Northumbria Round Three

Faced a Spanish junior (born 2010)

Spanton (1858 Fide/1919 ECF) - Nicholas Kowalski Rubiales (1694 Fide/1708 ECF)

Philidor

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.f4 e5 5.Nf3

Considered harmless is 5.fxe5 dxe5 6.dxe5 Nxe5 7.Qxd8+, as after 7...Kxd8 the black king is not in danger.

5...exd4 6.Qxd4

The queen is not easily harassed here, so the text is much more popular than 6.Nxd4.

6...c6 7.Be2

Normal is 7.Be3, one point being 7...Ng4 can be met by 8.Bg1.

How should Black proceed?

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7...Qb6

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon Black equalises with 7...d5!?, eg 8.exd5 Bc5 9.Qd3 Nd5 10.Nxd5 cxd5, when 11.Qxd5!? is risky in view of 11...Qa5+, eg 12.Qd2 Qb6! with obvious compensation.

8.Qxb6 Nxb6?!

Probably better is 8...axb6, the half-open a file, and the fact the a pawn now covers two squares instead of one, being more than enough compensation for doubled pawns.

9.a4 Bg4 10.a5 Nbd7 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Bxf3

White's bishop-pair and extra space are positionally winning (Stockfish16), or at least give the upper hand (Komodo14.1)

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12...g6?!

Since the dark-square bishop needs to defend the weak d pawn, the text is almost certainly a waste of time and weakening.

13.Be3 Be7?!

Black probably needs to play 13...a6.
14.0-0?!

Much stronger is 14.a6, eg 14...b6 runs into 15.e5.

14...0-0?!

Again ...a6 is probably necessary.

15.Rad1

Still good is a6, but the text is also positionally winning, according to the engines.

15...a6 16.g4 Ne8 17.Na4 Bd8 18.b4 Bc7 19.c4 Rd8 20.Rd3

Even stronger is 20.c5, eg 20...dxc5 21.Nxc5 Nxc5 22.Rxd8 Bxd8 23.Bxc5, winning the exchange. One suggestion of the engines is 20...g5!? 21.fxg5 Ne5, but they agree White is winning.

20...Nef6 21.Rfd1!? Rfd8 22.c5

This is strong, but best seems to be the engines' 22.Bb6!?, eg 22...Bxb6+ 23.axb6 Nxe4 24.Bxe4 Rxe4 25.Rxd6, or 22...Nxb6 23.axb6 Bb8 24.Nc5 Re7 25.e5 Ne8 26.Ne4.

22...Nxe4 23.cxd6 Nxd6 24.Kf2?

Black cannot avoid losing significant material after the engines' 24.Bf2.

24...Nf8?

The engines reckon 24...Nc4 and 24...Nf6 equalise.

25.Nc5?

Easily winning is 25.Bb6.

25...Ne6?!

The engines reckon 25...Nc4 and 25...h6 keep Black's disadvantage to a minimum.

26.Nxb7??

White is much better after 26.Nxe6 Rxe6 27.f5.

26...Nxc7 27.Bxc6 Rxd3 28.Rxd3 Rb8

Even stronger is 28...Rd8!

29.Rd7

What should Black play?

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29...Nbd8

Probably better is the engines' 29...Nd6!?

30.f5 Nxc6?!

Probably better are 30...Bf4 and 30...Rxb4!?

31.fxe6 Be5?!

Not 31...Be8?? as 32.exf7+ mates, but Black should probably have given the piece back by 31...fxe6 32.Rxc7, when 32...Nxb4 leaves Black a pawn up, but White has the better pieces.

32.exf7+ Kh8 33.Bc5

The engines prefer putting the king on a light square, for example 33.Ke2!?

33...Bg7 34.Rc7?

Better is 34.Rd6 Ne5 35.Rxa6. After 35...Nxf7? 36.Rb6 the white queenside pawns are too strong, so Black has to play 35...Nd3+ and 35...Nxc5, when the engines reckon White has just a slight edge.

34...Bd4+ 35.Bxd4 Nxd4 36.Re7?!

White is equal after 36.Ke3 or 36.Rb7!?, according to the engines.

36...Rf8 37.Ra7 Nc6 38.Rxa6 Rxf7+ 39.Ke2 Nxb4 40.Rb6 Nd5 41.Rd6?!

There are more drawing chances, according to the engines, with 41.Rb8+ Kg7 42.a6.

41...Nf4+ 42.Kd2 Nxh3 43.a6 Kg7 44.Rb6 Kh6 45.Rb7 Rf2+ 46.Ke3 Ra2 47.a7 Rc3+ 48.Kd4 Nf2 49.g5+ Kxg5 50.Rxh7

Black to play and win

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50...Kg4

The engines give the only winning move as 50...Ra5!

51.Kc5 Ne4+ 52.Kb6 g5

White to play and draw

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53.Kb7??

The obvious 53.Rh8 is one of several moves that draw.

53...Nd6+ 54.Kb8

Or 54.Kc6 Nb8 etc, while 54.Ka8, hoping for stalemate, loses to 54...Rc3.

54...Rb3+ 55.Kc7 Nb5+ 56.Kc6 Nxa7 57.Rxa7 Rd3 58.Rg7 Kh4 59.Kc5 g4 60.Kc4 Rd8 0-1

Fundamentals (part 33)

Spanton (2032) - Adam Ashton (2294)
Isle Of Man 2005

White to play and draw

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53.Ka2!
White loses after 53.axb6 Kxb6, eg 54.Kc2 Ka5 55.Kc3 a6 (this reserve tempo is crucial) 56.b4+! (the best shot as 56.Kc2 loses to 56...Kb4 57.Kb2 a5 58.Kc2 a4 59.bxa4 Kxa4 60.Kc3 Ka3 etc) Kb6! (not 56...cxb4+ 57.Kb3 Kb6 58.Kxb4 when Black needs to find 58...Kb7! to draw) 57.Kb3 Kc6! 58.Kc3 cxb4+ 59.Kxb4 Kb6 etc.
Also losing is 53.Ka3 although not because of Stockfish10 and Komodo10's top choice 53...b5, which only draws, eg 54.Kb2 b4 55.Ka2 Kb7 56.Kb2 Ka6 57.Ka2 Kxa5 when the engines somehow reckon Black is winning even though Black cannot make progress. However Black can play 53...Kb7!, which wins because White will eventually be forced to capture on b6, losing as in the first line of this note.
53...bxa5
If 53...Kb7 then 54.Ka3 when 54...Ka6 can be met by 55.Ka4.
If 53...b5 then 54.Ka3 when 54...b4+ (54...bxc4 55.bxc4 Kb7 56.Kb3) 55.Ka4 a6 is stalemate.
54.Ka3 Kb6
If 54...a4 then 55.bxa4 draws but 55.Kxa4? loses to 55...Kb6 etc.
55.Ka4 Ka6 56.Ka3 Kb6 56.Ka4 Ka6 ½–½

The Power Of Two Squares

HERE is a handy way to judge many king-and-pawn versus king endings.
If the pawn (I will call it a white pawn for convenience) is in its own half of the board, White wins if the white king can occupy any point two squares ahead of the pawn and either on its file on an adjacent file (assuming the black king is not able to simply capture the pawn).
That is quite a mouthful, but here is a simple example drawn from Amateur To IM - Proven Ideas And Training Methods by Jonathan Hawkins (Mongoose Press 2012).

White to play - win or draw?

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1.Kd2
1.Kf2 also wins.
1...Ke7 2.Ke3 Ke6 3.Ke4
The white king reaches a point two squares ahead of its pawn. We know from the rule above that 3.Kf4 and 3.Kd4 also win.
3...Kd6 4.Kf5 Ke7 5.Ke5 Kd7 6.Kf6 Kc6 7.e4 Kd7 8.e5 Ke8 9.Ke6
Not 9.e6?? Kf8 10.e7+ Ke8 11.Ke6 - stalemate.
9...Kd8 10.Kf7 1-0

But note that if it were Black to move in the above diagram, the same rule shows the position is drawn:
1...Ke7 2.Kd2 Ke6 3.Ke3 Ke5
The white king cannot occupy d4, e4 or f4, and so the position is drawn.

If the pawn is in the enemy half of the board, White wins if the white king can occupy any one of two sets of squares ahead of the pawn.

The white pawn has crossed the halfway line

With a white pawn on e5, for example, the two sets of winning squares for White are d7, e7 and f7 (two squares ahead of the pawn, just as if the pawn were in its own half the board) and d6, e6 and f6.
If the white king can get to any of those six squares, White wins.
Here is an example:

White to play and win

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1.Kf6 Kf8
Black gets the opposition, but it does him no good as White takes the opposition away with his next move.
2.e6 Ke8 3.e7 Kd7 4.Kf7 1-0

If it were Black to move in the above diagram, Black would draw with 1...Kf7 or 1...Ke7.

EXCEPTIONS
It seems every rule in chess has its exceptions, and these pawn-and-king versus king endings are, well, no exception.
With a rook's pawn, there are just two key squares.
If the black king is in the vicinity, ie can reach the pawn before the pawn reaches the eighth rank, White only wins if the white king can get to the seventh or eighth rank on the adjacent knight's file.

Exceptional rook's pawns

So with an h pawn, the two winning squares are g7 and g8, and with an a pawn the two winning squares are b7 and b8.

Most Extraordinary Finish To A Chess Game EVER!

THAT is a big claim, but I have certainly never experienced anything like the finish of my game today in round one of the Mariánské Lázně seniors (50+).

Black to make his 45th move in Spanton (1854) - Imrich Tamas (1520)

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45...Rxf5!?
A good practical choice. The pawn-ending is lost, but there are chances for White to go wrong, more so than if Black moves the rook away and gives up his h pawn, leaving him three pawns down.
46.Kxf5 a3 47.bxa3
Not 47.b3+?? Kc3 48.h3 (worse is 48.Kg5? as White does not even get to queen after 48...Kb2 49.Kxh5 Kxa2 50.g4 Kb2 51.g5 a2 52.g6 a1=Q etc) Kb2 49.g4 Kxa2 50.g5 (50.gxh5?? Kb1 etc) Kb2 51.g6 a2 52.g7 a1=Q 53.g8=Q Qf1+, when Black picks up the h3 pawn and wins thanks to having the only passed pawn and a relatively safe king. Note that 48.Ke4 loses to 48...Kb2 etc.
47...bxa3

White to play and win

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48.g4??
This is Komodo10's choice, until it switches to 48.h4?? which, like the text, also throws away the win. Correct is 48.Kg5 (or 48.Kg6) Kc3 49.Kxh5 Kb2 (49...Kxc2? is hopeless) 50.c4 Kxa2 51.c5 Kb1 52.c6 a2 53.c7 a1=Q 54.c8=Q, when the Nalimov endgame tablebase confirms the queen-and-pawn ending is won for White.
48...hxg4 49.Kxg4 Kc3 50.h4 Kxc2
Not 50.Kb2?? as the c pawn will win for White after both the h and a pawns promote.
51.h5 Kb2 52.h6 Kxa2 53.h7 Kb1 54.h8=Q a2 55.Qh1+ Kb2 56.Qb7+

Now comes the extraordinary part - Black to make his 56th move

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1-0
IT resigned, and took some convincing the position is drawn. Any king move not to the third rank, which allows 57.Qg7(+), draws. Simplest is 56...Ka1, setting up stalemate. A similar stalemate motif applies with a bishop's pawn against queen.

Swindle!

LOST a pawn early in my round-four game at Coulsdon U2000/170 today.
The situation was even worse, both materially and positionally, later on, as can be seen in the diagram below.

Black to make his 54th move in Paul G Jackson (1778/160) - Spanton (1951/168)

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54...e4!?
Stockfish10 and Komodo10 are not keen on this at first, but give them enough time and it comes to be Stockfish10's top choice, at least for a while. Clearly Black is lost whatever is played - Stockfish10 reckons White is almost +8, while Komodo10 reckons almost +6. The point of the text, at least from a human perspective, is to try to create some semblance of counterplay - this is not a position where Black can sit tight and hope for the best.
55.Rb3 c4
Clearly not 55...Rdxf5?? 56.Rxf5 Rxf5 57.Rb8+.
56.Rb4 e3 57.Rxc4??
There are many ways to win, but this is definitely not one of them. As a general rule, it can be stated that allowing an enemy pawn to reach the seventh rank is a huge no-no unless you are certain it can be contained and quickly eliminated.
57...e2 58.Re1 Rd1+ 59.Rc1 Rd2
Black has a simple draw, once you have seen the idea of stalemate, with 59...Rc8!, eg 60.R(either)xd1 exd1=Q 61.Rxd1 Rc1+.
60.b4
This effectively concedes an immediate draw. Stockfish10 suggests 60.f6! gxf6 61.Rc7!, but it seems Black holds with 61...Rfd8! (not 61...Rd1+ 62.Ka2, eg 62...Re8 63.Rxe2!) 62.Ka2 Rb8.

60...Rb8 61.Ka1 Ra8 62.Kb1 Rb8
And the game was quickly agreed drawn by repetition.