BEAU CHESS - the post-work workings-out of a chess amateur

I begin this blog after getting back into league chess following many years' absence due to work. My post-job status also means I am able to play more tournament chess. My new club in London is Battersea and my first game for them is on Thursday September 14, 2017. I start with a Fide rating of 1858, an ECF grade of 169 (=1968 elo) and an ICCF correspondence rating of 2267. My current Fide is 1908, my ECF is 1938 and my ICCF is 2369.

Friday, 10 April 2026

League Chess

PLAYED last night on board one (of five) for Battersea against Railsport in Central London League Division Two.

Spanton (1938) - William Taylor (2012)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.c3!?

The main moves in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database are 4.Bxc6 and especially 4.0-0.

4...Nf6 5.Qe2 Bg7 6.d4 cxd4 7.cxd4 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.0-0 0-0

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

*****

White's extra space in the centre may be why Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge.

10.Nc3!?

This is the main move in Mega26, even though after ...

10...Nxc3 11.bxc3

... White has a backward pawn on a half-open file.

11...Na5 12.Ba3

The position after 11...Na5 is reached 12 times in Mega26, with White trying seven different moves, including the text.

12...Bd7 13.Bd3 Rc8 14.Rfc1

The engines suggest 14.Qe1!?, which protects c3 while keeping the option of kingside play.

14...Nc4 15.Bxc4

The engines give 15.Bc5 b6 16.Bxc4 bxc5!? 17.Bxd5 Bg4, reckoning Black has full compensation for a pawn.

How should Black recapture?

*****

15...Rxc4

The engines agree this is the better move as after 15...dxc4?! White has a freer hand on the kingside, now that the c file is closed.

16.Nd2 Ra4 17.Bb2 Bh6 18.Rd1

I picked up the rook, intending to play 18.Rf1?, but White is in trouble after the reply 18...Qb6, when Black has two major threats: 19...Qxb2 and 19...Bb5.

18...Bxd2

The engines prefer 18...Qc7 or 18...Qc8, with Dragon1 also liking 18...Bg7!?

19.Rxd2 Qa5 20.a3 Qa6 21.Qxa6

The engines reckon it is better for White to keep queens on.

21...Rxa6

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

*****

White has an awful bishop, but it protects important pawns, while the black bishop, although it has lovely diagonals to work on, has no targets. The engines award Black a slight edge.

22.Re1

But the engines strongly dislike this, preferring 22.Bc1!?

22...Rb6 23.f3 Rb3 24.Ree2 Rc8 25.Rf2 h5 26.h4 a5 ½–½

The engines reckon Black has the upper hand. A sample line: 27.Kh2 a4 28.Kg3 Bb5 29.Rd1 Bc4 30.Kf4 f6!? 31.Re1 Rc6 32.Rc1!? Kf8 33.Rcc2 Kf7 34.Rc1 Ke6 34.Rcc2 Kd7 35.Rcd2 Ke6, after which they still give Black at least the upper hand, but Black does not seem to have made any progress, and it may well be progress is not possible.

The match was tied 2.5-2.5.

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

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.

Thursday, 9 April 2026

Thoughts On Daventry

IT can be argued there are two types of chess book - those that should be studied, and those that can be consumed using the read-and-nod method.

The latter is a disparaging description of how many club players treat every chess book they buy.

Instead of trying to improve with the help of hard graft, we have a tendency to hope the contents of a book can somehow be absorbed through a process akin to osmosis.

I cannot recall where I first came across the term "read-and-nod," but there are some chess books that it is OK not to study too seriously.

One is Andrew Soltis's Transpo Tricks In Chess (Batsford, 2007).

The book is optimistically subtitled Finesse Your Chess And Win

The blurb on the back cover explains: "A transposition is a known position reached by a different move-order than usual. There are transpositional tricks in all openings, but this is the first book devoted to them."

I was able to use a 'transpo trick' in my round-one game of the Four Nations Chess League's Easter Congress, where I had black against Phil Watkinson (1682 ECF/1717 Fide).

He did not have many published games, but from what I could find I came to the following conclusions.

A) He always opens1.d4, and nearly always follows up with 2.c4.

B) If I play my normal stuff, the game would begin 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 - the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit.

C) In the Exchange he likes to develop the king's knight at e2, which is generally regarded as more dangerous for Black than developing it at f3.

D) There was a possibility that if I varied by, for example, playing 1...Nf6, he might vary in turn with the Trompowsky (2.Bg5), although, to be fair, both games in which he played 2.Bg5 were when Black opened with 1...f5.

The game began, as expected, with 1.d4, to which I replied 1...e6.

I reasoned that the chances of a confirmed 1.d4 player continuing with 2.e4 were small, and that anyway he would not have been familiar with the resulting French Defence positions (I should have checked before the game to see if PW played the French as Black, but omitted to do that).

There was a possibility he would avoid 2.c4 in favour of some anti-Dutch idea as 1.d4 e6 2.c4 is a move-order often played by blacks wanting a Dutch, which would come with 2...f5, while avoiding the Staunton Gambit (1.d4 f5 2.e4) and the fashionable 1.d4 f5 2.Bg5.

However, PW stuck to his guns with 2.c4, when I could have got back into my normal repertoire with 2...d5, after which there might well have come 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5.

Instead I played 2...Nf6, 'threatening' a Nimzo-Indian Defence. If 3.Nc3 had appeared, I would almost certainly have replied 3...d5, having gained nothing from my move-order.

But instead PW played 3.Nf3, perhaps expecting a Queen's Indian (3...b6) or Bogo-Indian (3...Bb4+).

However, I continued 3...d5, when 4.cxd5 would have been a QGD Exchange, but one in which White had already committed the king's knight to f3.

Instead he played 4.Nc3, when 4...Be7, 4...c6 and 4...Nbd7 can all lead to main lines of the Queen's Gambit Declined, while 4...Bb4 is a Ragozin.

I chose arguably Black's sharpest continuation, 4...c5, and met the mainline 5.cxd5 with 5...cxd4!?, which is less common, but sharper, than 5...exd5 and 5...Nxd5.

It is possible PW knew the line as he played 6.Qa4+!? quite quickly, and met 6...Bd7 more-or-less immediately with the admittedly forced 7.Qxd4.

White, at least temporarily, is a pawn up after 7.Qxd4

*****

However, I suspect he was in unchartered waters as, after 7...exd5, he took quite some time before eventually regaining the pawn-plus with 8.Nxd5, the point being Black then has 8...Qa5+ 9.Nc3 Nc6, with decent compensation, and I went on to win, helped, I am sure, by my greater familiarity with the resulting positions.

Now, it could be argued that, outrating my opponent by almost 200 Fide, and comfortably more than 200 ECF, I had no need to use a 'transpo trick' to help win the game.

Then again, I have my fair share of losses to players rated much lower than PW, and, at least on this occasion, the strategy worked.

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the Battersea club championship.

Michael Krautzberger (1505) - Spanton (1938)

Sicilian Alapin

1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6!? 3.d4 d5 4.exd5!?

There are 6,208 games with this continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, keeping the game in independent Alapin lines, whereas there are 3,928 games with 4.e5, transposing into the Advance Variation of the French.

4...exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Be3 cxd4!? 7.Nxd4 Bd6

Black has felt obliged to take spend a tempo (6...cxd4!?) in accepting an isolated queen's pawn, but in compensation the white dark-square bishop is not particularly actively placed and the white queen's knight will take two tempi to reach the active f3 square, now that c3 is occupied

*****

8.Bd3 Nf6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nd2

How should Black proceed?

*****

10...Ng4!

This was probably also good at move nine, which is why Stockfish171.1 and Dragon1 recommended h3 on the last two moves.

11.Nxc6?

Allowing a simple zwischenzug, although 11.N2f3 Nxe3 also favours Black.

11...Bxh2+ 12.Kh1 bxc6 13.g3?

This only makes matters worse.

13...Nxe3 14.Qh5 g6 15.Qxh2 Nxf1 16.Rxf1

Black is 'only' up the exchange and a pawn, but Black's advantage is close to the equivalent of a whole rook, according to the engines

*****

16...Qf6 17.Kg2 Kg7 18.Be2 Rh8 19.Nf3 Bg4 20.Rh1 Bxf3+ 21.Bxf3 h6 22.Qh3 Rab8 23.Qxd7 Rxb2 24.Qxa7 Qxc3 25.Rh4 Rhb8 26.Rf4 R8b7 27.Qa4 Qc2 28.Qd4+ Kg8 29.Bh5? gxh5 30.Qf6 Qg6 31.Qd8+ Kg7 32.Ra4 Rxf2+! 33.Kxf2 Qc2+ 0-1

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

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.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Summing Up Daventry

MY score of +3=1-1 (I also took two halfpoint byes) in the Four Nations Chess League's U2000 Easter tournament gained 1.4 ECF elo and 2.6 Fide elo.

Monday, 6 April 2026

4NCL Easter Round Seven

TOOK a halfpoint bye in this morning's round six.

David Flynn (1867 ECF/1816 Fide) - Spanton (1944 ECF/1908 Fide)

Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Qa4 d6 7.e5 dxe5 8.Nxe5

This position occurs 1,784 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database - how should Black proceed?

*****

8...Bg7!?

Offering at least one pawn. The main line in Mega26 runs 8...Bd7 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 10.Be3 Bg7 11.Rd1 Qc8!? 12.Be2 0-0 13.0-0, when White's bishop-pair and lead in development outweigh Black having the only pawn on the two centre files, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

9.Bb5

This is the most popular move in Mega26. It is also marginally the top choice of Dragon1, and will quite possibly give White the option of grabbing two pawns. Stockfish17.1, however, for quite some time marginally prefers 9.Nxc6, before coming to see the two moves as more-or-less exactly equal. After 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qxc6 Bd7, Stockfish17.1 reckons Black has sufficient compensation for a pawn, but Dragon1 gives White a slight edge.

9...0-0 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bxc6 Rb8!?

Offering a second pawn. Instead 11...Bd7 12.Bxd7 Nxd7!? divides the engines as before, with Stockfish17.1 calling the position equal, while Dragon1 slightly prefers White. At move 12, instead of capturing on d7, White can also castle.

What should White play?

*****

12.0-0

This is the engines' recommendation. After 12.Qxa7!? they suggest an apparent-novelty in 12...Qd6!? (12...Bf5 is known), when 13.Bf3 Ba6 gives a sharp position with what the engines reckon are equal chances.

12...Bf5

More popular, and possibly marginally better, is 12...Qc7, while 12...a5!? has scored very well in practice.

13.Rd1 Qc7 14.Bf3 Rfc8!?

This may be new, and is the top choice of Dragon1, whereas Stcokfish17.1 prefers the known 14...a5.

15.Re1!?

Presumably in the hope of playing Bf4 without Black being able to reply ...e5. The engines suggest 15.h3 or 15.Rb1, but are fine with the text.

15...e5 16.Ne4 Bd7

The engines reckon Black should regain the sacrificed pawn immediately with 16...Nxe4 17.Bxe4 Bxe4 18.Qxe4 Qxc2.

17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Qa6!? Rb6 19.Qe2 Qxc2 20.Qxc2 Rxc2

The pawn has been regained anyway, and the game is equal, according to the engines

*****

21.Be4 Rc7 22.b3 Be6 23.Bd2 Rd6

Perhaps 23...Ra6!?, with queenside pressure, is a tad better.

24.Be3 Bg7 25.Rac1 Rxc1 26.Rxc1 Ra6 27.Bb1 Ra5?!

The engines suggest 27...Bf8, 27...f5 or 27...e4!?

28.Rc5 Rxc5 29.Bxc5 a6 30.Bd3 Bc8 31.f3

Trying to centralise the king as quickly as possible, but 31.Bd6 gives White at least a slight edge, according to the engines.

31...Bf8 32.Bb6 Bb4 33.Kf2 Kf8 34.Ke3 f5 35.Bc4 Bb7 36.g3 Ke7 37.g4!? h6 38.gxf5 gxf5

Giving Black a 2-1 central pawn-majority seems a little strange, but the engines call the position completely equal

*****

39.Bd3 Bc8 40.Bc4 h5!? 41.Bd5 Be6 42.Bc6

Exchanging bishops is also OK for White, according to the engines.

42...h4!? 43.Bb7 a5 44.Bc6 Kd6 45.Bb7 Bc5+!?

There seems no other way to make progress. Dragon1 at first reckons the text gives Black the upper hand, but eventually agrees with Stockfish17.1 that the game remains equal.

46.Bxc5+ Kxc5

How should White continue?

*****

47.Kd3!?

The engines reckon both 47.f4!? e4 48.Ba6 and the immediate 47.Ba6!? are completely equal. Stockfish17.1 is also fine with the text, at least at first, but Dragon1 instantly calls it losing. Given more time, the engines come to agree it leaves Black slightly better. One point about 47.Ba6!? is that after 47...Kb4 48.Bd3 Ka3 49.Bb5 Kxa2 White has the neat trick 50.Bc4!, with what the engines reckon is complete equality.

47...Kb4

White seems to have only one drawing move

*****

48.Kc2

This looks natural, but the engines show White has to play 48.Ke3! Ka3 49.Ba6!?, again relying on the neat trick 49...Kxa2 50.Bc4!

48...Ka3 49.Kb1 Bd7 50.Bd5 Bb5 51.Kc2!?

The best try, but it should not save White.

51...Kb4!?

This may win, but other moves, eg 51...f4!?, are more convincing. However, not 51...Kxa2? 52.b4+.

52.a4?!

The engines suggest 52.Be6 f4 53.Kb2!?, but agree 53...e4!? is one of several winning moves. However, after, 54.Bg4 e3 55.a3+ Kc5 56. Kc3 Bc2 57.b4+ axb4 58.axb4+ Kd6!?, the picture is not as clear as Dragon1's assessment of +3.48 for Black makes it appear. Instead Stockfish17.1's +1.29, ie the upper hand, rather than winning, may be nearer the mark.

52...Bd7 53.Kb2 Kc5 54.Bb7 Be6 55.Kc3 f4!?

This is probably the key move, which has to be played at some point to bring home the full point.

56.Be4 Bd7

Also winning is 56...Bd5!?, but the lines get hairy, eg 57.Bxd5 Kxd5 58.Kd3 h3! 59.Kc3 e4 60.fxe4+ Kxe4 61.Kd2 f3 62.Ke1 Ke3 63.Kf1 f3, when there is no stalemate as White has to play the losing 64.b4. Alternatively, 58.b4 axb4+ 59.Kxb4 Kd4! 60.a5 e4 61.a6 e3 62.a7 e2 also loses as after 63.a8=Q Black queens with check, 63...e1=Q+, and then 64.Kb5 Qe2+ 65.Kb6 Qe6+ 66.Kc7 Qe5+ 67.Kd7 Qd5+ forces queens off, leaving Black with a winning pawn ending. Engines see these lines in the blink of a (human) eye, but over-the-board for club players it is another matter.

57.Bb7

DF offered a draw.

57...Bf5 58.Ba6

Or 58.Ba8 Be6 with ...Bd5 to come. The text is the engines' top choice.

58...e4 59.fxe4 Bxe4 60.Bc4 Bg2 61.Kd3

This lets Black get bishops off, but 61.Kd2 is also hopeless after, for example, 61...Bd5.

61...Bf1+ 62.Ke4 Bxc4 63.bxc4

Black wins the pawn race

*****

63...Kxc4 64.Kxf4 Kb4 65.Kg4 Kxa4 66.Kxh4 Kb3 67.Kg5 a4 68.h4 a3 69.h5 a2 70.h6 a1=Q 71.Kg6 Qh8 0-1

Sunday, 5 April 2026

4NCL Easter Round Five

FACED an Iranian in the second of today's double-round games.

Spanton (1944 ECF/1908 Fide) - Hooman Honarvarmahalati (1865 ECF/1837 Fide)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nc3!?

This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 5.d4 and especially 5.0-0.

5...f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 Bd7 9.Be3 0-0-0 10.f3 h5 11.0-0-0

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

*****

As usual in the Exchange Variation of the Spanish, it is a battle between White's superior pawn-structure and Black's bishop-pair. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 give Black the better part of equality.

11...Nh6 12.a3!? Nf7 13.Nce2 c5 14.Nb3 b6 15.Nf4 Ne5 16.Nd2 Bd6 17.h3 Kb7 18.Nd5 c6

How should White proceed?

*****

19.Nxb6??

The knight had to retreat, and Stockfish17.1 reckons the better square is c3, although Dragon1 fluctuates between that and f4.

19...Kxb6 20.f4 Kc7??

20...Nf7 wins.

21.fxe5 Bxe5 22.Nc4!?

The engines agree this is better than taking the pawn immediately with 22.Bxc5, but it results in a position with opposite-colour bishops, which engines can have difficulty assessing, at least in an ending.

22...Be6

The engines prefer 22...Be8!?, the point being to get in a quick ...Bg6, attacking d4.

23.Nxe5 fxe5 24.Bxc5 Bc4

The engines suggest 24...Rd7 or 24...h4!?

25.b3 Bf7 26.Bb4

The engines reckon White is winning after 26.Rde1!? or 26.Rdf1 Bg6 27.Re1.

26...Rxd1+ 27.Rxd1 Bg6 28.Bd6+ Kc8 29.Bxe5

Again the engines prefer 29.Re1.

29...Bxe4 30.g3 Rg8

Possibly better is giving up the g pawn for active play, eg 30...Re8!? 31.Bxg7 Bf5 32.Rd4!? Bxh3, when White has a slight edge (Stockfish17.1) or at best the upper hand (Dragon1).

31.Rd4 Rg2 32.h4 g6 33.Ra4 Re8!?

This is almost certainly better than 33...Kb7, when 34.Rb4+ forces the black king to the a file as 34...Kc8?? loses to 35.Rb8+.

34.Bf4 Kb7 35.Rb4+ Ka7

Black's king has been forced to the a file anyway, but at least the black rook is active

*****

36.Kd2

The engines reckon 36.Bd6!? (threatening 37.Bc5+ and 38.Rb6) is even stronger, eg 36...Re2 37.Kd1 Bf3!? 38.Rf4 Re6+ 39.Rxf3 Rxd6+ 40.Ke2, when White is a pawn up in a rook-and-pawn ending, and has fewer pawn islands.

36...c5!?

The engines like this, along with 36...a5.

37.Rc4 Rd8+?!

Probably better is 37...Kb6, and if 38.Be3, then 38...Re5.

38.Ke2?

Definitely better is 38.Kc3, after which White will win the c5 pawn without allowing rooks to come off.

38...Rd5 39.Be3 Kb6 40.b4 Kb5 41.Rxc5+ Rxc5 42.Bxc5

White is two pawns up, but the ending is drawn

*****

42...a5 43.Ke3 axb4 44.Bxb4!?

The reason for capturing this way will soon become apparent.

44...Bh3 45.Kd4 Be6

HH offered a draw.

46.Bf8 Ba2 47.c4+!?

This is the point of capturing with the bishop at move 44 - at least White's queenside pawns can be mobile.

47...Kc6

Not 47...Bxc4?? 48.a4+ etc.

48.a4 Bb1 49.a5 Bf5 50.Bc5 Bc8 51.Bb6 Be6 52.c5 Bc8 53.Ke5 Ba6 54.Kf6 Bd3 55.a6 Bxa6 56.Kxg6 Be2 ½–½

4NCL Easter Round Four

FACED a Chinese woman.

Ran Li (1701 ECF/1699 Fide) - Spanton (1944 ECF/1908 Fide)

Vienna Game

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.d4!?

A relatively unusual continuation, but there are 1,152 examples in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, where it scores a very good 59%. RL explained afterwards that although it has little or no coverage in books, there is quite a lot of information about it online.

3...exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qc4!?

After 5.Qe3 the game would have transposed to the fashionable Centre Game, the normal move-order being 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3, a position occurring 3,464 times in Mega26.

After 5.Qc4!?, how should Black respond?

*****

5...Be7

Most games have continued with the active 5...Bb4, a move also common in the Centre Game, but the text has been played by Rubinstein and Shirov.

6.Bd2

RL suggested the bishop might be better off on f4 or g5, and Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 agree.

6...0-0 7.0-0-0

With both sides castling quickly, how would you assess the position?

*****

White has more central space, and is ahead on development, but the white queen will likely be harassed by a black minor piece, and the white king may have to spend a tempo going to b1. As usual, positions with opposite-side castling are difficult to assess, but, for what it is worth, the engines reckon chances are equal.

7...d6

The engines prefer 7...Re8 or 7...a6.

8.f3!?

They strongly dislike this, reckoning White has a slight edge after the more-energetic 8.f4.

8...Ne5

And here they like 8...Be6, claiming 9.Nd5 Bxd5!? 10.exd5 Ne5 gives Black at least a slight edge.

9.Qe2

RL explained that this is part of White's general strategy, with the queen later going to f2 and coming out on the kingside.

9...Be6 10.Qf2 c6!?

The engines like this, despite the weakening of d6.

11.Nh3 b5 12.Nf4

But probably not 12.Ng5?! Nfg4!

12...Qd7 13.Nxe6 Qxe6

The engines prefer 13...fxe6!?

14.Kb1 a5

The problem with ...b4 in such positions is usually that White can partially blockade Black's pawn-storm with Na4, but in this particular case the engines reckon 14...b4?! is best met by 15.Ne2!, eg 15...d5 16.Nd4 Qc8 17.Nf5 Qe6!? 18.Qg3 Ng6!? 19.Nd4!? Qc8 20.e5, with a strong initiative.

Perhaps best is 14...Rfd8!?

15.g4 a4 16.g5 Nfd7 17.f4 Nc4

How should White proceed?

*****

18.f5?!

RL rejected 18.Bxc4 because of 18...bxc4? (the engines much prefer 18...Qxc4), but 19.f5 is strong, whether 19...Qe5 is met by 20.Bf4 or 20.a3!? The engines reckon preserving the bishop-pair with 18.Bc1!?, while also adding to the defence of the queenside, leaves White with a positionally won game.

18...Nxd2+ 19.Qxd2 Qe5

Black is at least slightly better, according to the engines, but the position remains sharp.

20.f6!?

The engines fluctuate between this and 20.a3!?, which is a typical dilemma of not knowing whether attack or defence should take priority in games with opposite-side castling.

20...gxf6

More-or-less forced, as 20...Bd8?! 21.Bh3! Nc5 22.Qxd6 is good for White.

21.gxf6 Nxf6

21...Bxf6!? is safer, but after 22.Qxd6 the game is equal, according to the engines.

22.Rg1+ Kh8 23.Rg5!?

The engines are unsure whether to prefer the text or 23.a3!?, but agree Black is better.

What should Black play?

*****

23...Ne4

The engines prefer 23...Qe6, reckoning it forces 24.a3, after which both 24...b4 and 24...Rfb8 seem to give an edge.

24.Nxe4 Qxe4

How can White best prosecute the attack?

*****

25.Bd3??

Completely missing Black's reply. Instead 25.Rh5 is unclear, but promising (Dragon1 reckons White is winning; Stockfish17.1 gives White a slight edge). Play might proceed 25...Qg6 (not, as we thought in the postmortem, 25...f5??, as White wins with 26.Re1) 26.Qc3+! f6! (not 26...Bf6 27.Qh3 and 28.Bd3) 27.Qh3 Rf7 28.Bd3 Qg8 29.Bf5 Rg7 30.Be6 Qb8!? 31.a3, when Stockfish17.1 still gives White only a slight edge, but Dragon1 has downgraded White's advantage to having the upper hand.

25...Bxg5 26.Qxg5 Qe5 27.Qxg5 Qe5 28.Qh6 f5 0-1

Not everyone would resign here, especially at club level, but Black is up the exchange and two pawns, and the black king is safer than it has been for quite some time. Meanwhile, Black has a queenside attack.

Saturday, 4 April 2026

4NCL Easter Round Three

AFTER taking a halfpoint bye in round two, I faced a junior (born 2016).

Spanton (1944 ECF/1908 Fide) - Tara Tamilselvan (1879 ECF/1820 Fide)

King's Indian Defence

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Qc2!?

White can get away with moves like this early in the opening, but it can hardly be the best continuation.

3...Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.d4 e5 7.d5

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 prefer 7.dxe5, albeit giving Black at least equality after the reply 7...dxe5.

How should Black proceed?

*****

7...Nd4!

A typical idea in the King's Indian, and here almost a necessity, according to the engines, as they reckon White is doing well after 7...Ne7.

8.Nxd4!?

Dragon1 is quite happy with this, but Stockfish17.1 prefers playing around the knight.

8...exd4 9.Ne2 0-0 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bh4 c5 12.dxc6?

The engines suggest 12.f3 or 12.Bxf6!?, but reckon Black has at least the upper hand.

12...Qa5+!

This zwischenzug gives White a major headache.

13.Kd1

Also deeply unpleasant is 13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 Nxe4.

13...bxc6 14.f3 Qb6 15.Qd2 c5

The engines prefer 15...Rb8, and if 16.Bf2!?, then 16...c5.

16.Rb1 Ba6

Stockfish17.1 likes 16...d5!?, the idea being to meet 17.exd5 with 17...Bf5 18.Rc1 Rae8. giving pressure, and 17.cxd5 with 17...Ba6, again enjoying a strong initiative for a pawn.

17.Nc1

The engines much prefer 17.Bxf6!? Bxf6 18.Nf4, but certainly not 17.b3? g5!? 18.Bg3 Bxc4!

17...Nd7 18.Bd3 Ne5 19.b3 Rfe8 20.Bg3 Nxd3!?

An odd decision, at first sight, giving up a well-placed knight for a hemmed-in bishop, but the engines agree it is clearly the best move.

21.Qxd3 Rad8

Almost certainly even stronger is the positional pawn sacrifice 21...d5!? 22.exd5 Re3.

22.Re1 d5 23.exd5 Rxe1+ 24.Kxe1 Rd8 25.Qc2

Probably not 25.Qe4?! Rd8.

25...Rd8 26.Nd3 Qa5+ 27.Kf1 Kh7?!

The engines reckon this gives away almost all of Black's advantage, whereas 27...Bc8 maintains the upper hand.

28.Re1

But they agree the best response is 28.Bh4, and if 28...Re8, then 29.Re1 with what they reckon is complete equality.

28...Bc8 29.Bh4 Rd6

29...g5!? looks very risky, but White has nothing better than retreating the bishop, according to the engines, after which 30...Bf5 is good.

30.Be7 Rc6 31.Re2 Qc7 32.Kg1

The position of the white king at last looks normal

*****

32...Bf5 33.Bh4!? Re6 34.Rxe6 fxe6!? 35.Bg3?

This drives the black queen to a good square, whereas after 35.Be1!?, or 35.g4 Bxd3 36.Qxd3, the engines agree the game is equal.

35...Qa5 36.a4?

After 36.Kf1!? Bxd3 (36...Qc3? 37.Qxc3 bxc3 38.Ke2=) 37.Qxd3 Qxa2 38.Bd6 Black is a pawn up but, at best, only slightly better, according to the engines.

36...Qc3 37.Qxc3

Forced.

37...bxc3 38.Nc1 Bd4+ 39.Bf2

39.Kf1? Be3.

39...Bc2 40.Kf1 Kg7 41.a5 Kf7?

This almost certainly should not win, whereas certainly winning is 41...e5, the idea being to meet 42.Bxd4 with 42...exd4.

42.b4??

Also losing, according to Dragon1 for quite some time, is 42.Bxd4 cxd4 43.Ke2, but Stockfish17.1 reckons Black is only slightly better. At first 43...Ke7 is Dragon1's top choice, but eventually it comes to see 44.b4 as more-or-less equalising, so it switches to 43...e5 44.b4 e4!? 45.fxe4 Bxe4, but after 46.Nd3 Ke6 47.Nc5+ Ke5 48.b5 it agrees with Stockfish17.1 that White holds.

42...Bxf2 43.b5

The point behind 42.b4??, but it is easily parried.

Black has three winning moves

*****

43...Bd4

Also winning are 43...Be3 and 43...Bh4.

44.f4 Be4 45.Ke2 Ke7 46.Nb3 Kd7 47.g3 Kc7 48.h3 c2 49.Kd2 Bb2 50.Ke3 Bf5 0-1

Friday, 3 April 2026

4NCL Easter Round One

Phil Watkinson (1682 ECF/1717 Fide) - Spanton (1944 ECF/1908 Fide)

QGD Semi-Tarrasch

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4!?

Much more popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database are 5...exd5 and especially 5...Nxd5, but the text is, by a small margin, the top choice of Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1

*****

6.Qa4+!?

The main line in Mega26 runs 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.Bg5 Be7 8.e3 0-0 9.Be2 Nc6 10.Qd3 h6 11.Bh4 Qb6 12.0-0!?, with equal chances, according to the engines.

6...Bd7 7.Qxd4

The point of White's queen manoeuvre is that the bishop at d7 interferes with Black's fight for the d5 square

*****

7...exd5 8.Nxd5

More common, but scoring 11 percentage points less in Mega26, is declining the pawn with 8.Bg5!?

8...Qa5+ 9.Nc3 Nc6 10.Qd1

This is most popular, but the engines also like a move not in Mega26, 10.Qd3!?, eg 10...0-0-0 11.Bd2 Bg4 12.Qb5!? Qxb5 13.Nxb5 Ne4!?, when they reckon Black has enough for a pawn, but no more. However, note that 10.Qd2?!, also apparently a novelty, is problematic for White after both 10...0-0-0 and 10...Bb4.

10...Ne4 11.Bd2

If 11.Qd5, Black has 11...Qxd5!? 12.Nxd5, and then the engines suggest an apparent-novelty in 12...Nb4!?, after which 13.Nxb4 Bxb4+ 14.Bd2 (not 14.Nd2? Rc8!) Nxd2 15.Nxd2 0-0 gives Black good compensation for a pawn, according to the engines.

11...Nxd2 12.Qxd2 Bb4!?

This may be a novelty. Harry Golombek - Stuart Milner-Barry, British Championship (Brighton) 1938, went 12...0-0-0 13.Nd5? Qxd5?? (13...Nb4! wins) 14.Qxd5 Bb4 15.Nd2 Be6 16.Qxd8+?! (16.Qg5!? is preferred by the engines) Rxd8 17.0-0-0 (1-0, 31 moves). Best after 12...0-0-0 may be the surprising retreat 13.Qc1!?, when Cliff Wichman (2319) - Konstantin Cebulla (2054), Staufer Open (Schwäbisch Gmünd) 2017, continued 13...Bf5 14.a3, with what the engines reckon may be a slight edge for White.

13.e4?!

The engines prefer 13.Rc1 or 13.e3, claiming a slight edge for White.

13...0-0-0 14.Bd3?!

It is hard to come up with an acceptable suggestion, the engines fluctuating between several moves, but possibly best is 14.Qc2, although 14...Bg4 15.Be2 Bxf3!? 16.Bxf3 Nd4 gives Black the upper hand, according to the engines.

14...Bg4 15.0-0?

The engines give 15.Rd1 or 15.0-0-0, but agree Black is well on top.

15...Bxf3 16.gxf3 Ne5

White is losing a piece

*****

17.Qc2 Bxc3 18.Rfd1 Rxd3 19.Rxd3 Nxd3 20.Qxd3 Qg5+ 21.Kf1 Be5 22.Qd5 Rd8 23.Qc5+ Kb8 24.Rc1 Qf4 25.Kg2?

White is lost anyway, but this makes matters much worse.

25...Qxh2+ 26.Kf1 Bd4 27.Qc2 Bb6 28.b4 Qh1+ 29.Ke2 Qg2 30.Rf1 Qg5 31.a4 a5!? 32.b5 Qc5 33.Qb2 Qd4 34.Qc2 Rc8 35.Qa2 Qc4+ 36.Qxc4 Rxc4 37.Ra1 Rc2+ 38.Ke1 Rxf2 39.Ra3 h5 0-1

Easter Egg-stras

AS well as the three swisses run by the Four Nations Chess League at Daventry, Northants, over Easter, there is a Saturday evening blitz and two 10-player round-robins, featuring five grandmasters and six international masters.

Main playing-hall