Central London League

PLAYED on board three (of five) for Battersea against HMC 2 in division one last night.

Daniel Mayer (1915) - Spanton (1913)

Spanish Berlin/Open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!? 6.Ba4 exd4!? 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6!? 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1! Qh4 11.Rxe4! dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8 Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 15.c3

For comments on these moves, see last month's London League game

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

15...f5!?

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 recommend this (and 15...Kc8!?) over the more common 15...Ke7.

16.Be3 Rf8!?

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 16...g6 and 16...Ke7.
17.Nd2 Rb8?!

This achieves very little, and even sets up a potential knight fork at d7. The engines suggest 17...Rf7 or 17...Kc8!?, albeit giving White the upper hand.

18.Nb3 Bxb3

18...b5 19.Nc5 Rb6 at least makes use of the rook's deployment on the b file.

19.Bg5+ Kc8 20.Bxb3 b6 21.Rd1 h6

Where should the dark-square bishop go?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

22.Be7?!

The engines much prefer 22.Bf4 or 22.Be3.

22...Re8 23.Be6+?!

White should probably just withdraw the dark-square bishop.

23...Kb7 24.Rd7

Black to play with equal chances

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

24...g6?

Too slow, whereas 24...f4 takes advantage of the awkward positioning of the white rook and bishops. White then may have nothing better than 25.Bd5+ Kc8 26.Be6 Kb7 with a draw by repetition.

25.Bd5+ Kc8 26.Bc6 b5 27.Bf6

The only move for an advantage, but good enough.

27...Rb6 28.Rd6 cxd6 29.Bxe8

Rook and two pawns are no match for the bishop-pair in this ending, especially with the rook not having an open file 

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

29...d5 30.Bd4 Rd6 31.Bf7 a5 32.Be5 Rb6 33.Bxd5 b4?!

This probably hastens the end.

34.c4 Kd7 35.c5 Rb5 36.c6+ Ke7 37.c7 Rc5 38.Bc7 1-0

HMC 2 won the match 4.5-0.5.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London League               B       1924        2393                    0            1979

18/4/24   Central London League  B       1924        2329                    0            1976

23/4/24   London League               B       1924        2118                    =            1984

25/4/24   Central London League  W      1924        1997                    0            1964

30/4/24   Club Championship        W      1924        1731                    1            1972

2/5/24     Central London League  W      1913        2074                    0            1956

16/5/24   London League               B       1913       1915                     0            1939

London League

PLAYED on board six (of eight) for Battersea against Richmond & Twickenham in division one last night.

Liam Varnam (2118) - Spanton (1924)

Spanish Berlin/Open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!?

There are 437 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but 10,760 of 5...Nd6.

6.Ba4

The game has transposed from the Berlin Variation of the Spanish to the Open, with 12,915 examples in Mega24 of the continuation 6...b5

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

6...exd4!?

I believe this pawn-grab is better than its reputation, especially if White cannot remember the theory (unfortunately my opponent could).

7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6!?

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 agree this is best.

9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1!

Black has a draw by repetition after 10.Kxh2 Qh4+ 11.Kg1 Qxf2+ 12.Kh1 (or 12.Kh2) Qh4+ etc, but can also consider playing on with 12...0-0!?, while 10.Kf1?! Qh4 almost certainly favours Black.

10...Qh4

White has to find, or more likely recall, two only-moves

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

11.Rxe4+! dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8+ Kxd8 14.Kxh2

Now the smoke has cleared, how would you assess the position?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black has rook and two pawns for bishop and knight - an approximate material balance. But White also has the bishop-pair and the safer king, and there is only one open file for rooks to operate on. Stockfish16 gives White the upper hand; Komodo14.1 reckon White has 'only' a slight edge. Nevertheless a few modern grandmasters have been willing to uphold the black cause.

14...Be6 15.c3!?

Preserving the bishop-pair, and covering the d1 square. The main move in Mega24 is 15.Be3 (narrowly ahead of 15.Nc3), the engines assessing 15...b5 16.Bb3 Bxb3 17.axb3 as increasing White's advantage.

15...Ke7

This is the commonest move in Mega24, but the engines prefer 15...f5!? (or 15...Kc8!?), when Tibor Tolnai (2514) - Zoltán Varga (2530), Budapest 2000, continued 16.Bg5+!? Kc8 17.Nd2 h6 18.Be3 Rg8 19.g3 g5 20.f4?! exf3 21.Nxf3 Bd5, at which point a draw was agreed. The engines reckon White would have been at least slightly better after 20.g4!? f4 21.Bd4.

16.Be3 f5 17.Nd2 h6 18.f3 exf3 19.Nxf3 g5 20.Bc5+ Kf7 21.Nd4!?

The engines reckon this is an improvement over the known 21.Ne5.

21...b5 22.Bc2 Rhd8 23.Re1 Bxa2!?

Desperation, but the engines' 23...Re8!? loses to 24.Nxe6 Rxe6 25.Bb3.

24.Re7+ Kf6 25.Bxf5?

LV said afterwards he realised his mistake as soon as he let go of the bishop.

25...Rxd4! 26.cxd4 Kxf5 27.Rxc7

How would you assess this ending?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black's extra pawn and more-active king give the upper hand, according to the engines, but it should be remembered that, in my experience at least, engines can have trouble evaluating positions with opposite-coloured bishops.

27...Re8 28.Re7?!

The engines reckon the position is more difficult for White with rooks off. Instead they suggest 28.b4, restraining Black's queenside majority.

28...Rxe7 29.Bxe7 Kxe4?!

Much better, according to the engines, is getting on with it on the queenside with 29...a5.

30.Bf8?!

The engines prefer 30.b4, which Stockfish16 reckons gives equality, but Komodo14.1 assesses as winning for Black.

30...h5

Black is better after this, according to the engines, but they reckon even stronger is 30...a5!?

31.Be7

The engines still want to prevent ...a5, but this time with 31...Bb4!?

31...g4

Again they prefer pushing the a pawn.

32.Bc5?!

The engines suggest 32.b4 or 32.Bd8.

32...a5 33.Kg3 b4?

Winning, according to the engines, are 33...Kd3, 33...Bd5 and 33...a4.

34.Kh4?

White holds with 34.Bb6.

34...Kf4?

Several moves win, including 34...Bd5 and 34...Kd3.

The game finished:

35.Bb6 a4 36.Ba5 Bd5 37.g3+ Ke4 38.Bxb4 Kxd4 39.Kxh5 Bf3 ½–½
Richmond & Twickenham won the match 7.5-0.5.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London League               B       1924        2393                    0            1979

18/4/24   Central London League  B       1924        2329                    0            1976

23/4/24   London League               B       1924        2118                    =            1984

London League

PLAYED on board five (of eight) for Battersea against Wood Green in division one last night.

Graeme Buckley (IM 2393) - Spanton (1924)

Spanish Open/Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!?

An interesting wrinkle, avoiding the Berlin Wall: 5...Nd6 6.dxe5 Nf5 7.Qxd8+ etc. Magnus Carlsen is among those who have played the text.

How should White respond?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

6.Ba4

This transposes to the Open Variation, White can keep the game in independent lines with 6.Bxc6, when the mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 6...dxc6 7.Qe2 Bf5 8.dxe5, with Black's bishop-pair outweighing the disadvantages of an Exchange-style pawn-structure, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

6...b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Bxe6

This is the starting tabiya of the Open Variation of the Spanish - there are 12,293 examples of the position in Mega24

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

9.Be3

This is fourth-most popular, behind 9.Qe2, 9.Nbd2 and especially 9.c3.

9...Be7 10.c3 0-0 11.Nbd2 f5?!

This is probably too loosening. The engines prefer 11...Bg4, 11...Nxd2 or 11...Qd7.

12.exf6 Nxf6 13.Re1

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 13.Ng5!?

13...Ng4?!

This seems to be a novelty, and almost certainly not a good one. The engines suggest 13...Kh8 or 13...Qd7, reckoning Black is only slightly worse.

14.Bg5 Bxg5?

Better is 14...Bf7, but 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Ng5 gives White at least the upper hand, according to the engines.

15.Rxe6 Qd7?

Better is 15...Na5, albeit 16.Nxg5 Qxg5 17.Nf3 costs Black the d pawn.

The game finished:

16.Nxg5 Rxf2 17.Qxg4 Rxd2 18.Qf5 1-0

Wood Green lead the match 7-0, with one game sent for adjudication.

Addendum 19/4/24: the adjudicated game came back a draw.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London league                B       1924        2393                    0            1979