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

Take A Break

View from my hotel room after taking a break from chess to go walking in the Shropshire Hills

Much of the land is very parched

Green trees make for a stark but beautiful contrast

Higher up there is more greenery where springs have not completely dried

Long Mynd Ponies, 'mynd' being Common Brittonic, ie Old Celtic, for mountain

It has been quite tough going as, although temperatures have not exceeded the low-mid 20s, the ground is baked hard and feels like walking on concrete

Another contrast in colours

Lessons From Magdeburg VII

IN round seven, when I was Black against Dieter Stummeyer (1834), I was feeling pretty pleased with myself after playing the best move in the following position.

White has just played 76.Ke4-f4

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I replied 76...Rxe3!, bringing about a winning pawn ending.

I analysed the ending in my original post, but here I want to look at the position that arose 10 moves later, after White played 86.Kg4-h5

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If I had been concentrating properly, I would have played the simplest win, which is with 86...Kh3, followed by promoting the g pawn. But I played 86...Kg3, expecting 87.Kxh6? Kf4 88.Kg6 g4 etc. However, after 87.Kg6!, the win was no longer there

LESSON: it ain't over till it's over.

Lessons From Magdeburg VI

IN round six, where I was White against Gerd Niebuhr (1868), I blundered a piece in a position in which my advantage was worth getting on for a rook, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

But is it any wonder, when you consider the speed at which I was playing, in a game with a time control of 40 moves in 90 minutes, a further 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout?

After 10 moves, I had 93 minutes on the clock, ie three more than at the start; after 20 moves, I had 92 minutes; after 30 moves, I had 89 minutes; and after 40 moves (the game finished at move 47) I had 85 minutes.

LESSON: speed kills.

Lessons From Magdeburg V

IN round five my opponent, Bernd Wagner (1872), who was White, offered a draw in the following position.

White has just played 31.b4

I had little choice but to accept as White is a pawn up, and, with the exception of the rook, all the white pieces are more active than their black counterparts.

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon White's advantage is worth almost three pawns, but, even if it were less than that, White should play on.

LESSON: one sure way to avoid improving is to not play out endings in which you are at least equal.

Lessons From Magdeburg IV

THERE was an extraordinary double-oversight after the following position was reached in round four, where I was White against Hartmut Krien (1900).

I have just played 14.Bf3-h5

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White has the bishop-pair, but Black is up a pawn, and would have the upper hand after 14...h6 or 14...g4, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

Instead, HK played 14...Nc4?, attacking b2, d2 and e3, but missing that it allows the winning 15.Qxe6+! Qe7 16.Qxe7+ Kxe7 17.Bxg5+.

However, I played 15.Qf3?, and it was Black who was winning, not White.

In playing ...Nc4, HK was guilty of looking at his own threats, while failing to properly consider his opponent's tactical chances.

In replying Qf3, I was guilty of looking at my opponent's threats, while failing to properly consider my own tactical chances.

LESSON: you cannot expect to play even a half-decent game of chess if you fail to consider the tactics available to BOTH SIDES.

Lessons From Magdeburg III

THE bishop-pair, according to database analysis by Larry Kaufman, is on average worth half a pawn.

That may be why in round three, where I was Black against Hans Hauke (1838), my opponent came up with an apparent-novelty.

I have just played 8...Be6

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Known moves are 9.Bg5, 9.0-0, 9.Bd2 and 9.a4, but HH went for the bishop-pair with 9.Na4!?

After the further moves 9...d5!? 10.Nxb6 axb6, Black is already at least equal, and probably has an edge, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1, despite the game opening up.

A quick glance at the position suggests why this is so - Black has four pieces developed (rook, bishop and two knights) against White's two (bishop and knight) 

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Rather than continue with 11.exd5, which is the engines' choice, but leaves White further behind in development, HH played 11.Bg5?, but had no good answer to 11...dxe4.
Note that the manoeuvre 9.Na4!? d5 10.Nxb6 axb6 cost White two tempi. Not only that, but Black's a pawn became a more-valuable b pawn, more than offsetting a loss of flexibility as a result of contracting doubled pawns. In addition, half-opening the a file gave Black pressure against White's a pawn.

LESSON: the bishop-pair is important, but so are tempi, and judging which is more important in any given position can be tricky.

Lessons From Magdeburg II

IN round two I was White against Jürgen Gottschalk (1711), who chose to play the Steinitz Defence to the Spanish: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6.

The defence is certainly playable - indeed, there are are 21,760 examples of 3...d6 in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

But it is surely no coincidence that Black's miserable score of 32% is significantly below Black's score of more than 40% with most other third-move continuations, including ...a6, ...Nf6, ...Bc5, ...f5, ...Nge7 and ...g6.

After 4.d4 exd4 (Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon this is better than Steinitz's preferred 4...Bd7) 5.Nxd4 Bd7 6.0-0 Nf6 7.Nc3 Be7, a position reached 2,665 times in Mega26, White has at least a slight edge (Stockfish18) or even the upper hand (Dragon1).

Position after 7...Be7

Black was positionally lost just four moves later, according to the engines, and never recovered.

LESSON: if you choose a defence that statistics suggest is suspect, you must know what you are doing, as otherwise it is easy to quickly drift into a lost position.

Lessons From Magdeburg

THE following position was reached in round one, where I was Black against Klaus-Michael Hansch (1806).

I have just played 14...f7-f5

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Black has a bad bishop, but more space, and is ahead on development, leading Stockfish18 and Dragon1 to call the game equal.

Despite being behind on development, and having already moved his light-square bishop twice, K-MH played 15.Bb5!
The move threatens Bxc6, after which White would soon have an unchallengeable knight on e5.

I avoided this possibility with 15...Nb8!?, but White played 16.Ne5 anyway, with a slight edge, according to the engines (they reckon I should have allowed Bxc6).

LESSON: tempi in general, and development in particular, are important in open positions, but as my opponent realised, their significance is much reduced when all 16 pawns are on the board.

Summing Up Magdeburg

MY score of +2=3-2 in the 65+ championship of Saxony-Anhalt lost 36.4 Fide elo.