Magdeburg Round Seven

Dieter Stummeyer (1834) - Spanton (2039)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1!?

This has become fashionable, at the expense of the mainline 5.d4, partly, I suspect, because engines, such as Stockfish18 and Dragon1, reckon there is little to choose between the two moves, and the text leads to simpler play.

5...Nd6 6.Bxc6!?

But here Stockfish18 and Dragon1 definitely prefer the mainline 6.Nxe5.

6...dxc6

As in the Exchange Variation of the Spanish (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6), recapturing away from the centre is generally considered the better continuation. 

7.Nxe5 Be7 8.d4 0-0

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

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White has more space in the centre, and the slightly superior pawn-structure, but these factors are outweighed by Black's bishop-pair, according to Stockfish18, although Dragon1 is less sure.

9.Bf4 Bf5 10.Nd2 f6!? 11.Nef3 Qd7

How should White proceed?

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12.c3

Interesting is 12.Nh4!?, not least because 12...Bg4? loses to 13.Rxe7! However, Black seems fine after 12...Be6!? 13.Qe2 Kf7.

12...Kh8 13.Rc1?!

The engines strongly dislike this, and it certainly is hard to see what future the rook has on the closed c file.

13...Rae8

The wrong rook, according to the engines, although they do not reckon it is a big deal.

14.a3 Bg4 15.h3 Bh5 16.Qa4!?

White threatens both Qxa7 and d5

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16...a6?!

Dealing with one threat, but not the other. Perhaps best is 16...b5!?, when 17.Qxa7?! runs into 17...Ra8 18.Qc5 Bxf3, and, if 19.Nxf3, then 19...Nf5 forces 20.Rxe7, after which 20...Ne7 leaves Black up the exchange for a pawn. Instead of 17.Qxa7?!, the engines give 17...Qa5 or 17...Qa6, claiming equality.

17.d5 b5 18.Qxa6 cxd5 19.Nd4

How should Black respond?

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19...c5?

The engines suggest 19...Rg8, but give White at least the upper hand.

White to play and gain a winning advantage

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20.Bxd6??

Simplest is 20.Ne6 Rg8 21.Nxc5, when White's advantage is worth between two and three pawns, according to the engines, but they also reckon 20.Rxe7!? and 20.Qc6 win. After the text, Black, not White, has a large advantage.

20...Bxd6 21.Qxb5?!

The engines prefer 21.Rxe8 Rxe8 22.N4f3, but agree Black is winning after 22...Bf4 (both 22.Nxb5? and 22...Qxb5? 23.Qxb5 Nxb5 make ...Bf4 even stronger).

21...Qxb5 22.Nxb5 Bf4 23.Nb3

This may be best. Certainly there is no way to save the exchange.

23...Bxc1 24.Rxc1 Rb8 25.a4 c4?!

Now a white knight will have a strong outpost at d4. The engines prefer 25...Rfc8.

26.Nc5 Be8!? 27.Ne6 Rf7 28.Nec7 Bxb5 29.Nxb5 Ra8 30.Re1 h6 31.Re6?!

The engines much prefer 31.Rd1 or 31.Ra1.

31...Rd7 32.Rb6 Rxa4 33.Nd6 Kh7 34.Kf1 Re7 35.g4 Ra1+ 36.Kg2 Rd7 37.Kf3 Rh1 38.Kg2 Re1 39.Nf5 Ra1 40.Kf3 Rh1 41.Kg2 Re1 42.Kf3 Kg6 43.Kf4 Re4+ 44.Kg3 Re5 45.Nd4 Kf7 46.f4!?

The engines prefer temporising with 46.Rb5 or 46.Rb4.

46...Re3+ 47.Kg2 Ree7 48.Nf5 Re6 49.Rb5 Re2+ 50.Kf3 Rd2 51.h4 Rd3+ 52.Kf2 Kg8 53.h5 Rd2+ 54.Kf3 Kh7?

This throws away Black's advantage.

White to play and equalise

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55.Ke3?

After 55.Rb8, it seems Black cannot make progress. and the engines come to call the position completely equal.

55...Rd1 56.Ke2

Now 56.Rb8 can be met by, for example, 56...Rf1 or 56...Ra7, when the engines agree Black is winning. Going back to the diagram, however, 55.Rb8 Rd1 56.Nh4 is equal, thanks to the threat of 56.Ng6, whereas after 55.Ke3? Rd1 (as in the game) 56.Rb8 Ra7 57.Nh4, Black has 57...Re7+.

56...Ra1 57.Rb6 Raa7 58.Ke3 Rab7 59.Rxb7 Rxb7

How would you assess this rook-v-knight ending?

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Black's advantage is the equivalent of being about a rook up, according to the engines.

60.Kd4 Rxb2 61.Kxd5 Rg2 62.Ne3 Rg3 63.Kd4 Kg8 64.f5!? Kf7 65.Ke4 Ke7 66.Kf4 Rg1 67.Ke4

Or 67.Nxc4 Rc1 68.Ne3 Kd6 (68...Rxc3?? 69.Nd5+) 69.c4 Kc5 70.Ke4 Rc3 71.Kf4 Kd4 and 72...Rxc4.

67...Kd7 68.Kd4 Rg3 69.Ke4 Kc6 70.Kf4 Rg1 71.Nxc4

There is nothing better.

71...Rc1 72.Ke4

Or 72.Na5+ Kb6 73.Nc4+ Kc5 74.Nb2 Kd5 75.Na4 Rc2 76.Ke3 Kc6 (threatening to win the knight with ...Ra2) 77.Kd4 Rg2 and ...Rxg4(+).

72...Rxc3 73.Kd4 Rg3 74.Ne3 Kb5 75.Ke4 Kb4 76.Kf4

Black to play and win

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76...Rxe3!
The pawn ending is a win for Black.

77.Kxe3 Kc3 78.Ke4

DS offered a draw in my time.

78...Kd2 79.Kf3

Or 79.Kd5 Ke3 80.Ke6 Kf4 81.Kf7 Kxg4 82.Kxg7 Kg5 etc.

79...Kd3 80.Kg3

Or 80.Kf4 Ke2 81.Kf4 Kf2 82.Kf4 Kg2 etc.

80...Ke3 81.Kh3 Kf3 82.Kh4 Kg2 83.g5 hxg5+ 84.Kg4 Kh2 85.h6!? gxh6 86.Kh5

Black to play and maintain the win

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86...Kg3?

Both 86...Kh3 and 86...Kh1 win.

87.Kg6!

There is no longer a win

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87...Kf4

Or 87...Kh4 88.Kxf6 g4 89.Kg6!? (other moves also draw, including 89.Ke6, but the engines marginally prefer the text) g3 90.f6 g2 91.f7 g1=Q+ 92.Kxh6, with a book draw, thanks to White having a bishop's pawn on the seventh rank.

88.Kxf6 g4 89.Ke6 g3 90.f6 g2 91.f7 g1=Q 92.f8=Q Kg3

I offered a draw, but DS apparently did not hear, or did not understand what I was saying.

93.Qg7+ Kf2 94.Qxg1+ ½–½

A Look Inside Magdeburg Cathedral

The twin towers of the main entrance, completed in 1520 - more than 300 years after work began

Magdeburg was at the forefront of the Lutheran Reformation, which is why the interior, including the altar, is very plain compared with, for example, Bavarian Christian buildings

There is some colour ...

... and some intricate stonework

Wooden WW1 memorial

New bells, planned to be installed over the next five years

Magdeburg Round Six

Spanton (2039) - Gerd Niebuhr (1868)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc4 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 f6!?

A rare move at this point, but playing ...f6 is common in the Exchange Variation of the Spanish, and is a popular response at move five to both 5.0-0 and 5.Nc3.

Is there any way for White to take advantage of Black's unusual timing?

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8.Be3

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 suggest 8.Bf4!?, the idea being to meet 8...Bd6 with 9.Bxd6 cxd6 and, perhaps, 10.Nc3, when the engines reckon White is slightly better.

8...Bd7 9.Nc3 Bb4 10.Ne2 0-0-0 11.a3 Bd6 12.0-0-0

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

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It is the usual Spanish Exchange battle of pawn-structure versus bishop-pair. The engines call the game equal.

12...Ne7 13.Na4 b6?

Black is fine after 13...Be6 or 13...Be8!?, according to the engines.

14.Nxb6+! cxb6 15.Rxd6 Kc7 16.Rhd1 Nc8 17.Bxb6+??

The engines reckon White has an advantage worth about 4.50 after 17.R6d3.

17...Nxc6

But now Black has an advantage that the engines put at about 2.80

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18.R6d4 Bg4 19.f3 Rxd4 20.Rxd4 Be6 21.Nf4 Bf7 22.Nd3 Nd7 23.Nb4!?

How should Black proceed?

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23...Ra8

The engines like this, but 23...c5!? is also possible, meeting 24.Nxa6+!? with 24...Kc6, when White is more-or-less obliged to play 25.Rxd7!? Kxd7 26.Nxc5+, emerging with four pawns for a rook, when Black is winning, but the material balance is unusual, and could be tricky to play.

24.Rd2 a5 25.Nd3 Ne5!? 26.Nxe5 fxe5 27.Rd3 Rd8 28.Rc3

Objectively better, according to the engines, is swopping rooks.

28...Kb6 29.b3 c5 30.h4 Rd4 31.g3 h5 32.Re3 c4 33.b4 axb4 34.axb4 Rd6!? 35.f4 Rg6 36.f5

The engines are not keen on this, but their suggested 36.fxe5 hardly offers White much hope.

36...Rg4 37.Kd2 Be8 38.Rf3!? Bc6 39.f6 gxf6 40.Rxf6 Rxe4 41.Rf5 Rg4 42.Rxe5 Rxg3 43.Rxh5 c3+!?

Where should the white king go?

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44.Ke2

Both 44.Kc1? and 44.Kd1? lose trivially, so the only alternative is 44.Ke1, but there are many winning lines for Black, eg 44...Rh3 45.Rh8 Be4, or 45.Rh6 Rh2 46.Kd1 Kb5.

44...Bf3+ 45.Kf2 Bxh5 46.Kxg3 Kb5 47.Kf4 Kxb4 0-1

Walk On

The weather in Magdeburg was a bit iffy over the first few days of the tournament, but there was glorious sunshine yesterday afternoon, and I decided to go for a walk, following the Elbe upstream

Looking back to the city

Remains of an old bridge on the far bank? That's what I thought at first, but I saw several similar pieces of stonework on my side of the river later, and they cannot all have been parts of bridges

This steam engine (lokomobile in German) was built in 1911 in Buckau, which was then the industrial quarter of Magdeburg - it ended its working life in a lumber mill, but was restored and placed by the Elbe in 2005 as a reminder of the area's heritage

Mini-marina

I was not walking especially fast - the weather was quite hot - but I overtook this pleasure boat, which can just be seen in the distance in the first photo of this post

Tree with interesting burrs

Unfortunately I was feeling rather lethargic, so I quit walking after less than two hours, and refreshed with a (non-alcoholic) wheat beer

Instead of walking back to the city beside the river, I followed tram tracks, which proved a much shorter route, albeit less varied

Magdeburg Round Five

Bernd Wagner (1872) - Spanton (2039)

King's Indian Attack

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.0-0

This is the KIA move, but marginally more popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 4.d4, which scores seven percentage points better.

4...e5

This is what puts some people - and engines - off castling at move four. Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon that, after the text, Black is already slightly better.

5.d3 Nf6 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.e4 0-0

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

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Black's extra space gives a slight edge, according to the engines, although Dragon1 is less sure than Stockfish18.

8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Re1 f6

There are 102 examples of this position in Mega26 - it is reminiscent of a Maróczy Bind, with colours reversed, except White has used the e pawn, rather than the c pawn, to swop off Black's d pawn  

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10.Nc4 Bg4

The engines are not keen on evicting the c4 knight with 10...b5, evaluating 11.Ne3 Be6 12.a4 as equal.

11.Ne3 Be6

This position occurs 14 times in Mega26, but with Black to play in all but one of the games - nevertheless, even with White to play, the engines give Black a slight edge

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12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.c3!?

This may be a novelty. Kapil Chandran (2333) - Bence Pribelszky (2413), Budapest 2023, went 13.Be3 Qd7 14.Nd2!? Bxg2 15.Kxg2 Rae8 16.a4 f5, with at least a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (but 1-0, 81 moves).

13...Qd7 14.Be3 Rad8 15.Bf1?!

Passivity is rarely correct, unless it is forced, and that apparently is not the case here. The engines suggest 15.Qe2!? or 15.a3!? If, after 15.Qe2!?, Black plays 15...Bxf3?! 16.Qxf3 Qxd3, the engines reckon 17.Rad1 Qc4 18.Qd5+ Qxd5 19.Bxd5+ Kh8 20.g4!? gives White more than enough for a pawn. Similarly, 15.a3 Bxf3?! 16.Qxd3 Rad1 gives White an edge, according to the engines.

15...Qf5?!

Black is better after this, but is positionally winning after 15...f5, according to the engines.

16.Nh4 Qe6 17.a3?!

Not 17.c4? Bxc4!, but the engines much prefer 17.Qh5!? or 17.f4!?

17...f5 18.Ng2 Qg6?!

Black is well on top after 18...Qf7 or 18...c4, according to the engines.

19.f4

How should Black proceed?

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19...e4?!

The engines reckon both 19...Qf7 and 19...Qf6 give at least a slight edge.
20.dxe4 Bxe4

Black gets a passed pawn after 20...fxe4?!, but it is probably too weak to be of much use.

21.Qb3+ Kh8 22.Rad1

White completes development, and has equalised, according to the engines

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22...Rfe8 23.Bf2 Bd6?

Best may be playing for exchanges with 23...Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Rd8.

24.Nh4 Qf6 25.Bg2

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 25.Qxb7!?, when 25...Rb8? runs into 26.Rxe4!

25...Bxg2 26.Kxg2 b6

Perhaps best is 26...Re7, when the position is sharp, but best-play may go 27.Rxe7 Qxe7 28.Re1 Qd7 29.Qd5 g6 30.Bxc5 Bxc5 31.Qxc5 Qd2+ 32.Qf2 Qxf2+ 33.Kxf2, although the engines agree White is winning.

27.Rxe8+ Rxe8 28.Qd5 Bf8

There is nothing better - Black is losing a pawn.

29.Qxf5 Qxf5 30.Nxf5 Re2 31.b4

BW offered a draw.

Objectively, should Black accept?

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½–½

Black is 'only' one pawn down, and the black rook is more active than its white counterpart, but all the other white pieces are better than their opposite numbers. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth almost three pawns.

More Wackiness In Magdeburg

Leiterstraße - Ladder Street

Devil's Fountain

Statue of 13th-century Christian mystic Mechthild of Magdeburg

Clock sculpture

Magdeburg Round Four

Spanton (2039) - Hartmut Krien (1900)

Alekhine

1.e4 Nf6 2.Nc3

Wimping out? It's hard to argue with that, but my record with the text is better than with 2.e5.

2...d5 3.e5 Ne4!?

Magnus Carlsen has tried this, but he has also played the mainline 3...Nfd7.

How should White respond?

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4.Qe2!?

A rare continuation. The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 4.Nce2!? d4!? 5.c3!? Nc6 6.cxd4 Ng5!? (6...Nxd4?? loses to 7.Qa4+), with White enjoying at least a slight edge, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

4...Nxc3 5.dxc3 c6

The engines fluctuate between several moves, including 5...a6!?, 5...c5, 5...e6 and 5...Nc6.

6.Be3 Bf5 7.Nf3

The engines like 7.g4!?, eg 7...Bg6 8.h4 h5 9.e6!? fxe6, and either 10.0-0-0 or 10.Bh3.

7...e6 8.g3

The engines prefer 8.0-0-0 or 8.c4.

8...Nd7

HK offered a draw.

9.Bg2 Bg4!

The vulnerability of e5 justifies this second move with the light-square bishop.

10.Bf4 g5!? 11.Bd2 Bg7

HK offered a draw in my time.

Objectively, should White take the draw?

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Yes! White is not getting enough for a pawn.

12.Qe3 Bxf3 13.Bxf3 Nxe5 14.Bh5

How should Black proceed?

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14...Nc4?

This turns the upper hand for Black into a winning advantage for White. The engines reckon both 14...h6 and 14...g4 are strong.

15.Qf3?

Not 15.Qxg5? Qxg5 16.Bxg5 Nxb2, but winning is 15.Qxe6+! Qe7 16.Qxe7+ Kxe7 17.Bxg5+, when White emerges a pawn up and with the bishop-pair.

15...0-0 16.h4!?

Stockfish18, but not Dragon1, prefers 16.Bc1!?

16...Nxd2

That's the bishop-pair gone, but opposite-coloured bishops let White hope.

17.Kxd2 Qf6?!

The engines give 17...g4!? 18.Bxg4 f5 19.Bh3, reckoning Black has a winning advantage. Also probably better than the text is 17...d4.

18.Qxf6 Bxf6 19.hxg5 Bxg5+ 20.f4 Be7

Black still has at least a slight edge, according to the engines, but White's pressure down the h file, combined with opposite-colour bishops, gives counterplay

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21.Be2 Kg7 22.Rh5 h6 23.Rah1 Rh8 24.Bd3

Much better, according to the engines, is 24.c4 or 24.a4.

24....Rae8

The engines like 24...b5!?

25.Re1

Pushing either the c pawn or the a pawn two squares was apparently still the way to go.

25...Bd6 26.c4 f6 27.cxd5 exd5 28.Rhh1 Bb4+!?

This is Stockfish18's top choice, the idea being to meet ...

29.c3

... with:

29...Bc5

However, it is far from clear what Black has gained.

30.Rxe8 Rxe8 31.Re1 Rxe1

Avoiding exchanging off rooks with, say, 31...Rf8 is possible, but it is hard to see how Black can make progress with White having the open file.

32.Kxe1

How would you assess this ending?

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It is drawn, but, as always, at least a modicum of care is required.

32...Kf7 33.Bf5 Ke7 34.Ke2

There is nothing in 34.Bc8, as, after 34...b5 35.Bb7, Black has 35...Kd6.

34...b5 35.Bd3 a5 36.b3 Kd6 37.g4 Bg1 38.Kf3 Bc5

Worth a try is 38...Kc5, when 39.Kg2? loses to 39...Be3 40.Kf3 Bd2, but White seems fine after 39.Bf5 or 39.Bg6, eg 39.Bf5 b4 40.cxb4+ Kxb4 41.Bd7 c5 42.Bc6 d4 43.Ke4, and, if 43...Ka3, then 44.Bd5, when 44...Kxa2 can be met by 45.b4+, drawing.

39.Ke2 ½–½

I May Not Know Much About Architecture ...

... but I like Magdeburg's Green Citadel

Model of the building, which consists of shops, offices, flats and a hotel, and is 'green' in the sense of having a grassed-over roof with trees

Inner courtyard

Not just for the birds

Magdeburg Round Three

Hans Hauke (1838) - Spanton (2039)

Scotch

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Bd3

More popular are 7.Bg5 and especially 7.Qe2. After the latter, the main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 7...0-0 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 a5!? 10.a4 Nd4!? 11.Qd3!? Nxb3 12.cxb3, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

After 7.Bd3, how should Black respond?

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7...d6

This is the commonest continuation in Mega26, but it seems Black can play the 'great equaliser' in double e-pawn openings, ie 7...d5!?, and if 8.Bg5, then 8...h6! (not 8...Bxf2+?? 9.Kxf2 Ng4+? 10.Qxg4), as 9.Bxf6 Qxf6 is fine for Black, thanks to the threat to f2. 

8.h3!?

This seems a little slow, to me, but it has been the choice of  the highest-rated players to reach the position, and it scores an excellent 66% in Mega26.

8...Be6 9.Na4!?

This seems to be a novelty. The engines are not keen on going after the bishop-pair in this way, presumably because it costs time.

9...d5!?

The engines agree this classic central counter to flank play is the best continuation.

10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Bg5?

The engines give 11.exd5 Qxd5 12.0-0 0-0-0!?, awarding Black a slight edge.

11...dxe4 12.Be2

Or 12.Bxf6 Qxf6 13.Bxe4 Qxb2.

12...Qxd1+ 13.Bxd1

White has the bishop-pair, but Black's extra pawn and lead in development add up to a winning advantage, according to the engines

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13...0-0 14.c3!?

This is Stockfish18's top choice for quite some time, while Dragon1 suggests 14.Nd2. However, both engines fluctuate, with 14.a3!?, 14.Nc1!? and 14.0-0 also being favoured at one time or another. If 14.0-0, then best may be 14...Bxb3 15.cxb3 h6!?, with an advantage for Black that the engines reckon is the equivalent of being up two pawns.

14...Bc4 15.a3!? Ne5 16.Nc1!?

This is the engines' top choice, narrowly ahead of 16.Bc2, but if such a retreat really is the best move. it only shows how desperate is White's position.

16...Rfe8 17.Be3 Rad8 18.b3 Bd3 19.Ne2?!

The engines' 19.c4 is probably better, but leaves Black well on top.

19...Nd5 20.Rc1

Again, c4 may be best, whereas 20.Bd2?! is well met by 20...Nf3+!

20...Nxe3!?

Eliminating the bishop-pair is perhaps the most solid way to maintain Black's advantage.
21.fxe3 Bxe2!?

The engines like 21...Ba6!?, and if 22.0-0!?, then 22...Rxd1!?

22.Kxe2!?

This may be marginally better than 22.Bxe2.

22...Nd3 23.Ra1 Re5 24.b4

This is Stockfish18's top choice; Dragon1 prefers 24.Bc2.

24...Rg5 25.g4 h5 26.Rg1 hxg4 27.hxg4 Ne5 28.Kf2 Rd2+ 29.Ke1

As I went to make my next move, HH started to hold out his hand, but withdrew it when he saw me pick up the d2 rook - he said after the game he had been about to resign as Black has a mate

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29...Rh2

There is no mate, but Black does not need one.

30.Be2?!

This loses in short order. but after the best move, 30.Kf1, Black is well on top.

30...Nf3+ 31.Bxf3 exf3 32.Kf1 f2 33.Rg2 Rh1+ 0-1