Miniatures 31

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

P Orn (150 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapidplay 1990

QGD

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Be2!?

This has been played by grandmasters, but trails 7.cxd5, 7.Qc2, 7.Bd3 and especially 7.Rc1 in popularity.

7...dxc4!?

Offering a transposition, which is accepted, to 7.Bd3 lines.

8.Bxc4

This position occurs 2,244 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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8...Nd5!? 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 10.0-0

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

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White's extra central space and lead in development give a slight edge, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

10...c5 11.Qc2 cxd4 12.Nxd4 b6?

Better is 12...Nf6.

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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13.Qe4

White has the upper hand after this, according to the engines, but they prefer 13.R(either)-d1 and 13.Bxe6!? fxe6 14.Nxe6  Qe8 15.Nc7 etc.

13...Rb8 14.Bd3

Again the engines like R(either)-d1, but not 14.Bxe6?? as Black has 14...Nc5.

14...Nf6 15.Qf4 Bb7 16.Bc2 Ned5 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.f3??

Spotting one threat (18...Qxg2#), but missing:

18...e5

The game finished:

19.Be4 exf4 0-1

LESSON: don't stop thinking when you have spotted an opponent's threat - the most dangerous moves have more than one idea.

Miniatures 30

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

D Muroko (174 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

London League 1990

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Be7!?

This is very much second in  popularity to 5...Nd6, but has been played by Carlsen, Kramnik and Morozevich.

How should White respond?

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6.Re1

More popular, and preferred by Stockfish17 and Dragon1, are 6.dxe5 and 6.Qe2.

6...d5?!

The main continuation 6...Nd6 is probably better.

7...Bd7 8.Bxc6
Luke Harmon-Vellotti (2409) - Ognjen Matko (2307), Chess.com Blitz 2015, saw 8.Nxd7 Qxd7 9.c3 0-0 10.Nd2, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines (1-0, 37 moves).

8...Bxc6 9.Qg4?!

The engines reckon this makes the queen more of a target than an attacking weapon. They suggest Qe2, either immediately or after first exchanging on c6.

How should Black respond?

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9...0-0!

Coolly done, but everything else loses, according to the engines, eg 9...Bf6? 10.f3!? (10.Nxc6 is also strong), or 9...g6? 10.Bh6.

10.Nxc6

If 10.Bh6, then 10...Bf6.
10...bxc6 11.c4

The engines prefer 11.Nd2 or 11.Qd1!?

11...Bb4!? 12.Rd1 Qf6?

Black is better after 12...f5!?, according to the engines.

13.f3!

Simple, but effective.

What should Black play?

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13...Rae8!

This seems best. The problem with 13...Nd6? is that it loses a piece to 14.a3 Ba5 15.b4 etc.

14.a3!?

Possibly better is grabbing the knight with 14.fxe4, although after 14...Rxe4 15.Qf3 Rxd4 Black has compensation. Nevertheless 16.Bd2!? Qxf3 17.gxf3 Rb8!? 19.Nc3!? Rxc4 20.Rab1 leaves White with a knight for three pawns, and at least a slight edge, according to the engines.

14...Bd6 15.c5?

This is a mistake, although the engines' top choice 15.fxe4 is unclear after 15...Rxe4 16.Qf3, when both 16...Rxd4 and 16...Qh4!? give interesting compensation.

15...Bxh2+! 16.Kxh2

Even worse is 16.Kf1? as after 16...Ng3+ White has to give up the queen to avoid mate in one.

16...Nf2 17.Qg3

Objectively probably better is 17.Qf4, but 17...Qxf4+ 18.Bxf4 Nxd1 leaves White with few hopes.

17...Nxd1 18.Bf4 Nxb2 19.Be5 Qh6+ 20.Kg1 Nd3 0-1

LESSON: check those checks - both your own, and your opponent's.

Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen IV

MY round-seven game in the Bad Wörishofen seniors was an Old Indian that began 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3!? e5 4.d5 c6 5.c4 Qb6 6.Qb3 Be7 7.Be3 Qxb3 8.axb3, reaching the following position.

Spanton (1919) - Dieter Bauer (1798) after 8.axb3 - notice anything unusual?

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The unusual feature is that queens have come off the board before anything else.

There are 11.7million games in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database - have a go at guessing how many feature the same phenomenon of queens-off first.

A) 35,222 (0.3%)

B) 58,715 (0.5%)

C) 82,202 (0.7%)

D) 105,688 (0.9%)

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The answer is 35,222 games, which is 0.3% of the games in Mega26.

I have a database with 5,028 of my games, and, since this was the sixth time queens have come off first in those games, my percentage is the even tinier 0.1.

The openings in my games varied: two Rétis and one each of the King's Indian Attack, Slav, Liberated Bishop and Old Indian.

But they have in common that, with the arguable exception of the King's Indian Attack, they were all closed systems.

League Chess

PLAYED on board one (of five) for Battersea 3 against Hackney in Central London League Division Three last night.

Ben Cullen (1942) - Spanton (1921)

Catalan

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Nc3!?

This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, a long way behind 6.Qc2 and especially 6.Bg2.

6...c6 7.Bg2 dxc4!?

This is marginally the top choice of Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

8.0-0 0-0

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

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Black's extra pawn is not irrelevant, in that White will not find it easy to restore the material balance. But White has a 2-1 majority on the two central files, which might help generate an attack. Equal chances, according to the engines.

9.Qc2 Nbd7 10.Rfd1 Qc7!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer the known move, 10...b5, and another possible novelty in 10...a5!? After 10...b5 the engines' main line runs 11.a4 b4 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13.Qxe4 Bb7, with what they reckon are still equal chances. After 10...a5!? they are less sure how play should go, but one sharp line runs 11.Ne5!? Nxe5 12.dxe5 Nd5 13.Ne4 Qc7 14.Nd6!? b5 15.b3!? Bxd6 16.exd6 Qxd6 17.bxc4 bxc4 18.e4!? Nb4 19.Qxc4, when they agree White has sufficient compensation for a pawn.

After 10....Qc7!?, how should White proceed?

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11.e4

The engines like 11.Bf4 Bd6 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.a4, or immediately 11.a4.

11...e5 12.dxe5

The engines suggest 12.h3!?, 12.b3!? or 12.Ne2!?

12...Nxe5 13.Nxe5 Qxe5 14.Ne2!?
This is Stockfish17.1's top choice; Dragon1 marginally prefers 14.h3!? But if 14.Bf4, then 14...Qh5 seems a good reply.

14...Be6 15.Bc3 Qc7 16.Nd4 Bg4!? 17.f3 Bd7 18.Qe2

The engines prefer 18.f4.

18...b5 19.e5 Nd5

What should White play?

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20.Nxb5!?

The engines prefer 20.Kh1, 20.f4 or 20.e6. The text restores material equality, but after ...

20...cxb5 21.Rxd5 b4 22.Be1 Be6 23.Rdd1 Rfd8

... Black's queenside pawn-majority is mobile and advanced.

24.f4 Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Rd8 26.Be4 g6 27.Kg2 h5 28.Qc2 Rxd1 29.Qxd1 Qc8!? 30.Bf2 Bc5

The engines give 30...Bh3+ 31.Kh1 c3 with a won game.

31.Bxc5 Qxc5

How should White continue?

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32.Qd8+

The engines reckon 32.Qd6! leaves White only slightly worse.

32...Kh7 33.Qd1

If 33.Qf6, then 33...Qc8! gives Black a positionally won game, according to the engines.

33...a5?

Missing a simple tactic.

34.Qxh5+! Kg7 35.Qg5 Qe3 36.Qf6+ Kg8 37.Qd8+ Kg7 38.Qf6+ Kg7 ½–½

Hackney won the match 3.5-1.5.

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 

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

Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen III

CAPTURING with check nearly always improves your position, often dramatically, and is rarely bad.

It was just my luck that my round-three game in the Bad Wörishofen seniors featured an exception to this usually reliable rule.

The following position was reached after 11 moves of a Caro-Kann Tartakower.

Achim Heller (2045) has just played 11...b5!?

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Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White has at least a slight edge after 12.c5.

I intended playing c5, but first played 12.Qc2, thinking I was gaining a tempo thanks to the threat of capturing on h7 with check.

But my opponent 'overlooked' the threat, as I thought, by replying 12...bxc4!

I annotated this as !? in my original post, but really the move deserves an unadorned exclamation mark.

According to the engines, I should have replied 13.Bxc4, with an equal game.

Instead I played 13.Bxh7+ Kh8 14.Ng3!? with a sharp position where, as AH pointed out after the game, 14...g6 is simply good for Black.

The engines reckon White should prefer 14.Be4 or 14.Rae1!?, but agree Black has a slight edge either way.

I still find it hard to believe 13.Bxh7+ is not the best move in the position - there cannot be many examples of such a phenomenon.

Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the Battersea club championship.

Spanton (1921) - Ibrahim Abouchakra (1780)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nxc6!?

This is fourth in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database behind 6.Nde2, 6.Nb3 and especially 6.Be3.

6...bxc6 7.Bc4 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.e5!?

A pawn sacrifice that divides the engines. Dragon1 reckons it gives White the upper hand; Stockfish17.1 claims it is only enough for equality.

How should Black respond?

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9...Ng4

IA said afterwards he rejected 9...dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8, which is the main line, because White can capture on f7, but he missed that after 11.Bxf7?? e6 the bishop is trapped.

10.e6?!

Almost certainly better is 10.exd6.

10...Ne5?

Black should play 10...f5.

11.exf7+ Nxf7 12.Bxf7+ Kxf7 13.Qf3+ Kg8?

Apparently a novelty. After 13...Bf6 14.Qxc6 Rb8 White is a pawn up and has the safer king, but Black has the bishop-pair and has the only pawns on the two central files, meaning White is only slightly better (Stockfish17.1) or at best has the upper hand (Dragon1). Indeed the engines reckon White should prefer 14.Ne4!? d5 15.Nxf6 exf6 16.Qc3.

14.Qxc6 Bf5 15.Nd5!?

The engines prefer 15.Re1.

15...Rc8 16.Qb7 Kf7 17.Bg5?!

The engines suggest 17.Qb3!?, 17.Re1 or 17.Qxa7.

How can Black cut White's advantage to a minimum?

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17...Re8?

Better than the text is 17...Rb8, but best is the engines' 17...Qd7!, the point being that, after 18.Qxd7 Bxd7, the capture 19.Bxe7?? loses to 19...Bc6, while 19.Nxe7?! Rc5 20.h4 Bxb2 also favours Black.

18.Rfe1

The engines prefer 18.Qb3.

18...Bf8

Again 18...Qd7! works.

19.Qb3

Can you find a good reply for Black?

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No ... or, to be on the safe side, if you have found a good reply, you have done better than the engines.

19...Bxc2?!

The engines' best is 19...Kg7, but 20.Qe3 leaves White well on top, eg 20...Kf7!? 21.Qf3 Kg8 22.c4!? h6 23.Bf6!? Qd7 24.Bxe7!? (Stockfish17.1), or 20...Qa5!? 21.Nxe7 Bxe7 22.Bxe7 Qb6 23.Qf4 Qxb2 24.Bxd6 (Dragon1).

20.Qf3+

Probably even stronger is 20.Qh3.

20...Kg7

How should White proceed?

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21.Bxe7! Bxe7 22.Rxe7+ Rxe7 23.Qf6+ Kh6 24.Nxe7 Rb8

This, for a short time, is Stockfish17.1's top choice, but objectively best, or, rather, least worst, is probably 24...Ra8.

25.Qf4+ Kg7 26.Nc6 Qb6 27.Nxb8 Qxb8 28.Qd4+ 1-0

The bishop is also dropping.

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

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

Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen II

I HAD four blacks in the Bad Wörishofen seniors.

One of those games began with 1.e4, but the other three were closed games, with rounds two and four seeing White play the Colle-Zukertort.

I was also expecting a Colle-Zukertort in round eight as a search in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database seemed to indicate that it was my opponent's favourite opening, but he varied with a New London (1.d4 and 2.Bf4, without an early  Nf3).

So why this sudden upsurge in interest in an opening named after players who died in 1932 (Edgard Colle) and 1888 (Johannes Zukertort)?

One possibility is that there has been a new book or online course devoted to the opening, and I later noticed the bookstall at Bad Wörishofen had a copy of Richard Palliser's The Killer Colle-Zukertort System.

This was published last year, described as an updated version of a a 2022 Chessable course.

Somewhat strangely, I cannot find the book on Amazon, but it is available from Chess & Bridge

One feature of the Colle-Zukertort is that White usually sets up the same way more-or-less whatever Black plays.

Round two after White's fifth move

Round four after White's fifth move

One point of this presumably is that White rarely has to get involved in a deep theoretical argument - it really is an ideas opening.

And a lot of the basic ideas are explained in some detail on the internet, eg at thechessworld and at chess.com.

The latter article is 15 years old, but ideas change slowly in long-established opening systems.

I expect to see a few more examples in my coming games as, if my limited experience at Bad Wörishofen is any guide, it appeals to a wide range of players - my round-two opponent was rated 2031, my round-four opponent 1671.

Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen

THE 41st Bad Wörishofen chess festival was split into three sections: open (103 participants), U2000 (73) and seniors (153).

A problem with the large field that the seniors had is that the first round tends to consist of a series of mismatches.

My Fide elo of 1919 meant I was seeded 72nd, just above the cut-off point for the top half.

Depending on byes and absences, I could have found myself facing an international master in round one. But instead I was drawn against the 150th seed, who was rated 1577.

In a tournament with juniors, that could have proved a poisoned chalice, but was not the case here, and my opponent forfeited on time while thinking about his 21st move.

That might seem strange, but it is probably significant that Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon he was positionally lost after six moves.

In one way the most remarkable thing about the game was that I had the white pieces, having had black in my previous seven encounters.

The seven comprised of the last two rounds at Weimar, followed by club games in the London, Central London and Croydon & District leagues, and two county games.

Off the top of your head, without pausing to calculate, what would you guess are the odds of getting seven blacks in a row?

Image: wikiHow

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Clearly, the chances of having black in the first round are one in two, and the chances in the second round are also one in two, so the chances of having black in two consecutive rounds are one-in-two x one-in-two, ie one in four.

[Actually, the odds in a tournament of getting two blacks in a row are longer than this as pairing rules usually dictate alternating colours.]

The five games following Weimar were all one-off events, in that previous colours had no bearing on future colours.

Seven rounds of one-in-two add up to one-in-128, or, in bookmakers' terms, 127-1 against.

The real odds were higher in my case as having black in round six at Weimar reduced my chances of having black in round seven, so perhaps the true odds of my getting seven blacks in a row were more like 150-1 or even 200-1 (someone more mathematically inclined might be able to give a more precise figure).

I have a barmaid-friend who regularly bets 50p each-way - sometimes £1 each-way - on horses she fancies because of their name or because they are grey.

Maria recently had a 250-1 winner, so I should not feel too put-upon at getting the short end of  a 127-1 chance.

Nevertheless, I am fairly sure it is a personal record.

Summing Up Bad Wörishofen

MY score in the seniors of +4=1-4 lost 10.8 Fide elo.

Early morning in the forest

Bad Wörishofen Senioren Round Nine

Spanton (1919) - Hans Marzik (2042)

Caro-Kann Bronstein-Larsen

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6!?

This recapture has very much played second fiddle to 5...exf6 in recent years, and the latter is much preferred by Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

6.c3

This consolidating move is the main continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database. The engines suggest 6.Nf3.

6...Bf5 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.Bf4 Bg7 9.Qe2!?

Stockfish17.1 prefers 9.Be3!? or 9.a4; Dragon1 gives 9.Bd3 or 9.Be2.

How should Black respond?

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9...Qa5

The engines like 9...e5!?, the very move 9.Qe2 was supposedly stopping. A possible continuation runs 10.dxe5 fxe5 11.Nxe5 Bxe5!? 12.Bxe5 0-0 13.0-0-0 Qa5, with an unclear position in which the engines reckon White should play 14.g4!?, or offer the exchange with 14.Rxd7!? After the latter, Black has to decline the offer as 14...Bxd7?? loses to 15.Qh5. However, Black has 14...Qxa2, when 15.Rd3!? Qa1+ 16.Kc2 f6 17.Bd4 Rad8 is still not clear. After 14.g4!?, Black is obliged to play 14...Bg6!?, when 15.Rxd7 Qxa2 is again sharp and unclear.

10.Nd2!? Qd5 11.Qe3
White is slightly better after 11.Nc4, according to the engines.

11...Qe6 12.Bc4 Qxe3+ 13.fxe3 e5 14.e4!? Bg6 15.Be3 f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.0-0 Bg6 18.Rae1 0-0

Now both sides have castled (kingside - unusual in the Bronstein-Larsen), how would you assess the position?

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White is ahead on development, and has two pawn islands against Black's three, but Black has pressure against d4. The engines call the game equal, although for quite some time Dragon1 prefers White.

19.Nb3
The engines suggest 19.d5!?

19...Rfe8 20.Be2

The engines prefer 20.Na5 or 20.Nc5!?

20...a5 21.Bg4?!

The bishop hits the knight, but in return the knight hits the bishop ...

21...Nf6

... gaining time to relocate to d5.

22.Be2?

It was necessary to play 22.Bd1 or 22.Bf3, but in each case with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines.

22...Nd5 23.Bf2 Nf4

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 23...a4 24.Nc1 exd4 25.Bxd4 Ne3! 26.Bxe3 Rxe3, eg 27.Bf3 Bh6! 28.a3 (28.Rxe3 Bxe3+ 29.Kh1 Rd8) Ra5!? 29.Kf2 Rxe1 30.Rxe1 Rb5.

24.Nc1 exd4 25.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 26.exd4 Ne6

White cannot save the d pawn

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27.Rd1 Rad8 28.d5!? cxd5 29.Rd2 Re7 30.Rfd1 Be4 31.Nb3 b6 32.Nd4!? Nxd4 33.Rxd4 f5 34.Bc4!? Kg7 35.Kf2?!

The engines much prefer 35.Bd3!?, but agree Black is winning.

35...Kf6 36.g3 Ke5 37.Bb3 Rc7 38.Ke3 b5 39.a3 Rc5 40.R4d2 Rd6!?

Preparing to open a second front.

41.h4!? Rg6 42.Rg1 Rxg3+!? 43.Rxg3 f4+ 44.Kf2 fxg3+ 45.Kxg3 Rc1 46.Bd1 d4 47.Kf2 Rc6!? 48.Be2 b4 49.axb4 axb4 50.Bd3?!

This loses a pawn, but White was already down the equivalent of about a rook, according to the engines.

50...Bxd3 51.Rxd3 Rc2+ 52.Kg3 Rxb2

Not all rook-and-pawn endings are drawn

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53.Rf3 Rc2 54.Kg4 Rc6 55.Rf5+ Ke4 56.Rb5 d3!? 57.Rxb4+ Ke3 58.Rb7 Rd6 59.Re7+ Kf2 60.Rxh7 d2 61.Rf7+ Kg2 0-1

Easter determines when the Bad Wörishofen congress is held, and, with Easter being a week earlier next year, the chess starts on Friday March 5