Walking

ONE of the more-interesting walks in the Bischofsgrün area starts at the venue-hotel Kaiseralm.

For the best part of an hour the route follows the White Main, occasionally crisscrossing it

Near the source, the river is more of a stream, but overnight rain helped make it run fuller

Hanging on

The route stops running directly beside the White Main on reaching Karches Lake

Beside the lake is a restaurant with a biergarten, which is handy as this is at the foot of the 1,024-metre (3,360-foot) Ochenskopf (Oxhead) Mountain

Interesting rock formations are passed on the ascent

But the path is easy underfoot, although most of it is much steeper than this picturesque section

About 20 minutes from Karches I reached the source of the White Main, which is also regarded as the source of the Main proper

A quick stop for lunch, and then on to the summit

Some waymarks are more elaborate than others

Restaurant and lookout tower at the peak

It was just as well I was happy to walk down, as the cable cars were not running

Nice views near the bottom

Soon back to civilisation

Bischofsgrün Round Two

Spanton (1951) - Peter Babrikowski (2155)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.Nc3 d6!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 6...Bb4 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 e5!? 9.0-0 0-0 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 Bc5!? (11...Be7 and 11...d6 are also popular) 12.Kh1 d6, with a slight edge for Black, according to Stockfish18, but equal, according to Dragon1.

7.Bg5

Alekhine, Capablanca, Najdorf, Tal, Smyslov, Morozevich, Short and Ivanchuk are among the many who have preferred 7.Be2.

7...Be7 8.Be2 a6 9.0-0 0-0

Not 9...Nxe4? 10.Nxe4 Bxg5 (10...Nxd4? 11.Qxd4) 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Nd6+ and 13.c5.

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the game?

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The position occurs only 20 times in Mega26, but is fairly typical of a Maróczy Bind in which Black has developed the dark-square bishop at e7 rather than g7. To equalise, and possibly gain an edge, Black normally has to get in one of three classic pawn-breaks: ...b5, ...d5, ...f5.

10.Qd2 Bd7

After 10...Nxe4?! 11.Nxc6!? Bxg5 12.Nxe4!? Bxd2 13.Nxd8 Bf4 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 the engines reckon White has the upper hand.

11.Rfd1

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 11.Rad1, 11.Kh1, 11.Nc2!? and 11.Rfe1.

11...Nxd4

A common exchange in the Maróczy. Black has less space, and so is happy to see a pair of knights leave the board, especially as the queen's bishop is ready to occupy c6.

12.Qxd4 Bc6 13.f3?!

The engines suggest 13.Kh1, 13.Bf1!? or 13.Be3!?

How should Black proceed?

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13...Qa5?!

This helps White successfully reorganise. Instead, the engines' 13...Nxe4! is strong, eg 14.Nxe4 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 Qxg5 16.Qxd6 Rfd8 gives Black the better bishop, while 14.Bxe7 Nxc3!? 15.bxc3!? Qxe7 16.Qxd6 Qg5 leaves Black with the better bishop and much the better pawn-structure.

14.Qd2

Threatening 15.Nd5!

14...Qb6+ 15.Be3 Qc7 16.Rac1 Rac8

The engines suggest 16...Qb8!? or 16...Rfb8!?

After 16...Rac8, how should White proceed?

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17.Nd5

'Clever', but not best, according to the engines. They reckon 17.b4!? gives White the upper hand, a possible continuation being 17...Rfd8 18.Bf1!? (clearing the way for Qf2) Be8!? 19.a3 Nd7 20.f4!?

After 17.Nd5, how should Black respond?

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17...Bxd5!

The engines reckon that after 17...exd5 18.cxd5 Black has nothing better than 18...Qb8!? 19.dxc6 Rxc6 20.Rxc6 bxc6, when 21.Bxa6 nabs a pawn.

18.cxd5 Qd7 19.dxe6 Qxe6!?

Another engine-approved choice.

20.b3 b5

As PB pointed out in the postmortem, 20...d5 at least equalises.

21.Bf4?!

Again as PB pointed out, better is Bd4, and that would have been better at move 20 too.

21...Rxc1 22.Rxc1 d5 23.exd5?!

The game is equal after 23.e5!? Nd7 24.Qd4, according to the engines.

23...Nxd5

What should White play?

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24.Bg3

Everything else loses, but now 24...Rd8 gives Black a slight edge, according to the engines, the point being Black's initiative and well-placed knight count for more than White's bishop pair.

Instead, PB offered a draw as he played:

24...Re8

Objectively, should White accept?

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The engines agree the position is equal if White finds 25.Bf1, and after 25.Bd3, according to Stockfish18, although Dragon1 reckons that the latter move gives Black at least the better part of equality.

½–½

Blue Is The Colour

My latest chess pen

Bischofsgrün Round One

Hartmut Kumeth (1784) - Spanton (1951)

1.Nf3 Irregular

1.Nf3 c5 2.c3!?

This position goes back to at least 1925, occurs 1,577 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, and has been played, as White, by Barcza, Stahlberg, Keene, Hort, Ivanchuk, Conquest, Harikrishna, Rapport, Aronian, Short, So and Carlsen

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Most of those players have had decent results with it, so what is going on? Presumably one of the main points of 2.c3!? is that a later d4 cxd4 can be met by cxd4, keeping two pawns in the centre. The text also opens the d1-a4 diagonal, although it is too early to know whether that will prove useful. However, for what it is worth, after 2.c3!?, Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon Black has completely equalised.

2...d5 3.e3!?

Another strange-looking move, but it is the top choice of the engines, along with 3.d4.

3...Nf6 4.b3!? Nc6 5.Bb2

The first move of White's I managed to predict, and it is the first move not in Mega26. Alexandr Fier (2499) - José Fernando Cubas (2447), Mário Covas (Santos, Brazil) 2007, went 5.Bb5 Qb6 6.c4 a6 7.Ba4 Bd7 8.0-0, with equal chances, according to the engines (1-0, 32 moves).

5...e5 6.d3

It is too late for d4, according to the engines, which reckon 6...cxd4 gives Black at least the upper hand after both 7.exd4 e4 and 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nbd2 (8.Bc3 Qa5) exd4 9.exd4 Ne4.

6...Bd6 7.Be2 e4 8.Nfd2 0-0 9.Na3?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 9.dxe4 dxe4 10.Nc4 Bc7 11.Qxd8 Rxd8 12.h3, although they agree that leaves Black with at least a slight edge.

How should Black proceed?

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9...Bf5

Best, according to the engines, is 9...exd3 10.Bxd3 Qe7, threatening to win a piece with ...c4. A sample line runs 11.Nc2 Ne5 12.Be2 Bf5, when Black is ahead in space and development.

10.Nf1?!

Falling further behind in development. However, after 10.dxe4 Nxe4!? 11.Nxe4 Bxe4 the engines reckon Black has a positionally won game.

10...Qe7

Threatening to win a piece with 11...exd3 12.Bxd3 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 c4. But even stronger, according to the engines, is 10...exd3 11.Bxd3 Bxd3 12.Qxd3 c4!? 13.bxc4 Ne5.

11.Nc2 Ne5 12.dxe4 dxe4 13.Ng3 Bg6 14.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how large is Black's advantage?

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Black's extra space and more-active development add up to an advantage worth nearer a rook than a minor piece, according to the engines.

14...Rad8 15.Qb1!?

The engines reckon 15.Qc1 is a tad better.

15...h5 16.Rfd1

Not 16.h4? Nfg4 etc.

16...h4 17.Nf1 Nfg4 18.c4

Possibly better is 18.h3, although the engines reckon 18...f5!? is a strong reply.

18...Qg5 19.Rd5

This is the engines' second choice, at least for a while, but their main line runs 19.Bxg4 Qxg4 20.h3 Qe2!? with a large advantage, eg 21.Rd2 runs into 21...Nf3+! 22.gxf3 Bh2+!, when 23.Kxh2 Rxd2 24.Nxd2 Qxf2+ 25.Kh1 exf3 26.Qf1 Qxd2 results in Black regaining the sacrificed piece, with a two-pawn advantage. That is not by any means an easy line to see in advance, but even without 20...Qe2!? Black has a substantial edge.

19...Nf6 20.Qd1?!

White should probably just give up the exchange, albeit with no compensation.

20...Nxd5 21.Qxd5

21.cxd5 is not necessarily any better, according to the engines.

21...Nf3+ 22.Bxf3 Bxh2+!? 0-1

After 23.Nxh2 Rxd5 24.cxd5 exf3 25.Nxf3 Qxd5 Black has queen and pawn for two knights.

Chess Tip of The Day 431

After several days of working properly, Blogger's feeder widget is again malfunctioning.

One of the great virtues of the two bishops is their ability to control the opponent's rooks, both from a defensive (control of invasion squares, effective defence of vulnerable points ...) and an attacking point of view.

Lluís Comas Fabregó, True Lies In Chess

Bishop's Green

AM flying to Nuremberg today, before traveling on to the Bavarian mountain resort of Bischofsgrün for the 43rd seniors' championship of Upper Franconia.

The tournament, run by ChessOrg.de, is for players born before 1972, and has 50 entries, including two Fide masters, and a German who, despite having a national rating of 2013, does not have a Fide rating.

There are nine mostly-morning rounds over nine days, with a time control of 40 moves in 100 minutes, a further 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout.

There is excellent walking in the Fichtel mountains - here I am last year at the source of the Main river

League Chess

PLAYED on board six (of eight) for Battersea against Hammersmith 2 in London League Division Two last night.

Sergiy Teslya (2059) - Spanton (1954)

Sicilian Grand Prix Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.f4 Bg7 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3!?

There are 404 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, including being played by Magnus Carlsen. The move is Dragon1's second choice, at least for a while; Stockfish18 prefers 5.a4!?

5...d6 6.Bc4 e6 7.d3

This has been tried by David Howell and Alexander Morozevich, but Carlsen both times preferred castling.

7...Nge7 8.Ba2!? 0-0

This is the commonest continuation in Mega26, but Stockfish18 suggests 8...b6, 8...d5 or 8...Rb8. Dragon1 at first quite likes castling, but comes to prefer 8...b6 or 8...Rb8.

How should White proceed?

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9.h4!?

This is the engines' top choice.

9...d5 10.h5 Nd4 11.hxg6

This has been played by a 2623, and comes to be Dragon1's top choice, at least for a while, but Stockfish18 suggests apparent-novelties in 11.Qd2!?, 11.Bd2 and 11.Ne2!?

11...fxg6 12.Ng5!? h6 13.Nf3

The engines reckon this apparent-novelty is a slight improvement on Anton Demchenko (2623) - Eduardo Jesús Méndez Fortes (2250), Chess.com Blitz 2023, which featured 13.Nh3, after which 13...b5 14.Ne2 dxe4 was at least equal for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 53 moves).

13...Kh7

Strengthening h6, but weakening g5.

14.Qd2!? dxe4?!

The engines strongly dislike this. Stockfish18 gives 14...Qc7 15.Nxd4 cxd4 16.Ne2 Bd7, claiming a slight edge for Black, although Dragon1 reckons it is White who has at least a slight edge.

15.dxe4 Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 Qxd2+ 17.Bxd2 e5?!

This is Dragon1's top choice, for a short while, but the engines come to agree 17...b6 is best, albeit awarding White the upper hand.

What should White play?

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18.Ne2?!

The engines reckon White has a positionally won game after 18.fxe5!? Rxf3 19.e6!?, eg 19...Rf6? loses to 20.Bg5. Stockfish18 gives as best 19...b5!? 20.Bg5 c4!?, but 21.Bxe7 Bxe6 22.0-0-0 is clearly winning. Dragon1 suggests 19...a5, but 20.Bc4 (Stockfish18 reckons 20.Bg5 is even stronger) Nc6 21.Nb5 Nd4 22.Nxd4 cxd4 23.0-0-0 is very strong.

18...Bd7?!

Probably better are 18...exf4 and 18...Nc6.

19.0-0-0 Rad8?

Possibly best is 19...Nc6, although the engines prefer White after both 20.c3 and 20.f5!?, eg 20.f5!? gxf5 21.c3!? f4!? (this is best, according to the engines) 22.Bxf4! Bc8 23.Bd2 Rxf3, when they agree White has more than enough for a pawn, but they disagree on how to proceed.

20.Be3

How should Black continue?

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20...b6

The best the engines can come up with is 20...Bb5!?, when 21.c4 Rxd1+ 22.Rxd1 Bc6 23.Bxc5 Re8 24.Bxa7 wins two pawns.

21.fxe5 Rxf3?

The engines give 21...h5, but White has several strong continuations, including 22.Nf4 Bh6 23.Nd5 Bxe3+ 24.Nxe3 Rxf3 25.Ng4!?, when Black has no good answer to Nf6(+).

22.Bg5 Bf8

There is no satisfactory move..

The game finished:

23.e6 Kg7 24.Bxh6+ Kf6 25.Bxf8 1-0

Hammersmith 2 won the match 4.5-3.5.

My Battersea Season 2025-6

Date       Event  Colour  Rating  Opp's Rating  Score  Season's Perf

16/9/25   CLL       W       1936         1952             0           1552

18/9/25   CLL       W       1936         1797             =           1675

16/10/25 CLL       W       1889         2047             0           1665

23/10/25 CLL       B        1889         1823             1           1805

18/11/25  LL         W       1891         1980             =           1840

20/11/25  CLL      W       1891         1866             1            1911

25/11/25  BCC     B        1891         1817             1            1955

9/12/25    LL         W       1904         1982             1            2008

16/12/25  LL         B        1904         2046             0            1968

18/12/25  CLL      B        1904         2066             1            2018

6/1/26      CLL      W       1929         2150             =            2066

7/1/26      LL         W       1929         1971             =            2058

8/1/26      CLL      B        1929         1800?           =            2038

13/1/26    LL         B        1929         2035             1            2067

27/1/26    LL         B        1929         2089             0            2041

29/1/26    CLL      B        1929         1882             =            2031

3/2/26      BCC     W       1928         1836             1            2043     

12/2/26    CDL      B        1928        1890              1            2057

25/2/26    LL         B        1928        1863              =            2047

26/2/26    CLL      B         1928        2015             0            2025

3/3/26      CDL      B        1914        1976              1            2043

24/3/26    BCC     W        1921        1780             1            2049

26/3/26    CLL      B         1921        1942             =            2045

31/3/26    CDL      B        1921         2091             0            2030

7/4/26      BCC     B         1938        1505*            1            2030

9/4/26      CLL      W        1938        2012              =           2029

30/4/26    CLL      W        1938        2285              0           2023

7/5/26      CLL      W        1939        2007              1           2037

9/6/26      LL         B         1954        2059              0           2024

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

BCC: Battersea club championship

CDL: Croydon & District League

I also have a win-by-default in the Central London League

*A win against a 1505 counts as a 1905 performance, so I have excluded this game from calculating my season's performance as it would lower my average despite me winning.

Miniatures 38

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

M Wadud (136 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Upminster Major 1991

Bishop's Opening/King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Bc5 3.f4!?

This move goes back at least to a game of Frank Marshall's in 1925. The position can also arise from a King's Gambit via the move-order 1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Bc4!?

How should Black respond?

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3...Bxg1

Marshall's opponent played 3...d6, but Stockfish17 and Dragon1 suggest a novelty in 3...d5!?

4.Rxg1

The zwischenzug 4.Qh5! is preferable.

4...Qh4+ 5.g3?

Better is 5.Kf1, when 5...Qxh2?! 6.Nc3 leaves Black dangerously behind in development. However, Black can instead get on with development, eg 5...Nf6, with what the engines reckon is the upper hand.

5...Qxh2 6.Kf1?!

The unpalatable 6.Rf1!? is probably better.

6...d5! 7.f5!?

The threat of 7...Bh3+ with a quick mate means White does not seem to have anything better, but White is losing a piece, to go with an already lost pawn.

7...dxc4 8.d4 cxd3 9.Qxd3 Bd7 10.Na3 Nf6 11.Bg5 Ng4 12.Qf3?! Qh5 13.Ke2!?

The second bishop cannot be saved, emphasising the desperateness of White's position.

13...Qxg5 14.Nb5? 0-1

LESSON: White in the King's Gambit needs to constantly be aware of the danger of allowing ...Qh4+.

Miniatures 37

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

Spanton (147 BCF) - A Darrington (?)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

Pirc

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2!?

A modest continuation, but it develops a piece, and has been played by many grandmasters, including Garry Kasparov. One idea is to play a quick Be3, without fearing ...Ng4.

How should Black respond?

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4...e6!?

The main move is 4...Bg7. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 do not like the text, which is not in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.

5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Bg5 0-0!? 7.Qd2 Nc6 8.0-0-0

White's large lead in development and greater space give a positionally won game, according to the engines

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8....Bd7?

The engines suggest 8...a6 or 8...d7.

9.h4

Even stronger is 9.e5.

9...Qb8 10.h5 Ng4 11.hxg6!? Nxf2?

This forks White's rooks, but Black has to play 11...fxg6 to have any sort of chance of escaping defeat.

12.Rxh7 f6?!

Again ...fxg6 is better, but still losing.

13.Bh6 1-0

LESSON: there are many mainstream defences in which Black falls well-behind in development or space, but none, as far as I know, in which Black falls behind in both.

Chess Tip Of The Day 427

In your study of chess, use a tournament-size board and tournament-size chessmen as much as possible.

Cecil Purdy, Road To 2000 - How To Become An Expert