Lessons From Bad Bertrich II

MY round-two game, in which I was White against Wolf Ebert (1725), was a French Defence that began 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3.

A position familiar to every tournament player, even if it has not appeared in one of their games

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The position occurs 239,392 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with the most popular continuations being 3...dxe4 (27,031 games), 3...Nf6 (94,362) and 3...Bb4 (106,481).

Geoffrey Stern (1931, Luxembourg) told me later that, although he had played the French for many years, my opponent's continuation was one that GS had never even considered playing.

The move my opponent played was 3...Ne7!?, which frankly looks rather silly at first, but appears 251 times in Mega26.

One of my first thoughts was to reply 4.Be3, to make it difficult for Black to get in ...c5. But then one of the points of my opponent's move becomes apparent, as he can play 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Nf5, with ...Nxe3 to come, when Black at least has the bishop-pair for his trouble.

I finally settled on 4.Bd3, which is reasonable enough, but the commonest continuation in Mega26, and the top choice of Stockfish18 and Dragon1, is 4.Nf3.

(Note that a move such as 3...Ne7!?, no matter how awful it may look, cannot be refuted out of hand - there is no tactical blow to punish Black.)

After 4.Nf3, the engines for quite some time completely disagree as to how Black should continue, but eventually agree that best is 4...Nbc6!?

This may look odd, but a knight on c6 is well-placed to harass a white bishop on d3 (by continuing ...Nb4) and may support a later ...e5.

After 4...Nbc6!?, the continuation 5.Bd3 scores a disappointing 47% in Mega26, but 5.e5, ensuring Black cannot play ...e5 in the foreseeable future, rings up a much more satisfactory 61%.

Black can attack the head of the pawn chain with 5...f6 - Nimzowitsch might have disapproved - when the relatively high-level game, Yunguo Wan (2471) - Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen (2579), PGMA Cup (Manilia, Philippines) 2008, continued 6.exf6 gxf6 7.Nh4!? Ng6?! (the engines reckon 7...Bg7 improves) 8.Qh5 Ne7 9.Nxg6 Nxg6 10.Bd3 f5 11.Bg5 Be7 12.h4 Qd6 13.0-0-0 Bd714.Bxe7 Kxe7! (14...Qxe7 15.Nxd5!) 15.g3 Rag8, when the engines agree White has at least the upper hand, but the game was drawn after 41 moves.

A later game, but also at quite a high level, Axel Delorme (2495) - Aleks Sahakyan (2243), Chess.com Blitz 2023, varied with 7.Bd3. There followed 7...a6!? 8.Bf4 Ng6 9.Bg3 Bd6 10.Qe2 Nb4!? 11.0-0-0 Nxd3 12.Rxd3 Nf4!? 13.Bxf4 Bxf4+14.Kb1, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines (but 0-1, 49 moves).

LESSON: following established theory is often be safe and reliable, if a little predictable, but striking out on one's own, even with a move that may cause 'superior' players to smile or wince, can be invigorating, and may bring surprising success if the move is played with specific worked-out ideas in mind.

Chess Tip Of The Day 529

It's better not to change entire lines or systems, but to tinker a bit so as to make one less predictable, while retaining the knowledge of the ideas behind the lines.

Junior Tay, Chess magazine

Lessons From Bad Bertrich

I CAN recall reading an article by Cecil Purdy, the first chess world correspondence champion, in which he stated that, though it is hard to believe, novices can struggle with mate-in-one problems.

It is easy to laugh at such difficulties, but I suppose the equivalent among experienced players would be to miss a mate-in-two.

Unfortunately, that happened to me in the 50+ at Bad Bertrich in game one, in which I was Black against Jürgen Dieter (1769).

The critical position arose after White's 40th move

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Knowing something is on, it is not difficult to find 40...Rb3+! 41.axb3 Rxb3#.

The situation of the white king, and specifically its inability to retreat, is a little unusual, but hardly unprecedented.

I have preached in previous blogs about how I try to follow a mantra, Captures-Checks-Hangers-Threats, at every move.

This entails firstly looking at every possible capture, not matter how apparently absurd, followed by looking at every possible check, again no matter how foolish-looking.

I am then supposed to look at hangers, ie pieces and pawns that are not protected, and so are 'hanging' or 'loose'. If a player has two or more, a forking combination may be in the air.

And finally I look at threats, eg a minor piece that can 'hit' the opponent's queen, or a pawn advancing against a piece short of squares, or a move lining up a checkmate.

The mantra takes longer to explain that it usually takes to carry out - most possible captures, for example, can be dismissed at once as of poor value, and lots of possible checks are either pointless or downright harmful to the checking side.

But if, in the diagrammed position, I had seriously considered, just for a moment, ...Rb3+, I would surely have seen that it was by no means as ridiculous as it might appear at first sight.

LESSON: there is no point in having a mantra if you do not use it.

Chess Tip Of The Day 528

A growing trend in modern chess is to know as many different openings as possible, making it harder for opponents to prepare.

Simon Williams, Chess magazine

Summing Up Bad Bertrich 50+

Carving - Falkenlay

My score of +5=3-1 gained 35.4 Fide elo. I finished equal 3rd-4th, but was placed third on tiebreak (average rating of opponents), winning 150 euros (fourth won 120 euros).

Chess Tip Of The Day 527

Knights and bishops are normally the most important pieces in the middlegame. The reason is simple: rooks and queens are more susceptible to incoming fire than minor pieces.

Jacob Aagaard, Excelling At Positional Chess

Bad Bertrich 50+ Game Nine

Heron (or similar)

I was upfloated two points to top board against the No1 seed, an international master who had won his first eight games.

Spanton (1997) - Dieter Pirrot (2321)

French Burn

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4!?

This lags behind 4...Be7 in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but is fashionable, and is preferred by Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Nxf6+!?

The main move in Mega26 is 6.Bxf6, after which Black chooses between 6...Bxf6, which can transpose to the game, and 6...gxf6, when Black keeps the bishop-pair, at the expense of a damaged kingside pawn-structure.

6...Bxf6

6...gxf6!? seems to make less sense now, as Black no longer gains the bishop-pair, but it has been played by grandmasters

7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nf3 0-0 9.Qd3!?

The engines prefer this, marginally, over the much more common 9.Bd3.

9...c5 10.0-0-0!?

This is the point behind 9.Qd3!?

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

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White has a slight lead in development, which may be enough for an edge, although the engines' evaluations fluctuate, with Stockfish18 starting off by giving White a slight edge, whereas at the same moment Dragon1 calls the game completely equal. But slowly the two engines' evaluations converge, and briefly Dragon1 is more fond of White's position than is Stockfish18.

10...Rd8 11.Qe3?!

White has problems after this. Probably best is 11.Qe4, and if, as in the game, 11...Nc6, White has time for 12.Bd3, when Kramnik has tried 12...Nxd4!? 13.Qxh7+ Kf8, but the engines give White at least a slight edge. They prefer 12...Qh6+ 13.Kb1, and either 12...cxd4 or 12...Nxd4, winning a pawn, but with White having good compensation, eg 12...Nxd4 (Stockfish18's top choice) 13.Rhe1!? Rb8!? (apparently a novelty) 14.Nxd4 cxd4 (14...Rxd4? 15.Qe5) 15.Qe5 Bd7 16.Be4 Qf6!? 17.Qxf6 gxf6 18.Rxd4, when White has regained the pawn, and has the better structure.

11...Nc6 12.d5!?

Maksim Chigaev (2632) - Vladimir Kramnik (2753), Chess.com Blitz 2023, went 12.Bd3?! cxd4 13.Qe4 g6 14.Rhe1 Bd7, with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines (0-1, 42 moves).

12...exd5

How should White proceed?

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13.Qxc5

Possibly better is 13.Rxd5!? Be6 (13...Rxd5?? 14.Qe8#) 14.Rxd8+ Rxd8, and now either 15.a3 or 15.Bd3, but in each case the engines reckon Black has at least the better part of equality.

13...Bf5!?

This apparent-novelty, targeting c3, is the top choice of Dragon1, for a while, but it comes to concur with Stockfish18 in preferring the known 13...Bg4, when 14.Be2 Rac8 gave Black an initiative in Aspasia Giaidzi (2360) - Susan Lalić (2320), Athens Scheveningen (Women) 1992 (0-1, 47 moves), and Gyula Mészáros (2419) - Kornél Szalai (2315), Hungarian Team Championship 2006 (1-0, 44 moves).

14.Nd4!

If 14.Bd3, Black has 14...Bg4!?, when White has nothing better than 15.Be2, transferring to the previous note.

14...Nxd4 15.Qxd4 Rac8 16.c3 Qh6+

The engines suggest 16...Qg5+!? 17.f4, and now 17...Qh6, claiming Black is at least slightly better, one point being 18.Bd3 (this is best, according to the engines) can be met by 18...Be4!?, when f4 is hanging, along with g2.

17.Qd2?

White has no problems after 17.Rd2, according to the engines.

Black to play and gain what the engines reckon is a positionally won game

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17...d4?
White does not have a satisfactory answer to 17...Qg6!, according to the engines, the threat being 18...d4. White can stop this with 18.Qd4, but 18...Bb1 threatens both mate and the a2 pawn. White can stop both of these with 19.Bd3, but 19...Bxd3 20.Qxd3 allows 20...Qxg2, when the half-open g file is not of much use to White, with only heavy pieces on the board. Other queen moves by Black are also better than the text.

18.Qxh6 gxh6 19.Bd3 Be6 20.Bb1

Not 20.Kb1 dxc3 21.bxc3, as Stockfish18 points out the possibility of 21...Rxd3!! 22.Rxd3 Bf5 23.Kc2 Rd8 24.Rhd1 b5, when it is only now Dragon1 sees the danger. The point is that the black rook and bishop are holding all three white pieces in place, meaning Black has a free piece in the shape of the king. A sample line runs 25.Rd1 Kg7 26.Rd2 h5 27.Rd2 h4 28.Rd1 Kh6 29.Rd2 Kg5 30.h3 Be4 31.Rd1 Kf4 f5 32.Rd1 Ke5 33.Rd2 f4 34.f3 Bxd3+ 35.Rxd3 Rxd3 36.Kxd3 Kd5, when Black's reserve tempi make this an easily won pawn ending, eg 37.a3 a5 38.Kd2 Kc4 39.Kc2 a4 etc.

20...b5 21.Rd3 dxc3

If 21...b4, then 22.Rhd1 bxc3 23.bxc3, when both black further captures on c3 lose.

22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.bxc3

Who, if anyone, has the advantage in this rook-and-bishop ending?

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Neither side, it seems - the engines call the game completely equal.

23...Bc4

The engines suggest 23...Rc8 or 23...Rb8!?

24.Re1

Both engines are at first are quite enthusiastic about 24.Rd1, but Stockfish18 soon changes its assessment to equal, although Dragon1 persists in awarding White a slight edge.

24...Rd6 25.Re3 Rf6 26.f3 Ra6 27.Kb2 Rd6 28.Kc1 Kg7 29.a3 Ra6 30.Kb2 Rd6 31.Kc1 Ra6 ½–½

Chess Tip Of The Day 526

A pawn advantage in a pawn ending is much easier to realise than one in a bishop or knight ending.

John Emms, Starting Out: Minor Piece Endings

Bad Bertrich 50+ Game Eight ADDENDUM

JOE Skielnik points out that in the line 18...Nxe4 19.fxe4 f5 20.Bxg7+! Kg8!, White is not forced to allow the perpetual that follows 21.Bxf8, and can instead play 21.Bf3!?, giving the following position.

Play should then continue 21...Qxf3+ 22.Qf2, after which best may be 22...Qh1+ 23.Qg1 Qxg1+ 24.Kxg1 Kxg7

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Black is two pawns up, but Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon White has full compensation, one line running 25.Nxb6 Rad8 26.Rxd7+ Rxd7 27.Nxd7 Rg8!? 28.exf5 exf5 29.Kf2.

Position after 29.Kf2

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White has three connected pawns against Black's three isolanis, but Black has the better minor piece for working with a rook, especially in an open game with play on both sides of the board.

The position is completely equal, according to the engines, but would be fascinating to play out over the board.

Bad Bertrich 50+ Game Eight

Beaver (I think) preening itself - three days after a wild boar rushed past within 20 yards of where I was walking on a forest track (but I did not even come close to snapping a pic of that animal)

I was downfloated.

Spanton (1997) - Horst Prüsse (2006)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6 3.c4!?

This is the third-most popular response to the O'Kelly Variation of the Sicilian, behind 3.c3 and especially 3.d4 in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but it is the top choice of Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

3...e6 4.Nc3 Qc7!?

This committal move with the queen is easily the commonest continuation in Mega26, and was the choice of Albéric O'Kelly de Galway when he reached the position in 1948, although 15 years later he preferred 4...Nc6 (both games were drawn).

5.d4 cxd4 6.Nxd4 b6!?

This was O'Kelly's choice is the 1948 game, his opponent replying 7.Bd3.

7.Be3 Nc6 8.Rc1!? Nf6

Branko Damljanović (2504) - Igor Miladinović (2536), Serbian Team Championship 2021, went 8...Bb7 9.a3!? Nf6 10.Be2 Bc5 11.b4 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 Bd6!? 13.Qd3 Rc8!? 14.g3 h5!? 15.h4, with at least a slight edge for White, according to the engines (½–½, 37 moves).

9.Be2 Bb4 10.f3 0-0 11.Qd2!? Kh8!? 12.0-0

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

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The opening has been a success for White. Black has not challenged the Maróczy Bind with any of the three classic pawn-breaks, ...b5, ...d5 and ...f5, and White is ahead on development. The engines give White the upper hand.

12...Nxd4 13.Bxd4 Bc5 14.Rfd1 Bb7 15.Na4 Bd6 16.g3?

White has at least the upper hand after both 16.h3 and 16.e5!?, according to the engines, eg 16.e5!? Bxe5 17.Bxe5 Qxe5 18.Nxb6.

16...Bxg3! 17.hxg3 Qxg3+ 18.Kf1

Black to play and (at least) draw

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18...Bxe4?

Correct is 18...Nxe4 19.fxe4 f5 20.Bxg7+! (everything else loses) Kg8! (White wins after 20...Kxg7? 21.Qc3, and is on top after 20...Qxg7?! 21.Qe3!) 21.Bxf8 Qh3+ 22.Kf2 Qh4+ 23.Kf1 (not 23.Ke3? Qxe4+ 24.Kf2 Qg2+ 25.Ke3 Qg3+ 26.Bf3 Qxf3+ 27.Kd4 e5+ 28.Kxe5 Qe4+, when mate follows in short-order) Qh3+ etc.

19.fxe4 Qh3+ 20.Ke1 Nxe4 21.Qf4

Not the only winning move.

21...Qh1+ 22.Qf1 Qh4 23.Bf2

White's king has no pawn cover, but Black's attack is over, and White has emerged with two bishops for four pawns

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23...Qe7 24.Nc3 f5 25.Qg2 d5!?

Seeking to open lines to the white king, or create a big pawn-roller, but only a major blunder can change the outcome.

26.cxd5 exd5 27.Nxd5 Qd6 28.Bd4 Rg8 29.Nc3 Qh6 30.Nxe4 fxe4 31.Rc3 e3!? 32.Bxe3 Qh4+ 33.Bf2 Qb4 34.Rd2 Rad8!? 35.Rxd8 Rxd8 36.Qg5 Re8 37.Qd2 Qe4 38.Re3 Qb1+ 39.Qd1 Qg6 40.Rxe8+ Qxe8 41.Bxb6 1-0