All under control?

The Monday after the 4NCL weekend before saw me at it again, playing for Epsom in the Surrey League. By this point we were reaching the business end of the season, and the story in the Beaumont Cup (division two) was as it had been since the turn of the year: after losing our first match, and then crucially to our title rivals Ashtead, we were playing catch-up. Those two aside, we had won all of our matches convincingly, but Ashtead weren't blinking and kept narrowly winning. All we could do was keep the pressure up.

For this one, we were away against Kingston 2, the third-placed team in a two-horse race of a division. We were favourites, but it wouldn't be our easiest fixture - we 'only' had two IMs to call on, and so much of our lower order was missing that we were heavily outrated on the bottom two boards. I got white on board 3 against 1986-rated Heinrich Basson, a new player who I hadn't prepared for.*

This unwelcome surprise extended to the opening, when a Scandinavian appeared on the board. In the words of a clubmate quoting a book they own "with this move, Black spoils the game for both players." Undeterred, I produced what seemed a python-esque performance, consummated tactically after 20 moves of patient preparation. Of course, the engine doesn't quite see it that way...

[Event "Surrey League Div. 2"] [Site "?"] [Date "2023.03.20"] [Round "6.3"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Basson, Heinrich"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B01"] [WhiteElo "2013"] [BlackElo "1986"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [WhiteTeam "Epsom"] [BlackTeam "Kingston 2"] {Still with a slim chance of taking the title if our rivals Ashtead slipped up, Epsom were away at local rivals Kingston for this match. Our team was top-heavy so it was important to make our rating advantage on the upper boards count. My opponent was new so, though I had found time to prepare, that went out of the window. Time control: 75 minutes for all moves + 10 seconds/move.} 1. e4 {(1:15)} d5 {(1:15) I played 1. e4 reasoning that I'm less likely to be surprised, but now I already regretted it! The Scandinavian isn't dangerous as such, but White has to show great energy to prove an advantage, which can be difficult when tired after work and with no preparation to hand. Having been guilty in recent games of playing too quickly (almost unheard of in my practice) I made a conscious effort to take my time in the opening and extract the maximum from it.} 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd6 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nf3 c6 6. Ne5 e6 $6 {Now I was on my own, but I wasn't impressed by this move, voluntarily locking in the light-squared bishop. It will not get off its starting square until the 24th turn, and never really joins the game at all.} (6... Nbd7 $142 7. Nc4 Qc7 8. Qf3 Nb6 9. Bf4 Qd8 {is the normal continuation. I have looked at this position in the past and failed to find anything very convincing for White, but Stockfish believes White can claim a little advantage with} 10. Be5 Be6 11. Ne3 {, which is still normal, but now Black should improve with} g6 (11... Nbd5 $6 {is the main line, however after} 12. Ncxd5 Nxd5 13. Bd3 {Black struggles to complete his development without weakening himself further.} f6 14. Bg3 $16 {White's space advantage and lead in development are not to be underestimated.}) 12. Be2 (12. O-O-O {is natural and most-played, but Black has the unexpected} Bh6 $1 13. Kb1 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Ng4 {forcing simplification} 15. Qg3 Nxe5 16. Qxe5 (16. dxe5 Qc7 $11 {is also fine - Black will cover the d-file with ...Nd7 and then castle long.}) 16... O-O $11 {(Wegerle-Grafl, Bundesliga 2020) and White's attacking chances are greatly reduced by the disappearance of half the minor pieces.}) 12... Bg7 {Castling on either wing is a respectable move, but I've always felt that White needs to take the bull by the horns when tackling the Scandinavian, so solid is the structure, which points to} 13. O-O-O $14 {if only on stylistic grounds.}) 7. Bf4 {Developing with tempo, as Ng6 is threatened. I wondered if Black might dare to try 7... Qb4 but, more sensibly, he retreats back behind the fortress walls.} Qd8 8. Bc4 $6 {It's rare to enjoy such a huge lead in development for free against similar opposition, but even so Black's position is rock solid and it would be easy to let him slip away. I believe the most dangerous plan is to castle queenside, which can be achieved more efficiently.} (8. Qf3 $142 $1 {This was my first reaction to seeing his move, but I didn't see anything concrete against} Qxd4 (8... Be7 {is saner, though} 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. Qh3 $18 {is terrible for Black; g4-g5 looks like an obvious attacking plan to me.}) 9. Rd1 {It turns out though that Black has wasted too much time with his queen and he cannot get out of the opening alive, for example} Qb4 10. Nc4 Be7 11. a3 Qc5 12. g4 $1 $18 {and the queen is poetically trapped in the middle of the board - either 13. b4 or 13. Be3 will pick it off.}) 8... Bd6 9. Qe2 Qe7 $6 {This is already Black's fourth move with the queen. But two can play at that game... I was quite pleased to come up with} 10. Bg5 $1 {(46), preventing any exchanges on e5 and forcing Black to weaken his kingside if he is to break the pin, or deal with an eventual Ne4 otherwise. He opts for the former course, which leads to his king remaining in the centre for a long time.} h6 {(39) Black had already used nearly half of his time, and I wasn't far ahead. But I had spent the time well and gained a healthy advantage, which enabled me to speed up a little; Black meanwhile still has some serious problems to solve, so my lead on the clock grew and grew.} 11. Bh4 Nbd7 $6 {Stockfish suggests 11... b5 to gain a bit of space somewhere - anywhere - on the board. With the kingside not looking attractive as a refuge for the king I can understand why Basson was reluctant to do this though.} 12. O-O-O $18 g5 13. Bg3 Nb6 14. Bb3 $6 {Later on I realised that the bishop would have been better retreating to d3, keeping an eye on the kingside light squares which Black's pawn pushes have left behind.} (14. Bd3 $142 {As an illustrative variation, consider} Nbd5 15. Nxd5 cxd5 16. h4 Rg8 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. Rh6 {, and Black cannot even develop with} Bd7 {because of} 19. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 20. Be5 $1 {, when Black can't defend the knight from g6 any more.} Bxe5 21. dxe5 Ne8 22. Qf3+ $18) 14... a6 $2 {I had to fight the urge to laugh when I saw this: can Black really find nothing better to do with half of the pieces still on their starting squares? Anyway, White's plan is obvious: start opening lines to put his lead in development to work. Black has helpfully given me something to latch onto.} 15. h4 {(37)} Rg8 {(24)} 16. hxg5 hxg5 17. Rh6 {I wasn't quite sure at the time, but this is a really annoying move for Black: the attack on the knight will cause Black problems later on.} Nbd5 {I'd wondered when Black would get around to putting a piece on this square, and most of my thinking time throughout the game had been dedicated to finding ways to break down this cornerstone of his position. My eventual choice was} 18. Nb1 $2 {, avoiding the exchange and preparing c2-c4 to drive Black off, but clearly there are downsides to undeveloping - and Black has greater resources than either player saw.} (18. Bxd5 $142 {is the engine's recommendation - the bishop isn't doing much, so White doesn't lose out by getting rid of it, but given that I had more space and also a big time advantage I wanted to keep as much on the board as possible, and definitely not let Black put a pawn on d5. Black's task is not that simple though!} cxd5 (18... exd5 {allows a combinative solution:} 19. Rxf6 $1 Qxf6 20. Nc4+ Be7 21. Nb6 $18) 19. Qf3 {Here is where the mysterious 17. Rh6 proves its worth.} Nd7 (19... Ne4 {might be better, hoping to bail out, but White is dominating after} 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Qxe4 $18 {; he is a pawn up and Black still needs to demonstrate a way of finishing development.}) 20. Nxd7 Bxd7 21. Nxd5 $18) 18... Nf4 19. Qf3 N6d5 20. c4 $4 {(23) Consistent, but there is a big problem!} Nf6 $4 {(4) Basson was now running very short of time, and though he pondered for as long as he dared he eventually played this move with obvious reluctance. At the same time, I had noticed the possibility of 20... g4! and thought I had it covered, but things aren't so simple.} (20... g4 $142 $1 {White is much more prone to harrassing moves now that the queen's knight is momentarily out of the game.} 21. Nxg4 (21. Qe4 $4 f5 22. Qe1 Qg5 $19 {threatens the rook and a winning discovered check}) 21... e5 $1 {This is the real point, which I had overlooked.} 22. Bh4 (22. Nxe5 Bxe5 23. dxe5 $2 {fails to} Bg4 $19) 22... Bxg4 (22... Qf8 {Strange complications arise from} 23. Nf6+ Nxf6 24. Rxf6 Bg4 25. Qe4 Bxd1 26. Kxd1 O-O-O 27. Qf5+ Kb8 28. Rxf7 Bc7 $1 {(apparently forced)} 29. Rxf8 Rgxf8 30. Qg4 Rg8 31. Qf5 Rgf8 $11 {with an implausible repetition - typical engine 0.00 nonsense!}) 23. Bxe7 Nxe7 {(23... Bxf3 is also OK, though White keeps slight pressure after 24. Bxd6, ending up with BBP vs RN)} 24. Qe4 {White would be well on the way to victory if Black didn't have} Ne2+ {, thanks to the white knight having deserted its post.} 25. Kd2 Bb4+ 26. Nc3 exd4 27. f3 Nxc3 28. bxc3 dxc3+ 29. Ke2 Bf5 30. Qe5 c2 31. Bxc2 Bxc2 32. Rd4 $13 {After this long computer line, Black has three pieces for the queen, but he lacks coordination and it's anybody's game. Of course it's not remotely forced, but I give these long lines to show the sort of confusion that my backwards move could have allowed to appear on the board. My opponent was unable to pose these sorts of problems because of his poor time management.}) 21. Nxc6 $2 {This seemed to be the crowning moment of my play, finally capitalising on Black's undeveloped wreck of a position. And yet even here there is some tactical wizardry bubbling away! It's almost unfair that such a bad position can hold the defensive resources that it does.} (21. Nc3 $142 {It was only necessary to restore the knight to active service, and let Black find a move with his time running down - once the tactics start Black has to think concretely and it becomes easier for him, whereas if the tension remains he has to constantly worry. The threat of 22. Nxc6 is now for real, and on} Bd7 (21... Bxe5 22. dxe5 Nd7 23. Bxf4 gxf4 24. Ne4 $18 {invades the black camp}) 22. Bxf4 gxf4 23. Qxf4 {Black has to defend his knight before he can think about capturing the g-pawn.} Bxe5 24. dxe5 Ng4 25. Rh7 O-O-O 26. Ne4 $18 {White is already a pawn up with the d6 square in his sights, and f7 is a new headache for Black.}) 21... Qc7 $2 {Black concedes defeat with this move, which he used all but his final seconds on. He now remains a pawn down in a passive position, and his king has nowhere safe to hide. Unlikely though it seems, Black can actually accept the piece sacrifice.} (21... bxc6 $142 $1 {Now White needs to continue with} 22. c5 $1 {, which I hadn't seen.} (22. Qxc6+ $143 $2 {Believe it or not, this leads to a draw at best for White - and he can easily lose!} Kf8 23. Qxa8 {I stopped here, but} Kg7 24. Rxf6 (24. Rdh1 $4 {If the knight remains on the board then White is gunned down after} Ne2+ {(oh to have the knight back on c3...)} 25. Kd2 Nxg3 26. fxg3 Bb7 27. Qa7 Ra8 28. Qb6 Bc7 $19 {and the queen is trapped - if White takes on b7 then ...Bf4+, and} 29. Qc5 Ne4+) 24... Bb7 {and the queen cannot escape a perpetual attack by Black's pieces.} 25. Rxf7+ Kxf7 26. Qa7 Ne2+ 27. Kd2 Nxg3 28. fxg3 Ra8 29. Qb6 Bc7 30. Qc5 Bd6 31. Qb6 Bc7 $11) 22... Bxc5 (22... Bc7 23. Qxc6+ {now runs smoothly, as} Kf8 24. Qxa8 Kg7 25. Rxf6 {and this time Black doesn't have ...Bb7, so White's queen can escape back to the kingside.} Ne2+ 26. Kc2 Bxg3 27. Qf3 Qxf6 28. Qxf6+ Kxf6 29. fxg3 Nxg3 30. Nc3 $18 {White is only one pawn up, but it is an advanced passer.}) 23. dxc5 Qxc5+ 24. Nc3 {Black is even a pawn up in this variation, but the opening of the game is terrible news for him and he doesn't have enough pieces in play.} N6d5 25. Bxf4 gxf4 26. Kb1 Nxc3+ 27. bxc3 $18 {c6, f4 and f7 are all weak, whilst Black's king has to rough it in the centre with all of White's heavy pieces in play. So White ought to win, but this is far less convincing than the more controlled 21. Nc3 above.}) 22. Rxf6 bxc6 23. Nc3 Be7 24. Rh6 Bb7 25. c5 {(16) Obviously I had no intention of letting Black activate his light-squared bishop with ...c5, and my own now comes into the game. Black had to play the rest of the game on increment, and though he copes for a while I was sure he would crack sooner or later, or else forget about the clock and flag, which he came within a couple of seconds of doing multiple times.} O-O-O {(0)} 26. Rh7 Rgf8 27. Ne4 {To prevent the bishop getting active on f6.} a5 28. Bc4 a4 29. Bxf4 gxf4 30. Qc3 {(11)} (30. Rxf7 $142 $1 {was a more effective solution.} Rxf7 31. Bxe6+ Kb8 {(in the heat of the moment I somehow imagined that 31... Rd7 was a problem of some kind)} 32. Bxf7 $18 Bxc5 {This discovered attack loses directly to} 33. dxc5 Rxd1+ 34. Qxd1 Qxf7 35. Qd8+ Ka7 36. Qb6+ Kb8 37. Nd6 {, and Black is forced into a hopeless pawn ending.}) 30... Kb8 {(0)} 31. Qb4 Rd7 32. Qxa4 f5 33. Nc3 (33. Rxe7 $5 {was worth considering, in order to establish the knight on d6. But there was no need for any adventuring.} Rxe7 (33... fxe4 34. Rxd7 Qxd7 35. Qc2 e3 36. fxe3 fxe3 37. Qe4 $18 {collects another pawn}) 34. Nd6 $18 {It looks hard to resist White's attack with Rd3-b3 and Ba6 in the works.}) 33... e5 34. dxe5 $6 {There are stronger moves, but this has one unintended benefit: Black cannot recapture. I had a suspicion that that was the case, but only once} Rxd1+ 35. Qxd1 {(7)} Qxe5 $2 {(0) appeared on the board did I spot the catch:} 36. Qd7 {winning a piece and the game; Basson resigned with one second left on the clock. Only now that I looked up did I register the big crowd around the board; my win was the decisive point in an eventual 5-2 victory. My initial response was that I gave a good controlling performance, but thanks to 18. Nb1? that was not the case. However, I constructed the opening well and kept my opponent under pressure, which eventually caused him to falter.} 1-0

For much of the 20th century the Scandinavian was thought of as a fundamentally incorrect opening, certainly in its 2... Qxd5 form, because of the implicit loss of time moving the queen around. Nowadays it has been accepted as a valid way to play, but it still has a slightly suspicious whiff about it and Black doesn't have much margin for error. After the passive 6... e6?! it was my game and Basson just happened to be making some of the moves in it. 

I was richly rewarded for appropriate investment of my time; even though I played the first ten moves much more slowly than is usual for an evening league game, I solved the opening well enough to pose Black problems that were insoluble in the time limit. In the end he was the one who collapsed out of shortage of time. That said, although I came close I didn't quite keep a lid on counterplay as well as I'd hoped. As well-intentioned as the retreat 18. Nb1? was, it still temporarily sidelines a piece and it is instructive how much Black's chances are improved by this small detail - as the variations after 20... g4 or 21... bxc6 show.

Epsom's match strategy was fulfilled, as we won on the top four boards for a 5-2 victory overall. Then, the very next day, Ashtead's luck finally ran out and they lost their penultimate match by the odd point (though we'd been initially heard the reverse result). So now all our heavy victories meant the ball was back in our court, and by scraping past South Norwood away (I complicated things by dropping a piece in a winning position) we set up a winner-takes-all decider in the return fixture against Ashtead. Our three IMs won and everyone else drew, a fitting way for us to steal the title at the death and finally achieve the dream of promotion to the first division. Just in time for me to leave the area and not enjoy it!

Next time we move onto April, and my first weekend tournament in nearly five years. Of my four games (I took a Friday night bye) three of them were against ~2200 opposition and all of them deserve to be blogged.

* In fact he hasn't played for Kingston since either, although as an Epsom member perhaps I should remember a saying about stones and glass houses...