Thanks to the strength of modern engines, most games end in a draw, but occasionally one escapes that fate, or is interesting for other reasons.
Jonathan Tymms (1813) - Spanton (2330)
British Correspondence Chess Reserves 2025
Danish Gambit
1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3!?
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| How should Black respond to this throwback to a more romantic era? |
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3...Qe7!?
This is sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but may be best, scoring 62% (3...dxc3, the commonest continuation, only scores 43%).
4.cxd4!?
4.cxd4!?
This is best, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1, increasing White's score to 48%.
4...Qxe4+ 5.Be2?!
After 5.Be3 Bb4+ 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Nf3 Nf5!? 8.Qd2 Nxe3 9.fxe3 Qe7!? 10.Bd3 d5 11.0-0, a line suggested by the engines, White is close to having full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, and would certainly have interesting practical chances over the board.
5...Qxg2 6.Bf3 Qg6 7.Ne2 Qf5!?
Alexander Alekhine - André Chéron, Exhibition Game (Vevey, Switzerland) 1925, went 7...Ne7 8.Nbc3 c6? 9.Nf4 Qd6?! 10.0-0, with a large advantage to White, according to the engines (1-0, 16 moves). The text is not in Mega26.
8.Ng3 Qe6+ 9.Be3 d5 10.Nc3 c6
10...Bb4?! 11.Nh5!
11.Qd2 Qe7!?
Freeing the e6 square for the light-square bishop.
12.0-0-0
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| Now White has connected rooks, how would you assess the position? |
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Six of Black's 11 moves have been with the queen, which is the only black piece not on the back rank, and it blocks Black's dark-square bishop. But Black is two pawns up, and has no structural weaknesses, and that is enough to be winning, according to the engines (but I would not advise playing this way over the board).
12...Be6 13.Rde1 Na6 14.Bg5 Qd7!? 15.Rhg1 Ne7!? 16.Nh5!? 0-0-0!? 17.Nxg7 Bxg7 18.Bxe7 Qxe7 19.Rxg7
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| Black has given back one of the pawns, but has almost caught up in development |
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19...Qh4!? 20.Re5!? h5!?
20...Qxh2 21.Rh5.
21.Rgg5 Qxh2 22.Rxh5 Qg1+ 23.Bd1 Rxh5 24.Rxh5 Rg8 25.Qf4 Kd7!? 26.Ne2 Qg4 27.Rh4 Qxf4 28.Nxf4 Nc7 29.Rh7 Nb5 30.Kd2!?
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| How should Black proceed? |
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30...Rg1!?
This more-or-less obliges White to swop off Black's bad bishop. However, 30...Nxd4 is also good, eg 31.Bh5 Rf8 32.Ng6 Re8 33.Ne5+ Kc7 34.Nxf7 Re7 35.Ng5 Rxh7 36.Nxh7 Kd6, when Black is a pawn up in a minor-piece ending.
31.Nxe6
Otherwise Black captures on d4, and probably remains two pawns up.
31...Kxe6 32.Rh6+ Ke7 33.Rh4
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| White is a pawn down, and the pawn on d4 is weak, more than compensating Black for having rook and knight against rook and bishop |
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33...Nd6 34.Bc2 Nc4+ 35.Kc3 Rf1 36.Rh2 Rc1!? 37.a3 b5 38.Rh8 a5 39.Rc8 Kd6 40.Rd8+ Kc7 41.Rf8 b4+ 42.axb4 axb4+ 43.Kd3 Nxb2+ 44.Kd2 Ra1 45.Rxf7+ Kb6 46.Rf3
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| White has created a passed pawn, but Black's passer is the more advanced, and therefore the more dangerous |
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46...Nc4+ 47.Ke2 Na3 48.Bb3 Nb5 49.Rd3 Nc3+ 50.Kf3 Ra3 51.Bc2 Ra2 52.Bb3 Rb2 53.Bd1 Kb5 0-1
There are two games ongoing, but as the table below shows, I have won the tournament.
Actually, I was not supposed to be playing at all, but was asked to step in after another entrant withdrew at short notice.
I believe my victory means I qualify for the candidates' section - the level below the championship proper - of a future British Correspondence Chess Championship.
BCCC/RES/25-27 D, British Correspondence Chess Reserves 25-27 Section D
| TD Komar, Miroslav | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rated | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Score | Wins | SB | RG | Place | ||||||
| 1 |  | 212116 | CCM | Spanton, Tim | 2330 | (75) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9.5 | 7 | 45.5 | 0 | 1 | |
| 2 | | 210719 | Beer, Doug | 2050 | (83) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 42.5 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 3 | | 213221 | CCM | Baxter, Harold | 2352 | (77) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.5 | 5 | 40.75 | 0 | 3 | |
| 4 |  | 212273 | CCE | Bruce, Robert | 1997 | (44) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8.5 | 5 | 40.5 | 0 | 4 | |
| 5 |  | 211672 | IM | Lockwood, Austin | 2383 | (88) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | . | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 38.5 | 1 | 5 | |
| 6 | | 211824 | CCM | Graham, Oliver | 2379 | (54) | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | . | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | 36.5 | 1 | 6 | |
| 7 | | 211163 | Tymms, J. D. M. | 1813 | (73) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | . | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 5 | 23 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 8 | | 213224 | Hardingham, David | 1895 | (83) | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | 4 | 25.5 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 9 | | 211804 | Tupper, Alex | 1662 | (102) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | . | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4.5 | 4 | 11.25 | 1 | 9 | ||
| 10 | | 212069 | Kirk, Matthew | 1852 | (70) | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10.5 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 11 | | 211815 | Picken, R. David | 1684 | (92) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1.5 | 1 | 1.25 | 0 | 11 | ||
| 12 | | 212191 | Ruffle, Alan | 1371 | (59) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 13 | | 620635 | Burridge, Raymond John | 1543 | (65) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0.75 | 0 | 13 | ||
