 or 39...g5.
40...g5
Best, but no longer good enough as 39...Rd8?? has given White a decisive tempo.
41.Qg6 Bf6 42.Qxh6+ Kg8 43.Qg6+ Bg7?!
Black's king is too weak for any defence to succeed, but perhaps a better practical try was 43...Kh8, eg 44.Kg2 c4 45.Re3 Rd3!? (45...Qg7 46.Qe4) 46.Bxd3 cxd3 47.Re1 d2 48.Rd1 Qb7+ 49.f3 Be7, but 50.h4 gxh4 51.gxh4 looks convincing enough, despite Black having two pawns on the seventh.
Another try is 43...Qg7, but after 44.e7 the best Black can do is 44...Rd1+ 45.Kg2 Qxg6 46.Bxg6 Bxe7 47.Rxe7 c4 (47...b1=Q 48.Bxb1 Rxb1 49.Re5 is a fairly-simple winning rook-and-pawn ending) 48.Kf3 c3 (the best try as 48...b1=Q 49.Bxb1 Rxb1 50.Re5 is another easy win) 49.Rc7 Rc1 50.Rb7, when Black's connected passed pawns have been neutralised, and White should win with reasonable care.
44.Qh7+
There was nothing wrong with the simple 44.Rxb2.
44...Kf8 45.h4!?
White is probably still winning after this, but it is less clear-cut than a patient line such as 45.Qf5+ Kg8 46.Kg2.
45...Rd1+
45...gxh4 46.Qf5+ Bf6 47.Rxb2 (47.gxh4? Rd1+ 48.Kg2 Rxb1! 49.Qxb1 Qg7+ gives Black serious drawing chances thanks to the exposed white king) hxg3 48.fxg3 Qg7 49.Qf3, and White remains a pawn up, albeit with mutually endangered kings.
46.Kg2 Bf6
46...gxh4 can be met by 47.Re4! Rd4 48.Re3.
47.hxg5 Bd4?!
The engines much prefer 47...Qxh7 48.Bxh7 Bxg5 49.Rxb2 Be7, but White has three connected passed pawns, and the presence of opposite-coloured bishops does not seem to be enough to save Black.
48.Qf5+ Kg8
Or 48...Ke8 49.Qf3 Rxb1 50.Qa8+ Qd8 51.Qc6+ Ke7 52.Qb7+ Kd6 53.e7 Qe8 54.Qb6+ Kd7 55.Qb5+ Kc7 56.Qxe8 Rg1+ 57.Kxg1 b1=Q+ 58.Kg2 Qb7+ 59.f3.
49.Qg6+ Kh8 50.Re4 Qb7 51.e7 1-0

Morphy v The Evans (part eight)

Jules Arnous de Rivière - Paul Morphy
Paris 1858
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5
As in the first Evans' Gambit between these two, Morphy goes with his new favourite of 5...Bc5.
6.0-0 d6 7.d4 exd4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Bb2!?
Rivière is the first to vary, having previously played 9.d5 in what is known as the Normal Position.
The text was played five times by Louis-Charles de La Bourdonnais  against James McDonnell in 1834. Only Victor Bologan, of the four authors I am referencing*, mentions the move (Kaufman does not cover 5...Bc5 as he recommends 5...Ba5 without reaching the Normal Position).
9...Nf6
Bologan only covers the less popular 9...Na5. The text is preferred by the engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
10.Nbd2 0-0 11.h3?!
This looks slow. White scores 74% in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database with the mainline 11.e5, when Black usually replies 11...dxe5, but the engines give 11...Nh5!?, which seems to be a novelty. They continue 12 g3 Bg4 13.Qc2 g6, when they do not believe White has enough for the sacrificed pawn.

Black to make his 11th move

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11...d5
11...Nxe4 12.Nxe4 d5 was played in Allen Miller - Cecil Purdy, Australian Championship (Adelaide) 1946-47 (0-1 29 moves), but Morphy's choice seems stronger.
12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Ne4 Bf5 14.Ng3 Bg6 15.Ne5 Nf6!?
The engines prefer keeping a knight on d5 with 15...Na5 or 15...Nxe5 16.dxe5 c6.
16.Nxg6?!
Winning the bishop-pair, but leaving d4 very weak. The engines want to smash Black's queenside with 16.Nxc6, when they reckon Black is only slightly better.
16...hxg6 17.Ba3?!
Going for broke. The engines give 17.Qc2 Na5 (this is also the answer to 17.d5) 18.Be2 Re8 19.Bf3, when White has some play for his pawn.
17...Re8 18.Qb3 Qd7 19.Rad1 Na5
Grabbing a second pawn with 19...Nxd4 was also possible.
20.Qd3 Rad8
As usual, Morphy emphasises development over pawn captures.
21.Bb2
Rivière has to admit his active play has come to nothing, and now he loses his bishop-pair.
21...Nxc4 22.Qxc4 Qd5 23.Qa4 c6 24.Rd3
This lets Morphy activate his c pawn, but White was in any case in a bad way.
24...c5 25.Rfd1 c4 26.Re3 Bc7 27.Nf1 a5 28.Rxe8+
Winning back his pawn, but Morphy has seen Black will get a strong attack.
28...Rxe8 29.Ne3 Qd6 30.Qxc4
Black mates after 30.g3 Rxe3! 31.fxe3 Qxg3+ 32.Kf1 Qxh3+ 33.Ke2 Qg2+ 34.Ke1 Bg3#
30...Qh2+ 31.Kf1 Ne4 32.Bc1
Defending against 32...Nxf2! 33.Kxf2 Qg3+ etc.
32...Bf4 33.Qc2 Bxe3 34.Bxe3 Qh1+ 35.Ke2 Qxg2 36.Kd3 Qf3
Again Morphy does not concern himself with a stray pawn when there is promising piece-play.
37.Re1 Qf5 38.Ke2 Qh5+ 39.Kd3 Qb5+ 40.Qc4 Nxf2+ 41.Bxf2 Qf5+ 42.Kd2 Qxf2+ 43.Re2 Rxe2+ 44.Qe2 Qxd4+ 0-1
*I am comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

Morphy v The Evans (part seven)

PAUL Morphy faced the Evans Gambit twice in Paris in 1858 in head-to-head games against Jules Arnous de Rivière (they also played a game in which Rivière had a consulting partner).
Rivière was strong enough to win matches against Thomas Barnes and Johann Löwenthal, and only lost to Mikhail Chigorin by the narrow margin of +4=1-5.
Rivière - Morphy
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Bc5!?
After scoring six out of six with 5...Ba5, Morphy switches to a line that today is less popular even than 5...Be7, and much less popular than 5...Ba5.
Botterill* says of ...Bc5: "This old-fashioned defensive line, so far as I can see, has no particular advantage over 5...Ba5, whereas there is the significant disadvantage that after d4 Black is obliged to play …exd4, ceding control and allowing White to rid himself of a potentially weak pawn on c3."
Harding says that only 5...Ba5 "seriously threatens to seize the initiative." But he adds: "With both moves there are numerous offshoots for both White and Black, including some little-known byways which, though not essential for White to know, give him added chances of advantage."
Kaufman only covers 5...Ba5.
Bologan covers ...Bc5 extensively, writing: "With this line we are entering a time machine and going back to the romantic 19th century."
For what it is worth, White scores a significantly better percentage score against ...Bc5 than against ...Ba5 or ...Be7 in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
6.0-0
Botterill and Harding only mention the more common 6.d4, while Bologan points out that 6.0-0 d6 7.d4 returns to the 6.d4 mainline after 7...exd4, which is indeed what happens in this game.
6...d6 7.d4 exd4
7...Bb6 is a little-played alternative that is slightly preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
8.cxd4 Bb6

Botterill: "Thus we arrive at the Normal Position - so called because for much of the 19th century it was what you could expect to get when playing the Evans Gambit."

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9.d5
Botterill: "This was how [Adolf] Anderssen used to play it, but I think it is a positional mistake that really deserves a question mark." However, he does not actually give it one, and the move has remained reasonably popular, although eclipsed by 9.Nc3.
Harding only covers 9.Nc3, "the move always chosen by Morphy and Chigorin."
Bologan calls 9.d5 "very important because in [other] lines every now and then White can push d4-d5, creating the pawn-structure characteristic for this line."
9...Na5
Botterill: "Black set[s] to work on exploiting his queenside majority with ...c5 and ...b5. Admittedly the position is double-edged, and White has his practical chances (swindles), but with best play Black ought to prevail."
10.Bd3 Ne7 11.Bb2 0-0 12.Nbd2
Botterill only covers the much more popular 12.Nc3.
12...Ng6
Bologan says this is also the move to play if White tries 12.Nd4.
13.Nd4?!
Probably a mistake, as we will see. The engines give 13.Re1, with full compensation for the pawn, according to Stockfish 10, but Komodo10 likes Black.
13...Qf6 14.N2f3 Bg4?!
Bologan gives 14...c5!, which was played by Robert Byrne against an unrated at the 1989 World Open in Philadelphia. After 15.dxc6 Nxc6 16.Bb5 (16.Nxc6 Qxb2 is also good for Black) Nce5, Black had an aggressive position while still being a pawn up.
15.Qc2
White's pieces menace Black's kingside in general and his queen in particular.
15...Bxf3?!
The engines prefer an immediate …Ne5.
16.Nxf3 Ne5?
16...Qd8, as suggested by the engines, is the type of retreat Morphy was not fond of making, but it, or 16...Qe7, may have been best.
17.Kh1
White gets a strong attack.
17...Qe7 18.Nxe5 dxe5 19.f4 f6 20.Qc3?
Rivière seems to have missed the full effect of Black's reply.
White wins, according to the engines, by targeting the a5 knight with 20.Qd2 or 20.Qa4.
20...Bd4 21.Qxa5 Bxb2 22.Rab1 b6 23.Qd2 Bd4 24.f5 a6
White's much-inferior bishop means Black has no more worries about a kingside attack.
25.Bc4 Qd6 26.a4 Rfb8 27.Rb3 Kf8!?
Played so a later ...d6 will not come with a discovered check, but 28...Kh8 is a safer way of having the same effect.
28.Qe2 b5 29.axb5 a5?
29...axb5 30.Bxb5 Ra3 is equal. The text is a misguided attempt to create winning chances.
30.Rg3 a4 31.Qh5 h6
31...Kg8 loses to 32.Qh6.
32.Qg6 Qe7 33.d6 cxd6 34.Qh6 Qf7
The best try, but inadequate.
35.Qh8+
Winning, but even stronger was 35.Qh7 Qxc4 36.Qxg7+ Ke8 37.Qh8+ Ke7 38.Rg7+ etc.
35...Ke7 36.Rxg7 Rxh8 37.Rxf7+ Ke8 38.Rxf6
Black is two pawns down, and his d pawn is hanging, but the passed a pawn gives him hope of complicating the issue.
38...a3 39.Ba2 Rc8 40.b6 Kd7?
The b pawn is too dangerous to be left on the board.
41.b7 Rc2 42.Be6+
Good enough, but perhaps easiest was 42.Rf7+ Kc6 43.Bd5+ Kb6 44.Rh7 Rb8 45.f6 a2 46.Bxa2 Rxa2 47.f7 etc.
42...Kc7 43.Rb1?
But now the win has gone. Still good for White was 43.Rf7+ Kb8 44.f6.
43...Kb8 44.Bb3??
Any reasonable move draws, eg 44.h3 Rd8 45.Rf7 a2 46.Bxa2 Rxa2 47.f6 Rf2, with dead-eye equality, according to both engines.
44...Rb2 45.Rxb2
There is nothing better.
45...axb2 46.Ba2 Kxb7 47.Rxd6 Ra8 0-1
*I am comparing play with two specialist books: Open Gambits: Italian And Scotch Gambit play by George Botterill (Batsford 1986) and Evans Gambit And A System Vs. Two Knights' Defense by Tim Harding (Chess Digest, 1991); and with two respected repertoire books: The Chess Advantage In Black And White by Larry Kaufman (McKay Chess Library, 2004) and Bologan's Black Weapons In The Open Games: How To Play For A Win If White Avoids The Ruy Lopez by Victor Bologan (New In Chess, 2014).

Mophy v The Evans (part six)

THE following game, perhaps Paul Morphy's most famous Evans' Gambit as Black, was played against the French-born chess problemist and author Napoleon Marache.
Marache - Morphy
New York 1857
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bxb4 5.c3 Ba5 6.d4
The normal move today - played three times against Morphy by James Thompson.
6...exd4 7.e5?!
Thompson played 7.0-0 in the first game against Morphy, and then switched to 7.Qb3. Both moves are almost certainly better than the text, which advances a pawn across the halfway line without hitting an opposition piece.
7...d5
The standard response in open games to White's e5.
8.exd6 Qxd6!?
My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo10, prefer 8...cxd6, but Morphy characteristically takes the chance to develop a piece.
9.0-0 Nge7 10.Ng5?!
This attack gets White nowhere, so almost certainly better was recapturing a pawn with 10.Nxd4, or developing with tempo with 10.Ba3 (the move that engines reckon is the drawback to 8...Qxd6!?).
10...0-0
Now 11.Qh5 is simply met by 11...Qg6, so White, not wanting an exchange of queens, attacks h7 in another way.
11.Bd3

Position after 11.Bd3

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11...Bf5!? 12.Bxf5 Nxf5 13.Ba3 Qg6 14.Bxf8 Qxg5 15.Ba3
Morphy could have avoided losing the exchange by playing 11...h6, but he realises White's loss of time will give Black a strong attack.
15...dxc3 16.Bc1 Qg6 17.Bf4 Rd8 18.Qc2 Ncd4 19.Qe4 Ng3! 20.Qxg6
Other moves cost White his queen.
20...Nde2#