Miniatures 43

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

H Chan (135 BCF) - Spanton (156 BCF)

Middlesex League 1991

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d5!? 4.exd5

This is slightly more popular than 4.Nxe5 in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, and scores 10 percentage points better.

4...e4

How should White proceed?

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5.Qe2!?

Most popular in Mega26 is 5.Ne5, while the engines suggest 5.d4.

5...Nf6

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 like an apparent-novelty in 5...Ne7!?, followed by a quick ...0-0.

6.d4?

6.d3 gives a slight edge, according to the engines.

6...0-0!

Not in Mega26, and better than 6...Bb4+, which was seen in a game in 2008.

7.Qc4?

Possibly best is 7.dxc5, although 7...exf3 8.Qxf3 Bg4 gives Black more than enough compensation, according to the engines.

7...exf3 8.dxc5 Re8+ 9.Kf2 Ne4+ 10.Kxf3 Qh4 11.g3

This is best, according to the engines, but Black has an obvious and strong reply.

11...Nxg3! 12.hxg3 Qxh1 13.Kf2 Bg4 14.Qd3 Nd7 15.b4 Nf6 16.Bd2 0-1

White resigned without waiting for 16...Ne4+.

LESSON: an uncastled king is often a liability when tactics start.

Chess Tip Of The Day 479

It is important to distinguish between 'control' and 'occupation' of the centre. As soon as a piece occupies a central square it loses the control it exerted over this square.

Luděk Pachman, Complete Chess Strategy 2: Pawn-Play And The Centre

Miniatures 42

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

Anthony D Brown (143 BCF) - Spanton (156 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

Giuoco Piano

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.b4!?

A rare continuation, although it was played by Morphy, Staunton, Marshall and Tartakower, and is closely related to the Evans Gambit.

How should Black respond?

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5...d5?!

Black has the upper hand after 5...Bxb4, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

6.exd5 Nb4 7.Nxe5 Nbxd5 8.d4 Bb6?

This lets White trap the black king in the centre. The engines suggest 8...Be7 or 8...Bb4.

9.Ba3 Be6 10.Re1 Nf4?

Better is the engines' 10...c6.

11.Bb5+?

White has a big advantage after several moves, especially 11.Qf3.

11...c6 12.Nxc6?

Black is only slightly better (Dragon1) or has the upper hand (Stockfish18) after 12.Bxc6!? bxc6 13.Qf3.

Black to play and gain a winning advantage

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12...bxc6?

Correct is 12...Qd5!, one point being 13.Nxa7+ fails to the simple 13...Kd8 as Black threatens the a7 knight as well as mate in one.

13.Bxc6+ Nd7 14.Qf3!? Rc8 15.Qxf4 Rxc6 16.d5 Rxc2?!

Probably better is 16...Qc7.

17.dxe6 Nf6? 18.Qa4+ Nd7 19.exd7#

LESSON: tactics are easier when you have the safer king.

Miniatures 41

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

Spanton (156 BCF) - M O'Connell (100 BCF)

Barbican (London) Rapid 1991

Queen's Fianchetto Defence

1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Nc3 e6 4.Nf3 Be7!?

The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 4...Bb4 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Qe2 d5 7.e5 Ne4 8.Bd2 Nxd2 9.Qxd2, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

5.Bd3 d6!? 6.Qe2 Nd7 7.Bf4!?

This is the engines' top choice.

7...Ngf6

How should White proceed?

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8.0-0

The engines like long castling.
8...0-0 9.e5 Bxf3?!

This is not in Mega26. The engines prefer the known 9...dxe5.

10.Qxf3 Ne8 11.Rfe1 d5 12.Re3 Bg5?

The engines suggest 12...g6, albeit giving White the upper hand.

13.Qh5 Bh6?

Best play, according to the engines, runs 13...h6 14.Bxg5 Qxg5 15.Qh3!? Qe7!? 16.Ne2, with promising kingside chances for White.

14.Rg3 Kh8 15.Bxh6 gxh6 16.Qxh6 f5 17.exf6 Rf7 18.Rg7! 1-0

LESSON: playing an offbeat opening as Black requires good tactical control, as early positional concessions are inevitable.

Miniatures 40

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

Spanton (156 BCF) - Glenn Cross (148 BCF)

Isle Of Man Major 1991

Sicilian Irregular

1.e4 c5 2.d4 cxd4 3.Nf3!?

This is how Paul Morphy liked to play against the Sicilian.

3...d6 4.Bc4

But Morphy continued with 4.Nxd4. One point of the text is to leave open the possibility of a Morra Gambit.

4...Bg4?

Normal is 4...Nf6, but other moves are also liked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1, eg 4...e6 and 4...Qa5+.

Five games reach this position in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database

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5.0-0?

All five saw 5.Bxf7+!

5...Nc6? 6.Bxf7+! Kxf7 7.Ng5+ Ke8 8.Qxg4 Nf6 9.Qe6 Qd7??

The black king needs the d7 square, so the queen should probably go to b6 or c7.

10.Qf7+ Kd8 11.Ne6+ Kc8 12.Nxf8 Ne5 13.Nxd7 1-0

LESSON: bishop sacs on f7 are a common theme in openings where Black plays neither ...e6 nor ...d5.

Miniatures 39

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

JC Walton (158 BCF) - Spanton (156 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1!?

A fashionable continuation these days (and engine-approved), but much less so in the 1990s. However, my opponent had a trap in mind.

5...Nd6 6.Nxe5 Nxe5

Much more popular is 6...Be7, but the text is also fine.

7.Rxe5 Be7 8.Nc3!?

The main move is 8.Bf1!?

How should Black proceed?

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8...Nxb5?!

Black is close to lost after this natural-looking move, which nevertheless scores 52% in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.

9.Nxd5!

Much better than capturing the knight.

9...c6?

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 give 9...Kf8!? 10.Rxe7! c6 11.Qf3! f6 12.Qg4 Rg8 13.Re2!?, claiming the upper hand for White, one point being 13...cxd5?! runs into 14.Qb4+ etc.

10.Nxe7 Qxe7??

Better, but miserable, is 10...Kf8.

11.Nxe7 Kxe7 12.d4 d5 13.Bf4 Bf5 14.a4 Nd6 15.Qe2+ Kd7?? 16.Qe5 1-0

LESSON: it is far from immediately obvious that 8...Nxb5?! leads to difficulties, but I should not have been so ready to assume White's fifth move was a positional error.

Tube Puzzle

SPOTTED the following serial number on  a Circle Line carriage: 21497
As usual with these tube puzzles, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
There is a perfect solution, ie one that uses the digits in the order printed.
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My solution: 2 = 1 + 4 + 9 (÷ 7)

Take A Break IV

Shropshire has no mountains, at least by generally accepted standards, but rolling hills can make for great views

In the distance can just about be seen a volcano, albeit extinct

Mitchell's Fold, near the Welsh border, is a Bronze Age stone circle, probably pre-Celtic 

Across the border, in Corndon Marsh, is a 'tin chapel' - actually made with corrugated iron

Take A Break III

I am walking from a base in Church Stretton, where the church of St Laurence has this 15th-century stained-glass window 

Cunnery Road Cemetery "is cared for in a way which is sensitive to the wild creatures and plants, whilst keeping it attractive to visitors"

A stone stile by the railway at Stretton Wetlands might not be beautiful, but is certainly less wobbly than many wooden stiles

Birds are well-catered for in this garden

Random wandering in the woods means a good chance of coming across the work of Church Stretton's 'chainsaw carver'

Another piece by the chainsaw carver

Take A Break II

Clun Castle was an important Norman border fortress, defending against Welsh incursions

The castle became less important in the late-1200s, following Edward I's conquests in North Wales

It later became a hunting lodge, but was described as a ruin in the 1500s, and, today, so little remains that entry is free

Nearby are the even-more rundown remains of the 2,500-year-old Bury Ditches hillfort

How it may have looked