Tricky Tube Puzzle

HERE is a carriage serial number from a Northern Line train that makes an interesting Tube Puzzle: 52572.
As usual, 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: 5 x 2 (- 5) = 7 - 2

Czeching In

AM making final preparations for flying to Prague tomorrow, from where I will be heading for the Czech 65+ championship, which is being held in Olomouc as part of the CzechTour's summer festival.

There are 102 entries in the 65+ event, which is open to foreigners, of whom there are 42.

The time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes, with 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout, and there are nine mostly-afternoon rounds over eight days.

Olomouc's city walls are well-preserved

Miniatures 46

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

J Gorgol (178 BCF) - Spanton (164 BCF)

Islington 1992

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Qe2!?

This is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 4.Nc3, 4.d3 and especially 4.0-0.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bc5

This is the commonest continuation.

5.c3 Qe7!?

The main move is 5...0-0.

6.d3 a6 7.Ba4 0-0 8.Bg5 d6 9.Nbd2 b5 10.Bb3 Be6?

The game is equal after 10...h6 or 10...Nd8, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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11.Bd5!

Not an easy move to spot, as is evidenced by the fact grandmasters have missed its strength. However, it dates back to at least a game of Howard Staunton's in his 1853 match against Tassilo von der Lasa.

11...Bxd5?

Better is von der Lasa's 11...Bd7, but then 12.Nh4 Rab8 13.Nf5 Qd8 (this is better than 13...Bxf5?!, according to the engines) 14.b4 Bb6 15.Qf3 gave Staunton the better game, according to the engines (1-0, 75 moves).

12.exd5 Nd8?

The knight has few prospects here. Better is 12...Nb8.

13.Ne4 c6

There is no good move for Black.

14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nh4 Kh8 16.Nf5 Qa7 17.Nxf6 cxd5 18.Qh5 1-0

LESSON: Black's position in the second diagram could easily pass at a glance as a routine one from the Spanish, but closer examination reveals both black knights are awkwardly placed, despite being on 'normal' squares, and two weaknesses can often prove fatal.

Miniatures 45

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

Spanton (164 BCF) - D Dane (130 BCF)

Middlesex League 1992

Scotch Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4!?

This scores two percentage points more than 4.Nxd4 in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bb4+!?

This is only fourth-most popular in Mega26, but is liked by Stockfish18 and Dragon1 along with the much more common 4...Nf6.

5.c3 dxc3 6.0-0!? Qe7?

Probably best is 6...Nf6, while 6...cxb2!? 7.Bxb2 seems to give White plenty of compensation for two pawns.

7.a3 Ba5

The engines suggest 7...c2!? 8.Qxc2 Bd6, but much prefer White.

8.b4 Bb6 9.Nxc3 Nf6?!

Apparently a novelty. The engines prefer 9...d6, but agree White is winning.

10.Bg5 0-0 11.e5!? Nxe5 12.Nd5 Nxf3+

This seems best, but is losing.

13.Qxf3 Qe5

The engines give 13...Nxd5!? 14.Bxe7 Nxe7, but Black does not have enough for a queen.

14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bxf6 1-0

LESSON: old gambits still pack a punch if the defender errs quickly.

Winning Chess

GRANDMASTER Keith Arkell won the British 65+ championship, scoring +6=1-0, finishing a point clear of the field.

Arguably the key game came in round six, where he was Black against Welsh international master John Cooper.

Cooper (2252 ECF/2194 Fide) - Arkell (2512 ECF/2390 Fide)

English Symmetrical

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.e3 Nf6!?

The point of playing this, rather than the 'natural' 3...Bg7, is so ...

4.d4 cxd4 5.exd4

... can be met by:

5...d5

Nevertheless, after 3...Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.exd4, Black can still play 5...d5!?, meeting 6.Nxd5 with 6...Be6 or 6...e6.

6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3 Bg7

The position is reminiscent of a Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit, but with colours reversed

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9.d5!?

The main move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 9.Nf3, but it scores only 49%, whereas the rare text has racked up an impressive 61%.

9...0-0 10.Nge2 N8d7 11.Be3 Nf6

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 suggest 11...Ne5!?

12.0-0

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

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White's isolani has gained space in the centre, and does not look vulberable, which may be why Dragon1 gives White a slight edge. Nevertheless, it is an isolated pawn, and it is not obvious how White can use the pawn for attacking chances, eg the pawn has not created outposts for White's knights, except, perhaps, at d4. Stockfish18 calls the game equal.

12...Bd7 13.h3!?

This may be a novelty. The known move is 13.Re1.

13...Nc8!?

Heading for the blockading square d6.

14.Nd4 Nd6 15.Qe2 a6 16.a4

The engines reckon White has a slight edge after 16.Rad1 or 16.Rfe1.

16...Qa5 17.Rfd1 Rfe8 18.Bf4!? Rac8 19.Be5 Nfe4!? 20.Bxg7 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Kxg7 22.c4 Qc5!? 23.a5 Kg8!?

This retreat - perhaps withdrawal is a better word - is the engines' top choice.

24.Rac1?!

The engines do not like this pawn sacrifice

24...Qxa5 25.Ba2?!

This looks rather slow. The engines suggest 25.Qe3 or 25.Nf3.

25...Ba4 26.Bb3 Bxb3 27.Nxb3 Qb4 28.Nd2

It is hard to see what White has for a pawn

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28...b5!? 29.Rb1 Qc5 30.cxb5 axb5 31.Nb3 Qc4 32.Qe5 Qe4 33.Qg5 Qf5 34.Qe3 Qe4 35.Qg5 Rc4 36.Qd2?!

Probably better is the engines' 36.Na5, although Black remains on top.

36...Rc2 37.Qg5 Qe2 38.Qf4 Rb2 39.Nd4 Rxb1 40.Nxe2?

Better is 40.Rxb1, although 40...Qa2 gives Black the upper hand, according to the engines. The text wins the white queen, but after ...

40...Rxd1 41.Kh2 Rxd5

... Black has two rooks and two pawns for it.

0-1

Multi-Millionaire!

AT some point today my blog passed two million hits, and, as I type this, has reached 2,051,031 hits.

However, there is apparently no way of discovering how many of these views are by humans, and how many by bots.

Nevertheless, the figure looks impressive, especially when compared with the 183,062 hits for my other main blog, 10mm and all that!

And my third blog, Chess Tip Of The Day, which is really just a feeder blog for the PC/laptop version of Beau Chess, has just 18,561 hits, albeit it has been going for a much shorter period.

Summing Up The British

MY score in the 65+ of +3=2-2 gained 7.8 ECF elo but lost 13.2 Fide elo.

Euros In Crete

THE chess-results.com pages for the European senior team championships in Crete later this month have been updated, showing there are 18 teams in the 65+, including Ageless of Crete, and 14 teams in the 50+, including Austria's catchily named Data Technology Pressbaum/Eichgraben.

British 65+ Round Seven

Spanton (1940 ECF/2003 Fide) - Mark Page (2123 ECF/2050 Fide)

Sicilian Nimzowitsch

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.e5

This and 3.Nc3 are almost equally popular, but the text scores five percentage points more in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

3...Nd5 4.Nc3 e6 5.Ne4

This is a reasonably common alternative to the mainline 5.Nxd5 exd5 6.d4.

5...f5 6.Nc3 Ne7

Nimzowitsch played 6...Nxc3 in the stem game, a loss to Yates at Carlsbad 1929, but the text, which can perhaps be regarded as the chief modern continuation, scores a fabulous 61% in Mega26.

How should White proceed?

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7.d4

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 like the text and 7.Nb5!?

7...cxd4 8.Nb5!? Nec6!? 9.Nbxd4

The engines are not keen on this, more-or-less settling on 9.a4!? or 9.Be2.

What should Black play?

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9...Nxd4

The engines reckon Black is slightly better after 9...Nxe5!? 10.Nxe5 Qa5+ 11.c3 Qxe5+, a position reached in the game.

10.Nxd4!?

10.Qxd4 avoids transposing into the previous note, and is slightly preferred by the engines.

10...Qa5+ 11.c3

This is almost certainly best.

11...Qxe5+ 12.Be2

How would you assess the position?

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Black is a pawn up and has the only pawns on the two centre files. But White has an edge in development, with the promise of harassment of the black queen to come. The engines reckon Black is slightly better (Stockfish18) or at least has the better part of equality (Dragon1).

12...a6

But the engines reckon this is unnecessary, preferring development with 12...Be7 or 12...Nc6.

13.0-0 Nc6 14.Nf3?!

Avoiding an exchange of knights, while hitting the black queen. But the engines strongly dislike it, claiming 14.Re1!? gives White the upper hand, one point being 14...Nxd4?? loses to 15.Bh5+.

14...Qf6!? 15.Bg5 Qf7

If 15...Qg6?!, then 16.Re1 is difficult to meet, eg 16...Be7 17.Bxe7 Nxe7 (17...Kxe7!? might be better) 18.Ne5 Qf6 19.Bh5+ g6 20.Bf3, with good play for a pawn.

16.Re1 Be7 17.Bxe7 Qxe7 18.Nd4!? 0-0

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

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Black remains a pawn up, with the only central pawns, and has almost caught up in development, but has a bad bishop. The engines more-or-less agree Black has a slight edge.

19.Bf3 Nd8!?

The engines like this, along with 19...Qd6.

20.Qc2 Qc5 21.Rad1 Nf7 22.b4 Qc7 23.c4 Ng5 24.Qd3 Rb8 25.h4!?

This is the engines' top choice ...

25...Nf7

... and they agree with not capturing on f3.

26.c5 g6?!

Reinforcing f5, to make ...e5 possible, but the engines prefer 26...b6 or 26...Ne5.

How can White best exploit Black's last move?

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27.Nb3

The engines reckon White has much more than enough compensation for a pawn after 27.Qe3!?, eg 27...b6 28.c6!? f4 29.Qa3 e5 30.b5! exd4 31.Rxd4 d6 32.Rxf4, with what they agree is a winning attack.

27...b6 28.cxb6?!

This is probably the wrong idea. Instead White is slightly better after something like 28.Qc3, according to the engines.

28...Rxb6 29.Rc1 Qb8 30.Nc5?!

Probably better is 30.a3.

30...Ne5 31.Qd2 d6 32.Rxe5?

This is not good. The engines give 32.Nd3!? Nxf3+! 33.gxf3, but award Black the upper hand after both 33...e5 and 33...Qb7, but note that 32...Nxd3 33.Qxd3 Rxb4, winning a second pawn, is problematic after 34.h5, eg 34...e5 35.Qd2 Be6 36.Qh6 Rf6 37.Rc6, with equal chances, according to the engines.

32...dxe5 33.a3 Rd6

Black is untying his position, emerging up the exchange and a pawn

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34.Qg5 Qa7 35.h5 Qg7 36.hxg6 hxg6 37.Re1 e4 38.Be2 Qf6 39.Qe3 Kg7 40.f3!? exf3 41.Bxf3 Rfd8 42.Bb7!? Kf7?!

There is nothing wrong with 42...Bxb7, as 43.Nxb7 is simply met by 43...Rd3.

White to play and seriously reduce Black's advantage 

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43.Qh6

Missing 43.Bxc8 Rxc8 44.Ne4!, after which 44...Qd4 45.Nxd6+ Qxd6 leaves Black a pawn up and, according to the engines, winning, but the position is far from trivial.

43...Qd4+ 44.Qe3 Qxe3+ 45.Rxe3 Bxb7 46.Nxb7 Rd1+ 47.Kh2 R8d3

But this position is trivially winning.

0-1

British 65+ Round Six

Paul Kenning (1831 ECF/1778 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/2003 Fide)

Vienna Game

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

This early central advance, reminiscent of the Centre Game (1.e4 e5 2.d4) scores 59% in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, the same as the main move 3.f4, and up to 11 percentage points better than the other popular continuations, 3.Bc4, 3.Nf3 and 3.g3.

3...exd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd3!?

This is the main continuation, upping White's score in Mega26 to 62%.

How should Black respond?

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5...Bb4

This is the commonest continuation in the Centre Game, after the moves 1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6 4.Qe3 Nf6 5.Nc3, and it is also the commonest continuation in this line of the Vienna, but after it White's score in Mega26 climbs to 67%. Stockfish18 and Dragon1 suggest 5...Bc5 or 5...d5!?, one point being 5...d5!? 6.exd5 can be met by 6...Nb4.

6.Bd2 0-0 7.Nge2!?

Stockfish18 marginally prefers the much more common 7.0-0-0, but Dragon1 fluctuates between the two moves.

7...Re8 8.0-0-0

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

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White has the only pawn on the fourth rank, but, as is often the case with opposite-side castling, the position is both tricky to assess and to play. The engines reckon chances are equal.

8...Qe7?!

But not anymore! The engines suggest 8...Ne5 or 8...d6.

9.Bg5!

Moving the bishop for the second time, but it is worth it as the pin is hard to meet.

9...Ne5?!

Apparently a novelty, and probably not a good one, although it does come to be the engines' second choice, at least for a while, behind getting out of the pin immediately with 9...Qe6, after which the engines suggest another apparent-novelty in 9...f3!?, claiming White has at least the upper hand, a sample line running 10.Bh4 Ne5 11.Qd4!? Ba5 12.Qa4!? Qb6, reaching a position where the engines disagree as to how White should proceed, but agree White is winning.

10.Qg3

White's main threats are 10.f4 and 10.Nd5

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10...Bxc3!?

The engines suggest 10...c6, but reckon 11.a3!? (as well as 11.f4) is very strong, one line running 11...Bxa3!? 12.Bxf6!? Bxb2+ 13.Kxb2 Qxf6 14.Nd4, when Black does not seem to have enough for a knight. Alternatively, 11...Bc5 12.f4 Neg4!? 13.e5 d5!? 14.Bxf6!? Nxf6 15.exf6 Qxf6 also leaves Black significantly down on material.

11.Nxc3 Qe6 12.f4!?

This seems even stronger than 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Nd5 Qd8 14.f4.

12...Nc6 13.e5 Nh5 14.Qf3 h6!?

Giving up a pawn to keep the game going, as 14...g6?! 15.g4 Ng7 16.Nd5 is horrendous.

15.Qxh5 gxh5 16.Qxg5

How big is White's advantage?

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White is roughly the equivalent of being up a piece and a pawn, according to the engines.

16...Nb4!?

If 16...d6, then 17.Nd5.

17.Kb1 d6 18.a3 a5!?

Desperation, but the game is lost anyway.

19.axb4 axb4 20.Nd5 dxe5 21.Qxe5 Qd7

White to play and win

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22.Nf6+?

White has several strong moves, the most convincing being 22.Qg5 and 22.Bb5!?, eg 22.Qg5 Qa4!? 23.Nf6+ Kf8 24.Qc5+ Re7 25.Rd8+ Qe8 26.Rxe8#, or 22.Bb5!? c6 23.Nb6 Rxe5 24.Rxd7 Bxd7 25.fxe5.

22...gxf6 23.Rxd7 fxe5 24.Rxc7

PK offered a draw.

Objectively, should Black accept?

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Stockfish18 reckons the game is completely equal after 24.Ra5 or 24.exf4. Dragon1 is less convinced, but reckons White has no more than the better part of equality.

½–½