Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Spike – The Baron
1st Livingston Chess960 Computer World Championship; Mainz, August 11, 2005
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Position 386

1. b4 b6 2. e3 e6 3. Ba6 Bb7 4. Bxb7 Qxb7 5. c4 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Nc3 c6 9. Ne2 Nd6 10. Nf4 Ne6 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Ne5 0-0 13. 0-0 Bf6. 13. ... c5 seems to equalise comfortably. 14. f4 Nf7 15. Ng6! If nothing else, Spike succeeds at weakening the Kingside Pawn structure in a most aesthetic way. 15. ... Rfe8. Not 15. ... hxg6 16. Bxf6 gxf6?? on account of 17. Qxg6+ Kh8 18. Rf3 winning immediately. 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Nh4 Kh8 18. d3 Rg8 19. Rc2 Qe7 20. Rfc1 c5 21. bxc5 bxc5 22. Nf3 Nh6 23. Re1 Qg7 24. Ree2 Qg6 25. Qa1 Rg7? So far, The Baron has managed to avoid the worst, but the text does not look sound. Black’s best chance was probably 25. ... Nf5 26. e4 Ng7 eventually followed by ... Ng7-h5; for instance: 27. e5 Nh5 28. exf6 Nxf4 29. f7+ Rg7 30. Ne5 Qg5∞ with unclear play.

Not unsurprisingly, White’s breakthrough is most typical of the classical chess style: 26. e4! Ng8 27. e5 Re8 28. Kh1 Rf8 29. exf6 Rxf6 30. Ne5 Qe8 31. g3 Qc8 32. Re1 Ne7 33. Qc1 Qg8 34. Rb2 Rh6 35. Qxc5 Qe8 36. Reb1 Qh5 37. g4 Qh3 38. g5 Rh4 39. Rb8+ Rg8. Or 39. ... Ng8 40. Nf7+ Rxf7 41. Qd4+ Rg7 42. Rxg8+ Kxg8 43. Rb8+ Kf7 44. Qf6 mate. 40. Rxg8+ Nxg8 41. Ng6+! Kg7 (41. ... hxg6 42. Qd4++−) 42. Nxh4 Qxh4 43. Qd4+ Kg6 44. f5+! Kh5 45. Qxh4+ Kxh4 46. f6 Kxg5 47. f7 Ne7 48. Rg1+ 1 : 0.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence

The Baron – Jonny
21st ICGA World Computer Chess Championship; Leiden, June 30, 2015
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 d5 7. Bg2 Qd7 8. Ne5? Possibly a novelty, but the usual 8. 0-0, 8. cxd5, and 8. Qa4 look much sounder. 8. ... Nxe5 9. dxe5 Ng4 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bh3? If 11. Bxd5 then 11. ... 0-0-0! 12. Bxf7 Kb8 may give ample scope for Black’s initiative. But the text move is even worse. 11. ... h5! 12. f3 0-0-0! 13. fxg4 hxg4 14. Bf1. If 14. Bg2 might follow 24. ... Rh5 and Black keeps its firm grip on The Baron’s position. 14. ... Re8 15. e3 Bxf1 16. Nxf1 Rxe5. White is almost completely paralyzed. 17. Qd3. Quite a mysterious move. But also after 17. Rg1 d4 18. Rg2 (18. Qd3 Qd5 transposes to the text) 18. ... Rh6 Black dominates the board. 17. ... d4 18. Rg1 Qd5 19. a3 a5! 20. Qd2 Rh6! Jonny is playing in the style of Florentine Grandmaster Sergio Mariotti. 21. Qe2 Rhe6 22. Bd2. On 22. Qxg4 dxe3 Black easily wins. 22. ... Qb3 23. Rg2 Qxb2 24. Rd1 Bxa3 25. Kf2 Qb3 26. Kg1 Kb7 27. Bc1 Bxc1 28. Rxc1 dxe3 29. Rd1 f5 30. Rd3 Qc4 31. Rd7 Qc5 32. Rd1. After 32. Rxg7 Rd5 White is in a state of absolute Zugzwang.

32. ... g5! 33. h3 gxh3 34. Qf3+ Re4 35. Re2 g4 0 : 1.

Artwork: agsandrew