Thursday, 15 April 2021

Catching Up

This blog has been rather behindhand recently, so here are two match reports. In a match played mainly on Wednesday 7th April, Aberystwyth took on the University's B team. On top board, Adam Watkin-Jones's Bird's Opening against Marcus Perry did not yield any early advantage. With queens, dark-squared bishops and pawns on the board and time running out, Adam looked to complicate things, but it didn't quite work out and he eventually accepted the draw. I missed the win of a piece in my O'Kelly Sicilian against Toby Bates, instead losing a pawn, though the position was more or less level. Both of us went wrong in the ending, but it was still level when White blundered, losing a rook. Tom Gunn had pressure against Harry Fox's backward c-pawn in a Queen's Pawn Game, and Black's attempt to free himself was a tactical error losing a piece, after which Tom had no problems in the ending. In another Queen's Pawn Game, Sam Holman missed a number of chances to win a piece, but retained the upper hand in a minor piece ending thanks to his powerful bishops. A 3½-½ win to the town side, but it could have been very different.

Aber's opposition in the WCU Online League is formidable, and on Tuesday 13th April we took on Morriston Alekhine. Adam's Queen's Gambit Declined against Moss McCarthy developed into a battle between Black's dangerous-looking queenside passed pawns and White's attack against the kingside. White never really looked to be breaking through, but managed to exert enough pressure to get a draw. I found myself in a Queen's Gambit also, more or less by accident as I misplayed my English against Peter Bevan and couldn't think of anything better after 2...d5. Nevertheless my position was OK until I grabbed a pawn and ended up having to try to defend against Black's doubled rooks on my second rank, which was never going to end well. Tom also looked comfortable against Chris Howells's King's Indian Attack until he missed the threat posed by the White queen, which finished the game very suddenly. Sam got in trouble in a Ruy Lopez against Duncan Williams allowing a favourable version of the Marshall Attack against his Ruy Lopez, which would have been highly dangerous even for experienced players in this line. He soon lost a rook in the ensuing tactics. The result was a win to Morriston by 3½-½.

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1.f4 new for both players 1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 Bc5 4.Nc3 0-0 5.e3 Nc6 6.Nge2 d6 7.0-0 a6 8.a3 Ne7 Watkin-Jones vs Perry,Dyfed Online League, 2020,0-1 1...d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 b6 3...g6 main 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.d3 e6 6.c3 Bd6 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.a4 8.Qc2 main 8.e4 is a standard idea in the Leningrad Bird anyway dxe4 9.Ng5 h6 9...Nc5 10.dxe4 Ncxe4 11.Qa4+ Qd7 12.Qxd7+ Kxd7 13.Nxf7 Bc5+ 14.Kh1 Ng4 15.b4 Rhf8 16.bxc5 Rxf7 17.cxb6 axb6 18.Kg1 Nc5 19.Bxb7 Nxb7 Stockfish13- looks unclear according to this commentator 10.Nxe4 Nxe4 11.dxe4 0-0 12.Be3 Bc5 Sliepcevic-Kristovic,CRO ch tm 2010, 0-1- Stockfish13 claims definite plus for Bl, though Henrick Danielsen has been happy to play such posutions for Wh for years 8...c5 written off as a blunder by lichess, because Wh has e4 as a possibility after the text 8...0-0 9.Nbd2 9.e4 certainly doesnt work, because there is no longer a ch on a4 9...a5 10.Nd4 Re8 11.N2f3 h6 12.Nb5 Bf8 13.Nbd4 c6 14.e3 c5 15.Nb5 is what lichess Engine declares best for both sides- [looks a bit artivicial] 9.Na3 inaccuracy- lichess; yet Danielsen quite often plays this useful waiting move ( cf his The Complete Polar Bear System) & it is played in the only game that has reached this position 9.e4 dxe4 10.dxe4 Be7 the B was loose 11.e5 Nd5 12.Qe2 0-0 and Wh has a good game, though here lichess wants 13.c4 13.Na3± Stockfish13 13...Nb4 14.Nc3 9...a6 mistake says lichess, wanting 9...Qc8 10.Re1 c4= 10.Nc2 and of course another move labelled mistake 10.e4 is still fine, yet we are are still in a previous game, with a 2282 Wh player 10...Qc7 11.Bd2 c4 this feels like a postional mistake- judgement by Rudy, who frequently plays these kind of positions as Wh 11...0-0 12.Nh4 another of Danielsen's objectives c4 13.Be3 Ng4 14.Bd4 Bc5 15.e3 f5 16.dxc4 dxc4 17.Bxb7 Qxb7 18.Qf3 Poulsen (2282)- Butt, Dresden ol 2008,1-0 12.Ncd4 12.Ne3 Stockfish13 12...0-0 13.b4 cxb3 13...Rfe8 Stockfish13 - because Wh is playing a Bl opening reversed the Engine prefers the other side- yet Wh has a postion that retains multiple opportunities , and where the stronger player should have greater chances of success 14.Nxb3 14.Qxb3 looking at b6 looks more natural 14...Nc5 15.Ne5 Nfd7 16.Nxc5 bxc5 17.Nxd7 Qxd7 18.Qc2 f5 inaccuracy-lichess , wants 18...c4 but Rudy considers this would leave Bl with a very bad QB. then tempting looks 19.d4 followed by f5, or if Bl blocks, then Bc1-a3 gets rid of Wh's bad B 19.c4 19.e4 looks possible dxe4 20.dxe4 Bxe4 21.Bxe4 fxe4 22.Qxe4 Be7 23.Rf2 23.Be3 Qd5 23...Bf6 24.Be1 Qd5 25.Re2 leaves Bl nursing weaknesses at e6 & a6- Engines like Stockfish13 can be guaranteed to find accurate defences, but humans are frequently another matter 19...d4 20.Bxb7 Qxb7 21.Rab1 Qc6 22.Rb2 Rfb8 23.Rfb1 Kf7 24.a5 24.Ba5!? 24...Rxb2 25.Rxb2 Rb8 26.Rxb8 Bxb8 27.Qb2 Bc7 28.e3 lichess dislikes this and wants instead a series of non moves 28.Qb1 Kg8 29.Qa1 (ceding the file!) g6 30.Qf1 Qb7 31.Be1 Bd8 32.Qh3 Qc6 33.Qf1 Kf7 34.Qh3 h5 which get precisely nowhere. The higher rated human player, down to 5 mins vs 22, launches an ingenious way of unbalancing the position that could well have been successful when Bl rises to the bait rather than just keep the lid on for a draw, 28...dxe3 29.Bxe3 Bxa5 30.Qe5 Bb4 31.Bc1 Qf3?! Bl tries to get a winning material advantage 31...Qd7 32.Bb2 Kg6 just defends- Stockfish13- & although Bl is an a pawn up, it will scarcely get to a1 to Q, with Bl having to stay in place to protect his K 32.Bb2= Qd1+ 32...Qxd3= 33.Kg2 Qc2+? lichess- blunder- Wh now can get a win 33...Qg4= simplest 33...Qh5 also draws-Stockfish13 34.Kh3+- Qxd3 35.Qxg7+ Ke8 36.Bf6 Qd6 37.Qxh7 lichess- blunder, gives 37.Qg8+ as winning but fails to provide any followup. Kd7 38.Qd8+! 38.Qxh7+ is what springs to mind, gaining the h pawn with a ch; but Stockfish13 has seen further- it wants the a pawn as well! Tricky for Wh with just over 4 mins left 38...Kc6 39.Qa8+ Kd7 39...Kb6? 40.Bd8+ wins the Q 40.Qd8+ Kc6 41.Qc8+ Qc7 42.Qxa6+ Kd7 42...Qb6 43.Qc8+ Qc7 44.Qxe6+ Qd6 45.Qxf5+- 43.Be5 Qc8 44.Qa7+ Kc6 45.Qxh7+- Stockfish13 37...Qf8 38.Bg5 a further mistake-2, after which the game returns to level. 38.Be5 is winning- Stockfish13 agrees- crucially it prevents the a pawn by cotrolling a1 Qf7 38...Ba5 39.Qb7 Bd8 40.Qxa6+- 39.Qh8+ Qf8 40.Qh5+ Qf7 41.Qf3 Qd7 41...a5 42.Qa8+ Ke7 43.Kg2 the a pawn is held & the h pawn advances 42.Qa8+ Ke7 43.Kh4! 43.Qxa6 Qd1 gives Bl drawing chances, perhaps even a forced draw. 43...Ba5 44.Qg8 Qe8 45.Qg5+ Kd7 46.Qg7+ Qe7+ 47.Kh5+- Stockfish13. 38...a5 lichess analysis has no further comments to make, though the action is far from over 39.Qc7 Qh8+ 40.Bh4 Qf8 41.Qd8+ Kf7 42.Qf6+ Kg8 43.Qxe6+ Qf7 44.Qc8+ Kg7 45.Qc6 a4 45...Bc3 46.Qxc5 a4 47.Qe7 Bb2 48.Qe2 a3 49.c5 Bf6 50.Bg5 Bxg5 51.fxg5 a2 52.Qb2+ Kg6 53.c6 Kxg5 54.c7 a1Q 55.Qxa1 Qh5+ 56.Kg2 Qe2+= Stockfish13 is the way some engines do it 46.Qxa4 Qxc4 47.Qd7+ Qf7 48.Qd6 Kg8 49.g4 one last push by Wh Qb3+ 50.Bg3 fxg4+ 51.Kxg4 Qe3 51...c4= 52.Qd8+ 52.Kf5 is a better try for an advantage, but by now Wh was living on increments Bc3!= other moves give Wh something to play for 52...Kf7 53.Qd7+ Qe7 54.Qf5+ Qf6 55.Qd7+ Qe7 56.Qxe7+ Kxe7 Lomonosov tablebases show a draw in all lines 57.Kf5 c4 58.Ke4 c3 59.Kd3 Ke6 60.Bf2 60.h4 Rudy, kibitzing, worth a try Kf5 61.h5 Bf8! and Wh gets nothing 61...Kf6? 62.Bh4+ Kf7 63.f5+- 2 pawns in this position defend one another , if the K approaches one, the other advances 60...Kf5 61.Be3 Kg4 62.Bd4 Bl offered a draw & Wh accepted ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBRes
Watkin-Jones,A1918Perry,M1428½–½
Bates,T1366Francis,M16480–1
Gunn,T1398Fox,H14001–0
Bourne,P1000Holman,S13860–1
McCarthy,M1898Watkin-Jones,A1918½–½
Francis,M1648Bevan,P19290–1
Howells,C1835Gunn,T13981–0
Holman,S1386Williams,D17250–1
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