Too much respect?

 Readers who have acquainted themselves with the last entry (and they've certainly been given time to do so...) will know that I viewed my 2024-25 campaign as having been sunk by a diminished game count and lack of exposure to strong opponents. But I do try to act on my learnings, and for the new season I found myself giving weeknight club chess a go for the first time since I moved to Oxfordshire. Although playing after work at an abbreviated time control often compromises the quality of play, maybe it is a necessary investment to keep my hand in for more serious events. Besides, after buying a flat in the summer I now found myself in easy walking distance of Wantage Chess Club, a club for which I could get games on board one in the top division of the Oxfordshire League. As I noted last time, I've had no issue with lack of opponents so far...

I made my Wantage debut in an away match at Cowley. Colours are fixed so the visitors always have white on odd boards, which (as I remembered from my student days in the Bristol League) obviously helps preparation freaks like me. It's also easier to guess your opponent on board one, and I definitely wasn't allowed to ease myself in gently: I was playing against the 2368-rated FM Kenneth Hobson. I played him in a rapid game last January and got outplayed in tactics after a promising opening. That was just a reminder to take on board the lessons from the Kingston Invitational, and I tried to keep things quiet this time. It worked to an extent, but I can't help wonder what might have been:

[Event "Oxfordshire League Div. 1"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.10.09"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "FM Hobson, Kenneth"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "E06"] [WhiteElo "2017"] [BlackElo "2368"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "57"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.10.09"] [WhiteTeam "Wantage"] [BlackTeam "Cowley"] {Having taken stock of my play at Kingston, I concluded that swashbuckling play allied with a lack of games was not a winning combination. In making a comeback to club chess I was hoping to solve the latter problem, and board one in the first division of the Oxfordshire League promised some challenging games - as I immediately discovered. Time control: 80 minutes for all moves + 10 seconds/move.} 1. Nf3 {(1:20)} d5 {(1:20)} 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 $1 {Hitherto I'd played Botvinnik's 6. b3 with mixed success, but after some 1. d4 study I felt ready for a true Catalan. I still began with 1. Nf3 though, because this move order rules out the ...Bb4+ variations that Hobson sometimes mixes in.} a5 $5 {Quite a random-looking move, with the main motive of course being to get me out of theory. That said, Carlsen's repeated use hints that it isn't quite pointless: as the game shows, White often wants to solidify his queenside with b2-b3, and Black can now disrupt this.} 7. b3 (7. Qc2 {is the usual move, protecting c4 without giving Black a hook to latch on to.} Nc6 $5 {Aiming for piece play: this tends to produce quite unstereotyped positions. Once White defends b4 with} 8. a3 {, the idea is} dxc4 9. Qxc4 a4 {, with a nasty trap in store if White straightforwardly tries to win this pawn.} 10. Nc3 Bd7 11. Bg5 (11. Nxa4 $143 $4 b5 $1 {is the trap - White loses a piece after} 12. Qxb5 Nxd4 $19) (11. Bf4 {White can try to target c7, arguing that the c6 knight is a mere obstruction to Black, however} Na5 $1 {sacrifices a pawn to bring Black's minor pieces into the game with good effect.} 12. Qxc7 Qxc7 13. Bxc7 Nb3 14. Rad1 Rac8 15. Be5 Bxa3 16. Nxa4 {This was all played in Isik-Gokcek, Turkish Team Ch. 2023, and here Black could have improved with} Bxa4 $146 17. bxa3 Ne4 $44 {, when Black's pieces are very active and White's extra pawn on a3 is hardly felt.}) 11... Na5 {A thematic idea in this system, clearing c6 for the bishop and eyeing up the b3 square.} 12. Qd3 Nd5 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rac1 Bc6 $11 {An imbalanced position has arisen, in which Black has given up his pawn centre in return for active pieces and an outpost on b3. The engine considers this essentially equal, but I like central pawns and would certainly take White here.}) 7... a4 8. bxa4 dxc4 {So now we have a main line Catalan with the extra moves ...a5-a4 and b2-b3xa4 inserted. Whilst Black has stopped me playing lines with a2-a4, and will easily get his pawn back, I was happy on a practical level: Hobson usually plays the Closed Catalan instead.} 9. Qc2 (9. Ne5 $144 {seemed critical, but in an unknown position I decided not to move a piece again. Specifically, I was worried about Black trying to open the game with} c5 (9... Nd5 $146 10. Nxc4 Bd7 {is the engine preference, not fearing} 11. e4 (11. a5 Bb5 12. Qb3 Bxc4 13. Qxc4 Nc6 {also regains the pawn}) 11... Bxa4) 10. dxc5 {Black should be OK though after} Qxd1 {(maybe a minute improvement over 10... Bxc5 as per Tarjan-Brown, Chess.com (rapid) 2017)} 11. Rxd1 Bxc5 12. Nxc4 Rxa4 $11 {, when he can continue with ...Ra7 (guarding the b-pawn) followed by ...Bd7-c6 to contest the long diagonal.}) (9. Na3 $143 $6 {isn't so good because of} Bd7 10. Nxc4 Bxa4 11. Qd3 Bc6 $11 {, when Black's control of e4 assures him of a comfortable game. If} 12. Ncd2 Nbd7 {and White can't expand with} 13. e4 $2 {for fear of} Nc5 $1 {winning a pawn.}) 9... Bd7 $146 {In the only earlier game, Alburt-Speelman, Hastings 1981, Black got (characteristically) creative with 9... Nc6!? - that game was drawn but White had the better of the opening. Targeting a4 is simpler and better.} 10. Qxc4 {(1:05)} Rxa4 {(1:10)} 11. Qd3 Nc6 {This seems playable, but it was simpler to reserve this square for the bishop - the text implies losing more time with this knight.} (11... Bc6 $142 12. Nc3 Ra6 $11 {Black has e4 well under control. If White tries to play as in the game with} 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. e4 $6 Ra3 {and White's centre may prove loose in the face of Black's active pieces.}) 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. Qd1 Ra7 14. Bg5 {Besides bringing out White's last minor piece, this move aims to lock down the e4 square by trading on f6. It's a common idea in the Catalan, but in this case Black's command of the a-file gives him annoying counterplay.} (14. e4 {directly is more obvious, but I disliked} c5 {, breaking up my pawn centre.} (14... Bc6 $2 15. Re1 $16 {and Black has no threats whilst his knight will shortly be evicted from b4}) 15. a3 {White can't achieve anything with either pawn push.} (15. d5 $6 exd5 16. exd5 Bf5 $15 {gives up e4 after all, with little prospect of the d-pawn getting any further, and}) (15. e5 $6 {also surrenders the central light squares to Black:} Nfd5 16. Nxd5 Nxd5 17. dxc5 Bb5 18. Re1 Bxc5 $15 {and it is sufficient to compare the minor pieces.}) 15... cxd4 16. Nxd4 e5 17. Nb3 Na6 18. Be3 b6 $11 {Despite the wayward knight on a6, Black has no problems in an almost symmetrical structure. White doesn't achieve anything special with} 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. exd5 Ba4 {: the passed pawn isn't worth much because Black has a firm blockade on d6.}) 14... Bc6 15. Bxf6 {(55)} Bxf6 {(1:03)} 16. e4 $6 {Consistent, but as the next variation shows I should have prioritised control of the a3 square.} (16. Qb3 $142 Nd5 {Black is in no danger with bishops posted on both long diagonals, but} 17. Ne4 {gives White enough play to hold his own.} b6 18. Rfc1 Qa8 19. Nxf6+ Nxf6 20. Qb2 {Pre-empting ...Ra3 and overprotecting the d-pawn.} h6 21. Ne1 Bxg2 22. Nxg2 Rd8 23. Ne3 $11 {The weaknesses on a2 and c7 are easily defended, and with most of the minor pieces gone the position is balanced.}) 16... Qa8 $6 {As shown above, this is a good square for the queen, intensifying the pressure down the a-file and perhaps also in time against e4. However, Black's move order leaves something to be desired.} (16... Ra3 $142 {As Hobson suggested afterwards, this blockading move would have been much stronger, and it also keeps my queen from getting into play.} 17. Qd2 Qa8 {Now following} 18. Rfb1 Qa5 19. Rb2 Ra8 $17 {, White is prospectless and just has to defend a2 with everything.}) 17. Qb3 {The attack on Black's knight gives me time to put my house in order. But I was thrown by Hobson quickly responding with} Nd3 $2 {and now had to reorient myself, as I'd reflexively taken it to be impossible. What's really confusing though, is that it was...} (17... Be7 $142 {is simple and safe - perhaps that's why my opponent didn't play it! Now} 18. Rfd1 {(18. a3 doesn't threaten anything, since the a-pawn is pinned to the loose rook on a1)} Ra3 19. Qb2 Rd8 20. Ne5 Be8 21. Nc4 Ra7 $11 {, and though White's knights are impressively placed for now, Black can soon start driving them back with ...b5.}) 18. a4 $2 {In hindsight, a very strange omission. The audacious knight on d3 is obviously vulnerable without an escape square, so it's hard to explain why I didn't do the obvious thing and attack it. The text move isn't bad in a vacuum, and even the clever resource Black now finds forces him to give up a pawn to stay afloat, but I could have won more substantial material by simple means.} (18. Qb1 $142 {I can't remember if I found a reason to reject this move, or only looked at 18. Qd1 which allows the knight to escape via b2. Either way, it is a baffling miss. Perhaps Black was relying on} Nc5 {(at any rate, there is nothing else) but} 19. e5 {attacks two pieces and wins material.} Ra3 (19... Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Ra3 {almost saves Black, but the cleanest way to win is the computery sequence} 21. dxc5 Bxe5 22. Bxb7 Qa5 23. Nb5 Ra4 24. Qd3 Bxa1 25. Rxa1 $18 {, and White wins two pieces for a rook.}) 20. Nb5 Bxf3 (20... Rxf3 21. Bxf3 Bxf3 22. exf6 $18 {and White comes out an exchange to the good}) 21. exf6 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 b6+ 23. f3 {Finally the smoke clears, and Black again loses the exchange with his rook and knight both hanging.} Nd3 24. fxg7 Rd8 25. Nxa3 Qxa3 26. Qb3 $18 {Some long lines, it is true, but I can't say I got lost in the tactics as I never even looked at them.}) 18... b5 $1 {This too came as a surprise. When preparing for this game I did consider taking Hobson on in a sharp Ruy Lopez line, but evidently it would have been a great risk to provoke a tactical melee. Black exploits the pin down the a-file to drag my knight into a second pin, and this allows him to miraculously rescue the stranded horse on d3.} (18... Be7 $143 $2 {Black has no choice but to rely on tactics, since retreating the bishop to cover b4 no longer works - White wins with} 19. Rfd1 Nb4 20. d5 exd5 21. exd5 Be8 {and now the obstruction sacrifice} 22. d6 $1 Bxd6 23. Rxd6 cxd6 24. Qxb4 $18 {winning material.}) 19. Nxb5 Rb8 {Now what is White to do? At first it looked like Black has turned the tables completely - thanks to the hanging rook on a1 my knight is effectively undefended, and 20. Qxd3? Bxb5 loses the exchange. If my rook clears the a-file then 20... Rxa4 wins. But I couldn't believe I'd done anything so bad as to be losing, and sure enough White is still able to save himself.} 20. Qc3 $1 {(35) This was a difficult move to find (as is often the case when stopping short of an unprotected piece - a "collinear move" to use Nunn's terminology in Secrets of Practical Chess). It took me eight minutes, whilst Hobson said afterwards that he'd missed it and now took 11 minutes on his reply. As well as defending the a1 rook, White's queen also puts the c6 bishop under observation.} Rxa4 {(39) Black remains a pawn down after this, but there was no choice.} (20... Bxb5 $143 $4 21. axb5 Rxa1 22. Rxa1 {will cost Black his knight in view of} Qxe4 23. Ne5 $18) 21. Rxa4 Qxa4 22. Qxc6 Qxb5 23. Qxc7 {Now the position finally starts to calm down. I didn't think much of my winning chances, since Black is quite active in return for his pawn, but at any rate it's hard to see how I could possibly lose without doing something horrific.} (23. Qxb5 $143 $6 {was quite tempting, but at the end of the day there is no reason not to take the pawn.} Rxb5 24. Ra1 Rb8 (24... h6 $2 25. Bf1) 25. Ra7 {I thought there might be something here but after} c6 $11 {(I only considered the passive but tenable 25... Bd8) Black is in no danger.}) 23... h6 $6 (23... Qb6 $142 {As in the game, if queens disappear White has only a token advantage, so Black should threaten the exchange before White can improve his position.} 24. Qc3 Qb3 $14 {White can of course keep playing, but with no clear winning plan in sight.}) 24. Qc3 $6 {Too timid. I saw the reply but didn't fear it since I wanted to avoid any risk of counterplay - alas, it works both ways, especially in a simplified position with opposite-coloured bishops. I saw the stronger alternative, but once again my tactical vision let me down.} (24. Rd1 {preserves some real chances for White, as Black is still troubled by his overadventurous knight. Now it is forced to spend time retreating since 25. Bf1 is threatened.} Nb4 (24... Qb3 $143 $4 {was what I feared, intending to sneak onto the second rank with an attack on f2, but this loses immediately!} 25. Rxd3 Qxd3 26. Qxb8+ $18) 25. h4 $16 {Now if} Qb6 26. Qxb6 Rxb6 27. h5 $16 {with a bind. White doesn't want to move the central pawns if he can avoid it. True, Black can force events with} Nc6 {, but then} 28. e5 Be7 29. Ne1 {followed by Nc2-e3, and White is poised to play d4-d5 at a suitable moment. In short, Black is left with problems still to solve.}) 24... Qb3 25. Qxb3 {(23)} Rxb3 {(31)} 26. Rd1 Nb4 {This position should be compared with the 24. Rd1 variation above. White has real winning chances there, but here I have less space, Black's rook is active, and there is nothing.} 27. d5 {Claiming that White is making progress, but the pawn won't go any further.} exd5 28. exd5 Rd3 $11 29. Rxd3 {(White draw offer) White can go around in circles if he wants, but I didn't think there was anything to play for. Afterwards Hobson said I had perhaps shown him too much respect in this game, which was a perceptive comment - my refusal to take risks allowed me to secure a creditable draw (and the same result for the team, which was invaluable considering our rating deficit) but I never really looked like winning despite the chances I was given. Apparently my morphosis into a boring old man of a chess player is well under way!} (29. Rb1 $5 {was worth a try, as there is a trap that Hobson (and my teammate on board 2 watching the game!) pointed out afterwards - Black has to play the slightly awkward} Bc3 {since the tempting} (29... Nxd5 $4 {loses to} 30. Rb8+ Kh7 31. Ng5+ $1 {(the move I missed - I saw the fork but not this forcing route to it)} hxg5 32. Be4+ $18 {winning the exchange.}) 30. Ne1 {However, Black can go in for} Bxe1 31. Rxe1 g6 $11 {and then take next move.}) (29. Rxd3 {As the game goes, there is nothing to play for:} Nxd3 30. Bf1 Nc5 31. Bc4 Ne4 32. Kg2 Nd6 $11 {and the opposite bishops kill any winning chances.}) 1/2-1/2

I naturally wanted to make a good first impression on my new clubmates, and having the better of a draw with an FM surely helped. We even got an unexpected draw from the match, and they all count when you are in the relegation fight. But could I have had more?

In short, yes. Hobson's offbeat opening choice did its job and I got no advantage, but he briefly lost his way with 16... Qa8?! and particularly 17... Nd3?. The latter move is seriously overambitious, but in my mind what makes this game worth publishing apart from the result is that it became a double oversight - I either missed or miscalculated 18. Qb1, which is a simple move and hard to look past once you know it's there. This might have been my inclination for cosmetic moves not letting me trap the a1 rook in the corner, or subconsciously not daring to test my opponent's bold idea. I like to think I'm not easily overawed though. My suspicion is that I was a victim of tunnel vision - I was fixed on the ...Ra3 idea and stopped it by direct means. This was quite a negative mindset, which also explains my lax attitude to the queen trade after I'd won a pawn. The priority was to minimise my losing chances by denying Black any counterplay, notwithstanding that simplification makes it much harder to win. I didn't beat three IMs in classical games with that attitude! Whether that is part of the broader in change in style I've discussed in earlier entries, or was Kingston casting a long shadow, we shall see.

My very next game, also for Wantage, was against IM James Jackson, which I lost after a long fight. After that came a change of scene. I decided to give the Coventry International a go at the end of October, with the express aim of righting everything I had done wrong back in August.