Horsham Club Championship 2025-26: Mansson – Denning

   [Event "Horsham Club Championship"]  [Site "Horsham"]  [Date "2025.11.11"]  [Round "3"]  [White "Mansson, James C"]  [Black "Denning, Julie L"]  [Result "1-0"]  [Annotator "Mansson,James"]  [ECO "C41"]  [WhiteElo "2081"]  [BlackElo "1598"]  [WhiteFideId "-1"]  [WhiteFideId "-1"]  [PlyCount "29"]  [GameId "2243139072778697"]  [EventDate "2025.09.01"]  [EventType "swiss"]  [EventCountry "ENG"]   {In this video I am going to look at a game I played last Tuesday in the third round of this year's Horsham Club Championship.  I had the White pieces and was up against Julie Denning.  The game started} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 e5 {This is the Modern Philidor, the best move order for reaching the Philidor Defence, as White has no promising ways to avoid the Hanham Variation.} {Instead I chose the main move} 4. Nf3 {which retains more complexity in the position.} ({Now} 4. dxe5 dxe5 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 {leads to an endgame which seems to be playable for Black.}) {Instead my opponent chose the weaker} 4... Bg4 $6 ({Now Black should have played} 4... Nbd7 {leading to the Hanham Variation, with a tough contest ahead.}) {and after} 5. dxe5 {was forced to make a concession.} {Instead she went for} dxe5 $2 {which not only loses a pawn, but allows White to go into an endgame.} ({Now} 5... Bxf3 {was best, although it does concede the bishop pair and help White's development.} {Then} 6. Qxf3 dxe5 7. Bd2 {followed by castling long is very promising for White. White's bishop pair and potential pressure on f7 following Bc4 will cause Black great problems.}) 6. Qxd8+ Kxd8 7. Nxe5 {White is a safe pawn up and should win this endgame. His immediate threat is Nxf7+, forking king and rook. He is also threatening to swap his knight for Black's light-squared bishop.} {Instead Black chose} Bh5 $6 (7... Be6 {is the best way to meet the threat, although White remains on top because of his extra pawn.} {As in the game} 8. f3 {is the most solid way to continue.}) {and now following} 8. f3 {Black's light-squared bishop was out of play in addition to her other problems.} Bd6 {Black develops while attacking the knight.} 9. Nc4 {White moves the knight out of danger and threatenes to take the bishop.} Bb4 {Black avoids the bishop capture, while perhaps hoping to double White's pawns by taking on c3.} 10. Bd2 {White prevents Black doubling his pawns, while preparing to castle queenside.} c6 {Black creates a square for her king on c7, while covering the d5 square. However, this move also weakens the d6-square.} 11. a3 {White forces Black to make an immediate decision about the bishop.} Bxc3 $6 {This is dubious, as now Black is weak on the dark squares. She should have kept the bishop on by retreating it to a safe square, although her position would still have been miserable.} 12. Bxc3 Ke7 {Black tries to bring the rook on h8 into the game, but the king proves exposed on e7 now Black's dark-squared bishop is gone.} 13. Bb4+ Ke6 {Black decides to advance the king as retreating to the back rank would have left her unable to develop her pieces properly. However, there are obvious risks in such an approach.} 14. O-O-O {Instead, Black tried a combination with} Nxe4 $2 ({Now Black should have continued developing with} 14... Na6 {but after something like} 15. Bd2 Rad8 16. g4 Bg6 17. Na5 {quite apart from White's general superiority, he is also threatening Bc4+, when the Black king is fatally exposed.}) {However, White chose} 15. Re1 {just picking up the piece. Black could see no sensible way to continue and so resigned.} ({perhaps hoping for} 15. fxe4 Bxd1 {although after} 16. Kxd1 {White is still winning with two bishops against a rook.}) 1-0