John Nunn, Grandmaster Chess Move By Move
Wednesday, 2 September 2026
Chess Tip Of The Day 514
There will always be times when your preparation or memory fails you (in the opening) and you have to make it up. In these cases you should aim to find a move which is sensible on general principles and which does not have an obvious refutation.
European 65+ Team: Game Seven
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| Roadside death announcements are commonplace |
Spanton (2003) - Boris Fainberg (2066)
Sicilian Bb5(+)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6
This is a popular alternative to the mainline 4.0-0.
4...bxc6 5.d3 d5!?
This is the top choice of Dragon1 for quite some time, although it eventually comes to equally like the commonest continuation, 5...Ne7. Stockfish18 likes the latter, and 5...Qc7.
6.0-0 Nf6
The engines prefer 5...Ne7.
7.e5 Nd7 8.Re1 Be7 9.c4 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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As usual in variations of the Rosolimo with Bxc6, White's better pawn-structure is up against Black's bishop-pair. In this particular line, it may be that White's kingside space advantage, conferred by the pawn on e5, is what makes the engines give White a slight edge.
10.Nc3 Rb8 11.b3 f6
10.Nc3 Rb8 11.b3 f6
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| How should Black's attack on the white centre be met? |
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12.Bb2?!
Apparently a novelty, and one that is strongly disliked by the engines. They suggest the known 12.exf6, or another apparent-novelty in 12.Bf4. After 12.exf6, the engines' main line runs 12...Bxf6 13.Bb2 Qe8 14.Rc1!?, claiming at least a slight edge for White. After the super-sharp 12.Bf4, their main line more-or-less runs 12...fxe5 13.Nxe5!? Rxf4 14.Nxc6 Qf8 15.Rxe6 Bf6 16.Nxd5!? Rxf2!? 17.Nxf6+ Rxf6 18.Rxf6 Qxf6 19.Nxb8 Nxb8, after which White has rook and two pawns for bishop and knight. That gives White at least a slight edge, according to the engines, but there are many sharp alternatives along the way.
12...Nxe5!?
The engines slightly prefer 12...fxe5.
13.Nxe5 fxe5 14.Rxe5?!
The engines award White a slight edge after 14.Na4!
14...Bd6
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| What should White play? |
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15.Re1??
Better rook moves are 15.Re2 and 15.Rh5, but the engines suggest offering the exchange with 15.Na4!?, when 15...Bxe5 16.Bxe5 Rb7 17.Qe2 seems to give White good compensation. Instead, the engines reckon closing the long dark diagonal with 15...d4 is one of several moves giving Black the upper hand.
Better rook moves are 15.Re2 and 15.Rh5, but the engines suggest offering the exchange with 15.Na4!?, when 15...Bxe5 16.Bxe5 Rb7 17.Qe2 seems to give White good compensation. Instead, the engines reckon closing the long dark diagonal with 15...d4 is one of several moves giving Black the upper hand.
15...Bxh2+! 16.Kxh2
Declining the bishop is even worse.
16...Qh4+ 17.Kg1 Qxf2+ 18.Kh1 Rf4 19.Qh5
The only move that sort of keeps the game going.
19...Rh4+ 20.Qxh4 Qxh4+ 21.Kg1 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Rb7
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| Black has queen and two pawns for rook and knight, and much the safer king, adding up to an advantage worth more than a rook, according to the engines |
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23.Rf1!?
This is the engines' top choice - there is little point in trying to defend the d3 pawn.
23...Qxd3 24.cxd5 exd5 25.Rf3 Qc2 26.Raf1
Developing the rook is possible, thanks to the threat of mate at f8.
26...h6 27.Ba3 Rc7 28.Nb5 Rc6!? 29.Nxa7 Ra6 30.R3f2 Qe4
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| Black's advantage is now worth a little more than a rook, according to Stockfish18, and more than a rook and a pawn, according to Dragon1 |
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31.Bxc5 Bb7 32.b4 e5 33.Nb5 Rg6
Black is still winning comfortably after this, according to the engines, but they prefer 33...d4 or 33...Qg6.
34.Nd6 Qh4+ 35.Kg1 Ba6?!
Again, Black is still winning after this, according to the engines, but they reckon stronger are 35...Rg5 and 35...Rxd6!?
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| After 35...Ba6?!, how should White proceed? |
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36.Nf5
Not 36.b5? Bxb5 37.Nxb5 Qc4.
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| How should Black respond? |
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36...Qg4?
Best seems to be 36...Qe4 37.Ne7+ Kh7 38.Nxg6 Kxg6 39.Rd1 d4, which is winning for Black, according to the engines. They also quite like 36...Qg5.
37.Ne7+ Kh7 38.Nxg6 Kxg6
Dragon1 suggests 38...Bxf1!?, but 39.Nf8+ Kg8 40.Rxf1 gives equal chances, according to Stockfish18.
39.Re1 Qe6 40.Bd4! e4
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| Black's connected passers are blockaded, leaving the game completely equal, according to the engines |
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41.a4 Bc4?!
The engines suggest 41...Qe7 or 41...Qd6, when 42.b5?? loses to 42...Qb4 (hitting a rook as well as the white bishop), so best may be 42.Re3!?, the point being 42...Qxb4 can be met by 43.Rg3+ Kh5 (forced) 44.Bc3!?, a possible finish being 44...Qb1+ 45.Kh2 Qb6 46.Rh3+ Kg4 47.Rg3+ Kh5 48.Rh3+ etc.
42.b5 h5?
Black had to play 42...Qg4!?, according to Stockfish18, eg 43.b6 Ba6 44.a5 h5!? 45.Rb2 e3!? 46.Bxe3 d4 47.Bc1 d3 48.Rf2 h4 49.Bd2 h3 50.Re3 Qd1+ 51.Kh2 hxg2 52.Rg3+ Kh7 53.Rfxg2 Qa1, after which it seems neither side can make progress. This is another tricky line, and one which Dragon1 misassesses until after 45.Rb2 is inputted.
43.b6?
Much stronger is 43.Rb2, eg 43...Qd7 44.a5!? Bxb5 45.a6 Bc6 46.Rb8!? (threatening Rg8 and Rxg7, as well as threatening to promote the a pawn) Kh7 (there is nothing better, according to the engines) 47.a7 etc.
43...Ba6 44.Rb2 Qc6??
The engines point out that both 44...Qc8 and 44...Qd7 draw.
45.b7 1-0
TEAM RESULT
| Bo. | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | - | 12 | Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam | Rtg | 3 : 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 |
| 2003 | - |
| 2066 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 7.2 |
| 1950 | - |
| 1958 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 7.3 |
| 1921 | - |
| 1873 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 7.4 |
| 1903 | - |
| 1938 | 1 - 0 |
European 65+ Team Pairings Round Seven
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| Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, commemorating the story of the archangel Gabriel visiting Mary ahead of the birth of Jesus |
| Bo. | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | - | 12 | Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam | Rtg | 0 : 0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 |
| 2003 | - |
| 2066 | |||||||
| 7.2 |
| 1950 | - |
| 1958 | |||||||
| 7.3 |
| 1921 | - |
| 1873 | |||||||
| 7.4 |
| 1903 | - |
| 1938 |
Tuesday, 1 September 2026
European 65+ Team: Game Six
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| Splash of colour |
Ido Yad-Shalom (-) - Spanton (2003)
Nimzo-Indian
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess this position, which occurs 10,214 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database? |
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Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon chances are equal. However, White scores 52% from this position in Mega26, ie four percentage points better than Black
7...Nc6 8.a3
This is easily the commonest continuation, and means we now get a 'proper' Nimzo-Indian in that the game will (probably) become a battle between White's bishop-pair and Black's better structure.
8...Bxc3
Preserving the dark-square bishop with 8...Ba5!? is far from ridiculous, and has been played by top grandmasters. The main line in Mega26 continues 9.cxd5 exd5 10.dxc5, when Black is more-or-less to forced to give up the bishop anyway. After 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4, the engines reckon White is slightly better.
9.bxc3 b6!?
The main line runs 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 11.Bd3 e5!?, with equal chances, according to the engines.
10.cxd5 exd5 11.h3!?
This scores 67% in Mega26, albeit from a small sample size, and is liked by Stockfish18. Nevertheless, both engines prefer the mainline 11.Ne5, when 11...Nxe5?! 12.dxe5 gives White the upper hand, according to the engines, wherever the f6 knight goes. The main reply is 11...Qc7, when Dragon1 reckons 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 is equal, but Stockfish18 prefers White.
11...Re8
The engines suggest an apparent-novelty in 11...Na5!?
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| After 11...Re8, how should White proceed? |
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12.Bb5!?
This is the engines' second choice, narrowly behind 12.dxc5, when 12...bxc5 13.c4!? Na5!? 14.cxd5 c4!? 15.Bc2 Qxd5 16.Bb2 saw the bishop-pair start to dominate in Borsilav Ivkov - Stanimir Nikolić, Vrnjačka Banja (Yugoslavia) 1971 (1-0, 41 moves). The engines reckon 13...dxc4!? 14.Bxc4 Na5 is an improvement for Black.
12...Bd7 13.a4 c4!?
This seems to be a novelty, and is liked by the engines, along with another apparent-novelty in 13...Na5!? However, they are also OK with the known 13...Qc7. One point about the text is that it is far from clear if White will be able to get in the move e4, which is the usual counter when Black pushes on with ...c4 in the circumstances of this game.
14.Ba3 Ne4 15.Rc1!? Re6!?
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| What should White play? |
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16.Bxc6
The engines suggest 16.Bxc4!? dxc4 17.d5, but reckon 17...Rg6 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Qxd8+ Rxd8 leaves Black at least slightly better.
16...Bxc6 17.Ne5 Qe8 18.Nxc6?!
This saves a5, but gives up a well-posted knight. The engines suggest 18.a5!? bxa5 19.f3 Ng3 20.Re1. but give Black the upper hand. Note that 18.Nxc4?? is a blunder in view of 18...dxc4 19.d5 Bxa4.
18...Qxc6
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| How would you assess this middlegame? |
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This bishop has a nice-looking diagonal, but Black can play around it, and otherwise the bishop has very little scope. Meanwhile, the knight is well-placed, and Black's lead in development gives kingside attacking chances. The engines agree Black has a positionally won game.
19.f3!?
The engines are OK with this, albeit slightly preferring 19.a5!? or 19.Re1.
19...Ng3 20.Re1
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| How should Black proceed? |
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20...Rae8
White has a sharp reply to this, so probably better is the engines' 20...f5!?, fixing the e3 weakness.
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| How does White keep the game going? |
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21.e4! f6
This is good enough for a sizeable advantage, but the engines much prefer 21...Nh5!? Note that 21...dxe4?? loses to 22.d5.
22.Kf2
Perhaps best is 22.Qd2!?, although 22...Qxa4 23.Ra1 Qc6 wins a sound pawn.
22...Qc7 23.Qd2?
Better is 23.e5 fxe5 24.dxe5 Rxe5 25.Qxd5+! Rxd5 26.Rxe8+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Qxe7 28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.Kxg3, when material is level, but the rook-and-pawn ending strongly favours Black's two pawn islands against White's three.
23...dxe4 24.d5!?
Complicating in this manner seems White's best chance, although it should not work.
24...e3+ 25.Rxe3 Rxe3 26.d6 Qd7
Other moves also win.
27.Kxg3 Rd3 28.Qf4
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| 28.Qf4 protects White's major asset, the d6 pawn, and threatens the devastating 29.Qxc4+, but Black has a simple answer |
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28...Qxa4 29.Bb4 Qb5 30.h4!?
This is liked by the engines, but it poses little threat.
30...Qe5 31.Qxe5 Rxe5 32.Kg4 Kf7 33.Ra1 a5 34.Ba3 Ke6 35.Rb1 b5 36.f4?
This loses on the spot, but the engines reckon Black's advantage is anyway the equivalent being more than a rook up (Stockfish18), or even up the equivalent of a rook and a minor piece (Dragon1).
36...h5#
TEAM RESULT
| Bo. | 18 | Israel 2 | Rtg | - | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | 2 : 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 |
| 0 | - |
| 2003 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 9.2 |
| 1772 | - |
| 1950 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 9.3 |
| 1821 | - |
| 1921 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 9.4 |
| 1601 | - |
| 1903 | 0 - 1 |
European 65+ Team Pairings Round Six
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| Church of St Vasilios (Basil) in Koutouloufari - built in the 1840s around a 14th-century original |
| Bo. | 18 | Israel 2 | Rtg | - | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | 0 : 0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 |
| 0 | - |
| 2003 | |||||||
| 9.2 |
| 1772 | - |
| 1950 | |||||||
| 9.3 |
| 1821 | - |
| 1921 | |||||||
| 9.4 |
| 1601 | - |
| 1903 |
Monday, 31 August 2026
European 65+ Team: Game Five
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| 'Pirate' ship |
Mogens Thuesen (2131) - Spanton (2003)
QGD Exchange
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Bd6!?
This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 7...Bf5!? and especially 7...Be7.
8.Bd3 0-0 9.Qc2 Re8 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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White's lead in development may be why Stockfish18 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge, a verdict born out by White's score in Mega26 of 65% over 919 games.
11...a5 12.Rad1!?
This apparent-novelty - there are eight other moves in Mega26 - is quite liked by the engines, being Dragon1's top choice for a while.
12...Qc7 13.Rfe1 g5!?
This thrust is the engines' highest-rated continuation.
14.Bg3 Bxg3 15.hxg3 Qd6 16.a3 Kg7 17.e4 dxe4 18.Bxe4!?
The engines agree this is better than 18.Nxe4.
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| How should Black respond? |
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18...Nxe4?
Black is only slightly worse after 18...Nb6!?, according to the engines.
19.Nxe4 Qg6
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| How should White proceed? |
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20.d5?!
This seems premature. The engines reckon White already has a positionally won game, but it requires a more controlled build-up, starting with the rooks, eg 20.Rc1!? a4 21.Re2 Rd8 22.g4!? Rf8!? 23.Rce1 Nb6!? 24.Ne5 Qh7 25.Qc1, after which White has strong pressure, but no immediate breakthrough.
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| What should Black play to avoid a serious disadvantage? |
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20...Ne5??
Possibly OK is 20...cxd5!?, but best, according to the engines, is 20...Nf6, when White has to find 21.Nxf6!, after which 21...Qxc2?! seems to lose to 22.Nxe8+ Kg8 23.Nc7 Rb8 24.Rd2!, eg 24...Qc5 25.Re8+ Kh7 26.d6 g4 27.Nh2! Qa7 (27...Qc1+ 28.Nf1) 27.d7 Bxd7 28.Rxd7 Rxe8 29.Nxe8, White emerging with a rook and two knights for a queen. However, Black can improve with 21...Rxe1+! 22.Nxe1 Qxf6, when the engines reckon White at best has a slight edge.
21.Qc3 f6 22.Nd6
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| Black is busted |
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22...Bg4!?
Giving up the exchange like this may be Black's best try, which shows how bad Black's position is. Note that 22...Re7 23.Nxe5 Rxe5 24.Rxe5 fxe5 25.Qe5+ Qf6, hoping to drop 'only' a pawn, fails to 26.Ne8+.
23.Nxe8+ Rxe8 24.Nxe5 Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Bxd1 26.Re7+ Kf8 27.Rxb7 1-0
23.Nxe8+ Rxe8 24.Nxe5 Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Bxd1 26.Re7+ Kf8 27.Rxb7 1-0
TEAM RESULT
| Bo. | 10 | Denmark | Rtg | - | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | 2½:1½ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 |
| 2131 | - |
| 2003 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 7.2 |
| 2029 | - |
| 1950 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 7.3 |
| 1963 | - |
| 1921 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 7.4 |
| 1856 | - |
| 1903 | 0 - 1 |
European 65+ Team Pairings Round Five
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| Decorative wall |
| Bo. | 10 | Denmark | Rtg | - | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | 0 : 0 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 |
| 2131 | - |
| 2003 | |||||||
| 7.2 |
| 2029 | - |
| 1950 | |||||||
| 7.3 |
| 1963 | - |
| 1921 | |||||||
| 7.4 |
| 1856 | - |
| 1903 |
Sunday, 30 August 2026
European 65+ Team: Game Four
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| Cemetery chapel in the village of Koutouloufari |
Spanton (2003) - Paul Townsend (2102)
*****
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French Winawer
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 Ne7
This is a popular alternative to the mainline 4...c5. Often the moves transpose.
5.Bd2 b6 6.a3 Bxc3 7.Bxc3 c5 8.Bb5+
The start of a well-known manoeuvre that costs a tempo, but avoids an exchange of light-square bishops.
8...Bd7 9.Bd3 Nbc6
Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon this is better than pushing on with 9...c4!?
10.Nf3 Qc7 11.0-0
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| PT spent 25 minutes over his next move, flying in the face of John Nunn's 20-minute rule |
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Nunn wrote in Secrets Of Practical Chess (Gambit 1998): "I have observed that if a player spends more than 20 minutes over a move, the result is almost always a mistake."11...Ng6!?
The engines are not keen on this, preferring 11...cxd4 or 11...h6!? Note that 11...0-0?! allows a version of the Greek Gift sacrifice, ie 12.dxc5! (better than immediately capturing on h7) bxc5 13.Bxh7+! Kxh7 14.Ng5+, when the engines continue 14...Kg6 15.Qg4 f5 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Nxe6+, with a large advantage for White. After the engines' top choice, 11...cxd4, they reckon best-play runs 12.Nxd4!? (12.Bxd4? Nxd4 13.Nxd4 Qxe5 is good for Black) Nxe5 13.Nb5, when White has good compensation for a pawn after both 13...Bxb5 and 13...Qb8.
12.Re1 0-0
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| Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position? |
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Black has strong pressure against White's centre, but the centre gives White kingside attacking chances, and the engines agree White has the upper hand.
13.h4!?
Apparently a novelty, which the engines reckon is an improvement on Dimitrios Mastrovasilis (2621) - Alexei Shirov (2705), European Team Championship (Porto Carras, Greece) 2011, which went 13.Qd2 a5 14.Qe3!? Nce7!? 15.g3 Nef5 16.Qd2, with at least a slight edge for White, according to the engines (½–½, 63 moves). However, the engines reckon that better than both moves is another apparent-novelty in 13.dxc5!?, the idea being to meet 13...bxc5 with 14.b4!?
13...h6
On 13...cxd4 the engines agree 14.Bb4!? is strong, eg 14...Nxb4 15.axb4 h6 16.h5!? Nf4 17.Bf1 Nxh5 18.Qxd4 g5!? 19.Ra3!?, with an attack worth more than the pawn sacrificed. A possible improvement for Black is 14...Ngxe5!? 15.Nxe5 Nxe5 16.Bxf8 Rxf8 17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Qxe5 Qxe5 20.Rxe5 f6, although the engines reckon Black does not have enough for the exchange.
14.Bf1!? cxd4 15.Bxd4 Nxd4 16.Qxd4 Qxc2
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| How should White proceed? |
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17.Rac1
This is enough for a slight edge, according to the engines, but they reckon Rac1 should be preceded by 17.h5!? Ne7.
17...Qa4 18.Qxa4!? Bxa4 19.Rc7
The engines reckon 19.Ba6!? gives White at least enough for a pawn.
19...Rfc8 20.Rec1 Rxc7 21.Rxc7 Bd1!? 22.h5!?
The engines agree this is best.
22...Nf4
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| What should White play? |
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23.Ba6?
After 23.Nd4 Bxh5 24.g3 Ng6 25.f4, the engines reckon White has full compensation for being two pawns down.
23...Bxf3 24.gxf3 Nxh5
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| Rook and bishop usually make a better team than rook and knight, but here White is two pawns down and has a chronically weak kingside |
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25.Rd7!?
Black can meet 25.Bb7 with 25...Rd8, getting behind the passed pawn.
25...Nf4 26.Bb7 Rb8 27.Ba6 Ng6 28.Rxa7 Nxe5 29.f4 Ng6 30.f5!?
The best try, but completely inadequate.
30...exf5 31.Bd3 Nf4 32.Bxf5 Rd8 33.Rd7!? Rxd7 34.Bxd7 Kf8 35.b4 Ke7 36.Ba4 Kd6 37.f3 Ke5 38.Bd1 Kd4 39.a4 Kc4 40.b5 Kb4 41.Bc2 g5 42.Kf2 h5 43.Kg3 d4 0-1
TEAM RESULT
| Bo. | 13 | England 3 | Rtg | - | 8 | England 2 | Rtg | 2 : 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 |
| 2003 | - |
| 2102 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 5.2 |
| 1950 | - |
| 1996 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 5.3 |
| 1921 | - | AFM |
| 1980 | 1 - 0 | |||||
| 5.4 |
| 1903 | - |
| 2012 | 1 - 0 |
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