Practical tournament play, part 2

Whilst the hungrier players in the Championship and Major Open still had three games to go at this point, six rounds was enough for me. After all, it gave me a fighting chance to get them all blogged in the month of play!

My final opponent was Yushu Huang, a 1731-rated junior from north of the border. I'm surely not the only adult player who feels uneasy about a pairing where the risk so outweighs the reward, but we can't control who we're up against so we have to be ready to play anyone. (At least, I'm not eligible for senior events for another 18 years...)

All is not lost for the older generation though, as their experience does count for something. That might just mean being a bit more streetwise. After the game I mentioned that I chose the English to avoid a Petrov, and he innocently asked how I knew he played that opening! More than that though, and showing I had learned something from the day before, I made this game easier for myself with a few tricks of the trade:

[Event "British Championship AM Open"] [Site "?"] [Date "2026.08.07"] [Round "6.12"] [White "Young, Daniel J"] [Black "Huang, Yushu"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2021"] [BlackElo "1731"] [Annotator "Young,Daniel J"] [PlyCount "115"] [EventDate "2026.??.??"] {The final round. You never really know what you're going to get against a 1700-rated kid, and the dearth of published games didn't help, but eventually I discovered that he'd played in the Scottish Open not long before, and those games reassured me that his rating was broadly indicative.} 1. c4 {(1:30) I wasn't in the mood for a Petrov, and felt I could outplay him in a slower game. I was expecting a Symmetrical English, but he chose to aim for his 1. d4 repertoire instead. It soon transpires that a Catalan suits us both.} e6 {(1:30)} 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. O-O Nbd7 6. d4 Bd6 {This bishop is usually better placed on e7 in the Catalan. On d6 it lends strength to White's main plan of enforcing e2-e4, as it is threatened by e4-e5 forks and will be attacked after a later Nxe4.} 7. Nc3 {This is White's normal move against the ...Bd6 configuration; I didn't want to let him break with ...e5 too easily and so put the knight here rather than the more typical d2 square so as to pressure d5.} (7. Nbd2 {Nonetheless, the normal Catalan development might have been more exact, as White can allow ...e5 and then play against the IQP that results.} O-O (7... e5 $143 $2 {before castling is premature because of} 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. e4 $1 dxe4 10. Nc4 Be7 11. dxe5 $1 exf3 12. Qxf3 $16 {and Black really should return the piece and live with the open centre, as} Ng8 $2 13. Rd1 {makes developing his pieces a thankless task.}) 8. Re1 (8. Qc2 Re8 9. e4 $6 {is faulty since the queen becomes a target on e4 after} Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Qxe4 e5 $11) 8... e5 (8... Re8 $6 9. e4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Rxe4 e5 {is a different story because after} 12. dxe5 Nxe5 {White has the irritating} 13. Bg5 {, with the point} f6 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. Qxd8 Rxd8 16. Rxe5 $1 $16 {winning a pawn}) 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12. Nf3 Bd6 13. Be3 $14 {White has a comfortable time here, with a solid blockade of d4 and one pair of minor pieces already exchanged.}) 7... b6 $2 {This allows White e2-e4 without a fight. Black needs to prioritise counterplay in the centre, as he is now forced onto the defensive.} (7... dxc4 {There were two ways to do this. First, Black can take this pawn, though it should be stressed that this is to use the time gained rather than to hold onto it. I thought it was easy for White after} 8. Nd2 {, but} (8. e4 $143 $6 e5 $11 {is an upside of the bishop on d6}) 8... Nb6 9. Na4 Nxa4 10. Qxa4 O-O 11. Qxc4 {and again Black can free himself with} e5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 $11 {, after his light-squared bishop is released from confinement.}) (7... O-O {can also be made to work if Black is creative. White usually continues with} 8. Nd2 Re8 9. e4 {, and here Black should improve with} e5 $1 {, offering an exchange sacrifice in the critical line} (9... dxe4 {is almost always played, but} 10. Ndxe4 Nxe4 11. Nxe4 Be7 12. Bf4 $16 {is similar to the game}) 10. exd5 exd4 11. Nce4 Bb4 12. Nxf6+ Nxf6 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Bxc6 Bd7 {(Gorshtein-Uskov, Novi Sad 2022). If it's accepted by} 15. Bxa8 Qxa8 $44 {then White's underdeveloped queenside and weak light squares offer Black ample compensation.}) 8. Nd2 Bb7 $6 {Missing the last chance for counterplay.} (8... Be7 $142 {Black has to admit the loss of a tempo, but now he can at least meet} 9. e4 {with} dxc4 $1 10. Nxc4 Ba6 {and this bishop gets into play, which it emphatically does not as the game goes. This does come at the expense of the centre, and White is still doing very well after} 11. b3 b5 12. Ne3 b4 13. Ne2 O-O 14. a3 $16 {, setting to work on the black queenside. White's knights have been driven to the awkward e2 and e3 squares, but this is only temporary.}) 9. e4 {Now the threat of 10. e5 gives Black no opportunity for ...dxc4 and he must allow the white knights into e4 with gain of time.} dxe4 10. Ndxe4 {(1:26)} Nxe4 {(1:09)} 11. Nxe4 Nf6 {I hadn't expected Black to hand over the bishop so easily, but it is a prudent decision as spending further time to preserve it would be playing with fire.} (11... Be7 {In this case I intended} 12. Qg4 {to provoke a further weakening. Play could continue} g6 (12... O-O 13. Bh6 Bf6 14. Rfd1 $16 {freezes Black's kingside whilst preparing to invade the d6 square with Bf4.}) 13. Qe2 O-O 14. Rd1 Nf6 15. h4 $16 {, when Black's lack of space and weakened kingside promise him a lifeless defence.}) 12. Nxd6+ Qxd6 13. Bf4 $16 {White has a dream position for the Catalan. He has more space and two bishops, whilst Black has the characteristic problem of neutralising the long light-squared diagonal thanks to the pin on his c-pawn.} Qb4 $6 {This show of activity with one piece is easily repulsed and will only cost Black time. What I played was good enough, though a more forceful refutation was available.} 14. Qc2 (14. c5 $142 $1 {offers two different pawns in an effort to catch Black's king in the centre. He does best to decline them both, however} O-O (14... Qxb2 15. Bd6 $18 {prevents castling with the black queen committed to more tempi escaping from the corner}) (14... bxc5 {accepting the c-pawn gives White} 15. dxc5 Qxc5 16. Bd6 {with tempo.} Qb6 17. Ba3 $18) 15. a3 Qb5 (15... Qxb2 $2 16. Qd3 $18 {and the queen is trapped}) 16. b4 Nd5 17. Bd6 $18 {gives White a huge positional advantage as in the game, but without having bothered to defend the queenside pawns.}) 14... O-O 15. Rfe1 {(1:11) Patiently getting the rooks into the game. Black's queen is about to be pushed back to e7, and this move ensures that ...c5 can always then be met by d4-d5.} Rfd8 {(46)} 16. a3 Qe7 17. Rad1 b5 $6 {This only encourages White to follow his plan, whilst denying Black's bishop any prospects on the a6-f1 diagonal. Perhaps a waiting move such as 17... Rd7 would have been Black's best hope.} 18. c5 {This thematic Catalan move is important to understand. At first sight it looks very objectable because Black gets a fantastic outpost for his knight on d5. However, in return White gets an even better outpost on d6, and crucially prevents Black activating his bad bishop with ...c6-c5. As Fischer succintly put it, you need to give squares to get squares.} Nd5 19. Bd6 {After playing this I went for a walk around the playing area, wondering if Huang would accept the dare. I always had an eye on the board as I was pacing, and eventually I saw him do so.} Rxd6 $5 {This takes the game into a new phase. Black concedes that the strategic battle is lost, and sacrifices the exchange for a pawn in the hope of establishing a fortress. Stockfish is fond of this idea, but I think Black's practical chances of success are minimal. It is extremely difficult to defend indefinitely with no hope of counterplay, and all the more so when you are already 40 minutes behind on the clock and now have to be paranoid about every imagined idea.} (19... Qf6 {It may be a matter of taste, but I would have kept pieces on the board and hoped that some chance of activity would show up. That said, I was optimistic here too, since Black's limited space and passive pieces make it hard to transfer defenders to the kingside, which White is free to prepare an attack against. A sample line might be} 20. Rd3 b4 {(It wasn't worth preventing this with 20. b4, since Black could get something going on the a-file with ...a5)} 21. g4 bxa3 22. bxa3 Ba6 23. Rh3 Qg6 (23... h6 24. Bxd5 $1 exd5 25. Re5 $18 {prepares a crunching breakthrough with g4-g5.}) 24. Qd2 Rd7 {Black needs too long to arrange any counterplay on the queenside, and} 25. Rg3 Rb7 26. Be4 Qf6 27. Rh3 $18 {promises White a ferocious attack.}) 20. cxd6 {(1:03)} Qxd6 {(25)} 21. Qc5 {Black can't tolerate the queen here and has to exchange it off, but} Qxc5 22. dxc5 {certainly helps White. The isolated pawn on an open file is no more, Black's c-pawn is again fixed, and simplification will amplify the pain of his bad bishop.} Rc8 {So, how should White go about breaking down Black's defences? Black wants to keep the position as closed as possible, and any opportunity to open the game will favour White's additional rook. As already mentioned, trades are generally good for White so long as the bishop on b7 remains fenced in, but he doesn't need to be rash about it. For example, 23. Bxd5 would help Black, since ...cxd5 blocks both of the central files and gives his bishop access to the blockading square c6. Above all, White can take his time. Black cannot do anything positive, and in such tortuous positions the likelihood of a mistake increases with every move. I resolved to keep playing quickly and let Black run down his clock.} 23. Rd4 {Perhaps this was overly sophisticated. I wanted to lever open the queenside with 24. a4, but Black alertly prevents it. The immediate 23. a4 was more dynamic, but then again I make some gains from this transaction as well.} a5 24. b4 a4 {So Black has succeeded in locking down the queenside, but his bishop is now a pawn. White naturally switches his attention to the kingside.} 25. f4 {(46)} Kf8 {(11)} 26. Kf2 {Cynically speaking, the point of this move is to wait for Black to put his king on the e-file, but bringing the king up is no bad thing and it will play a decisive role later on.} Ke7 $6 {This simplifies White's task, since Black allows some opening of lines and incurs an isolated pawn on the exposed e-file. Maybe he could try 26... g6 followed by ...Kg7-f6 as an alternative way to bring the king in, but White would reply 27. g4 and continue building up to f4-f5.} 27. f5 Kf6 28. fxe6 fxe6 29. Bh3 Re8 30. Rd3 {(39)} Bc8 {(8)} 31. Rf3+ Ke7 32. Re5 h6 {My young opponent very politely asked if we could look at the game afterwards, and I ended up doing most of the talking in the postmortem. I suggested that he needed to try and be patient in defence (the exchange sacrifice being another example) - this is a top engine move, but any pawn move will create weaknesses and bring targets closer to my lines.} 33. Ke2 {The reader searching for some deep purpose behind my next ten or so moves will not find one. For now I was happy to manoeuvre and invite Black to make some moves. Tick tock...} Bd7 {(Black draw offer)} 34. Kd2 Rc8 35. Rf2 {(31)} Re8 {(3)} 36. Rfe2 Nc7 37. Rf2 Nd5 38. Kd3 (38. Bg4 {was another idea, pointing at the dark side of 32... h6 and playing for Bh5 and Rf7+. I thought that} Nf6 {would cut across this, but} 39. Bf5 Kf7 40. Bh3 $18 {still leaves Black very short of moves.} Ke7 41. Rfe2 Kf7 {The suffering goes on.}) 38... Rd8 39. Re1 {Potentially vacating e5 for the king, but} Bc8 {threatens ...Nxb4+ and so forces this idea to be abandoned for now.} 40. Kc2 {(29)} Bd7 {(4)} 41. Bg2 {Is White about to exchange on d5? Perhaps, or perhaps not, but it's something else for Black to worry about in time trouble.} Nf6 {The most practical thing to do, though now White finally gets a look at the tender d6 square.} (41... Bc8 $143 $2 {would invite} 42. Bxd5 cxd5 43. Ref1 $18 {and White reaches the second rank.}) (41... Be8 42. Be4 Bh5 43. h3 {prevents the bishop making anything of its new-found freedom.} Be8 44. Rd2 {Now White would be ready for} g5 (44... Nf6 {allows White to happily play} 45. Rxd8 Kxd8 46. Kd3 $18 {, and his king heads for e5}) 45. Bxd5 $1 cxd5 46. Rf2 {and the situation is changed from 25 moves ago: the open f-file and the weakness on e6 stretch Black's defences.} Bg6+ 47. Kc3 {Either the king reaches d4, or Black hazards} d4+ {, when} 48. Kd2 Rd5 49. Rfe2 Bf7 50. Re5 Rd8 51. R1e4 {cuts the d-pawn off from Black's forces.}) 42. Rd2 Rc8 43. Rde2 {Still probing. 44. Bh3 is threatened.} Kf7 44. Rd1 Ke7 45. Kc3 {(24) And now White starts meandering with his king again, at a moment when ...Nd5+ is unplayable because of the pin on the e-file.} Kf7 $6 {(3) Black has defended well for a long time, but finally begins to slip here, and allows me to lodge a rook d6 at a moment when it can't be instantly evicted by ...Ne8.} (45... Rb8 $142 {is a less compromising way to mark time. However, White should still be able to break through.} 46. Red2 Rc8 (46... Rd8 $2 {loses at once to} 47. Bxc6 $18) (46... Nd5+ $2 47. Bxd5 cxd5 48. Re2 Kf6 49. Rf1+ Ke7 50. Kd4 $18 {leaves the passive bishop with too much to do, as there are weaknesses on c6, e6 and f7 to cover.}) 47. Rd6 Rc7 48. Kc2 {(now ...Nd5 won't be check)} Rc8 49. Bh3 {This is how an advantage in space and activity manifests: White can transfer his attack faster than Black can rearrange the defenders, and this tells after} Nd5 (49... Rc7 {allows the winning combination} 50. Bxe6 $1 Bxe6 51. Re1 $18) 50. Re1 Nc7 {(the only way to defend e6)} 51. Re2 $18 {and Black runs out of moves because of the two weaknesses on c6 and e6:} Rf8 52. Bg2 {, when} Nd5 {fails to} 53. Bxd5 cxd5 54. Rxd5) 46. Rd6 {It might sound surprising, as I've been able to play with a big time advantage and absolutely no risk, but I found this game a lot more stressful than my other two wins in the tournament. My inexorable positional wins always feel more laboured. Different things come naturally to different people, I suppose, but I wasn't completely sure I could break the fortress. When I made this move I started to feel that the win was finally getting close.} h5 {Another step closer to my clutches. Now the g5 square comes into White's possession.} (46... Ke7 {Black isn't in time to drive the rook back because} 47. Bh3 Nd5+ (47... Ne8 $2 48. Rxd7+ Kxd7 49. Bxe6+ Kd8 50. Bxc8 $18 {wins a piece}) 48. Kd4 Nc7 49. Ke5 {is one more attacker than Black can cope with. The knight is now frozen on c7, and} Rd8 50. Red2 {paralyses everything else. Now White is ready to transpose to a winning pawn ending after} h5 51. Bxe6 $1 Nxe6 52. Rxe6+ Bxe6 53. Rxd8 Kxd8 54. Kxe6 Kc7 55. h4 {, when the active position of White's king predetermines the outcome.}) 47. Bf3 Ke7 48. Kb2 {48. Kd4! would have been a quicker win, not fearing 48... Ne8 49. Ke5. The RB ending would be easily won in view of Black's inactive bishop.} g5 $6 {This makes it easy, as the new weaknesses on the kingside tie down Black's knight.} 49. Re5 g4 50. Bg2 {(21)} Ne8 {(1)} 51. Rd2 Nf6 52. Rg5 {First one rook...} Kf7 53. Rd6 {... then the other. Black could live with one weak pawn, but not three.} Rc7 54. Kc3 {With all of Black's pieces tied down, White is finally ready to bring in his king for the concluding stage.} Rc8 55. Kd4 {(20)} Rc7 {(1)} 56. Ke5 Rc8 57. Be4 {There are those who would take an indecent degree of pleasure in Black's hopelessness here and prolong the agony just for the sake of it, but an unhurried conversion isn't the same thing as passing up a clear win once you see it. Bg6+ will spell the demise of Black's kingside pawns.} Rg8 $2 {Black played this with mere seconds to spare, cracking at last under the strain of the clock. This ends the game at once, but there was no longer a defence.} (57... Nxe4 $144 {The simple 58. Kxe4 is good enough to win, but White can finish the job at once with} 58. Rxd7+ Ke8 59. Rgg7 {with a mating attack, for instance} Nc3 60. Kxe6 Kf8 61. Rdf7+ Ke8 62. Rg8#) 58. Rxg8 {Black loses a piece however he recaptures. This brought the tournament to an end, with a rare plus score and a second 2100+ performance from two tournaments this season. A good result, some interesting games, and motivation anew - all in all, quite a successful holiday.} 1-0

One of my favourite Korchnoi stories ("very close to the truth" according to the man himself*) is when he played Che Guevara in a simul during his Soviet years. His handler let it be known that Guevara would be pleased if he was able to get a draw. He understood what was meant, but when asked afterwards what happened... 'he has no idea how to defend the black side of the Catalan!'. In fairness, there are not many who do; at amateur level it seems everyone is ready for an Exchange QGD, but the Catalan is rarer and has its own nuances. I had a strategically won game within a dozen moves, and yet neither side had done anything obviously out of the ordinary.

The meat of this game is Black's attempt at a fortress starting with 19... Bd6!?. It appears that White can break it with best play, but in a competitive setting I don't think it really matters. Black's defence will almost always fail in practice, because White can (and will!) press for as long as it takes without risking anything. If the attacker makes a mistake he gets slowed down; if the defender makes a mistake it could all be over very quickly. In a role reversal from my game against Villiers, I tried to approach the conversion in a smart way. The quickest route to the goal was not the most direct one. White can afford to probe on one side and then the other, and can also play quickly since there is no counterplay to consider. My opponent put up a tenacious resistance, but finally lashed out with his kingside pawns and allowed White's pieces to get in through the cracks. The time trouble brought about by my fast play was the direct cause of his demise, though it was all over by then anyway.

And what of my tournament as a whole? I finished with 3½/6 and a 2107 TPR; 2100+ performances are more the norm than the exception at the moment, but if you ignore the Major Open then the last time I scored above 50% in a slowplay tournament without a grading limit was the London Junior Open in 2017! In recent years I have mused a lot about having to adapt my approach now that I play less often and the demographic is younger. When I indulge myself, for example last year's Kingston Invitational, the results are usually calamitous, but there was no string of ghastly oversights this year despite the lack of game time going in. I played a very wide range of positions, but was ambitious in all my games and won three of them in convincing fashion. I do my best when I have the confidence to test people in this way - the 0.5/2 against two 2200+ opponents was very nearly a lot more, but I felt those games were fought on equal footing. Only in round 2 did I take things too far in a position I didn't properly understand. Time trouble against the CMs, and an unwillingness to calculate deeply against Villiers, were the main causes of my problems. On the whole though, I was encouraged by my week's work, which explains why it's still August as I write these lines.

Lastly, a word for the Championship itself, which I greatly enjoyed watching ringside in the afternoons. Youth just outlasted experience this time, and I wonder if we will see the loss of Adams's decades-long unbeaten streak as a totemic moment in years to come. Shreyas Royal was a very worthy winner, playing real chess as he did it: unpretentious but very effective. I was particularly struck by his wins against Banerjee and Sivanandan. On the other end of the spectrum, even I was a little frightened by how good Harry Grieve's preparation was, and his games were so concrete that I was mostly just confused by them. But on that note, I realised that it was better to be watching without an engine: you learn more this way because you are forced to think for yourself.

That concludes my coverage of the 2026 British Championship, and with it my 2025-26 season as a whole. Next up will be my traditional review of the year.

* See Barsky's Korchnoi and his Chess Grandchildren (Quality Chess, 2022), p382.