Menu
Download PGN
Exit Game
Tips
Use the on-screen buttons or keyboard arrow keys to step through game.
Down arrow skips to end of game, up arrow to start of game.
The middle [ + ] button toggles auto-play mode.
Select the first move of a variation to step through the variation.
Select any move in the game or in a variation and the board will update to that position.
Select the bottom left square of the board to flip the board.
The bottom right square shows/hides the annotations.
Oswestry Chess Club
[Event "Club Championship 2024/5"] [Site "?"] [Date "2024.10.31"] [Round "Rd 2"] [White "Atherton, Marcus"] [Black "Grocott-James, Al"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C42"] [WhiteElo "1511"] [BlackElo "1431"] [Annotator "Rudy van Kemenade"] [PlyCount "105"] [GameId "2108249665312939"] [EventDate "2024.11.04"] {[%evp 0,7,34,26,21,19,19,18,75,35]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 Nc6 {The Stafford Gambit, very popular on the Internet since championed by Eric Rosen.} (3... d6 {mainline Petroff}) 4. Nf3 (4. Nxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bc5 {gives Bl a lot of play, with open lines for the pieces. There is a fair body of theory accumulating now. Those who simply try to refute it by relying commonsense, risk losing, as eg Kamsky did vs Pranav, Titled Tuesday blitz 2022,0-1}) 4... Nxe4 5. Qe2 (5. Nc3) (5. d4 {main lines here}) 5... Qe7 6. d3 {there is a similar line in the Petroff, with a pawn on d6 rather than a N on c6, often used for a quick draw by GMs and IMs} Nf6 7. Nc3 {scores beter than the more frequent alternatives} (7. Qxe7+) (7. Bg5) 7... Qxe2+ 8. Bxe2 $11 {2-0-4} d5 {inaccurate} (8... Bb4 9. Bd2 O-O 10. Nb5 Bxd2+ 11. Kxd2 Ne8 12. d4 a6 13. Nc3 Nf6 $11 {Kamsky-Rosen, Titled Tuesday blitz oct 2024,1-0}) (8... a6 $11 {SF17, not yet played}) 9. Bf4 (9. Nb5 {SF17, lmay lead to the same, when} Kd8 10. Bf4 Bb4+ 11. c3 Ba5 12. a4 a6 13. Nbd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bb6 15. Be3 Ng4 16. Bxg4 Bxg4 17. Nc2 Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Be6 $14 {leads to an endgame where the N is suprior to a B beginning to be bad, but should be holdable for Bl}) 9... Bd6 $6 {leads to a permanent weakness} (9... Kd8 10. Nb5 {as above}) 10. Bxd6 cxd6 11. Nb5 (11. Kd2 $16 {SF17}) 11... O-O (11... Ke7 {Bl has better chances of hanging on by keeping the pawn} 12. c3 h5 13. Kd2 h4 14. Nbd4 Bg4 15. Nc2 Kf8 16. h3 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Ne5 18. Bd1 $16 {SF17- Wh has several promising plans eg} g6 19. Rf1 Kg7 20. a4 Rab8 21. a5 Nc6 22. Bf3 Ne5 23. Nd4 $16 {the doubled pawns restict Bl activity}) 12. Nxd6 Ne8 (12... Rd8 13. Nxc8 Raxc8 14. O-O-O $16 Nb4 15. c3 d4 16. a3 Nc6 17. c4 $18) 13. Nxc8 {does help Bl develop a little} (13. Nb5 Bg4 14. O-O-O $18 {SF17}) 13... Rxc8 14. O-O (14. Kd2 {in endings there is often a posilbity of centralising the K first, if there is little chance of being mated. If castles instead, then the K must usually be brought back into the centreanyway.}) 14... Nf6 (14... Nb4 15. c3 $18) 15. Rfe1 $6 {giving Bl a chance to recover} (15. d4 Rfe8 16. Rfe1 Nb4 17. Bd1 $18 {SF17 is the way to get onto the e file}) 15... Rfe8 (15... Nb4 {on the previous move this was too early, now the N threatens a fork on c2 so cant't be repulsed by c3}) 16. c3 (16. d4 Nb4 17. Bd1) 16... Rcd8 (16... d4 $5 {is a better chance, perhaps landing Wh with doubled d pawns} 17. cxd4 (17. c4 a5 18. b3 Nd7 19. Rab1 Nc5 $16 {but Wh will have trouble getting any play for the B, obstructed as it is by its own pawns.}) 17... g5 18. Nxg5 Nxd4 19. Bf1 $18) 17. d4 $18 a6 18. Bd3 b5 $6 {these pawns are just becoming targts for the B} 19. a4 Rb8 20. axb5 axb5 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Ra6 Ne7 23. Ne5 Nc7 (23... b4 24. c4 f6 25. Nd7 Rd8 26. Nc5 Nc7 27. Ra7 Rc8 28. Rb7 dxc4 29. Bxc4+ Kh8 {and Bl's position is precarious}) 24. Ra7 Rc8 25. Bxb5 (25. Rb7) 25... g6 26. Bd7 Ra8 27. Rxa8+ Nxa8 28. b4 (28. Nc6 {SF17} Kf8 29. Nxe7 Kxe7 30. Bb5 Nc7 31. Bd3 f5 32. Kf1 $18) (28. b3 $4 {S17 second line- vk idea as well - to get two connected passed pawns on the Q side}) 28... Kg7 29. Nc6 Kf6 30. Nxe7 Kxe7 31. Bc6 Nc7 32. b5 Kd6 33. f4 (33. Kf1 {more flexible, avoiding moving pawns. Perhaps the Wh K can get in via f4}) 33... f6 (33... Ne6 34. g3 Ng7 35. Kf2 f6 36. Ke2 Nf5 37. Kd3 Ne7 38. Be8 Nc8 39. c4 $18 {f17}) 34. Kf2 h6 35. Ke3 Ne6 36. Ba8 {one advantage of a B over a N is it can always lose a move, while maintaing the postion in a way a N cannot .} (36. g3 {simpler}) 36... f5 37. g3 Nc7 38. Bc6 Ne6 39. Kd3 Ng7 (39... g5 40. fxg5 Nxg5 41. c4 dxc4+ 42. Kxc4 {and the N has no access to the h pawn}) 40. c4 dxc4+ 41. Kxc4 Nh5 42. d5 Nf6 43. b6 Nd7 (43... Ne4 44. Kb5 Nc3+ 45. Ka6) 44. b7 (44. Bxd7 Kxd7 45. Kc5 {is simpler- Bl will soon be in zugzwang, running out of pawn moves}) 44... Nb8 45. Kb5 Kc7 46. h4 h5 47. Be8 (47. Ka5 Kd6 48. Kb6 {also , leaves Bl tied up}) 47... Kxb7 48. Bxg6 Kc7 49. Bxf5 Kd6 50. Be6 Ke7 51. Kb6 Nd7+ 52. Bxd7 Kxd7 53. Kc5 1-0
:
Annotated by