I'm In The Money

Spanton (1940) - Marcel Gil Vega (1977), Benidorm U2000, Round 10
Caro-Kann, Classical Variation
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3
I have been playing the Panov-Botvinnik (3.cxd5 cxd5 4.c4) more often lately, but I lost to GV in the same tournament last year, albeit with colours reversed, and decided something more solid was in order.
3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3
An old favourite of mine is 5.Bd3!? Critical is 5...Qxd4 6.Nf3, after which Black's best is probably 6...Qd8, when 7.Qe2 gives White reasonable compensation.
5...Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qd3 e6 11.Bd2
This modest-looking development has become White's most-popular move, the idea being to prevent ...Qa5.
11...Ngf6 12.0-0-0 Qc7 13.Kb1 0-0-0 14.Ne4 Nxe4 15.Qxe4 Nf6 16.Qe5
Part of a plan to get the queens off. This may be an OK idea in itself, but does not fit well with spending a tempo on Kb1.
16...Bd6 17.Qa5 Qxa5
17...b6 18.Qa6+ Kb8 looks risky for Black.
18.Bxa5 b6 19.Bd2 Rd7 20.Be3!?
After the game, GF said this was very bad, but I do not think White has anything to fear from an exchange of Black knight for White bishop.
20...Ng4 21.c3 Rhd8 22.Kc2 c5 23.dxc5?!
This could have led to a difficult position for White. More solid was 23.Rh4 or Stockfish9's suggestion 23.Rde1.

Black to play his 23rd move and gain an advantage

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23...Nxe3+
The obvious reply, but better was 23...Bxc5!, when f2 is exposed as a weakness for White. Stockfish9 and Komodo9 give the main line as 24.Rxd7 Rxd7 25.Rh4 Nxe3+ 26.fxe3 Bxe3 27.Rg4 f5 28.Rg6, when Stockfish9 reckons White has almost full compensation for the pawn, but Komodo9 has Black as slightly better. I find it hard not to agree with Komodo9.
24.fxe3 Bxc5
At first glance, the coming ending might seem better for Black as he has bishop v knight in a position with unbalanced pawn majorities. But the key point is that Black will find it hard to generate a passed pawn from his restricted kingside majority.
25.e4 f6 26.Rxd7 Rxd7 27.Rd1
Rook and bishop usually work together better than rook and knight, so it seemed sensible to get all the majors off the board.
27...Rxd1 28.Kxd1 Kd7 29.Ke2 b5?!
Surely playing on the wrong side of the board.
30.Kd3 b4?
Very much the wrong idea, but I fail to exploit the mistake.
31.c4?
Generally it makes sense in this type of ending to leave the pawns of the player with the bishop on the same coloured squares as the bishop, but after the text it is difficult for White to make progress.
Instead there was a sure advantage in 31.cxb4 Bxb4 32.Kc4, when White can activate his majority while Black's is stymied, and Black cannot get at White's kingside pawns.
31...Kd6 32.b3 Bb6 33.Ke2 Bc5 34.Kd3 Bb6 35.Ke2
Interesting was 35.e5+!? fxe5?! 36.Ke4, when GV took some convincing that Black was totally lost after 36...Bd4?? 37.Nxd4.
I rejected it because of 35...Ke7, when I could not see how White would make progress and I was worried about putting a white pawn on a dark square. I was also worried that Black would somehow be able to make use of his kingside majority.
Looking at the position now, I feel I was fearing shadows, and so should have played on. Certainly, the engines reckon White is slightly better.
35...Bc5 ½-½
The result means I finished 30th on tiebreak with a score of +5=2-2, plus a one-point default bye, for a rating loss of 5.2 elo. It seems that later today at the prize-giving I should receive 85 euros - exactly the same as the entry fee.

Juniors Sometiimes Get A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

IN round nine of the Benidorm U2000 I faced a 13-year-old boy rated 1625.
That may not sound too terrifying, but 1625 was his rating at the start of the tournament - his December elo, which is not in effect as the tournament began on November 30, is 1740.
On top of that, he had gained more than 160 elo from the first eight rounds of the tournament, so his live rating by the time he met me was over 1900.
Fortunately, I knew all this before the game began, so there was no chance of me taking him too lightly.
Miguel Ruiz Buenida (1625) - Spanton (1940)
French Winawer Exchange
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Ne2 Bg4!?
Alekhine played this as long ago as 1911. But in 1927, in the first game of his world championship match against Capablanca, he preferred 6...Nge7, which is overwhelmingly more popular today.
7.f3 Bh5 8.0-0 Nge7 9.a3 Ba5 10.Re1
My main analysis engines Stockfish9 and Komodo9 prefer 10.Na4.
10...0-0 11.Be3
This seems to be a new move, but is Stockfish9's choice.
11...Qd7 12.Ng3
On 12.Nf4 Bg6 13.Nxg6 I was planning 13...fxg6!?
12...Bg6 13.Re2 Rfe8 14.Bxg6 Nxg6
I felt ...fxg6 was less appropriate here as I had hopes of getting the knight to the f4 square, but it was certainly playable.
15.Qd3
Not just developing the queen, but preventing the sequence 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 Na5 and 17...Nc4.
15...Re6 16.Rae1 Rae8

So far, fairly humdrum - but RB now came up with the type of move that juniors are used to exploiting rather than committing

17.Bd2? Nxd4
Black has won a pawn for free and is clearly much better, but RB now played a highly imaginative, but extremely bad, move that I had not even remotely considered.
18.Nxd5??
I recovered from this surprise sufficiently to find one of several refutations, namely:
18...Nxe2+ 19.Rxe2 Bb6+ 0-1 (34 moves)
My reward for this: 2.8 elo.

Throwing Away A Win

BENIDORM U2000, along with its sister tournament, which is for players rated under 2301, is unusual in that it consists of 10 rounds over nine days (some years, but not very often, it is 10 rounds over 10 days).
Each round starts at 4.30pm, except for the double-round day when the morning game begins at 10am.
Yesterday saw this year's double-round day, but my morning opponent did not turn up (an all-too-frequent occurrence in Spanish tournaments in my experience), so I had to sit around twiddling my thumbs for an hour in case he showed.
In the afternoon/evening round, I reached the following position against an 11-year-old boy.

White to make his 40th move in Spanton (1940) - Pablo Fuertes Cirauqui (1807)

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40.e6??
White's advantage is overwhelming, but this is not the way to convert it.
If I had been taking my time, I would have seen the danger to my king from a check on h6.
Stockfish9 reckons it is mate in 29(!) moves starting with 40.g4. In any event, I needed to give my king more air.
40...Bh6+ 41.Ke5 Re3+ 42.Kd4 Rxe6 43.Qd8+ Bf8
I could see no way to make progress and so felt obliged to accept my opponent's draw offer (made in my time, naturally).

Worst Game Ever?

ROUND five at the Benidorm U2000 saw me play one of my worst ever games.
I quickly got a huge advantage out of the opening, mainly thanks to prep. Indeed, Stockfish9 reckons I had a winning advantage as early as move 10, but I gradually lost the thread.

My last chance came after White had made his 30th move in Jaime Esquerdo Nogueroles (1781) - Spanton (1940)

Oblivious to White's main threat, I saved the exchange by counterattacking with 30...Re3??
There followed 31.Qh2, which wins on the spot. I played on for a few moves by sacing my queen for totally inadequate compensation, but a stronger player might well have resigned.
Instead I had the simple 30...Bf7, which also saves the exchange while leaving Black able to protect h6. Black is then slightly better thanks to White's out-of-play queen's rook.
Note that the tricky 31.Rxh6!? works brilliantly against 31...Kxh6?? as White has 32.Qh2+ Kg7 33.Qh7#. But Black is better after 31...Rh8 as White is still hampered by his offside queen's rook.

Queen's Gambit Inclined

THE Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined tends to give White a long-lasting plus-over-equals.
It used to be very popular at the top level, but has fallen out of favour among most of the best grandmasters as it is thought a competent Black should be able to eke out a draw.
Different considerations apply in tournaments such as Benidorm U2000.
Spanton (1940) - Ramiro Rueda Maria (1791), round four
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 Nbd7
This sets a little trap (6.Nxd5?? Nxd5 7.Bxd8 Bb4+) that has ensnared more than 500 players in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database, but is generally a harmless transposition.
6.e3 Be7 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Nf3 Re8 9.Qc2 c6 10.0-0 h6 11.Bh4 Ne4 12.Bxe7 Qxe7

This tabiya occurs more than a thousand times in Mega '19

13.Nd2!?
There are more than 110 examples of this move in Mega '19, but more popular are 13.Rab1, 13.Bxe4, 13.b4!? and 13.Rae1.
The surprising move among those, at first glance, is 13.b4!?, but the point is that 13...Qxb4 can be met by 14.Nxe4 (14.Bxe4 is also possible) dxe4 15.Bxe4.
13...f5
Major alternatives are 13...Ndf6 and 13...Nxd2.
14.Rae1
Proceeding with a standard Minority Attack seemed unwise with a black knight ensconced on e4. At the same time, I did not want to capture on e4 and give Black even more kingside space.
14...Qg5?!
This has been played by a 2365, but it seems to leave Black on the back foot. The analysis engines Stockfish9 and Komodo9 prefer 14...Ndf6, 14...Nb6 or 14...Nxf2.
15.f3!?
Peter Dittmar (2352) - Wolfgang Gerstner (2365),  Bundesliga 1999, saw 15.f4 Qf6 16.Nf3 Nb6 17.Ne5, with a position where the engines much prefer White (although, according to the database, Black eventually won on time).
The engines like 15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.f3 exf3 17.Nxf3, with an initiative.
15...Nxc3 16.f4!
A similar idea to the Dittmar - Gerstner game, but without leaving a black piece on e4.
16...Qf6 17.bxc3 Nf8 18.Nf3 Be6 19.Ne5 Nd7

White has much-the-better minor pieces

There now follows a long series of moves in which I am able to combine pressure against b7 with pressure against Black's kingside.
20.Rb1 Rab8 21.Rb2 g6 22.Rfb1 Nxe5 23.fxe5 Qe7 24.g4
This could be regarded as double-edged in that both kings become somewhat exposed, but I felt White had more manoeuvring room in which to exploit the situation.
24...Rf8 25.gxf5 gxf5 26.Kh1 Kh7 27.Rg1 Rg8 28.Rbb1 Rxg1+ 29.Rxg1 Rg8 30.Rf1
Avoiding more simplification, while trying to reduce Black to passively defending the f5 pawn.
30...Rg5!?
The engines prefer this to the entirely passive 30...Rf8.
31.Qf2 Qg6
The engines suggest 31...Qe7, but reckon White keeps the upper hand.
32.h4 Rg3?
Afterwards - and during the game, actually - RM was angry with himself at not having played the move he intended, ie 32...Rg4, the point being that trying to win the exchange with 33.Be2?? loses to 33...Rg3, eg 34.Kh2 f4 etc.
But White instead plays the immediate 33.Kh2, eg 33...Qh5 34.Bxf5+ Qxf5 35.Qxf5+ Bxf5 36.Rxf5, with a much-superior rook-and-pawn ending, although the game goes on.
33.Kh2 Rg4 34.Be2 f4 35.exf4 1-0

Catastrophe In The Opening

LOST badly today to a junior in round three of the Benidorm U2000.
Alejandro Garcia Oviedo (1811) - Spanton (1940)
Giuoco Piano
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5
This is much less popular than 6.cxd4, but it scores better in ChessBase's 2019 Mega database.
6...d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6
This has been recommended by grandmaster Victor Bologan.
Almost as popular, but not scoring so well, is 8...Bb4+.
9.Nc3 0-0 10.h3!?
The main move is 10.Be3.
The text is a minor sideline that has grown in popularity in the last two years and scores very well for White.
Note that 10.Nxe4? is bad because the d4 pawn cannot be saved after 10...dxe4.

Position after White's little-played but worth-investigating 10.h3!?

10...f6
I took a long look at 10...Nxd4? 11.Nxd4 Nxf2 12.Kxf2 Qh4+ but gave it up because of 13.Ke3? But Stockfish9 points out 13...Bxd4+ 14.Qxd4 Qg3+ 15.Kd2 Qg2+ with a very murky position.
However, the engine improves in a big way by giving back one of the knights with 13.Kf3!, when 13...Qxd4 allows White to exchange queens, while 13...Bxd4?? loses to 14.g3.
11.0-0 Nxc3?
I rejected the obvious 11...fxe5 because of 12.Nxe4? (White should play 12.Bxc6, with equal chances) dxe4 13.Ng5, but 13...Qe7 is simple and good.
12.bxc3 fxe5 13.Bxc6! bxc6 14.Nxe5

Black has the bishop-pair but has to act urgently to prevent being much worse

Black's bishops provide decent compensation for his inferior queenside pawn-structure.
But White has kingside attacking chances thanks to his kingside pawn-majority and the magnificent knight at e5. Meanwhile, Black's dark-square bishop is in danger of being completely shut out of the action.
14...Qf6?
Playing for an attack on f2 that White is easily able to nip in the bud.
I rejected the superior 14...c5 because of 15.Ba3, missing that 15...Re8 indirectly saves the c5 pawn by targeting the knight. Even so, White is still significantly better.
15.Ba3 Re8 16.f4
White duly got his kingside attack and won rather easily in 30 moves.

Update On Last Night's Game

HERE is the Central London League game from yesterday that I rather badly misevaluated during play.
Spanton (Battersea 3 - 167) - Paul Kennelly (TfL - 159)
French Defence, Burn Variation (by transposition)
1.Nc3 d5 2.d4
The tricky 2.e4 is much more popular but I do not believe it poses an aware-Black any problems.
2...Nf6 3.Bg5 e6 4.e4
By an unusual move-order, we have reached a mainline French, and PK chooses a variation popularised by Amos Burn.
4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6
The mainline: White gives up the bishop-pair but has more space in the centre and a well-placed knight on e4.
6...Bxf6 7.Nf3 Nd7
Immediate castling is more common, but the text has been recommended by French Defence guru John Watson.
8.Bd3 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Re1 0-0 11.c3 Be7!?
Preserving the bishop-pair at this point comes to be the analysis engine Stockfish9's first choice.
12.Qe2 c5 13.Rad1 Qc7

White has completed development while Black has no piece beyond the second rank, but who stands better?

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I was confident I was much better here thanks to dangerous kingside threats, but Stockfish9 and my other main engine Komodo9 reckon any White edge is worth less than a fifth of a pawn.
14.Bb1
Hoping to set up a battery on the b1-h7 diagonal seemed natural to me but it may be too slow. Komodo9 gives 14.Neg5 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 Nf6 with equality.
Stockfish9 gives 14.dxc5 Nxc5 15.Nxc5 Qxc5, again with equality.
14...Rfe8
This may be a novelty. 14...h6 was played in a drawn game at the 1986 Jersey Open.
The engines give 14...cxd4 15.Nxd4 Rad8 with approximate equality, although Komodo9 prefers Black.
15.Nfg5?!
Wrong knight, it seems.
The point is Black can now play 15...h6 16.Nf3 cxd4, maintaining the bishop-pair in a position that is opening up. The try 16.Nxf7?? Kxf7 17.Qh5+ wins for White after 17...g6? 18.Nd6+!, as I had seen in the game, eg 18...Bxd6 19.Qxg6+ Kf8 20.Qxh6+ Kf7 21.Bg6+ with a massive attack. However, Black has the simple 17...Kg8, when White's attack has run out of steam.
After 15.Neg5 Black cannot drive the knight away with 15...h6? as 16.Nxf7! is devastating, eg 16...Kxf7 17.Qxe6+ Kf8 18.Bg6.
15...g6!?
This looks weakening but Black can easily cover the apparently-weak dark squares.
16.h4!?
Hoping to weaken Black's king's position (I thought I was still better), but it was perhaps time to think about equalising.
The engines at first give 16.dxc5, eg 16...Nxc5 17.Nxc5 bxc5!? 18.Nf3 (18.Nxf7?! does not seem to work) Rab8, when White has no attack but Black has the bishops and queenside pressure.
But given enough time, Komodo9 comes to prefer my choice (Stockfish9 strongly disagrees).
16...cxd4
The classic central answer to a flank attack.
17.Rxd4 Rac8 18.Red1
Battersea 3's captain Howard Groves, who was watching the game quite closely as his opponent failed to show, thought this was too slow, and he may be right (the engines are not too bothered, but prefer 18.h5).
18...Red8
Wrong rook? The engines prefer 18...Rcd8 with a comfortable game for Black.
19.h5
19.Nd6 Bxd6 20.Rxd6 Nc5 seemed to give White nothing, and it doesn't, but it may have been the safest course.
Komodo9 very narrowly prefers 19.Nxe6!? fxe6 20.Nd6 Nf8 (20...Bxd6?? 21.Qxe6+ wins for White) 21.Nxc8 Bxc8 22.Rxd8 Bxd8 with an unclear position, although Stockfish9 reckons Black is better.
19...Bxe4?!
Giving up the bishop-pair makes the position dead-equal, according to the engines, who prefer a knight move, but cannot agree on which one, flitting from 19...Nc5 to 19...Nf8 to 19...Ne5, in each case evaluating the position as slightly better for Black.
20.Ne4 Nf8 21.Qf3 Rxd4 22.Rxd4 Qe5 23.hxg6 hxg6

Black is threatening to take over the initiative

24.Rd1?
Defending my back-rank weakness, but the correct way to do this was with 24.Qd1.
24...Rd8
The engines point out 24...Qb5, when White is on the back foot, but should hold on with accurate play.
The text allows ...
25.Rxd8 Bxd8 26.Qd3
… when White's difficulties are over.
(½-½, 51 moves)

Battersea Streak Continues

TURNED out on top board this evening for Battersea 3 against TfL (Transport for London) in division two of the Central London League.
I thought I was much better for most of the middlegame, but play eventually petered out into a drawn ending, and I was sure I must have missed a chance - or chances - to gain the upper hand.
Our captain, whose opponent did not show, watched the game quite closely, and he too was convinced I had been much better.
However, having put it into ChessBase, I find the game seems to have never left the drawing margin. Indeed, my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, reckon my opponent had a slight edge for much of the game - certainly more often than I had an edge.
I will look at the game in more detail tomorrow - it should be a useful learning experience.
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has now reached 17 games.
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
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=6-0 for a grading performance of 183.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Hat Trick

IN the second game of today's double-rounder in Malta I scored my third win on the trot, increasing my score to +4=2-1.

Black has just played 25...h6-h5? in Spanton (1940) - Kevin Goater (2102)

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Black's last move missed a tactic, but my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, reckon White has the upper hand anyway.
26.Bxc5! Qe7
Stockfish9's choice; Komodo9 narrowly prefers 26...dxc5.
27.Be3 h4 28.c5
Black's kingside attack is too slow, and I duly converted my advantage into a win.

Pleasing Combo

MANAGED to find quite a nice combination in today's round-five game in Malta.

White to make his 22nd move in Spanton (1940) - Albert Passchier (1748)

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22.Bd6
Deflecting Black's queen from Black's second rank.
22...Qf6 23.Bxb7! Kxb7 24.Qe4+
So far we have been following Stockfish9's main line, but here my opponent played the analysis engine's second choice …
24...Ka6
...although the first choice of 24...Kb6 also loses, to 25.c5+. Stockfish9's main line runs 25...Ka5 26.b4+ Ka6 27.Qc6+ with Black facing catastrophic loss of material.
25.Qc6+ Nb6 26.Re5!
Much better than 26.Be5 Qe5+.
26...Qxe5
Forced, as White threatened 27.Ra5+! Kxa5 28.Qb5#
27.Bxe5 Bxe5
Here I missed unstoppable mate starting with 28.Rd7. Instead I played 28.Qb5+? Kb7 29.Qxe5 (again 29.Rd7 was a quicker win) and was never less than winning, according to my analysis engines, but the game lasted a further nerve-wracking 46 moves.

Oh Dear, Oh Dear

THINGS went from bad to worse in Malta today when I lost in round two to an unrated player (albeit one with an ECF grade of 142).

White has just played 28.d4xe5 in Richard Boylan - Spanton (1940)

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28...dxe5??
I had to play 28...Qxe5, when 29.Qxd6 Qxe4 looks rather drawish. Stockfish9 certainly reckons so, although Komodo9 gives 30.Qd4 Kg6 31.Qd7 Re7 32.Qg4+ Kh7 33.Kh2 with what it assesses as being a slight edge for White.
At any rate that would have been much better than the game, which continued:
29.Qd7
Black has no defence. The remaining moves were:
29...Kg8 30.Qg4+ Qg5 31.Qxg5+ hxg5 32.Rd7 c5 33.bxc5 Ra8 34.Rxb7 Rxa5 35.c6 1-0

Oh Dear

I OFTEN find I can tell how a tournament will go depending on how I perform in round one.
If that turns out to be true in Malta, which began yesterday in the seaside town of Bugibba, I am in for a rough ride.
Spanton (1940) - Marloes Rogge (1442)
Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation
1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.Qc2 Be7 7.e3 h6

Overwhlemingly most popular here is 8.Bh4

8.Bxf6!?
Not a popular choice, but it has been played by some strong players, including a 2586.
My idea was to divert Black's dark-square bishop from the f8-a3 diagonal so as to speed White's minority attack.
8...Bxf6 9.b4?!
Consistent, but premature. Better first was 9.Bd3.
9...0-0
Not 9...Qe7? 10.Nxd5!
10.Bd3
This loses a pawn, but White's position was already difficult, eg 10.b5 c5!? 11.dxc5 Bf5! 12.Bd3 Bxd3 13.Qd3 Nd7! with excellent play for Black thanks to White's queenside weaknesses.
10...Qe7 11.Nge2 Qxb4
White is a pawn down and has given up the bishop-pair, but has some compensation in the form of a lead in development.
Just five moves later we reached the following position, where I missed a chance to play what seems to be a straight equaliser:

White to equalise with his 17th move

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17.g3?
Not-so-hard-to-find is 17.Nb5, especially as White's play has been directed at a queenside coup.
Clearly the reply 17...cxb5 runs into the simple 18.Bxc8.
If 17...Bxf5, then 18.Nxd6 Bxc2 19.Rxc2 c5 20.dxc5 is fine for White.
That leaves 17...Qe7?! 18.Bxc8 Rxc8 (or 18...cxb5 19.Qc6 Rb8 20.Nxd5 Nxd5 21.Qxd5 with much the better game for White) 19.Qf5, when Black is in trouble, eg 19...Qd7? 20.Qxd7 Nxd7 21.Nxa7 Ra8 22.Nxc6 Rxa2 23.Nxd5, when it is White, not Black, who is a pawn up.
Despite this miss, I reached the following late-middlegame where White still has a fair bit of compensation for the pawn-minus:

White has just played 31.Rb2-b4

31...b5?
Black had to play 31...Rc6, when my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, like 32. Rc1. Black is still better, but White has decent drawing chances.
32.Rxc4?
White equalises the material, but would have been a pawn up after 32.axb5 axb5 33.Rxc4, eg 33...bxc4 34.Rxb8+ Kh7 35.Rc8, etc.
32...Nd5 33.Nxd5 Rxd5 34.axb5
Better was 34.Rc6! a5 and now the move I missed, 35.e4, eg 35...Rh5 36.Kg4 Rxh2 37.axb5 (analysis by Stockfish9 & Komodo9), when Black's rooks are discoordinated while White has a fast-moving passed pawn.
34...Rdxb5 35.Ra1 a5 36.Rc7 Ra8
Stockfish9 reckons the position is dead-equal; Komodo9 slightly prefers White. I manged to get down to a position of rook and two pawns versus rook-and-one, but the simplification meant White could not progress further.

Winning At Correspondence Chess

CORRESPEONDENCE chess is thriving - indeed it is arguably going through a golden age.
Snail-mail and even email tournaments are old hat - today's events are server-based, which eliminates postage costs and arguments over how much time has elapsed.
People who do not play correspondence chess tend to believe it has been destroyed by analysis engines.
It is true engines are used in virtually all serious tournaments, especially those organised via the Fide-recognised International Correspondence Chess Federation.
But games are still being won and lost because an analysis engine by itself cannot stand up to an engine+player.
I recently completed six games on board 2 for Sussex Servers in division 2 of the 5th British Webserver Tournament, scoring +2=3-1 against a field averaging 2196 (my ICCF rating of 2260 put me exactly halfway in the seedings).
It is not often an over-the-board game is won in under 25 moves, and that happens even less frequently at correspondence, but happen it does:
Spanton (Sussex Servers - 2260) - Marc R Wakeham (Natcor A - 2130)
English Opening
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3
Over-the-board I have tended to prefer 2.g3, as recommended in various publications by GMs Andrew Soltis, Tony Kosten and Nigel Davies, but here I decided to play more directly - at least at first.
2..g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.e4
More popular is 5.Nf3.
The text, heading for a Botvinnik set-up, is disliked by Kosten and Davies when Black is not committed to ...e5. But it has been played by Kasparov and Kramnik, and Soltis writes: "The Botvinnik tends to work best when Black has played (the) KN to f6, thereby cutting down control of White's d4 from the Black bishop at g7" (Winning With The English Opening, 3rd edition, 1997).
5...d6 6.Nge2 c5 7.0-0 Bd7
A rare continuation, but it is liked by Komodo9, and we soon transpose into regular lines.
8.d3 Nc6 9.h3
Preparing Be3, which in turn hopes to get in d4.

There are more than 700 games with this position in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database

Black's next move is only third-most popular, but it was played by Larsen and Gligoric, and it results in White only scoring 47 percent in Mega18.
9...Ne8 10.Be3 Qc8!?
This may be a novelty. Most popular is 10...Nd4, stopping d4, after which the main line runs 11.Rb1 a5, when six different moves have been tried for White, none with conspicuous success.
11.Kh2 Nc7
It was still possible to block White in the centre with ...Nd4.
After the text, Komodo9 considers White more-or-less has to play 12.d4 to maintain equality, while Stockfish9 reckons 12.d4 gives White the upper hand!
12.d4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Ne6 14.Nde2 Nc5

Komodo9 at first is happy with Black's position, but can you see a positional problem for Black?

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15.f4!?
The engines like the consolidating 15.b3. Indeed, Stockfish9 comes to calculate White's advantage after this as winning!
The text prepares to exploit the positional defect in Black's position - the way most of Black's pieces are bunched on the queenside.
15...Rb8
Ignoring White's demonstration, which admittedly does not look like it adds up to much at the moment.
16.Rb1 Na5?!
Going after the weak c pawn.
Komodo9 prefers 16...Na6, while Stockfish9 gives 16...f5, but both engines reckon White is more than half-a-pawn better.
17.Nd5
Stockfish9 narrowly prefers 17.b3, but it turns out the c pawn does not need defending.
But not 17.b4? Nxc4, when the e3 bishop is hanging.
17...Re8 18.Bd4 Bxd4 19.Nxd4
19.Qxd4 is also strong.
19...Nxc4
There seems to be nothing better than taking the pawn and hoping to weather the storm.
20.f5 Bc6
20...Kg7 can be met by, among other moves, 21.Nxe7, winning the exchange.
Maybe 20...Nb6 was best, but after 21.b4 Nxd5 (Komodo9's 21...Na6 hardly helps Black's kingside deficiencies, and anyway transposes) 22.exd5 Na6 23.Qd2, White has a roaring attack.
21.Qc1 Nb6
Or 21...Bxd5 22.exd5 Ne5 23.Qh6, and Black cannot get enough defenders across to the kingside.
22.Qh6 Bxd5 23.exd5 Rf8 24.b4 1-0
After 24...Ncd7 comes 25.Ne6! eg 25...fxe6 26.fxg6 hxg6 27.Qxg6+ Kh8 28.Be4 and mate follows.

Many A Slip 'Twixt Cup And Lip

PAWN endings are simple in essence but difficult to play accurately.
I reached one last night for Battersea 3 against London Deaf in the second division of the Central London League.

Black to make his 27th move at the start of the pawn ending in Spanton (167) - Neil Dunlop (160)

White is slightly better thanks to his space advantage and more centralised king. The position should surely be drawn with correct play, but that is easier said than done.
27...Kf7 28.b4
Expanding on the queenside, but maybe this could have waited. My main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, prefer kingside play with 28.Kf4 or 28.g4.
28...f5 29.Kd4 Kf6 30.a4 g5 31.b5 axb5 32.bxa5 a6
White's queenside play has come to nothing. White cannot make progress there as black pawns cover the entry squares b5 and c5.
So focus should switch to the kingside.
33.c5?
This innocuous-looking move may be a loser - at least, the engines think so when it appears on the board.
I should have played a neutral consolidating move such as 33.h3.
33...h5
Advancing like this seems natural, but Black has serious winning chances after 33...g4!

Position if Black had played 33...g4!

The problem for White is he is in danger of landing in zugzwang thanks to Black having more reserve tempi.
After 34.cxd6 (at some stage White will have to make this capture or play c6 if he is to free his king) cxd6 35.g3 h5, White has already run out of useful pawn moves and will have to give way with his king.
Stockfish9 suggests 34.c6, and this may be best. Black can try 34...Kg5. After White replies 35.Ke3, Stockfish9 now reckons the position is equal while Komodo9 gives Black the upper hand (later switching to only a slight edge).
Since 35...f4+ gets Black nowhere after 36.Ke4, Black should use one of his reserve tempi by playing 36...h6.
White has to find Stockfish9's 36.h4!, although Komodo9 at first dismisses this as winning for Black. Actually, it is White who is probably winning if Black plays 36...Kxh4?? as 37.Kf4 is strong. The engines' main line runs 37...g3 38.fxg3+ Kh5 39.g4+! (39.Kxf5? is stalemate) fxg4 40.Kf5 (not 40.g3?? as White is in zugzwang after 40...Kg6 41.Kxg4 h5+ 42.Kf4 Kf6) Kh4. Black is temporarily a pawn up and will soon be two pawns up, but after 41.Ke6 Kg3 42.Kd7 Kxg2 43.Kxc7 Kf3 44.Kxd6 g3 45.c7 g2 46.c8=Q g1=Q 47.Qf5+ White has very good winning chances thanks to his more-advanced passed pawn and easier-sheltered king.
Going back to the position after 36.h4!, the main line runs 36...gxh3 37.gxh3 h5! 38.Kf3 Kh4 39.Kxf4 Kxh3 40.Kxf5 Kg2. Now White's best hope is to run for the queenside with 41.Ke6 h4 42.Kd7 h3 43.Kxc7 h2 44.Kb7 h1=Q 45.c7, with a position that will be drawn by perpetual checks.
That is a lot of analysis (most of it by the engines). My conclusion is White still has a draw after 33...g4!, but it ain't easy!
34.h3
Other moves also draw.
34...h4
It is too late for Black to pose problems with 34...g4 as it is easily countered by 35.h4.
35.f3
Not 35.g3?? g4.
35...g4 36.f4 g3 ½-½
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has reached 16 games.
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
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +3=5-0 for a grading performance of 186.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Catastrophe In The Opening

IAKOV Neishtadt compiled Catastrophe In The Opening, which appeared originally in Russian before being published in English by Pergamon Press in 1980.
It highlighted "mistakes … committed in the initial stages of a game … which determine its outcome."
That neatly summarises my game on board two tonight for Battersea 3 in the second division of the Central London League against King's College.
Spanton (167) - Garik Mirzoyan (165)
Owen's Defence
1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.Bd3 d5!?
An unusual continuation, and one that has not attracted the attention of strong players.
Most popular, at least in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database, is 4...Bb4, while John Owen, after whom the defence is named, chose 4...Nf6 in a loss to Blackburne in 1890 (28 years earlier Blackburne had played 4...g6 in a match-game loss to Steinitz).
5.exd5
The other 'obvious' move is 5.e5, but setting up a centre for Black to attack, initially with 5...c5, scores very poorly for White.
The idea of the text is to block Black's light-squared bishop (or gain the bishop-pair in the event of 5...Bxd5).
5...exd5 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Re1

All 14 games in Mega18 saw 8...0-0, but my opponent chose a "catastrophe"

8...Nbd7??
Perhaps the plan was to unbalance the position by castling queenside, but after …
9.Qe2
… Black is already positionally lost.
9...c5
I thought afterwards that Black should have tried 9...Nf8, but my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9, give the simple 10.Bf5, when Black still cannot castle anytime soon.
10.Bf4 Kf8
This is the engines' top choice, but that only shows how bad Black's position is (1-0, 29 moves).
MY Battersea unbeaten streak has now reached 14 games.
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...………….Adj
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..148...………….D
CLL...…..W...…..167...………..165...………….W
Overall this season for Battersea I have scored +2=4-0 (plus one adjourned) for a grading performance of 187.
In season 2017-18 I scored +10=8-9 for a grading performance of 175.

Close Shave

TURNED out for Hastings & St Leonards last night away to Maidstone in the Kent League (155 Average).
I had black on board two against a 163, with my seven-year Hastings & St Leonards unbeaten streak on the line.
It was quite a poorly played game, with both players missing winning shots.
Not for the first time, I was guilty of trying for too much in an equal position, and eventually we reached the following bishops-of-the-same-colour ending:

White to make his 53rd move in George Hollands (163) - Spanton (167)

White has a huge advantage. His king is more advanced, and two of Black's pawns are on the same-coloured squares as the bishops.
53.Bf7?
White must be close to winning after the simple 53.h4, which fixes Black's kingside pawn-structure, leaving him with two pawns on light squares and effectively unable to create a passed pawn.
I suspect GH missed my next move.
53...Bf3
I considered, but quickly dismissed 53...h4! But it was the better move, and is much preferred by my main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish9.
The point is that after the practically forced 54.gxh4 (anything else allows instant equality with ...hxg3), Black is not in danger on the kingside and can hope to hold the queenside. However, White would still be much better.
54.Bb3?
Advancing the h pawn two squares was still the way to go. 54.Ke3 was also strong,
54...g5 55.a4?
GH offered a draw, which I gratefully accepted. White would still be much better after 55.h4, although now 55...f4 creates counter-chances. The engines give 56.gxf4 gxh4! 57.Ke3, when White is clearly on top but the game continues.
The draw means my seven-year unbeaten streak for Hastings & St Leonards has reached eight games.

Bishop Pair v Knight Pair

EVERY serious chess player knows the bishop-pair usually conveys an advantage, or at least the prospect of an advantage to come.
Sometimes people joke about having the knight-pair, but can the knight-pair sometimes be an asset?


Black to make his 27th move in Spanton (1923) - John Wager (2029), Guernsey Round Six

A computer-run database study by IM Larry Kaufman - now a GM - showed the bishop-pair to be on average worth half-a-pawn more than bishop-and-knight or two knights.
In the diagram position, the knights are favoured by there being 14 pawns on the board, but the bishops benefit from the position being an endgame with no major pieces.
My main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, at first think Black has a small edge, but the more time they have to look at the position, the more they like Black. K9 comes to put Black the equivalent of virtually a pawn ahead, while S9 reckons the advantage is nearer a pawn-and-a-half.
27...h5
Black wants to open lines for his bishops.
In the post-mortem, JW thought 27...f6, with the same idea of opening lines, might have been better, but the engines prefer the text.
28.gxh5
I did not consider 28.Nh2 for long - such a passive move would almost certainly be worse.
28...gxh5 29.h4 Bf5
The light-square bishop eyes White's a pawn. If the latter advances, it becomes vulnerable to the dark-square bishop.
30.Kf2 e6
White's c pawn is also vulnerable, to the manoeuvre ...Bf8-a3-b2.
31.Ng5
Aiming to block the light-square bishop's action by playing e4.
31...f6
Opening more lines.
32.exf6
Better than 32.e4? dxe4 33.exf6 Bxf6 34.Ndxe4 Bxe4 35.Nxe4 Bxh4+, when Black emerges a pawn up, as in the game, but with a good bishop rather than a bad one.
32...Bxf6 33.e4?!
This loses a pawn, but I felt might give practical chances as White gets knight v bad bishop.
Objectively better may have been 33.Kf3 or 33.Kg3, but the position still massively favours Black.
33...Bxg5 34.hxg5 Bxe4
I was more worried about 34...dxe4!? Komodo9 agrees, but Stockfish9 prefers the text.

The ending has reached a new phase. Black has traded the bishop-pair for the win of a pawn, but is left with a bad bishop (all the black pawns are on the same coloured squares as the bishop)

35.Kg3
White ends up in zugzwang after 35.Nxe4? dxe4 36.Ke3 Kg7 37.Kxe4 Kg6 38.Kf4 a3.
35...Kg7
After this natural move, both engines for a while think the position is drawn … but it isn't!
36.a3 Kg6 37.Kf4
No improvement is 37.Kh4, although Black needs to find the idea 37...Bh1 38.Nf1 e5!, eg 39.dxe5 d4! etc.
37...h4 38.Kg4 h3 39.Kxg3 Kxh5 40.Kg3 Kf5 41.Nf1 Bd3
During the game, I thought Black should have pushed his e pawn immediately, but the text is stronger.
42.Nd2 e5 43.dxe5 Kxe5 44.Kf2
44.Kf3 is simply met by 44...d4.
44...Kf4
The engines show 44...d4!? is still playable, eg 45.Nf3+ Ke4 46.Nxd4 b4! 47.axb4 a3 48.Nb3 a2 49.Ke1 Bc2 50.Na1 Kd3 51.b5 Kxc3, and the pawn promotes.
45.Nf3 Bc4 46.Nd2 Bd3 47.Nf3 Bc2?
There was still a win by losing a tempo with 47...Bf1! 48.Nd2 Bc4, when 49.Nf3 allows 49...Ke4 while 49.Ke1 allows 49...Ke3.
The text hopes for 48.Ke2? Bd1!, but after …
48.Nd4
… Black has nothing better than …
48...Bd3
… which would allow a three-fold repetition, so a draw was agreed.

Computers Get It Wrong Again

I WAS losing for much of today's round-five game at Guernsey.
But after sacrificing the exchange to slow White's attack, I reached the following position:

Black to make his 45th move in Jan Maarten Van den Boogaarten (2009) - Spanton (1923)

The obvious move is 45...a5, after which my main analysis engines, Komodo9 and Stockfish9, reckon White's advantage is worth about three-quarters of a pawn.
Instead, I played:
45...Bd5!?
After the obvious …
46.Rxa6
… I sprang a surprise with …
46...Bxg2!
The game continued:
47.Qe5+
Forced as 47.Kxg2?? loses the rook.
47...Qxe5 48.fxe5 Bd5
When I loaded the game into ChessBase, the engines reckoned White was winning. However, as in my round-three game, this is an ending computers do not understand.
The engines eventually tone their evaluation down to plus-over-minus, but most humans, I am sure, would realise this position is dead-drawn.
49.h4 Bc4 50.Rf6 Bd5 51.Kg3 Bb3 52.Kf4 Bd5 53.Ke3 Be6 54.Kd4 Kf8 55.Rf2 Kg7 56.Kc5 Kf8 57.Kd6 Kg7 58.Rb2 Bc4 59.Ke7 Be6 60.Rb6 Bc4
But not 60...Kg8?? 61.Rxe6, which wins for White.
61.Rd6 ½-½
Going back to the position after 45...Bd5!?, Black had a major alternative in 46.Rc3. I had planned 46...Qe2, when the engines give a move I had not considered: 47.Rg3.
They continue 47...Qe4 48.Qe5+ Qxe5 49.fxe5, evaluating the resulting position as winning for White.
I find that hard to believe, and they have been unable to prove a win in analysis (with me taking the Black pieces). Even after reaching a position with White having just h pawn and rook against g pawn and bishop, they still believe White is winning, but it ain't so!

Trying Too Hard As Black

HAVING tried for too much in yesterday's Guernsey Open game as White, I promptly did the very same today as Black.

White has just offered a draw as he played 41.Kd3-e3 in the round-three game Antoine Canonne (1902) - Spanton (1923)

41...Kd7
There is no justification for playing on here (my main analysis engines Komodo9 and Stockfish9 rate the position as dead-equal), but then again there should be no harm in trying a few more moves - I do hate it when a game finishes!
42.Bf8 Bb6 43.Kf3 Ke8?
Partly caused by trying for more than is justified by the position, and partly by allowing myself to be distracted by a rook-sacrifice on an adjacent board.
I only give the move one question-mark as, amazingly, it seems Black still has the draw in hand.
44.Bd6 Kf7 45.Bxe5
The engines agree, hardly surprisingly, that White is much better, but neither thinks White's advantage is worth a full pawn.
45...Ke6 46.Bb8 Bd8
The engines prefer 46...Ba5 or 46...Kf6, but it is not clear the text is inferior.
One problem with analysing this ending is that the engines tend to overestimate White's chances, as will be graphically illustrated at move 49.
47.Kf4 Bf6 48.e5!?
AC was doubtful about this in the post-mortem, but without pushing the e pawn it is hard to see how White makes progress. The engines reckon White is winning.
48...Be7

Can you find a win for White?

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49.Ke4
White cannot improve his position after this.
Critical was 49.Bd6! which the engines reckon is winning after the forcing 49...Bxd6 50.exd6 Kxd6 51.Kg5 (51.g4? hxg4 52.Kxg4 Ke6 is a trivial draw) Ke5 52.Kxg6 Kd4 53.Kxh5 Kxc4.
Both engines have White winning with 54.g4 or 54.Kg6! but the Nalimov endgame tablebase shows the position to be drawn. However, I have given 49.Bd6! an exclamation-mark as it would have given practical winning chances, especially after 54.Kg6!, which leaves White with a g pawn rather than an h pawn after both players have promoted.
AC had not seen much of this, thinking that giving up the e pawn to get the bishops off was an easy draw. He was right in the sense that it was a draw, but it would have been very possible for Black to go wrong.
The game finished:
49...Bf8 50.Bc7 Kd7 51.Ba5 Ke6 52.Bd2 Bg7 53.Bc3 Bf8 54.Ba5 Bg7 55.Bc7 Bf8 56.Bd8 Kd7 57.Bf6 Ke6 58.Kf3 Kf5 59.Bh8 Bh6 60.Bf6 Bf8 61.Bh8 Bh6 62.Bf6 ½-½
A lucky, and undeserved, escape.

Trying Too Hard As White

I HAVE  a database of my games - 3,448 in all.
There are some rapid and some correspondence games, but the vast majority are at normal time limits.
As Black I score 47 percent - slightly above the average for black of 45-46 percent in large databases. But as White I score 51 percent - significantly below the average for white of 54-55 percent.
Why is this? I have come to the conclusion the main problem is trying for too much as White.
Take today's game as an example.
Spanton (1923) - Mike Waddington (2096), Guernsey Round Two
Leningrad Dutch
1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 0-0 6.e4 e5
Much more popular are 6...fxe4 and 6...d6, but the text has been tried by some strong players.
7.exf5!?
This scores just 28 percent in ChessBase's 2018 Mega database, but it is the choice of my main analysis engines, Stockfish9 and Komodo9.
The idea is to capture on f5 when Black is forced to take back with a pawn rather than a piece.
7...gxf5 8.Nge2 Nc6 9.d4?!
This extravagant move has been played by a 2460, but it is asking too much of the position.
Natural was 9.0-0, and if the normal 9...d6, then 10.f4!? fixes Black's f pawn, while the engines also like 10.d4!? - better now there is no check on the e file.
9...e4?
Black has no difficulties after the simple 9...Nxd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.Qxd4 Re8+.
The problem with the text is it gives White a juicy outpost at f4.
10.0-0?
"Castle because you must or because you want to, not because you can."
It was important to play 10.Bg5, setting up a pin that prevents Black grabbing his fair share of the centre with 10...d5.
10...d6?
Failing to challenge White's central control.
After 10...d5 11.cxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.Be3, White may well be better, eg 13...Rd8 is met by 14.Nf4 and 15.d5, but Black is in no danger of being overrun.
11.Bg5 Qe8

Try to guess White's boneheaded 12th move

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12.Bxf6?
Continuing development with 12.Qd2, or immediately challenging Black's e pawn with 12.f3, are superior ideas.
Stockfish9 very much likes 12.Rc1?!, which I confess I do not understand.
12...Rxf6 13.Nd5 Rf7 14.b4?
Ridiculously trying for too much.
Again, attacking Black's e pawn with 14.f3 was good.
14...Be6 15.Ne3?
Retreating in a position like this is unlikely to be the answer.
Stockfish9 gives 15.Qd2 Bxd5 16.cxd5 Ne7 17.Nc3, with a small edge for Black.
Komodo9 prefers 15.f3 Bxd5 16.cxd5 Nxb4 17.fxe4 fxe4 18.Qb3, with some compensation for the pawn.
15...Nxb4 16.d5?
I rejected 16.Rb1 because of 16...c5, but the text is weaker.
16...Bc8 17.Rb1 Nd3 18.f3 Bh6 19.f4 Bg7 20.Nc1 Bd4 21.Qxd2 Nxc1
I now picked up my queen, intending to play 22.Qxd4??, saw the reply 22...Ne2+, and resigned. I should have played on with 22.Qxc1, but perhaps early resignation was for the best.