Summer Treats

THE CzechTour has released details of Pardubice (Jul 11-28), Summer Prague (Aug 2-9) and Olomouc (Aug 9-17) at its website.

Summer Prague Summary

MY final score of +5=2-2 in Summer Prague U2000 saw me lose 17.6 elo. My new Fide rating in September should be 1813 - eight points under my previous low of 1821 in July 2017.

Calamity!

WAS upfloated to face a Czech junior on board two of the ninth and final round of Summer Prague U2000 today.

White to make his 55th move in Spanton (1831) - Adam Svanda (1852)

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

55.h5?? Nxd4 56.h6 Nxf3 57.h7 Ne5+ 0-1

Summer Prague Round Eight

FACED a German this afternoon in round eight of Summer Prague U2000.
Lukas Hochscheidt (1754) - Spanton (1831)
Veresov
1.d4 d5 2.Bg5
The game starts as a Pseudo-Trompowsky ...
2...Nf6
... quickly turns into a regular Trompowsky ...
3.Nc3
... and finally becomes a Veresov.
3...Nbd7 4.f3 h6 5.Bh4 e6
The main alternatives, 5...c5 and 5...c6, are preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01.
6.e4 Be7 7.Nh3?!
This runs into a tactical shot, which costs White a pawn for what seems insufficient compensation. The main line runs 7.e5 Ng8 8.Bf2, as first played in Tartakower - Yates, Carlsbad 1923, which was drawn in 40 moves.
7...Nxe4!?
This idea was missed, or at least not played, by a 2221 in the only game to reach this position in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.
8.Bxe7 Nxc3 9.Bxd8 Nxd1 10.Bxc7 Nxb2 11.a4?!
The knight will not be trapped, and the white a pawn becomes a target for Black's pieces, so 11.Rb1 was probably better.
11...Nb6 12.Kd2?
LH explained after the game he missed that the a4 pawn can be captured. White had to play 12.a5, when after 12...N6c4 White has the bishop-pair and better coordination.
12...N2xa4 13.Bb5+ Bd7 14.Rhb1 Bxb5+ 15.Rxb5 Kd7
Not 15...Nc4+ 16.Kc1 Nab6?? as it loses a piece to 17.Bxb6 etc.
16.Bxb6 Nxb6 17.Kd3 Rhc8 18.Rba5 a6 19.Nf4 g6 20.Ne2 Rc6 21.Nc1 Rac8 22.R1a2 Rc3+ 23.Kd2 Nc4
The engines are not keen on this, but I felt exchanging a pair of rooks made it easier to mobilise Black's queenside pawns.
24.Kxc3 Nxa5+ 25.Kd3 b6 26.Ne2 Kc7 27.Nc3 Nc6 28.Rb2
28.Rxa6?? Nb4+.
28...b5 29.Rb1 Ra8 30.f4 h5 31.h3 Rb8 32.g3 Rb6?!
This lets White open and occupy a file on the kingside, after which Black is still winning but the danger of falling to a trick increases.
33.g4 hxg4 34.hxg4 Rb8 35.Rh1 Kb6 36.Rh7 Rb7
The engines prefer the passive 36...Rf8!? followed by pushing the queenside pawns.
37.f5 gxf5 38.gxf5 Rc7 39.Rh6 Nb4 40.Kd2 Rc6 41.Rh8 Ka5 42.Rf8 Nxc2! 43.Kxc2 b4 44.Rxf7 Rxc3+ 45.Kb2 exf5!?
Eliminating the dangerous f pawn seems best.
After ...
46.Rxf5 Ka4 47.Rxd5
... White is only one pawn down, but is completely lost.
47...Rc4 48.Rd8 b3 49.d5 Rc2+ 50.Kb1 a5 51.d6 Rd2 52.d7 Ka3 53.Kc1 Rd5
Also winning is 53...b2+ 54.Kxd2 b1=Q.
54.Ra8 b2+ 55.Kc2 Rc5+ 56.Kd2 b1=Q 57.d8=Q Qa2+ 58.Ke3 Qe6+ 0-1

Summer Prague Round Seven

FACED a Czech junior in round seven of Summer Prague U2000 this afternoon.

Spanton (1831) - Tadeáš Pejřimovský (1412)

Sicilian (Bb5+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3 Bg7 5.d4 a6!?

Playing ...cxd4 is almost automatic in the Sicilian, and it is the most popular move here, but grandmasters have also played 5...Qb6 and 5...Qa5.

However the text does not appear in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database. As a rule, ...a6 in Bb5(+) lines of the Sicilian is usually played when Black has a way of recapturing on c6 without damaging his pawn-structure - otherwise it is considered a waste of a tempo, by many players at least, as White often wants to capture on c6 without being provoked by ...a6.

6.Ba4!?

White can, and arguably should, win a pawn by 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxc5, although after 7...Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Black has some compensation in the form of the bishop-pair. White has also lost castling rights, but the white king should be safe on c2.

6...b5 7.Bc2 e6?

Black's fifth move was debatable, but this is just bad.

8.dxc5 Nf6 9.Bf4 0-0 10.Bd6 Re8 11.0-0 Na5 12.Nbd2

Developing a piece and strongly discouraging ...Nc4.

12...Nb7 13.e5 Nd5 14.Ne4 f5 15.exf6 Nxf6 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Be4 Ra7

Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 suggest giving up the exchange by 17...Nxd6!? 18.Bxa8 Nb7 19.Bxb7 Bxb7, but agree White is winning.

18.Qd3?!

Missing 18.Bb8, and if 18...Ra8 the engines like 19.Be5, when Black's kingside is looking vulnerable.

18...Nxd6 19.cxd6 Bb7

This is best, according to the engines, but it means Black will not even have the bishop-pair as compensation for his pawn-minus, uncoordinated pieces and central cramp.

20.Rfd1 Bxe4

Black solidifies the queenside with 20...Bc6!?, but 21.Bxc6 dxc6 is very good for White, according to the engines.

21.Qxe4 Qb6 22.Rd2 Rc8 23.Ne5 Rc5?

After 23...Qc5 there is still a long way to go before White can convert the extra pawn.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

24.Nf3

24.Nxd7!? Rxd7 25.Qxe6+ Rf7 is equal, according to the engines.

But Black should not have abandoned the back rank as White wins with 24.Nxg6! hxg6 25.Qxg6+ Bg7 26.Qe8+ Bf8 27.Rd4, when 27...Rf5 (the move I feared) fails to 28.Rg4+ Kh8 29.Rf1! In this variation, if 26...Kh7 then 27.Rd3 Rf5 28.Rh3+ Bh6 29.Qe7+ Kg8 30.Rg3+ Kh8 31.Rf1! wins. In both lines I missed the Rf1 idea.

After playing the text I was starting to realise White's win is not as simple as I had thought, or at least is no longer so simple. Black can start a minority attack on the queenside which, combined with pressure against d6, gives White plenty to cope with. Then came a gift ...

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

24....Ra8??

The game finished:

25.Qxa8+ Kf7 26.Rad1 Rc6 27.Rd3 e5!? 28.Rd5 e4 29.Ne5+ Bxe5 30.Rxe5 Rxd6 31.Qe8+ Kg7 32.Qe7+ 1-0

Summer Prague Round Six

FACED a Czech in round six of Summer Prague U2000 this afternoon.
Jaromir Krupanský (1661) - Spanton (1831)
Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Qd3!?
A rare alternative to the main move 6.Qa4.
6...Bg7 7.Be3 0-0 8.Be2 d6 9.h3 a6!?
Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 do not like this, preferring 9...b6 or 9...Be6.
10.a3 b5 11.0-0 Bb7 12.Nd5?!
White should probably have got on with developing his rooks.

How should Black proceed?

12...Nxd5?
This is wrong on two counts. First, a white pawn on d5 will cramp Black; second, there was a way to take advantage of White's slightly exposed queenside, namely by 12...Nd7, after which White may have nothing better than 13.Nc3, when 13...Nc5 keeps up the pressure.
13.exd5 Ne5 14.Nxe5 dxe5!?
The idea is to attack on the kingside.
15.Rad1 f5
The engines prefer central play with 15...Qd6.
16.Qb3 Qd7 17.c4 f4?
The engines give 17...bxc4 18.Bxc4 Kh8 with the better game for White.
18.Bg4 Qd6?
Another mistake. Better, but good for White, is 18...bxc4 19.Qxc4 Qb5 20.Qxb5 axb5 21.Bc5.
19.c5 Qf6 20.Bd2
Even stronger is 20.c6 Bc8 21.d6, but the text is simpler and also winning.
20...Kh8 21.c6 Bc8 22.Bxc8 Rxc8 23.Bb4 Qf7 24.Rfe1 Rxc6
Relief for Black? No!
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
25.Bxe7 Re8 26.Qf3 Rc7 27.d6 Rd7 28.Qc6 Qe6 29.Qc5 Bf6?
White is still much better after, say, 29...Kg8, but the text lets White swop off his bishop, which looks good but is actually impeding White's queenside play.
30.Bxf6+ Qxf6 31.Qc6 Red8 32.Qxa6 b4!?
The pawn will be lost anyway.
33.axb4 Rxd6 34.Rxd6 Rxd6 35.Qc8+ Rd8 36.Qc3 Rd4 37.b5
The passed pawn and the exposed black king bring a swift conclusion.
37...Qd6 38.b6 Qxb6 39.Rxe5 Rd1+ 40.Re1 1-0

Summer Prague Round Five

FACED a German junior this afternoon in round five of Summer Prague U2000.

Spanton (1831) - Arne Herter (1613)

English Botvinnik

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.Nge2 Bg7 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 e5 8.f4!?

Much more popular is 8.d3, but the text was recommended by Tony Kosten in The Dynamic English (Gambit 1999), although it is not liked by the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01.

8...Nh5!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database goes 8...exf4 9.gxf4 Bg4 10.h3 with a position in which the engines' evaluations fluctuate quite a bit.

9.f5

Getting in this move is the point of omitting d3.

9...gxf5!?

The engines prefer 9...Nd4 but reckon White is better.

10.exf5 Bd7 11.g4 Nf4!

The best move, after which the game becomes very sharp.

12.Nxf4 exf4 13.Ne2?!

I rejected 13.Rxf4 because of 13...Be5 14.Rf2 Qh4, but the engines reckon White is much better after sacing the exchange with 14.d4! Bxd4 15.Bxf4, when Black's kingside dark squares are very weak. Also probably better than the text is the simple 13.d3 - I think I rejected it because I over-feared 13...Bd4+.

13...Qh4 14.Rxf4!?

Sacing the exchange. Stockfish11 comes to quite like the move, but both engines prefer 14.d3.

14...Be5 15.d4 Bxf4 16.Nxf4 Rae8

Black threatens 17...Re1+.

17.Bd2 Nxd4 18.Be1 Qf6

The engines reckon Black should return the exchange with 18...Rxe1+! 19.Qxe1 Qxg4, which leaves Black a pawn up and with a second pawn certain to fall.

19.Nd5 Qe5 20.Nxc7?

Black is up the exchange but White has some counterplay after the engines' 20.Bh4 or 20.Kh1.

20...Rc8?

20...Ne2+ 21.Kh1 Qc5+ wins the white knight thanks to the threat of 22...Qg1#.

21.Nd5 Rxc4

The engines prefer Black after 21...Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nf4.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

22.Bh4!

Now Black's king is the more vulnerable - so much so that Black has to jettison material.

22...f6

This is best, according to the engines, as 22...Ne2+?! 23.Kh1 Rd4 runs into 24.Bf6 Rxd5 25.Bxe5 Rxd1+ 26.Rxd1 dxe5 27.Rxd7, when material is level but White's pieces are much more active than Black's.

23.Bxf6 Rxf6 24.Nxf6+ Qxf6 25.Bd5+ Be6!?

This should probably hold but the engines give 25...Kg8! 26.Bxc4 Bc6, when White is the exchange and a pawn up but the exposed white king means the position is apparently drawn, eg 27.Kf1 (if 27.Rc1 then 27...Nf3+ 28.Kf1 Nxh2+, when White has to play carefully to avoid mate or at least decisive material loss) Qe5 28.Qd2 Qe4 29.Qh6 Qg2+ 30.Ke1 Qe4+ 31.Kf2, and Black has to carry on checking as otherwise he gets mated.

26.fxe6 Rc8

This looks, certainly at first sight, as the best way to stop the passer, but Black can draw by giving up the rook with 26...Qe5!, the point being White cannot escape perpetual check after 27.e7+ Kg7 28.Bxc4?! Qe3+. However the engines point out the superior 28.Qd3! Ne2+ 29.Kh1 Rf4 30.Bf3 Bd4 31.Bxb7 Qxe7 32.Bg2 Rxg4, an intricate line - to say the least! - at the end of which material is level but the engines reckon White has slightly better chances.

27.Qf1 Qg6 28.Re1!?

Possible because 28...Qxg4+ 29.Kh1 leaves the black queen badly out of position. Indeed, best seems to be to return to g6 with 29...Qg6, after which 30.Qf4 threatens 31.Rg1 and 31.Qxd4.

28...Re8 29.Qf7+ Kh8 30.Qxg6

Even stronger is 30.e7 as ...Qxg4+ still does not work for Black.

The game finished: 

30...hxg6 31.Re4 Nf3+ 32.Kg2 Ng5 33.Re2 b6 34.h4 Ng7 35.g5 Re7 36.Kf3 Kg7 37.Kg4 Kf8 38.Re4 Rg7 39.Rc4 Ke7 40.Kf4 b5 41.Rc7+ Kf8 42.Rxg7 Kxg7 43.e7 1-0

Summer Prague Round Four

FACED a German this afternoon in round four of Summer Prague U2000.
Thomas Krüger (1558) - Spanton (1831)

Colle System

1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 Bd6!?

This somewhat unusual move has been played by Tarrasch and Janowski. One idea is to get in a quick ...e5.

4.Bd3

The normal reply but 4.c4 is an obvious alternative that inhibits ...e5.

4...Nc6

And normal here for Black is to transpose into a Dutch Stonewall with 4...f5.

5.c3!?

This seems rather passive, although White scores very well with it from limited outings in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.

Now Black gets to implement the ...e5 break

5...e5 6,dxe5 Nxe5 7.Nxe5 Bxe5 8.Nd2 Nf6 9.Nf3 bd6 10.h3 0-0 11.Qc2 Re8 12.Nd2?

A new move, and not a good one. White should get his king to safety before trying for the pawn-break e4.

12...c5 13.0-0 Qe7 14.b3 Ne4 15.Bxe4?

The black knight had to be left where it was, eg 15.Nxe4? dxe4 also leaves White's king in great danger. Stockfish11 suggests 15.f4!?, which is anti-positional but not immediately catastrophic.

15...dxe4 16.Rd1

This is best, according to Stockfish11 and my other main analysis engine Komodo11.01.

16...Qe5 17.Nc4?

Best, according to the engines, is 17.Nf1, but with a clear advantage for Black. Note that 17.Nxe4? loses to 17...Qh2+ 18.Kf1 Qh1+ 19.Ke2 Qxg2, when both 20.Nxd6 and 20.Rxd6 are well met by 20...Bxh3.

17...Qh2+ 18.Kf1 Bc7 19.Nd2

There is no defence, eg 19.Ba3 is simply met by 19...b6.

19...Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Qxg2 21.Bb2 Bxh3 0-1

If 22.Rg1 then 22...Bg4+.

Junior Fest Continues

FACED my third Czech junior in this afternoon's third round of Summer Prague U2000.
Spanton (1831) - Lukas Lihotsky (1529)
English Nimzowitsch

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 Bb4

This is the main alternative to the most-popular move 4...Bc5, for which see https://beauchess.blogspot.com/2020/08/czech-mate.html

5.d3 d6 6.Be2

Nimzowitsch preferred 6.g3 but Carlsen has played the text.

6...h6 7.0-0 0-0 8.h3 Be6 9.Nd5 Bc5 10.Be3 Nd7 11.d4 Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Bxd4 exd4 14.Qxd4

White has a central bind, but a bad bishop. Komodo11.01 reckons the game is equal, but Stockfish11 slightly prefers Black.

14...a5 15.Rac1!?

This mysterious rook move was played with the intention of transferring the rook to the kingside along the third rank, but nothing of the sort comes to pass. The engines prefer 15.Rad1, which I rejected because 15...Nc5 prevents Rd3, but I missed that White has 16.e5.

According to the engines, 15.f4 is best met by 15...Bxd5.

15...Re8 16.Rfe1 Bxd5

LL offered a draw.

17.exd5

I rejected the engines' choice, 17.cxd5, because of 17...Nf6 18.f3, when I felt White's kingside dark-square weaknesses would be a major liability, but the engines reckon White has an edge.

17...Qf6 18.Qxf6 Nxf6 19.Bd3 Nd7 20.f4 Nc5 21.Bc2 Kf8 22.Kf2 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 Re8 24.Rxe8+ Kxe8 25.Ke3 Ke7 26.Kd4 Kf6 27.b3 g5

LL offered a draw. I kept playing but without disturbing the equilibrium, and the game was drawn after 41 moves.

Arguably of slightly more interest is that the congress has a book and souvenir stall.

None of the books is in English, and the T-shirts are generic ChechTour ones rather than event or season specific, but it makes a change from the many tournaments these days that have no kind of stall.

Double Trouble

TODAY is the double-round day at the Summer Prague longplay tournaments, with rounds at 9am and 4pm.

This morning in the U2000 I face my second Czech junior, and somewhat surprisingly I have moved up from board nine to board four.

This is because four of the top-eight rated players were held to draws and the third-seed even managed to lose.

Czech Mate

FACED a Czech junior in the first round of the Summer Prague U2000 this afternoon.
Spanton (1831) - Pavlina Dudova (1496)
English Nimzowitsch
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4
Nimzowitsch poineered this set-up. Later it was refined into the Botvinnik formation in which White also puts pawns on c4 and e4 but places the king's knight on e2.

4...Bc5

This is the most popular reply in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database.

5.Nxe5

This well-known fork trick is often played by Black in similar positions in order to equalise, but here White hopes for more.

5...Nxe5

If 5...Bxf2+?! then 6.Kxf2 Nxe5 7.d4 (7...Neg4+ 8.Kg1) with h3 to come leaves White with the centre and the bishop-pair.

6.d4 Bd6?

This plausible-looking move has been played by grandmasters, but Nimzowitsch showed what is wrong with it against Réti at Berlin Tageblatt 1928.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

7.c5 Bxc5 8.dxe5 Ng8 9.Bc4!?

A simpler way to an advantage is 9.Qg4, as played by Nimzowitsch against Réti. That game continued 9...Kf8 10.Qg3 Ne7 11.Bc4 Ng6 12.f4 (1-0, 62 moves).

9...Ne7 

This is the choice of my main analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01, but there is a major problem with Black's position.

10.Qg4

The engines give 10.b4!, the point being that after 10...Bxb4 11.Qb3 Bxc3+ 12.Qxc3 White is a pawn down but has more than enough compensation thanks to open lines for his bishops and heavy pieces. That leaves 10...Bb6, but White is clearly better.

10...Ng6

Also seemingly playable for Black is 10...0-0 (Black now threatens ...d5) 11.Qg3 (11.Bh6 Ng6 12.Bg5 Qe8 is good for Black) d6. The engines eventually give best-play as 10...d5!? 11.Qxg7 Rg8 12.Qxh7 dxc4 13.Nd5 with an unclear position.

11.Qg3

I felt 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 simplified Black's task.

11...0-0

Komodo11.01 likes this but Stockfish11 prefers the retreat 11...Be7!?, although then both engines agree White is better after 12.Nd5.

12.h4 d6 13.h5 Nxe5 14.h6 g6?!

Good for Black is 14...Qf6? 15.Bg5? Bxf2+, but Black is busted after 15.Nd5 as 15...Bxf2+ 16.Qxf2 Qxf2+ 17.Kxf2 Nxc4 fails to 18.Ne7+ Kh8 19.hxg7+ Kxg7 20.Bh6+.

Best seems to be 14...Ng4 15.hxg7 Re8 (15...Bxf2+?! 16.Qxf2 Nxf2 17.gxf8Q+ Qxf8 18.Kxf2) 16.Qf3 Qf6 (16...Bxf2+ 17.Kf1) 17.Qxf6 Nxf6 18.f3, one point being that 18...Kxg7 19.Bh6+ gives White plenty of play for the pawn, according to the engines.

15.Bg5 Qd7?

Also bad is15...Bxf2+? 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Qxg4 Bxg4 18.Bxd8, but Black is still in the game after 15...Qe8 16.Nd5 Ng4 17.0-0-0.

16.Nd5 Ng4 17.Qxg4 Bb4+ 18.Kf1

The only winning move, but plenty good enough.

18...Qxg4!?

This speeds the end but the engines' 18...Qe6 19.Qf4 f6 20.Ne7+ is hopeless for Black.

19.Ne7+ Kh8 20.Bf6#