European 65+ Team: Game Eight

Mountain view

Sweden 1 v England 3

Anders Wengholm (2171) - Spanton (2003)

English Symmetrical

1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.e3 Nf6!? 5.d4 cxd4 6.exd4

The idea of playing 4...Nf6!?, rather than the more popular 4...Bg7, is so 5.d4 cxd4 6.exd4 can be met by ...

6...d5

... when Black is playing the white side of a Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit, but with a tempo less.

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Nxc3 9.Bc4!? Nd5!? 10.Bxd5 e6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6

How would you asses this opening position?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black has the bishop-pair, but has an extra pawn island and is behind in development. Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon White is slightly better.

12.0-0 Bg7

The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 12...Qd5 13.Be3 f6!? 14.Rfc1 Bd6 15.Nd2, with White maintaining a slight edge, according to the engines, but there are many plausible alternatives along the way.

13.Bg5

The engines reckon the immediate 13.Bf4 gives White the upper hand.

13...f6!? 14.Bf4 g5!?

The engines are fine with this apparent-novelty, switching between it and the known 14...0-0 as their top choice, although Dragon1 comes to also like another apparent-novelty in 14...Qd5.

15.Bg3!?

The engines agree with offering the d pawn.

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

15...h5?!

Probably a pawn move too many. The engines suggest 15...Qd5 or 15...0-0, but reckon 15...g4?! 16.Nd2 (the engines prefer this over 16.Nh4) Qxd4? is asking for trouble, eg 17.Nc4 0-0 18.Rad1 Qe4 19.Rfe1, and either 19...Nd6 or 19...Bd6, in each case with more than enough for a pawn.

16.h4!?

The engines rate this more highly than 16.h3.

16...g4 17.Nd2 0-0

Again, taking on d4 is bad.

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

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black still has the bishop-pair, but lags in development and has numerous weaknesses. The engines agree White has at least the upper hand.

18.Qe3!?

This is the engines' top choice.

18...f5 19.Nb3 Qf6 20.Bf4 Qxh4!?

This comes to be quite liked by the engines, but they eventually prefer 20...a5 or 20...c5!?

21.Rac1!?

This seems even stronger than 21.Bg5 f4 22.Bxf4 Qf6 23.Be5.

21...Qe7?!

Black should probably play 21...Bd7 or 21...Qf6, albeit with advantage to White.

22.Rxc6 e5?!

A pawn sacrifice for activity, but Black should probably settle for 22...Bd7.

23.dxe5 Bb7 24.Rd6 Be4?!

This hardly helps.

25.Rfd1 Rfd8

Not 25...Bxe5? 26.Bxe5 Qxe5 27.Qg5+.

26.Nc5 Bxe5?

A bad move in a bad position.

27.Rxd8+

By no means the only winning move.

27...Rxd8 28.Rxd8+ Qxd8 29.Bxe5

White is a knight to the good

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

29...Qe7 30.Qb3+ Kh7 31.Qb8 g3 32.Nxe4 fxe4 33.Qc7 1-0

TEAM RESULT

Bo.	7	Sweden 1	Rtg	-	13	England 3	Rtg	3 : 1
5.1	CM	Wengholm, Anders	2171	-		Spanton, Tim R	2003	1 - 0
5.2		Jaderberg, Bjorn	2059	-		Freeman, Jon A	1950	½ - ½
5.3		Lagerborg, Krister	2041	-		Guilfoyle, John M	1921	1 - 0
5.4	CM	Soderberg, Per	2022	-		Wilson, Edgar	1903	½ - ½

European 65+ Team Pairings Round Eight

Colourful fountain

Bo.	7	Sweden 1	Rtg	-	13	England 3	Rtg	0 : 0
5.1	CM	Wengholm, Anders	2171	-		Spanton, Tim R	2003
5.2		Jaderberg, Bjorn	2059	-		Freeman, Jon A	1950
5.3		Lagerborg, Krister	2041	-		Guilfoyle, John M	1921
5.4	CM	Soderberg, Per	2022	-		Wilson, Edgar	1903

European 65+ Team: Game Seven

Roadside death announcements are commonplace

England 3 v Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam

Spanton (2003) - Boris Fainberg (2066)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6

This is a popular alternative to the mainline 4.0-0.

4...bxc6 5.d3 d5!?

This is the top choice of Dragon1 for quite some time, although it eventually comes to equally like the commonest continuation, 5...Ne7. Stockfish18 likes the latter, and 5...Qc7.

6.0-0 Nf6

The engines prefer 5...Ne7.

7.e5 Nd7 8.Re1 Be7 9.c4 0-0

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

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

As usual in variations of the Rosolimo with Bxc6, White's better pawn-structure is up against Black's bishop-pair. In this particular line, it may be that White's kingside space advantage, conferred by the pawn on e5, is what makes the engines give White a slight edge.
10.Nc3 Rb8 11.b3 f6

How should Black's attack on the white centre be met?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

12.Bb2?!

Apparently a novelty, and one that is strongly disliked by the engines. They suggest the known 12.exf6, or another apparent-novelty in 12.Bf4. After 12.exf6, the engines' main line runs 12...Bxf6 13.Bb2 Qe8 14.Rc1!?, claiming at least a slight edge for White. After the super-sharp 12.Bf4, their main line more-or-less runs 12...fxe5 13.Nxe5!? Rxf4 14.Nxc6 Qf8 15.Rxe6 Bf6 16.Nxd5!? Rxf2!? 17.Nxf6+ Rxf6 18.Rxf6 Qxf6 19.Nxb8 Nxb8, after which White has rook and two pawns for bishop and knight. That gives White at least a slight edge, according to the engines, but there are many sharp alternatives along the way.

12...Nxe5!?

The engines slightly prefer 12...fxe5.

13.Nxe5 fxe5 14.Rxe5?!

The engines award White a slight edge after 14.Na4!

14...Bd6

What should White play?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

15.Re1??
Better rook moves are 15.Re2 and 15.Rh5, but the engines suggest offering the exchange with 15.Na4!?, when 15...Bxe5 16.Bxe5 Rb7 17.Qe2 seems to give White good compensation. Instead, the engines reckon closing the long dark diagonal with 15...d4 is one of several moves giving Black the upper hand.

15...Bxh2+! 16.Kxh2

Declining the bishop is even worse.

16...Qh4+ 17.Kg1 Qxf2+ 18.Kh1 Rf4 19.Qh5

The only move that sort of keeps the game going.

19...Rh4+ 20.Qxh4 Qxh4+ 21.Kg1 Qd4+ 22.Kh1 Rb7

Black has queen and two pawns for rook and knight, and much the safer king, adding up to an advantage worth more than a rook, according to the engines

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

23.Rf1!?

This is the engines' top choice - there is little point in trying to defend the d3 pawn.

23...Qxd3 24.cxd5 exd5 25.Rf3 Qc2 26.Raf1

Developing the rook is possible, thanks to the threat of mate at f8.

26...h6 27.Ba3 Rc7 28.Nb5 Rc6!? 29.Nxa7 Ra6 30.R3f2 Qe4

Black's advantage is now worth a little more than a rook, according to Stockfish18, and more than a rook and a pawn, according to Dragon1

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

31.Bxc5 Bb7 32.b4 e5 33.Nb5 Rg6

Black is still winning comfortably after this, according to the engines, but they prefer 33...d4 or 33...Qg6.

34.Nd6 Qh4+ 35.Kg1 Ba6?!

Again, Black is still winning after this, according to the engines, but they reckon stronger are 35...Rg5 and 35...Rxd6!?

After 35...Ba6?!, how should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

36.Nf5

Not 36.b5? Bxb5 37.Nxb5 Qc4.

How should Black respond?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

36...Qg4?

Best seems to be 36...Qe4 37.Ne7+ Kh7 38.Nxg6 Kxg6 39.Rd1 d4, which is winning for Black, according to the engines. They also quite like 36...Qg5.

37.Ne7+ Kh7 38.Nxg6 Kxg6

Dragon1 suggests 38...Bxf1!?, but 39.Nf8+ Kg8 40.Rxf1 gives equal chances, according to Stockfish18.

39.Re1 Qe6 40.Bd4! e4

Black's connected passers are blockaded, leaving the game completely equal, according to the engines

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

41.a4 Bc4?!

The engines suggest 41...Qe7 or 41...Qd6, when 42.b5?? loses to 42...Qb4 (hitting a rook as well as the white bishop), so best may be 42.Re3!?, the point being 42...Qxb4 can be met by 43.Rg3+ Kh5 (forced) 44.Bc3!?, a possible finish being 44...Qb1+ 45.Kh2 Qb6 46.Rh3+ Kg4 47.Rg3+ Kh5 48.Rh3+ etc.

42.b5 h5?

Black had to play 42...Qg4!?, according to Stockfish18, eg 43.b6 Ba6 44.a5 h5!? 45.Rb2 e3!? 46.Bxe3 d4 47.Bc1 d3 48.Rf2 h4 49.Bd2 h3 50.Re3 Qd1+ 51.Kh2 hxg2 52.Rg3+ Kh7 53.Rfxg2 Qa1, after which it seems neither side can make progress. This is another tricky line, and one which Dragon1 misassesses until after 45.Rb2 is inputted.

43.b6?

Much stronger is 43.Rb2, eg 43...Qd7 44.a5!? Bxb5 45.a6 Bc6 46.Rb8!? (threatening Rg8 and Rxg7, as well as threatening to promote the a pawn) Kh7 (there is nothing better, according to the engines) 47.a7 etc.

43...Ba6 44.Rb2 Qc6??

The engines point out that both 44...Qc8 and 44...Qd7 draw.

45.b7 1-0

TEAM RESULT

Bo.	13	England 3	Rtg	-	12	Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam	Rtg	3 : 1
7.1		Spanton, Tim R	2003	-		Fainberg, Boris	2066	1 - 0
7.2		Freeman, Jon A	1950	-		Balishansky, Alexander	1958	0 - 1
7.3		Guilfoyle, John M	1921	-		Kalejman, Hector	1873	1 - 0
7.4		Wilson, Edgar	1903	-		Meizlin, Yaacov	1938	1 - 0

European 65+ Team Pairings Round Seven

Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, commemorating the story of the archangel Gabriel visiting Mary ahead of the birth of Jesus

Bo.	13	England 3	Rtg	-	12	Maccabi Matnas Kiryat Yam	Rtg	0 : 0
7.1		Spanton, Tim R	2003	-		Fainberg, Boris	2066
7.2		Freeman, Jon A	1950	-		Balishansky, Alexander	1958
7.3		Guilfoyle, John M	1921	-		Kalejman, Hector	1873
7.4		Wilson, Edgar	1903	-		Meizlin, Yaacov	1938

European 65+ Team: Game Six

Splash of colour

Israel 2 v England 3

Ido Yad-Shalom (-) - Spanton (2003)

Nimzo-Indian

1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nf3 d5 7.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess this position, which occurs 10,214 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon chances are equal. However, White scores 52% from this position in Mega26, ie four percentage points better than Black

7...Nc6 8.a3

This is easily the commonest continuation, and means we now get a 'proper' Nimzo-Indian in that the game will (probably) become a battle between White's bishop-pair and Black's better structure.

8...Bxc3

Preserving the dark-square bishop with 8...Ba5!? is far from ridiculous, and has been played by top grandmasters. The main line in Mega26 continues 9.cxd5 exd5 10.dxc5, when Black is more-or-less to forced to give up the bishop anyway. After 10...Bxc3 11.bxc3 Bg4, the engines reckon White is slightly better.

9.bxc3 b6!?

The main line runs 9...dxc4 10.Bxc4 Qc7 11.Bd3 e5!?, with equal chances, according to the engines.

10.cxd5 exd5 11.h3!?

This scores 67% in Mega26, albeit from a small sample size, and is liked by Stockfish18. Nevertheless, both engines prefer the mainline 11.Ne5, when 11...Nxe5?! 12.dxe5 gives White the upper hand, according to the engines, wherever the f6 knight goes. The main reply is 11...Qc7, when Dragon1 reckons 12.Nxc6 Qxc6 is equal, but Stockfish18 prefers White.

11...Re8

The engines suggest an apparent-novelty in 11...Na5!?

After 11...Re8, how should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

12.Bb5!?

This is the engines' second choice, narrowly behind 12.dxc5, when 12...bxc5 13.c4!? Na5!? 14.cxd5 c4!? 15.Bc2 Qxd5 16.Bb2 saw the bishop-pair start to dominate in Borsilav Ivkov - Stanimir Nikolić, Vrnjačka Banja (Yugoslavia) 1971 (1-0, 41 moves). The engines reckon 13...dxc4!? 14.Bxc4 Na5 is an improvement for Black.

12...Bd7 13.a4 c4!?

This seems to be a novelty, and is liked by the engines, along with another apparent-novelty in 13...Na5!? However, they are also OK with the known 13...Qc7. One point about the text is that it is far from clear if White will be able to get in the move e4, which is the usual counter when Black pushes on with ...c4 in the circumstances of this game.

14.Ba3 Ne4 15.Rc1!? Re6!?

What should White play?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

16.Bxc6

The engines suggest 16.Bxc4!? dxc4 17.d5, but reckon 17...Rg6 18.dxc6 Bxc6 19.Qxd8+ Rxd8 leaves Black at least slightly better.

16...Bxc6 17.Ne5 Qe8 18.Nxc6?!

This saves a5, but gives up a well-posted knight. The engines suggest 18.a5!? bxa5 19.f3 Ng3 20.Re1. but give Black the upper hand. Note that 18.Nxc4?? is a blunder in view of 18...dxc4 19.d5 Bxa4.

18...Qxc6

How would you assess this middlegame?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

This bishop has a nice-looking diagonal, but Black can play around it, and otherwise the bishop has very little scope. Meanwhile, the knight is well-placed, and Black's lead in development gives kingside attacking chances. The engines agree Black has a positionally won game.

19.f3!?

The engines are OK with this, albeit slightly preferring 19.a5!? or 19.Re1.

19...Ng3 20.Re1

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

20...Rae8

White has a sharp reply to this, so probably better is the engines' 20...f5!?, fixing the e3 weakness.

How does White keep the game going?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

21.e4! f6

This is good enough for a sizeable advantage, but the engines much prefer 21...Nh5!? Note that 21...dxe4?? loses to 22.d5.

22.Kf2

Perhaps best is 22.Qd2!?, although 22...Qxa4 23.Ra1 Qc6 wins a sound pawn.

22...Qc7 23.Qd2?

Better is 23.e5 fxe5 24.dxe5 Rxe5 25.Qxd5+! Rxd5 26.Rxe8+ Kf7 27.Re7+ Qxe7 28.Bxe7 Kxe7 29.Kxg3, when material is level, but the rook-and-pawn ending strongly favours Black's two pawn islands against White's three.

23...dxe4 24.d5!?

Complicating in this manner seems White's best chance, although it should not work.

24...e3+ 25.Rxe3 Rxe3 26.d6 Qd7

Other moves also win.

27.Kxg3 Rd3 28.Qf4

28.Qf4 protects White's major asset, the d6 pawn, and threatens the devastating 29.Qxc4+, but Black has a simple answer

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

28...Qxa4 29.Bb4 Qb5 30.h4!?

This is liked by the engines, but it poses little threat.

30...Qe5 31.Qxe5 Rxe5 32.Kg4 Kf7 33.Ra1 a5 34.Ba3 Ke6 35.Rb1 b5 36.f4?

This loses on the spot, but the engines reckon Black's advantage is anyway the equivalent being more than a rook up (Stockfish18), or even up the equivalent of a rook and a minor piece (Dragon1).

36...h5#

TEAM RESULT

Bo.	18	Israel 2	Rtg	-	13	England 3	Rtg	2 : 2
9.1		Yad-Shalom, Ido	0	-		Spanton, Tim R	2003	0 - 1
9.2		Reem, Meir	1772	-		Freeman, Jon A	1950	1 - 0
9.3		Idesis, Yaacov	1821	-		Guilfoyle, John M	1921	1 - 0
9.4		Khokhlov, Yurii	1601	-		Wilson, Edgar	1903	0 - 1

European 65+ Team Pairings Round Six

Church of St Vasilios (Basil) in Koutouloufari - built in the 1840s around a 14th-century original 

Bo.	18	Israel 2	Rtg	-	13	England 3	Rtg	0 : 0
9.1		Yad-Shalom, Ido	0	-		Spanton, Tim R	2003
9.2		Reem, Meir	1772	-		Freeman, Jon A	1950
9.3		Idesis, Yaacov	1821	-		Guilfoyle, John M	1921
9.4		Khokhlov, Yurii	1601	-		Wilson, Edgar	1903

European 65+ Team: Game Five

'Pirate' ship

Denmark v England 3

Mogens Thuesen (2131) - Spanton (2003)

QGD Exchange

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Bd6!?

This is third in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 7...Bf5!? and especially 7...Be7.

8.Bd3 0-0 9.Qc2 Re8 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.0-0

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

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

White's lead in development may be why Stockfish18 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge, a verdict born out by White's score in Mega26 of 65% over 919 games.

11...a5 12.Rad1!?

This apparent-novelty - there are eight other moves in Mega26 - is quite liked by the engines, being Dragon1's top choice for a while.

12...Qc7 13.Rfe1 g5!?

This thrust is the engines' highest-rated continuation.

14.Bg3 Bxg3 15.hxg3 Qd6 16.a3 Kg7 17.e4 dxe4 18.Bxe4!?

The engines agree this is better than 18.Nxe4.

How should Black respond?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

18...Nxe4?

Black is only slightly worse after 18...Nb6!?, according to the engines.

19.Nxe4 Qg6

How should White proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

20.d5?!

This seems premature. The engines reckon White already has a positionally won game, but it requires a more controlled build-up, starting with the rooks, eg 20.Rc1!? a4 21.Re2 Rd8 22.g4!? Rf8!? 23.Rce1 Nb6!? 24.Ne5 Qh7 25.Qc1, after which White has strong pressure, but no immediate breakthrough.

What should Black play to avoid a serious disadvantage?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

20...Ne5??

Possibly OK is 20...cxd5!?, but best, according to the engines, is 20...Nf6, when White has to find 21.Nxf6!, after which 21...Qxc2?! seems to lose to 22.Nxe8+ Kg8 23.Nc7 Rb8 24.Rd2!, eg 24...Qc5 25.Re8+ Kh7 26.d6 g4 27.Nh2! Qa7 (27...Qc1+ 28.Nf1) 27.d7 Bxd7 28.Rxd7 Rxe8 29.Nxe8, White emerging with a rook and two knights for a queen. However, Black can improve with 21...Rxe1+! 22.Nxe1 Qxf6, when the engines reckon White at best has a slight edge.

21.Qc3 f6 22.Nd6

Black is busted

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

22...Bg4!?

Giving up the exchange like this may be Black's best try, which shows how bad Black's position is. Note that 22...Re7 23.Nxe5 Rxe5 24.Rxe5 fxe5 25.Qe5+ Qf6, hoping to drop 'only' a pawn, fails to 26.Ne8+.
23.Nxe8+ Rxe8 24.Nxe5 Rxe5 25.Rxe5 Bxd1 26.Re7+ Kf8 27.Rxb7 1-0

TEAM RESULT

Bo.	10	Denmark	Rtg	-	13	England 3	Rtg	2½:1½
7.1		Thuesen, Mogens	2131	-		Spanton, Tim R	2003	1 - 0
7.2		Rewitz, Jan	2029	-		Freeman, Jon A	1950	½ - ½
7.3		Oehlerich, Per	1963	-		Guilfoyle, John M	1921	1 - 0
7.4		Rasmussen, Bjarne Meldgaard	1856	-		Wilson, Edgar	1903	0 - 1