All About That Bass

MOST of us have an opponent against whom nothing seems to work.

When the opponent is considerably stronger, this is not surprising, but when ratings are not so different, the results are harder to explain.

My biggest bogeyman is probably John Bass, whose record against me is +6=1-0.

Seven games is not a huge sample, but such a poor performance on my part must signify something.

So in this mini-series I intend to look at my games against JB and try to discover what is going on.

We first met at the annual Easter congress in Sutton, Surrey, not long after I had moved to London for work.

Bass (163 BCF) - Spanton (unrated)

Sutton 1989

French Winawer

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Nf3

This is the most popular positional alternative to the attacking 7.Qg4.

7...Qa5 8.Qd2 Bd7

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 recommend 8...b6, claiming Black is at least equal.

9.Be2 Ba4 10.Rb1 Nbc6!?

A gambit-move that does not appear in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database. Known moves are 10...b6 and 10...Qc7.

How should White respond?

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11.Rxb7

Cold-blooded acceptance. The engines prefer 11.dxc5 Qxc5 12.0-0.

11...0-0-0?!

Probably the wrong plan. After 11...0-0 Black has full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines.

12.Rb1 f6?!
The engines suggest trying to keep lines closed with 12...c4.

13.exf6 gxf6 14.0-0

With both sides castled, how would you assess the position?

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The main factor may be king safety, in that White's king is far safer than Black's. However, White also has an extra pawn, and the bishop-pair, and the engines agree White is winning.
14...Nf5 15.Qf4!?

The engines prefer 15.Bd3 or 15.dxc5.

15...Bxc2?

Black is still in the game after 15...c4.

16.Rb5 Qa4 17.Rxc5 a6

More-or-less forced, but White gets another tempo to build up against the black king's position.

18.Bd2 Rhg8 19.Rc1 h5 20.Rxc2?!

This will cost White his queen. White will still be winning, according to the engines, but other moves are much clearer, eg 20.Ne1 or 20.c4.

20...Rg4 21.Rb2 Rxf4 22.Bxf4

White has rook, two bishops and a pawn for queen and knight

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Materially, there is not much in it, but White continues to have much-the-safer king.

22...Kd7 23.Nd2?

Much stronger is 23.Rb7+ Ke8 24.Ne1.

23...e5 24.Rb7+ Kd6 25.Bg3?

White still has an edge after 25.Rb6!?, according to the engines.

Black to play and win

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25...h4

Even stronger is 25...N(either)xd4!

26.c4?

Other moves are better, including 26.Bh5 and 26.Rb6.

26...Nfxd4

This time, which knight makes the capture is important. The text is good for Black, but not as good as 26...Nxcxd4!

27.Rxd5+ Ke6

If I had captured with the other knight at move 26, Black would now have 27...Kc6.

28.Bg4+ f5 29.Ne4

What should Black play?

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29...Rxd5??

A queen move is mandatory, preferably 29...Qxc4.

30.cxd5+ Kxd5 31.Nc3+ 1-0

LESSON: the game was decided by tactics, with the winner, classically, being the player who made the next-to-last mistake.

Miniatures 5

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

Geoffrey Stearn (158? BCF)- Spanton (ungraded)

Sutton Easter 1989

Bishop's Opening

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.Nf3!?

As I was to discover over the coming months, this move is typical of GS's aggressive style, and my lifetime score against him is +0=0-5.

3...Nxe4

Principled, but not prudent.

4.Nc3!?

Continuing the gambit theme. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 want White to play 4.Nxe5, or 4.d3 and then Nxe5.

4...Nxc3

Again, principled, but not prudent.

5.dxc3

The engines give Black at least a slight edge

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5...d5?

Most popular, and best, according to the engines, is 5...f6!?

6.Bxd5 Nc6?

The engines want Black to prioritise getting the king to safety with 6...Be7!?, although 7.Nxe5 leaves White a pawn up.

7.Bxc6+

Even stronger seems to be 7.Ng5!?

7...bxc6 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nxe5 Ke8 10.Be3 Bd6!?

The engines disapprove of holding on to the c6 pawn.

11.Nxc6 Bb7 12.Nd4 Bxg2!? 13.Rg1 Be4 14.h4

Not 14.Rxg7? Bg6 etc.

14...Rb8 15.0-0-0 a5 16.f3 Bg6 17.Rg5 a4 18.a3 f6 19.Ra5 Kf7?? 20.h5 1-0
LESSON: this game illustrates the advice of Cecil Purdy, the first world correspondence champion, who  warned that neglecting development in the opening for the sake of an advantage in an endgame that may never arise (in other words, grabbing a pawn early on) is not a "paying proposition."

Miniatures 4

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

Spanton (ungraded) - Colin Mackenzie (172 BCF)

Sutton Easter 1989

Stonewall Attack*

1.d4 e6 2.e3 b6 3.f4

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 recommend 3.e4!?, with Dragon1 claiming White is slightly better.

3...Nf6 4.Bd3 Bb7 5.Nf3 c5 6.Nbd2 Qc7 7.c3?!

The engines are happy with this, but one of the points of the Stonewall Attack is be able to recapture on d4 with the e pawn if Black plays ...cxd4. So probably better is 7.0-0, intending to meet 7...cxd4 with 8.exd4, when 8...Qxf4!? is playable but risky.

7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Nd5 9.Nb3

Black threatened ...Nxe3.

9....Bb4+

Continuing to target e3.

10.Kf2 a5 11.Bd2 a4!? 12.Bxb4?! Nxb4

How should White proceed?

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13.Rc1?

Black is only slightly better after 13.Nc1, according to the engines.

13...N8c6

This is enough for a good advantage, but best may be 13...Bxf3!? 14.gxf3, and now 14...N8c6.
14.Na1?!

Almost certainly better is 14.d5.

14...Nxa2 15.Nc2? 0-1

LESSON: success can hardly be hoped for if simple tactical errors proliferate,
*I was much taken at the time with the book How To Think Ahead In Chess, in which Al Horowitz and Fred Reinfeld recommended this opening for White.

Fundamentals (part 17)

Spanton (147) - J Marley (153)
Sutton (London) Premier 1991

Black has just captured on d5 - who stands better?

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The position is dead-equal, according to the analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10.
41.Kc3 Kc5 42.g4 g5?
42.f5 holds. The problem with the text is the white king will get access to the e4 square.
43.f5
This is probably good enough, but even stronger is 43.fxg5 fxg5 44.b4+! axb4+ 45.Kd3 Kd5 46.b3 h6 47.h3 when Black is in zugzwang. Note that if 42...f5 had been played, this idea does not work, eg 43.g5 Kd5 44.b4 axb4+ 45.Kd3 Kc5 - White's king cannot advance because the e4 square is covered. If in this line White plays 45.Kxb4 then 45...Ke4 leads to an equal queen-and-pawn ending.
43...Kb5  44.b4?
Winning seems to be 44.Kd4 Kb4 45.Kd5 Kxb3 46.Ke6 Kxb2 47.Kxf6 a4 48.Kxg5 - both players will queen but White will be a pawn up with what looks like sufficient shelter for his king as well as threats against Black's remaining pawn.
44...a4 45.Kd2 Kb4 46.h4!? h6
46...gxh4 also seems to draw.
47.hxg5 hxg5 48.Kc2
I offered  a draw.
48...Kc4

White to play and draw

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49.Kd2?
White holds with 49.Kb1 as 49...Kd4 50.Ka2 Ke3 51.Ka3 Kf3 52.Kxa4 Kxg4 is a draw, according to the Nalimov endgame tablebase.
The game finished:
49...Kd4 50.Kc2 Ke4 51.Kc3 Kf4 52.Kb4 Kxg4 53.Kxa4 Kxf5 54.b4 g4 55.b5 g3 56.b6 g2 57.b7 g1=R 0-1