Miniatures 20

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

Spanton (151 BCF) - N Rutherford (105 BCF)

Barbican (London) Rapid 1990

St George Defence

1.e4 a6 2.d4 b5

This is how Tony Miles with black beat Anatoly Karpov in a 1980 game.

3.c4!?

Karpov preferred the more conventional 3.Nf3.

3...Bb7!? 4.cxb5 axb5 5.Bxb5 Bxe4 6.Nf3 Bxb1!? 7.Rxb1 Rxa2?!

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 dislike this.

How should White proceed?

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8.0-0

This is not bad, but strongest is 8.Qb3, according to the engines.

8...Ra8!?

The engines fluctuate between this and 8...Nf6, coming to prefer the latter.

9.Ne5

9.d5!? is suggested by the engines.

9...Nf6 10.g4?!

Again the engines like d5.

10...c6!?

This is the engines' top choice.

11.Qf3 d6??

Black is fine after 11...Qb6!?, according to the engines.

12.Nxc6 1-0

LESSON: when behind in development, and especially if uncastled, one slip can be fatal.

Bad Bertrich Round Four

Spanton (1946) - Wolfgang Polster (2128)

St George Defence

1.e4 e6 2.d4 a6!?

ChessBase classifies this as "C01: French: Exchange Variation"

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3.c4 d5 4.Nc3

After 4.cxd5 exd5 5.exd5 Black can play 5...Nf6, or 5...Ne7!?, rather than immediately recapturing with the queen.

4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+

How should White respond?

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6.Bd2!?

This contemplates a double-pawn sacrifice. Much more popular in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database is 6.Nc3.

6...Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8.Be2 Nc6!?

Developing a piece with tempo, and with pressure on the centre. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon this is better than grabbing a second pawn with 8...Qxg2, when after 9.Bf3 Qg5 10.Ne2 (10.Nh3? Qe5+) they agree White has full compensation for two pawns, whether Black continues 10...Ne7 or 10...Qf6.

9.Bc3

Andrew Tang (2523) - Magnus Carlsen (2835), Chess.com Blitz 2023, went 9.Ba3!? e5 10.Nf3 Bf5 (the engines much prefer 10...Bd7) 11.0-0 Nge7 12.Re1, when White had good compensation for a pawn, according to the engines (1-0, 45 moves).

9...e5!?

This may be a novelty. Andrew Hong (2542) - Bojan Maksimović (2497), Chess.Com Blitz 2024, saw 9...Nf6 10.Nf3 e5 11.0-0 Bg4 12.Re1 0-0 13.Nxe5!? Nxe5 14.Bxg4 Qxg4 15.Bxe5 Qxd1 (the engines prefer 15...Qxc4) 16.Raxd1, when White's lead in development and better minor piece gave at least a slight edge (1-0,  33 moves).

10.Nf3 Bg4

How should White proceed?

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11.0-0!?

Planning a piece sacrifice. Note that 11.Qd5?, hoping for 11...Qxd5? 12.cxd5, is a mistake as Black has 11...Bxf3 12.gxf3 Qf4 with ...Rd8 and/or ...Nf6 to come.

11...Rd8 12.Qa4!

White preserves the bishop with 12.Qe1, but after 12...Nge7 Black is ready to castle, and White does not seem to have enough for a pawn.

How should Black respond?

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12...b5?!

The bishop cannot be taken as 12...Qxe2? can be met by 13.Nxe5! (this is even better than either rook to e1, but note that 13.Bxe5? loses to, for example, 13...Nge7 14.Rfe1 Qd3 15.Bxg7 Bxf3! 16.Bxh8 Qg6 17.g3 Rd3!) , when the engines reckon Black's best is 13...Ne7 14.Rfe1 0-0!? 15.Rxe2 Bxe2 16.Re1 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Bg4, but White is clearly on top. However almost certainly better than the text is 12...Nf6, after which White has more than enough for a pawn, according to the engines, but the position remains sharp.

13.Qxa6 b4!?

This is best, according to the engines, but White has a strong reply.

What should White play?

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14.Ng5

Again offering the king's bishop, while leaving the queen's bishop en prise. The text is Stockfish17's choice, but Dragon1 prefers 14.Nxe5!?, although both engines fluctuate to an extent.

14...Qxe2?

The offer should again have been declined. The engines give 14...Qg6 15.Bxg4 Nge7, and now best may be 16.Bxb4!? (16.Bxe5 also looks good) Nxb4 17.Qxg6 Nxg6 18.Rfd1 Ke7! 19.g3!?, with White emerging a sound pawn up.

15.Qxc6+ Bd7 16.Qd5 Be7 17.Qb5+ Bd7 18.Qxb4

Black is only a pawn down materially, but the king trapped in the centre is doomed

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18...f6 19.Bxe5!?

Another bishop sacrifice, but other moves also win, eg 19.R(either)e1.

19...Qg4

Or 19...fxe5 20.Rfe1 Qh5 21.Rxe5+, with forced mate, while 19...Ne7 loses to, for example, 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Rfe1 etc.

20.Rfe1 1-0

London League Summer Open Round Nine

PLAYED last night.

Spanton (1952) - Alexander Cherniaev (GM 2469)

St George's Defence

1.Nc3 a6 2.d4 b5 3.Nf3 Bb7 4.a3!?

To a certain extent the text could be said to justify Black's first move in that both players have now spent a tempo on moving their queen's rook pawn one square. Stockfish15 and Komodo13.02 reckon the position is level, but that if anyone has a tiny edge it is Black.

4...Nf6 5.Bg5 e6 6.Qd3!?

This may be a novelty. A known plan is the immediate 6.e4, when 6...h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 gives Black the bishop-pair but White a classical centre.

6...h6 7.Bh4 d6 8.e4

White has two pawns abreast in the centre on the fourth rank but the engines reckon Black is slightly better

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8...Nbd7 9.Be2 g5 10.Bg3 Nh5 11.Nd2 Nxg3 12.hxg3 Bg7 13.Bf3?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 13.f4, 13.Nf1 or 13.a4.

13...c5 14.Ne2?!

The engines suggest 14.dxc5 or 14.d5, but much prefer Black.

14...cxd4 15.Nxd4 g4! 16.Be2

Not 16.Bxg4?? Ne5 17.Qe2 Nxg4 etc.

16...Qg5 17.N2b3?

Better is 17.c3.

17...Ne5 18.Qd2 Bxe4 19.Qxg5 hxg5 20.Rxh8+ Bxh8

After just 20 moves Black is a pawn up, has the bishop-pair and enjoys more space

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21.f3 gxf3 22.gxf3 Bd5 23.0-0-0 Nc4 24.c3 Be5 25.Rg1 Kd7 26.Bxc4 bxc4 27.Nd2 Rh8 28.Kd1 Rh2 29.Ke1 f5

Black's plan is simply to advance his central-kingside pawn-mass. White has no effective counterplay.

30.Ne2 Bf6 31.f4 g4 32.Nf1 Rh8 33.Kd2 Kc6 34.Ne3 Kc5 35.Nxd5 Kxd5

Getting rid of the bishop-pair is only a minor achievement.

36.Ke3 e5 37.Rb1 Rb8 38.Rd1+ Ke6 39.Rd2 Bd8 40.Nc1 Bb6+ 41.Ke2 Rh8 0-1

Final Ranking after 9 Rounds

Rk.	SNo			Name	Gr	FED	RtgI	RtgN	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	1		GM	Cherniaev Alexander	A	ENG	2387	2472	8	0	7	49,5
2	6			Brixel Christof Dr.	Op	GER	1961	2026	6,5	0	5	42,5
3	4		FM	Eames Robert S	Op	ENG	2112	2179	6	0	4	45
4	3		CM	Okike David	Gold	NGR	2157	2258	5,5	0	5	46,5
5	9			Shaw Matthew H	Op	ENG	1868	1949	5	0	2	37
6	8			Spanton Tim R	A	ENG	1861	1955	4,5	0	3	45,5
7	5			Toon James	Plat	ENG	1934	2046	4,5	0	3	42
8	13			Horan George	Op	ENG	1679	1869	4	0	3	41,5
9	11			Macneil Elliott Cm	K	WLS	1771	1905	4	0	2	38,5
10	7			Brown Michael St J	Op	ENG	0	1984	4	0	1	34,5
11	20			Landman Aharon	Op	ENG	0	1573	3,5	0	2	45
12	10			Shenbagakumar Gautham	A	ENG	1762	1934	3,5	0	1	36,5
13	12			Virgin Jack	Op	ENG	0	1872	3,5	0	1	34,5
14	17			Phillips Max	Op	ENG	0	1719	3,5	0	0	33,5
15	16			Alcock Graham P	Op	ENG	1757	1822	3	0	1	36,5
16	19			Veselow Zoe	A	ENG	1427	1641	2,5	0	2	41
17	15			Jakhria Kushal	Op	ENG	1601	1853	2,5	0	1	36,5
18	18			Ortolani Paolo	Gold	ITA	1573	1692	2,5	0	0	36
19	2			Brozel Sacha	K	ENG	2120	2281	2	0	1	39
20	21			Sobolevski Damien	P	ENG	0	1003	0	0	0	29
21	14			Shah Meet	Op	ENG	1602	1868	0	0	0	27,5