Lessons From Bischofsgrün

IN round one of the senior (55+) championship of Upper Franconia, my opponent, Hartmut Kumeth (1784), laid down his marker as early as move two when he followed 1.Nf3 c5 with 2.c3!?

As I pointed out in my notes to the game, 2.c3!? is not extremely rare (the position occurs 1,577 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database) and the move has been played by many top grandmasters.

It is also true that White can afford more leeway in the opening than Black before falling into serious trouble.

But by move seven, the following position had been reached.

White has just played 7.Be2, and is yet to advance anything to the fourth rank

Indeed, by playing 7...e4, I was first to occupy White's fourth rank.

It was not until move 12 that White finally, if briefly, reached his fourth rank by playing 12.dxe4.

I recaptured with the d pawn, so again White had nothing beyond the third rank

It was not until move 18 that White actually established something on the fourth.

White has just played 18.c3-c4

I do not think many players will be surprised to learn that Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon Black has a won game.

Indeed White only lasted another four moves.

LESSON: space in chess is important. If you are cramped, and have no compensation, such as pressure against the opponent's centre, you may well be lost.

Correspondence Chess

I PLAY correspondence chess, mainly for various England teams, at the Fide-recognised International Correspondence Chess Federation.

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!?

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!?

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

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

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!?

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

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

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