Battle Of Giants

PREPARING for a league match tonight, I saw that one of my possible opponents plays the Schliemann (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5!?) and seems to know the theory.
I then turned to the book I am going through for light reading, 500 Master Games Of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont, and found I had reached the following game (notes in italics from 500 Master Games Of Chess).
Harry Pillsbury - Siegbert Tarrasch
Monte Carlo 1903
Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defence
A memorable game, aptly named "a battle of giants," between the two leaders in the tournament.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5!? 4.Nc3
The most logical reply, calm and energetic at the same time.
4.Nc3 is White's most successful try in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, although 4.d3 is increasingly popular, having been recommended in several repertoire books.
4...Nf6
Contesting the centre, whereas after 4...fxe4 5.Nxe4 he would lose his hold there, with a hostile piece established in the middle of the board.
Today 4...fxe4 is overwhelmingly more popular, with the key decision being whether Black meets 5.Nxe4 with 5...d5 or 5...Nf6.
5.exd5
Less good is 5.Qe2, because of 5...Nd4 with complications.
Michael Adams is among strong players who have tried both 5.exd5 and 5.Qe2.
5...e4
A close struggle ensues around this pawn. Less consistent would be 5...Bc5 6.0-0 0-0  (Black's sixth move is missing in my Dover edition, but I feel sure 6...0-0 was intended) 7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.d4, and White has a dominating position.
6.Qe2
He could besiege, or even undermine, Black's e pawn by 6.Ng5 d5 7.d3 Bxf5 8.dxe4 dxe4 9.Qe2.
Tarrasch faced this line three years later against Dawid Prezepiorka in the German chess federation's annual congress. Tarrasch played 9...Bd6, a move that has not found favour since, and was in trouble after the simple 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qc4, but won in 37 moves.
6...Qe7
He immediately occupies the critical e file, whereas after 6...d5 7.d3 White could proceed there with his work of dissolution.
7.Bxc6
Necessary, for if at once 7.Ng5 (or 7.Nh4), there follows 7...Nd4.
7...bxc6 8.Nh4 d5 9.d4 a5
Preparing for the intensified action of his queen's rook, which is to make up for his lost pawn.
9...exd3 would have transposed to Schapiro - Tartakower, Barmen 1905 (0-1, 22 moves).
10.Bg5 Ba6
A necessary measure.
11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.Qh5+ Kd7
Instead of the pusillanimous 12...Qf7, Black has to play 'va-banque'  (all-in).
13.Ng6
But White also has to take the doubtful course of material gain at the cost of his development. There would, indeed, be little attraction in 13.0-0-0 Be7 14.g3 Qg5+ 15.Qxg5 Bxg5+ 16.Kb1 Raf8 17.Rdg1 Rhg8 etc, and Black prepares to recover his pawn.
13...Qxd4
Forced. If 13...Rg8, 14.Ne5+.
14.Nxh8
For the time being, White is a whole rook ahead, but his king is in difficulties.
14...Bc5 15.Qh4 Rxh8 16.Rd1 Qb4
More effective than either 16...Qc4 or 16...Qe5.
Stockfish10 and Komodo9 much prefer 16...Qe5, but the position is unclear. Stockfish10 for quite some time reckons 16...Qe5 is winning for Black, eventually settling on Black 'just' having the upper hand, whereas Komodo9 has Black only slightly better.
17.Qg4
A very promising counteraction. He cannot play 17.Qxe4 because of 17...Re8.
17...Kd8

White to make his 18th move

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18.Qxg7?
This looks to be the losing move. The engines, rather unusually, agree on a long best-play line: 18.a3 Qxb2 19.Qxg7 Re8 20.Rb1 Qxc2 21.Rb8+ Bc8 22.0-0 e3 23.fxe3 Qd3 23.Rf3 Rxe3 24.Rf3 Rxe3 25.Qg8+ Ke7 26.Qg7+ with perpetual check.
18...Re8 19.Qf6+ Kd7 20.a3 Qb6
Avoiding the trap 20...Qxb2 21.Nxd5.
21.Rd2
If 21.Kd2, Bd4.
21...e3 22.fxe3 Bxe3 23.Nxd5
If 23.Kd1, Qxb2. In his precarious position, White decides not only to give back the exchange but to give up a piece as well.
23.Bxd2+ 24.Kxd2 Qf2+ 25.Kd1
Clearly not 25.Kc1 Re1+ 26.Rxe1 Qxe1#.
25...Qe2+
A necessary interim check; he protects his own bishop and then proceeds to win the piece.
26.Kc1 cxd5 (0-1, 83 moves)

Seven Highlights From Seven Rounds At Southend

MY seven games from the Southend Open over Easter were not without interest, even if some of the 'highlights' are staggering blunders.
Round One

Spanton (1914 Fide/171 ECF) - James Golding (2137/196)

The position is easily recognisable as being from an Exchange Spanish.
White has the better pawn-structure, while Black has the bishop-pair. That is why in the diagram I have just played 13.Be3-f4.
My main analysis engines, Stockfish10 and Komodo9, want Black to play 13...Bxf4!?, when Komodo9 reckons the game is equal but Stockfish10 prefers Black.
Black's alternative is to allow White to capture on d6 after, say, 13...f6 or 13...Ng6, when Black's pawns are undoubled but he gets a backward pawn on the d file.
JG must have been thinking along the latter lines, but his choice of 13...Rfe8?? was met by 14.e5 (1-0, 53 moves)
Round Two
I have already blogged about the ending in Tim Hebbes (2075/186) - Spanton (1914/171): https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2019/04/good-friday.html
Round Three
Black came up with a very interesting positional pawn sacrifice in Spanton (1914/171) - Henrik Stepanyan (2202/212).

White has just played 13.a2-a4

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13...c4!? 14.dxc4 bxa4 15.Rxa4?
I wanted to keep some pressure on Black's passed-but-isolated pawn, but there is no way I am going to be able to bring enough pieces to bear to inconvenience Black. Correct was 15.Bxa4, when the light-square bishop has some activity, with the engines even reckoning White is better.
15...Nb7
This move would have made no sense after 15.Bxa4 as White could solve the problem of his light-square bishop with 16.Bc6.
16.Nd2 Nc5 17.Ra1 Bb7 18.f3 Nh4
Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon the position is equal, but I believe most people would much prefer to be Black. In any event the game saw:
19.g4?? Nf4 20.Qh2 Qh4 (0-1, 29 moves)
Round Four
Eddy Barker (no Fide/180) - Spanton (1914/171) was a London System that began 1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.Nf3 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nc6!? 5.e3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Qe7!?
The idea of Black's set-up with 4...Nc6!? and 6...Qe7!? is to take over the centre with a quick ...e5. White should almost certainly challenge this with 7.c4, 7.Bb5 or 7.Ne5. Instead EB played:
7.c3?!
This is Stockfish10's second choice, but the move is surely too passive and, once it has been executed on the board, Stcokfish10 flashes red (meaning mistake), eventually changing to yellow (dubious).
7...e5 8.dxe5 Nxe5 9.Nxe5 Bxe5 10.Nf3!?
I expected 10.Bxe5 Bxe5 11.Nf3, when Black may be slightly better thanks to having more space in the centre.
10...Bxg3 11.hxg3

Who stands better, and why?

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White has a half-open h file, which more than compensates for the doubled g pawns. He also has the slightly better bishop (based on Black having a central pawn fixed on a light square). Black has more space in the centre.
I felt these factors added up to a slight edge for Black. Stockfish10 has Black about three-fifths of a pawn up after 11...0-0!? or 11...h5!?, whereas Komodo9 reckons the position is dead equal (½–½, 35 moves)
Round Five

How would you punctuate Black's last move of 16...d5-d4 in Spanton (1914/171) - Michael Catabay (no Fide/177), and why?

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Objectively Black should have probably got on with development by 16...Be6, when the engines prefer White thanks to White's pressure in the centre. But I would annotate the move MC played as 16...d4!? because it sets a trap that I promptly fell into:
17.cxd4
The engines much prefer White after 17.Ne4! dxe3 18.Bc4+ Kh8 19.Rxd6 exf2+ 20.Nxf2, presumably mainly due to Black's lagging development.
17...cxd4 18.Bc4+ Kh8 19.Bxd4?
White is still better after 19.Bd2 (Stockfish10) or 19.Ne4 (Komodo9).
19...Nxd4 20.Rxd4 Bc5
Black gains the exchange and has good winning chances (but ½–½, 31 moves)
Round Six

White has just played 16.Qd3 in Andrew Talbot (2096/no ECF) - Spanton (1914/171)

White is a (doubled) pawn up but has weaknesses and it is not clear where his king will find safety.
The engines reckon the game is dynamically balanced if Black either castles long or adds to the pressure on the kingside by playing 16...h5.
Instead I hatched a plan for capturing White's e5 pawn by playing …Ra5, but first I wanted to prevent White from interposing his c pawn by replying c5.
16...b6??
Weakening the long light-square diagonal is fatal.
17.Qf3
Not the only move, but good enough for an advantage.
17...Ra5 18.Nd6+??
The correct way to sac the knight was 18.Nf6+, when the more-or-less forced line 18...gxf6 19.exf6 Bxf6 20.Bd2! (attacking Black pieces at a5 and f6 simultaneously) Bg5 21.Qxc6 Bxd2+ 22.Kxd2 leaves White still a pawn up but with a much freer position.
18...cxd6 19.Qxc6 Qxc6??
I rejected 19...dxe5 because of 20.Qxb6??, but that loses to 20...Bd8. So White would have to retreat his dark-square bishop, after which Black is better.
20.Bxc6+ Bd7 21.Bxd7+?
Better is 21.Bd5 as then 21...dxe5? would be bad because of 22.Bxe5 and Black can only avoid going a second pawn down by allowing 22...Bf6 23.Bxf6 gxf6, when Black has multiple weaknesses (as well as still being a pawn down).
21...Kxd7 22.exd6 Bxd6 23.Bxd6 Kxd6
The smoke has cleared and White remains a pawn to the good (1-0, 61 moves)
Round Seven
I was two pawns up from out of the opening in Spanton (1914/171) - Viktor Jamroz (1746/162).

White to make his 16th move

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16.Kb1??
A 'safety-first' move that is anything but.
16...Nc3+ 17.Bxc3 dxc3 18.b3 Nb4 19.a3
The only saving move, but good enough.
19...Nd5 20.Rxd5??
As VJ pointed out afterwards, this exchange sac was completely unnecessary. I should have gone with my other main thought of 20.Rd4.
20...exd5 21.Qd4
Certainly not 21.Qxd5?? as Black replies 21...Be6, with ...Rd1+ to come.
21...Qh6?!
Probably not best, although it works out swimmingly in the game. The engines like 21...Qa5, with an unclear position.
22.Qxc3 Rc8 23.Qd2??
I should have avoided an exchange of queens with 23.Qd3 or 23.Qb4, when the engines prefer White.
23...Qxd2 24.Nxd2 Bf5
I had seen this, but missed the strength of it.
25.Bd3?!
The engines suggest 25.Nf3, but still regard Black as comfortably winning.
25...Bxd3 26.cxd3 Rxg2
White has two pawns for the exchange, but too many of the White pawns are weak (0-1, 48 moves)

Siesta Miniature

ONE of the most famous Siesta games, Réti - Capablanca, Berlin 1928, is also given by Tartakower and du Mont in 500 Master Games Of Chess.
Tartakower's comments are in italics.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5
The 'Siesta Gambit' at work.
6.d4
Trying an upheaval of the centre.
Caruana used this move last year to beat Baskaran Adhiban (2655) in a rapidplay game.
6...fxe4
After 6...exd4 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Nxd4 White would have the best of it.
This note is rather puzzling as Black seems fine with 8...fxe4. However the analysis engines Stcokfish10 and Komodo9 give 7.Nxd4 as being very strong for White.
7.Ng5
The crucial moment. An automatic draw would be brought about (as shown in the first instance by Maróczy) by 7.Nxe5 dxe5 8.Qh5+ Ke7 9.Bg5+ Nf6 10.Bxc6 bxc6 11.dxe5 Qd5 (ingeniously maintaining his gain, for if now 12.exf6+ gxf6, White's bishop is pinned) 12.Bh4 Ke6 13.Bxf6 gxf6 14.Qe8+ Kf5 15.Qh5+ Ke6 16.Qe8+ with perpetual check. This draw by sacrifice is reminiscent of the 'Möller Attack' in the 'Giuoco Piano'.
This forced draw featured as recently as last year in a game between players rated 2072 (White) and 1659.
7...exd4
An interesting idea, due to the Russian master Zonosko-Borovsky, is 7...d5 8.dxe5 Bc5.
8.Nxe4
Simplification by 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Qxd4 is essential here.
The engines reckon Black would have a winning advantage with the simple 9...d5. They much prefer Réti's choice.
8...Nf6 9.Bg5
Caruana preferred 9.Nxf6+.
9...Be7

Réti's next move is a blunder

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10.Qxd4??
Heedless. But even after 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qxd4 0-0, Black has an advantage in territory, thanks to his open f file. The best, therefore, would be 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.Qh5+ g6 (or else 11...Kf8) 12.Qd5, and the chances are approximately even.
10...b5 11.Nxf6 gxf6
Now there are three white pieces 'en prise'.
12.Qd5 bxa4
Black, with two opposing bishops liable to capture, makes a wise selection, for if 12...fxg5, 13.Bb3 saves the piece.
This is incorrect as Black wins with 13...Qd7, saving the c6 knight as well as avoiding mate. However, the engines, and an anonymous annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, give 13.Bd1!, as now 13...Qd7 is met by 14.Bg4! Qxg4 15.Qxc6+ Kd8 16.Qxa8 Qe6+ with an unclear position.
13.Bh6
Trying to force a way into the enemy camp, as after 13.Qxc6+ Bd7 Black wins.
13...Qd7
The 'coup juste', which defends the threatened knight and vacates a square for the king, parrying the threat of a perpetual check. A terrible blunder would be 13...Bd7 14.Qh5#.
14.0-0
14.Bg7 is not much of an improvement as Black gets the queens off, 14...Qe6+ 15.Qxe6 Bxe6, and then traps White's bishop by 16.Bxh8 Kf7. After 17.Bxf6 Bxf6, Black has two bishops and a lead in development for rook and pawn. The engines reckon Black is clearly winning.
14...Bb7 15.Bg7 0-0-0
After this reply, events crowd fast on one another.
16.Bxh8 Ne5
Putting down his trumps.
17.Qd1
Or, for instance, 17.Qd4 Nf3+ 18.gxf3 Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Bxf3#.
17...Bf3
A break-up sacrifice.
18.gxf3
Or 18.Qd4 Rg8 19.g3 Qh3 etc.
Now White hopes to survive after the continuation 18...Rg8+ 19.Kh1 Qh3 20.Rg1 Rxg1+ 21.Qxg1 Qxf3+ 22.Qg2 etc.
18...Qh3 0-1
Black's last four moves were hammer blows.

Birth Of A Variaton?

IN 500 Master Games Of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont, the Siesta Variation of the Deferred Steinitz Defence to the Ruy Lopez is credited to Capablanca.
The "birth of a variation," according to the authors, occurred in the following game:
Endre Steiner* - Capablanca
Budapest 1928 (known as the Siesta Tournament)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 f5

So far so simple, but there is a problem - Capablanca had faced the move 5...f5 in his match against Marshall 19 years earlier.
It was game 14, and ended in a draw (Capablanca was leading by seven wins to one in the match, which was promoted as being for the US championship and was to be the first to eight wins).
But that is not all - back in 1892, at the German chess federation's seventh congress master tournament, held in Dresden, von Scheve played the "Siesta Variaton" to draw against Walbrodt.
Of course it is easy to be wise with the benefit of a database, but it is surprising neither a strong player such as Tartakower, nor a leading writer and chess editor such as du Mont, was apparently aware of 5...f5 being played in the Capablanca - Marshall match.
Anyway, putting chess history aside, how should White meet the Siesta (the move 5...f5 is still relevant today, being second in popularity to the more conventional 5...Bd7)?
The game Walbrodt - von Scheve went 6.d3 (reminiscent of a popular line against the Schliemann) Nf6 7.Qe2 Be7 8.Bb3 Na5 9.Bc2 0-0 10.Nbd2 f4!? (½–½, 22 moves).
White reacted more energetically in Capablanca - Marshall: 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.d4 e4 (the same moves were played in E.Steiner - Capablanca, with Tartakower commenting: "It is clear that Black's game will remain powerful if he can maintain this advanced post") 8.Qe2 Be7 9.Nfd2 Nf6 10.h3!? (Stockfish10 and Komodo9 strongly dislike this move, and subsequent games featured 10.0-0 or 10.f3) d5 (½–½, 31 moves).
The Siesta still occasionally appears at high levels, with the most recent game involving two 2400+ players in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database being from last year's French club championship. Yuri Solodovnichenko (2531) - Deimante Cronette (2461) continued 6.exf5 Bxf5 7.0-0 Bd3 8.Re1 Be7 9.Qb3 Rb8!? (9...b5 10.Qd5 Qd7 11.Qxd3 bxa4 is considered the main line, but looks pleasant for White) 10.Qd5 Bf5 11.d4!? (the uncredited annotator in Mega19 points out that 11.Bb3 was played in a 2015 ICCF correspondence game, and is preferred by the engines) Nf6! (this double-pawn sac seems to be Black's only decent move) 12.Bxc6+ bxc6 13.Qc6+ Bd7 14.Qxa6 e4 (for his two pawns, Black has the bishop-pair and kingside attacking chances) 15.Ng5 Rb6 16.Qe2 d5 17.Bf4? (the bishop becomes a target here - the engines reckon 17.c4 or 17.a4 keeps the game in balance) 17...0-0 18.a4 Ne8!? (a retreat, but it lets a more powerful piece - the queen's rook - join the kingside attack) 19.a5 Rg6 20.Nxe4 Rxf4 21.Ng3 Re6 22.Qd2 Rff6 23.Re5 Bd6 24.Rxe6 Rxe6 25.a6 Qe7 26.f3? (White spent almost eight minutes over this move, which leads to a quick loss, but he was in big trouble anyway) Bxg3 27.hxg3 Re2 28.Qd3 Re1+ 29.Kf2 Bb5! 0-1
*The attribution "A. Steiner" in the book seems to be a mistake.

Steinitz Gem

HERE is another interesting clash from the book 500 Master Games Of Chess.
It is the sixth game of the Lasker-Steinitz rematch held in Moscow from November 1896-January 1897, and was one of only two Steinitz wins (the match finished in Lasker's favour +10=5-2).
I guess I must have seen the game before, but I could not remember it when going over the moves. Tartakower's notes are in italics.
Lasker (2855) - Steinitz (2794)*
Ruy Lopez, Deferred Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6
The 'Steinitz Defence Deferred' is sound and lasting.
5.d4
This straightforward move is the strongest against the Steinitz Defence proper (3...d6 4.d4). Here, curiously enough, it proves to be the least energetic.
My main analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon the text dissipates White's advantage. Nevertheless, 5.d4 has been played by Shirov and other strong players.
5...Bd7
A rather anxious reply.
Tartakower gives a lot of analysis to support his claim that Black should have "boldly" played 5...b5 6.Bb3 Nxd4 7.Nxd4 exd4, giving the game "an incisive character." That is indeed the main line in this variation today.
6.Bb3!?
Releasing his hold without necessity. He could have kept up the tension by 6.c3, after which Black could have continued straightforwardly by 6...Nf6, or more insidiously by 6...Nge7, followed by ...Ng6, …Be7 etc, or finally by 6...g6, followed by 7....Bg7 etc, with a playable game.
Lasker had used 6.c3 to beat Steinitz at St Petersburg the previous year and Blackburne earlier in 1896 at Nuremberg. The subtle idea behind 6.Bb3!? will become clear later.
6...Be7
Of course not 6...Nf6 7.Bg5 etc (this must be misprint for 7.Ng5, although Black is still alive after 7...d5! eg 8.exd5 Nd4).
7.dxe5 dxe5 8.Qd5 Be6 9.Qxd8+ Rxd8 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.c3

Who stands better, and why?

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White's plan, initiated by his sixth move, is now clear: elimination of the queens and creation of a doubled pawn in the hostile camp. But, for once, Dr Lasker, the great endgame player, is at fault; he overlooks that a genuine endgame is still very far off. Black already commands the open d file, and will soon operate on the f file as well.
Note that Black has a sizeable lead in development. White has a knight in play, while Black has developed a knight, bishop and rook, and it is Black to move. Nevertheless, pawn-structure cannot be ignored - the engines reckon White is a tiny bit better (a fifth of a pawn, according to Stockfish10; a tenth of a pawn, according to Komodo9). The game becomes one of positional manoeuvre.
11...Nf6 12.Nbd2 Bc5
And here is, in addition, a diagonal which will be under Black's management.
13.b4 Ba7 14.a4 b5
Cutting short White's designs on the extreme queen's wing.
15.Ke2
Useless would be 15.axb5 axb5 16.Ra6 Bb6 (or 16.Nxe5 Bxf2+).
15...Bb6
Evading the threat 16.axb5 axb5 17.Nxe5.
16.axb5 axb5 17.Ne1 Rf8 18.f3 Rf7 19.Nb3?
A very natural desire to let the inactive bishop into the open. Yet it is a tactical inadvertence by which Black will be enable dto turn his positional advantage into one of material. 19.Rf1 is necessary as a preliminary measure.
Or, as an anonymous analyst in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database puts it: "A gross mistake that is seldom found in Lasker's games."
19...Nxe4!
Gain of a pawn of which the protection is illusory (20.fxe4 Rf2#). The rest is a question of technique.
20.Bb2 Nd6
Threatens not only 21...Nc4, but also the breakthrough (even against 21.Nd2) by 21...e4 etc.
21.Rf1 Nc4 22.Bc1 Ne7 23.Bg5 Nd5!
Well calculated. This sacrifice of the exchange enables Black to take the hostile king under the concentrated fire of four batteries.
24.Bxd8
There is nothing better.
24...Nf4+ 25.Kd1 Rd7+ 26.Kc2
Or 26.Kc1 Ne2+ etc.
26...Ne3+ 27.Kb2 Nxf1 28.Bg5 Ne3 29.Bxf4 exf4
After a few exchanges, Black remains with only an extra pawn, but with the same overwhelming positional advantage.
30.Rc1 e5 0-1
Practically a 'zugzwang' position for White, while Black can further intensify the pressure by 31...Rd6 and …Rg6 or …Rh6.
*The ratings are historical retro analysis from chessmetrics.com and should not be taken too seriously.

Streak Ends

MY 19-game unbeaten streak for Battersea ended this evening … against Battersea.
Aldo Camilleri (196 - Battersea) - Spanton (167 - Battersea 2)
Central London League
Ruy Lopez, Open Defence (by transposition from the Berlin)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!?
Much more popular are 5...Nd6, usually leading to the Berlin Wall, and 5...Be7, but the world champion Magnus Carlsen has played all three moves.
6.Ba4
One point of Black's move order is to avoid the Exchange Variation (3...a6 4.Bxc6), but a major alternative at this point is for White to play a delayed Exchange with 6.Bxc6.
6...b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6

We have reached the main tabiya of the Open Spanish

9.c3 Be7
Slightly more popular in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, and scoring a better percentage, is the more aggressive 9...Bc5.
10.Nbd2 0-0 11.Bc2 Nc5!?
Black usually plays 11...f5, although the analysis engine Komodo9 prefers 11...Nxd2!?
12.Re1
Stockfish10 reckons White has a big advantage after 12.Nb3 Qd7 13.Re1, giving a position which seems to have first appeared on the board in a 1925 simul where world champion Capablanca had the white pieces.
12...d4 13.cxd4 Nxd4 14.Nxd4 Qxd4 15.Qe2 Bg4!?
Euwe twice won with 15...Rfd8, while Tal drew with 15...Rad8. The text seems to be a reasonable alternative if followed up correctly.
16.Nf3 Qd5 17.Rd1 Bxf3 18.gxf3 Qe6 19.f4 g6 20.b4 Nd7??
The engines give 20...Na4 with a playable game for Black as they are not impressed with White's position after 21.Bxa4 bxa4.
In fact, 20...Na4 was forced since the text loses fairly trivially (as will soon be seen) and 20...Nb7?? runs into 21.f5, eg 21...gxf5 22.Bb3 with a huge attack against Black's king.
21.Bb3 Qf5 22.e6 Nf6
Or 22...Bf6 23.exf7+, again with a winning attack, eg 23... Kg7 24.Be6 Qh5 25.Bg4 Qh4 26.Rb1.
23.exf7+ Kg7?
It was better to give up the exchange with 23...Rxf7, but White is still winning.
The game finished:
24.Qxe7 Qg4+ 25.Kf1 Qh3+ 26.Ke1 Qxh2 27.Be3 Qg1+ 28.Kd2 Qg2 29.Bd4 1-0
Updated statistics
Battersea 2018-19
Event...Colour...Grade...Opponent's Grade...Result
CLL.........B..........167...….........196..............…D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..159...………….D
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..161...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..190...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..161...….………W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..160...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..159...………….D
LL...…….B...…...167...………..168...………….D
LL...…….W...…..167...………..148...………….W
CLL...…..B...…...167...………..196...……….….L
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +4=7-1 for a grading performance of 180.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Early Hedgehog

A hedgehog formation in chess comes about when one player, usually Black, arranges his forces along the back three ranks and waits for an opportune moment to counterattack.
The one exception to this is that the c pawn is advanced to the fourth rank and exchanged for the opponent's d pawn.
Without this exchange, the opening is technically not a Hedgehog, although it could still have many hedgehog-like qualities.
I always assumed using the word hedgehog to describe a chess set-up was quite a modern thing.
Indeed, according to grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek, writing online for HuffPost, "(Yugoslav GM) Ljubomir Ljubojević is credited with developing the Hedgehog in the modern era - in the early 1970s."
But Kavalek goes on to point out that the earliest known game to feature a hedgehog formation, although it was not given that name then and was only rediscovered many years later, was a game of the German GM Friedrich Sämisch in 1922.
However, the term hedgehog was already in use by the early 1950s, as I discovered while going through 500 Master Games Of Chess by Tartakower and du Mont.
Here is the opening of the game cited by Tartakower.
His comments are in italics - mine in normal type.
James Aitken - Samuel Reshevsky
Scotland - USA, Stockholm Olympiad 1937
Ruy Lopez
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Na5 9.Bc2 c5 10.d4 Qc7 11.h3
If 11.Nbd2 is more incisive, 11.a4 bolder and 11.d5 more circumspect, the move in the text is perfectly sound.
All four moves are still played today by strong grandmasters, although most popular is 11.Nbd2.
11...0-0
A non-committal reply, which is the most widely used. Other possible continuations are 11...Bd7, followed by ...Rc8, bearing on the queenside, or 11...Nc6 on the centre, or even 11...g5 on the kingside.
11...g5?! is highly questionable, and I can find no evidence of it having ever been played. I guess Tartakower's idea is 12.Bxg5 Rg8, but then 13.h4 (or 13.a4, as preferred by Stockfish10 and Komodo9) seems to simply leave Black a pawn down with little compensation.
12.Nbd2 Nc6 13.d5
He decides to block the centre in order to concentrate on the kingside. Other playable lines are 13.a4 or 13.Nf1, with the positional sacrifice of a pawn.
Lasker and Tarrasch debated the sacrifice line in their 1908 world championship match, playing 13...cxd4 14.cxd4 Nxd4 15.Nxd4 exd4. In game three Lasker played 16.Ng3 and lost; in game five he chose 16.Bg5 and won. Note that 16.Qxd4?? is a gross blunder because of 16...Qxc2.
13...Nd8
A playable alternative is 13...Nb8.
14.Nf1
Without interpolating the interesting episode 14.a4, White unwaveringly pursues the object he has set himself by the preceding move: a direct kingside attack.
14...Ne8
Black's counterplay aims at effecting the counterthrust ...f5.
15.g4
Preventing, as it does, the enemy threat, this move is more energetic than 15.Ng3.
15...g6 16.Bh6
Or at once 16.Ng3.
16...Ng7 17.Ng3 f6
There is a great deal of resistance in the "hedgehog position" which Black has adopted.

There are 54 games with this position in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database

OK, today this would not be recognised as a Hedgehog, but Black's kingside does have a spindly hedgehog appearance.
The remaining moves were: 18.Kh1 Nf7 19.Be3 Kh8 20.Rg1 Bd7 21.Qe2 c4 22.Nd2 Rg8 23.Rg2 Raf8 24.f3 Qc8 25.Rag1 f5 26.Nxf5 gxf5 27.exf5 Nxf5 28.gxf5 Bxf5 29.Rxg8+ Rxg8 30.Rxg8+ Kxg8 31.Qg2+ Kf8 32.Bxf5 Qxf5 33.Ne4 h5 34.Kh2 Qh7 35.Qd2 Nh8 36.Bg5 Qf5 37.Bxe7+ Kxe7 38.Qf2 Nf7 39.Qa7+ Kf8 40.Qb8+ Kg7 41.Kg2 Qf4 42.Qa7 Qc1 43.Nxd6 Qd2+ 44.Kf1 Qxd5 45.Ne4 h4 46.Qf2 Qd1+ 47.Kg2 Qd8 48.Qa7 Qd3 49.Qf2 Qb1 50.Qxh4 Qxb2+ 51.Kg3 Kf8 52.Qf6 Qc1 53.Qxa6 Qg1+ 54.Kh4 Qe3 55.Qc8+ Kg7 56.Qg4+ Kf8 57.Qc8+ Kg7 ½-½
 

The King Is A Fighting Piece - Or Is It?

I AM slowly going through Tartakower & du Mont's 1952 classic, 500 Master Games Of Chess.
The games are arranged by opening, and within each opening by chronological order, where practical, to bring out the historical development of variations within an opening.
The book has been much-praised, not least because of this instructive method of presntation.

Tartakower's 500 … I got mine secondhand for £12

The following game is between the first winner of the British Chess Championship, the now largely forgotten Cecil de Vere, and Wilhelm Steinitz, who was to become the first officially recognised world chess champion.
It was Steinitz who famously said: "The king is a fighting piece - use it!" At least, he is often quoted on the internet as having stated that, although I have been unable to find a source for the quote. Anyway, I wonder if he recalled this game when giving his advice (assuming the advice came later).
De Vere - Steinitz
Dundee 1867
Ruy Lopez, Open Berlin
Notes in italics are by Tartakower (algebraicised) - other notes are by me
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6
At one time Dr Lasker used to be the great protagonist of this active (if not too active) defence.
4.0-0
White disdains to protect his KP either by 4.Qe2 or more modestly by 4.d3, relying on the superior development which its capture would give him.
4...Nxe4
Challenging thunder and lightning on the K file in preference to adopting a more staid line of defence by 4...d6 (5.d4 Bd7 etc = Steinitz Defence) or 4...Be7 or even 4...Bc5.
5.Re1
Even more vigorous is 5.d4, strengthening the pressure on the centre files. The defence against 5.Qe2 presents no difficulties, eg 5...Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5 Be7 8.Re1 Be6 9.d4 Nf5 (not yet 9...0-0 10.Nxf7) 10.c3 0-0 with an equal game.
Carlsen and his most-recent world championship challenger Caruana are among strong players who have varied between picking 5.d4 and 5.Re1.
5...Nd6 6.Nxe5
Or 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Nxe5 Be7 followed by ...0-0.
6...Nxe5
Instead of this impulsive reply, which tries to eliminate the terrible threat Nxc6+, the coolheaded 6...Be7 is the coup juste.
Modern opinion tends to agree with Tartakower, eg John Cox in The Berlin Wall (2008) gives 6...Be7 without comment, as do Igor Lysyj & Roman Ovetchkin in The Berlin Defence (2012). However, Nakamura is one famous player who has played both moves.
Looking at my games, for what they are worth, I see I lost both times I played 6...Nxe5, and scored +2=3-4 with 6...Be7.
7.Rxe5+ Be7 8.d4?!
A choice that has not found favour over the following decades. Steinitz twice had this position 21 years later in his world title match against Zukertort. In game four of that match he played 8.Bf1 and lost; in game six he played 8.Nc3 and won. Today 8.Bf1 is most popular.

Steinitz had a penchant for exposing his king, but his next move takes that liking too far

8...f6?
An unsuccessful attempt to confiscate the opposing KB, which badly weakens the black king's battlements. As, on the other hand, 8...0-0 9.Bd3 would leave the white pieces with good attacking positions, simplification by 8...Nxb5 9.Rxb5 is the only resource.
The engines Stockfish10 and Komodo9 reckon Black is better after 8...Nxb5.
9.Re1 Nxb5
Again after 9...0-0 10.Bd3 White's pressure would be intensified.
10.Qh5+ g6
Stockfish10 strongly prefers 10...Kf8!? Komodo9 is unconvinced.
11.Qxb5 c6
After 11...0-0 Black's position would be no less awkward.
12.Qb3 d5 13.c4
This fight for the important diagonal a2-g8 marks an essential stage on the way to success.
13...Kf7
He resorts to artificial castling because after 13...0-0 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.Nc3 Black could not protect his d pawn and dark-square bishop.
14.Nc3
If now 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Qxd5 cxd5 16.Nc3 Bb4, and Black achieves equality.
14...dxc4?!
If 14...Be6 15.Qxb7.
The first piece of Tartakower's analysis that the engines strongly disagree with. They reckon that after a line such as 15...Qb6 16.Qxb6 axb6 17.cxd5 Bxd5 18.Nxd5 cxd5, Black's more active pieces give quite good compensation, although both Stockfish10 and Komodo9 prefer White.
Instead they declare 14...Be6?? a blunder thanks to 15.Rxe6! (15.cxd5, followed by later capturing on b7, also seems good) Kxe6 16.cxd5+ with a huge attack, eg 16...cxd5 17.Bh6! Rc8 18.Re1+ Kd7 19.Nxd5 Bd6 20.Qxb7+ Rc7 21.Nxc7, when White is material up and still attacking.
An uncredited annotator in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database gives 14...Qb6 15.Qxb6 axb6 16.cxd5 Bd6 17.dxc6 bxc6 "with compensation," although the engines again prefer White.
15.Qxc4+ Kg2 16.d5 cxd5?
This loses because it brings White's knight into a powerful central attacking position. The engines suggest 16...Re8 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.Be3 Bf5, but with a strong initiative for White after 19.Rad1 (Stockfish10) or 19.g4!? (Komodo9).
17.Nxd5 Bf8
But not 17...Re8 because 18.Nc7, nor 17...Bd6, after which Black's position remains precarious.
The engines reckon both moves cited by Tartakower are better than the game continuation, but that none can save Black.
18.Nxf6!
A far-sighted sacrifice which breaks up the black king's citadel.
Not the only way to win - White's advantages in development and king safety are too big - but one which makes Steinitz's "fighting piece" quote look out-of-place, at least in this game.
18...Qxf6
Or 18...Kxf6 19.Qc3+ followed by Qxh8.
18...Kxf6 19.Qh4+, winning the queen, is also rather good.
19.Bd2 b5 20.Qd5 b4
The terrible threat 21.Bc3 is past, but at the cost of multiple weaknesses.
21.Rac1
Instead of rushing for his prey by 21.Qxa8 Bc5 etc, White in a telling manner increases the pressure still more (threat: 22.Rc7+).
21...Qf7 22.Qxa8 Be6 23.Qe4 Bxa2 24.Qe5+ Kg8 25.Rc7
This irruption on the seventh marks the end of Black's resistance.
25...Qd5 26.Qxd5+Bxd5 27.Re8 1-0
(27...Bf7 28.Ra8 Kg7 29.Raxa7). A beautiful game.
Steinitz rarely lost so comprehensively, but he went on to much better things. And what of de Vere? He contracted tuberculosis, possibly around the time of playing Steinitz, became an alcoholic and died less than eight years later aged 28, according to Wikipedia.

Guernsey Time Again

PLAYING in the 44th Guernsey chess festival, which began today.
Daniel Rosen (2081) - Spanton (1923), Round One
Ruy Lopez, Closed Berlin
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3
Much less popular than 4.0-0, but in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database it scores a very slightly better percentage. In practice, many top grandmasters play both variations.
4...Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4
Again the much-less popular choice - behind 5...d6 - but scoring a much better percentage.
6.Nxd4
Overwhelmingly the first choice of players at all levels, but it is not clear it is any better than, say, 6.Bc4.
6...Bxd4 7.c3 Bb6 8.Nd2 c6 9.Ba4 0-0 10.Nf3
The commonest move, but note that after …
10...d6
… we have a position that is symmetrical, except that Black's king's bishop is slightly better-placed than White's king's bishop.
11.Bc2
DB said in the post-mortem that best might be 11.Bb3, but he could not bring himself to play it as then the position would be fully symmetrical … with Black to move.
11...Re8
Played to prevent 12.d4.
12.Qe2 Qe7 13.Be3 d5 14.Bxb6 axb6 15.Bb3
If 13.exd5, then 15...Nxd5.
15...dxe4 16.dxe4 Be6 17.Qe3 Nd7 18.Bxe6 Qxe6 19.b3 Nc5 20.Rfd1

Black to reply to White's 20.Rfd1

****
****
****
****
****
20...f6
This is OK, but it is really little more than a safety-first move.
DB feared 20...Qg6, when Stockfish9 gives 21.Nd2 Rad8 22.b4 Na4 23.Nc4, with maybe a tiny pull for Black.
Perhaps stronger is 20...Qg4, and if 21.Nd2, then 21...Rxa2! Stockfish9 continues: 22.h3 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Qg6, when Black is a (doubled) pawn up.
After the text, the game fairly quickly petered out to a draw.
21.h3 Red8 22.Qe2 Qe7 23.Ne1 Ra3 24.Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.Rd1 Qe7 26.Rd2 Ra8 27.f3 Ne6 28.Qe3 Qc5 29.Kf2 Qxe3+ 30.Kxe3 Rd8 31.Rxd8+ ½-½

All's Well In Tunbridge Wells

WELL, I did not win the open tournament at the 2nd Tunbridge Wells Congress in memory of Southern Counties Chess Union stalwart Richard Haddrell, but I surprised quite a few people, myself included.
I drew with a 180, beat a 166, beat a 208, lost to a 243 and drew with a 182. That is a tournament performance of 205.8, although the ECF's 40pt rule means it will not count so high for grading purposes.
My best result came in round three, on Saturday evening, against Kent junior Freddie Hand.
Spanton (163) - Hand (208)
Ruy Lopez, Cozio Defence
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7 4.Nc3!?
This is an old move - it goes back to at least 1836 - but has recently been growing in popularity. Black's most popular fourth move in the Cozio is 4...g6, but in this variation there is a serious problem, as can be seen in the game J Ellis (2130) - Spanton (2054), 1996 US Open (Alexandria, Virginia), which continued, after 4.Nc3!? g6, with 5.d4 exd4 6.Nd5! (the punctuation is Grandmaster Alexey Dreev's in Anti-Spanish: The Cozio Defence) Bg7 7.Bg5! (again, Dreev's exclamation mark) h6 8.Bf6 Bxf6! (Dreev) 9.Nxf6+ Kf8 10.0-0

Black is temporarily a pawn up, but I cannot imagine anyone preferring Black's position over White's

I played 10...Nf5, which Dreev calls dubious - he gives 10...a6! as leading to "approximately equal" chances.
My move was met by 11.Nd5, which Dreev says is good for White, and certainly I was struggling after the further moves 11...Nfe7 12.Nxd4 (1-0, 27 moves).
I tried 4...Ng6 in two more-recent games, drawing with David Littlejohns (2055) at Paignton in 2012. but losing to Kevin Roser (2409) at Gibraltar the following year.
Dreev says the big drawback to 4...Ng6 is the line Roser played against me, namely 5.d4 exd4 6.Nxd4, which looks a bit like a Scotch Four Knights, but with White having an extra tempo (Bg5) and Black's king's knight being slid from the f6 square to the less active g6.
Black could try 4...a6, but this gives White a tempo to play 5.Bc4, switching the light-square bishop to a more promising diagonal now that Black has reinforced c6 (and indirectly the protection of e5).
All of this helps explain why Dreev endorses the move Hand played against me, viz:
4...d6
Dreev says: "The idea (is) to transpose into the Old Steinitz Defence in which White has played Nc3 too early,"
5.d4
"This is the only way to fight for a slight opening edge," says Dreev, who gives Black's best as 5...a6. The game saw a line he warns against:
5...exd4 6.Nxd4 Bd7 7.0-0
Dreev leaves this line here, saying the game has transposed to "one of the positions in the Steinitz Defence in which White maintains a slight but stable positional edge."
7...Ng6?
A mistake, which I failed to exploit. Perhaps best was to initiate exchanges with the typical freeing manoeuvre 7...Nxd4, when I intended 8.Qxd4, with a pleasant game.
8.Re1?
My main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, scream out for 8.Nf5, which they are so enthusiastic about that at first they reckon White is winning. They sober down after considering the position for a while, but still believe White is much better after 8...Nce7 9.Re1 (Stockfish9) or 8...Nge7!? 9.Bg5 (Komodo9).
I rejected 8.Nf5 because I was not sure White was better after 8...Bxf5, but 9.exf5 Nge7 (9...Nge5 10.Re1) 10.Bg5 Qd7 (10...f6 11.Qh5+) 11.f6 gxf6 12.Bxf6 Rg8 13.Re1 0-0-0 14.Nd5, as given by Stockfish9, looks crushing.
8...Be7 9.Be3 Bf6 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bxd4 12.Qxd4 Bxb5 13.Nxb5 0-0
The mass exchanges begun on move 10 have freed Black's game, although White has a lead in development and more central space.
14.c4!?
Not 14.Nxa7?? c5.
I thought the text gave me a pleasant bind, but the engines do not like the move, preferring 14.Qc3, 14.Nc3 or even 14.f3.
14...a6 15.Nc3 Qg5
Perhaps this is the problem with my 14th move - Black gets a small but annoying initiative on the kingside.
16.Qe3 Qe5 17.Rad1 Rfd8?!
This looks like the wrong rook, but possibly FH thought his queenside would be vulnerable to a queen invasion if he moved the a8 rook.
18.Rd5 Qf6 19.b3 c6!?
Komodo9's choice, but it clearly weakens the d6 pawn.
20.Rdd1 Nf4 21.g3? Ne6?
The fast time control (all moves in 80 minutes, with a 10-second increment) may have saved me here, as otherwise FH would surely have found 21...Nh3+ 22.Kg2 Nxf2!
22.Kg2 g5!?
Presumably an anti-rabbit move.
23.h3 Qe5 24.Ne2 Kh8 25.Nd4
Forcing exchanges, as Black can hardly allow a White knight to (at last!) occupy the f5 square.
25...Nxd4 26.Qxd4 Qxd4?
The analysis engines aren't too harsh about this, but to me it seems a clear mistake, more-or-less condemning Black to passive defence of the d6 weakness.
27.Rxd4 Rd7 28.Red1 Rad8 29.Kf3 Kg7 30.Kg4 Kg6 31.f4 gxf4 32.gxf4
This gives Black a drawing resource. Better was 32.Kxf4, eg 32...Kf6 33.Rxd6+ Rxd6 34.Rxd6+ Rxd6 35.e5+ Ke6 36.exd6 Kxd6, leaving a king-and-pawn ending that looks very good for White. Stockfish9 suggests 32...c5!?, but White is clearly much better after 33.Rd5.

Position after the seemingly natural 32.gxf4

32...f6
The engines give 32...f5!, the point being that 33.exf5+ Kf6 takes much of the pressure off d6. It is still White for choice, but difficult to make progress.
33.f5+! Kh6 34.c5 d5 35.Kf4 Kg7 36.h4 Kf7 37.h5 Ke7?
This eases White's task.
The engines prefer 37..Kg7, but after, say, 38.exd5 cxd5 39.b4, Black can do nothing but wait for White to slowly make progress, as an attempt at counterplay by 39...Kh6 could end in tears, eg 40.a3 Kxh6?? 41.Rh1#.
38.Rg1
Simpler, and stronger, was 38.exd5 cxd5 39.b4, with mounting pressure on Black's position.
But 38.h6?! would have allowed 38...dxe4, when 39.Rxd7+ Rxd7 40.Rxd7 Kxd7 leaves White's king with no way into Black's position. White's best would probably be 40.Rg1 Kf8 41.Kxe4, but Black has some drawing chances.
38...Kf8 39.Rgd1?
Giving Black a second chance to find the best defence of ...Kg7.
I should have continued switching my attack to the g file. The engines give 39.Rd2 Re7 40.Rgd2! Rxe4+ 41.Kf3 Rde8 42.Rg8+ Ke7 43.R1g7+ Kd8 44.Rxe8+ Kxe8 45.Rxh7, when White's dominant rook gives excellent winning chances.
39...Kf7? 40.h6
This is good, now that Black cannot reply ...dxe4.
40...Kf8 41.b4 Kf7 42.exd5 cxd5 43.a4 Kf8 44.Re1 Re7 45.Rdd1 Rxe1 46.Rxe1 Rd7 47.Re6 Kf7 48.Ke3 d4+ 49.Kd3 a5 50.b5 Rd5. 51.c6 bxc6 52.b6
Black cannot stop this pawn, except by allowing a lost king-and-pawn ending. The game finished:
52...Rd7 53.Rxc6 Ke7 54.Rc7 Rxc7 55.bxc7 Kd7 56.Kxd4 Kxc7 57.Kc5 Kd7 58.Kb5 Kd6 59.Kxa5 Ke5
59...Kc5 60.Ka6 Kc6 61.a5 is no improvement.
60.Kb6 1-0