Czech 65+ Round One

Playing hall

Spanton (2003) - Jiří Žítek (1793)

King's Pawn Irregular

1.d4 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7

ChessBase calls this a Pirc, but to me a Pirc requires the move ...g6

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The position is most commonly reached via the move-order 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 Nbd7, which is why I am calling it an irregular system within the king's pawn complex, but that does not feel very satisfactory either.

4.f4

The main move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 4.Nf3, when 4...e5 makes the opening a Philidor.

4...e5 5.Nf3 exd4 6.Qxd4

The queen cannot be sensibly challenged on this square, at least in the short run.

6...c5?!

Much more common is 6...c6, when the opening has transposed to a Pribyl, with Stockfish18 and Dragon1 giving White at least a slight edge.

7.Qd2!?

There are five more-popular destinations for the queen in Mega26, albeit in what is an obscure position, but the engines agree either the text or 7.Qd3 is best.

7...Be7!?

Seemingly a novelty, and it may be an improvement on the known moves 7...a6 and 7...Qe7.

8.e5 dxe5 9.fxe5 Ng4

This is almost certainly best, but after ...

10.Qf4

... White has a won game, according to the engines.

10...h5!?

Again this may be the best move, but in a bad position.

11.h3 g5!?

The engines suggest giving up the knight with 11...Ngxe5!?

12.Qe4!?

This seems even stronger than 12.Nxg5 Ngxe5.

12...Nh6 13.Bd3 Nf8

The engines suggest 13...Nb6 or 13...c4!?

14.Be3 g4!? 15.hxg4 Nxg4!?

The engines agree this is best.

16.Bb5+ Bd7 17.0-0-0 a6

Perhaps best is 17...Nxe3 18.Qxe3 Qb6, but 19.Bxd7+ Nxd7 20.Nd5 leaves White the equivalent of more than a rook up, according to the engines.

18.Bxd7+ Nxd7 19.e6 fxe6 20.Qg6+ Kf8 21.Qxe6

The engines point out that the quickest win starts with 21.Rhf1!?

21...Nxe3 22.Rxd7 Qxd7!?

I expected 22...Qe8, but the engines reckon that is marginally worse after 23.Ne5.

23.Qxd7 Rd8 24.Qe6 Ng4 25.Ne5 Nxe5 26.Rf1+ Ke8 27.Qxe5 Rh6

The game finished:

28.Nd5 Rd7 29.Nxe7 Rxe7 30.Qb8+ Kd7 31.Qxb7+ Kd8 32.Rf8+ 1-0

English Update

ENTRIES for the English championships, to be held at Peterborough at the end of October, have been updated. The most popular sections so far are the 50+ and the rapid.

Getting There (Olomouc)

CAUGHT British Airways' 10:20 from Heathrow to Prague, then the Airport Express shuttle to Prague's main rail station, followed by a train to Olomouc, arriving at the venue-hotel at about 18:20 central European time.

Tricky Tube Puzzle

HERE is a carriage serial number from a Northern Line train that makes an interesting Tube Puzzle: 52572.
As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
There is a perfect solution, ie one that uses the digits in the order printed.
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My solution: 5 x 2 (- 5) = 7 - 2

Czeching In

AM making final preparations for flying to Prague tomorrow, from where I will be heading for the Czech 65+ championship, which is being held in Olomouc as part of the CzechTour's summer festival.

There are 102 entries in the 65+ event, which is open to foreigners, of whom there are 42.

The time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes, with 30 minutes to finish, and a 30-second increment throughout, and there are nine mostly-afternoon rounds over eight days.

Olomouc's city walls are well-preserved

Miniatures 46

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

J Gorgol (178 BCF) - Spanton (164 BCF)

Islington 1992

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Qe2!?

This is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 4.Nc3, 4.d3 and especially 4.0-0.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bc5

This is the commonest continuation.

5.c3 Qe7!?

The main move is 5...0-0.

6.d3 a6 7.Ba4 0-0 8.Bg5 d6 9.Nbd2 b5 10.Bb3 Be6?

The game is equal after 10...h6 or 10...Nd8, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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11.Bd5!

Not an easy move to spot, as is evidenced by the fact grandmasters have missed its strength. However, it dates back to at least a game of Howard Staunton's in his 1853 match against Tassilo von der Lasa.

11...Bxd5?

Better is von der Lasa's 11...Bd7, but then 12.Nh4 Rab8 13.Nf5 Qd8 (this is better than 13...Bxf5?!, according to the engines) 14.b4 Bb6 15.Qf3 gave Staunton the better game, according to the engines (1-0, 75 moves).

12.exd5 Nd8?

The knight has few prospects here. Better is 12...Nb8.

13.Ne4 c6

There is no good move for Black.

14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Nh4 Kh8 16.Nf5 Qa7 17.Nxf6 cxd5 18.Qh5 1-0

LESSON: Black's position in the second diagram could easily pass at a glance as a routine one from the Spanish, but closer examination reveals both black knights are awkwardly placed, despite being on 'normal' squares, and two weaknesses can often prove fatal.

Miniatures 45

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

Spanton (164 BCF) - D Dane (130 BCF)

Middlesex League 1992

Scotch Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4!?

This scores two percentage points more than 4.Nxd4 in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bb4+!?

This is only fourth-most popular in Mega26, but is liked by Stockfish18 and Dragon1 along with the much more common 4...Nf6.

5.c3 dxc3 6.0-0!? Qe7?

Probably best is 6...Nf6, while 6...cxb2!? 7.Bxb2 seems to give White plenty of compensation for two pawns.

7.a3 Ba5

The engines suggest 7...c2!? 8.Qxc2 Bd6, but much prefer White.

8.b4 Bb6 9.Nxc3 Nf6?!

Apparently a novelty. The engines prefer 9...d6, but agree White is winning.

10.Bg5 0-0 11.e5!? Nxe5 12.Nd5 Nxf3+

This seems best, but is losing.

13.Qxf3 Qe5

The engines give 13...Nxd5!? 14.Bxe7 Nxe7, but Black does not have enough for a queen.

14.Nxf6+ gxf6 15.Bxf6 1-0

LESSON: old gambits still pack a punch if the defender errs quickly.

Winning Chess

GRANDMASTER Keith Arkell won the British 65+ championship, scoring +6=1-0, finishing a point clear of the field.

Arguably the key game came in round six, where he was Black against Welsh international master John Cooper.

Cooper (2252 ECF/2194 Fide) - Arkell (2512 ECF/2390 Fide)

English Symmetrical

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.e3 Nf6!?

The point of playing this, rather than the 'natural' 3...Bg7, is so ...

4.d4 cxd4 5.exd4

... can be met by:

5...d5

Nevertheless, after 3...Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.exd4, Black can still play 5...d5!?, meeting 6.Nxd5 with 6...Be6 or 6...e6.

6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Bc4 Nb6 8.Bb3 Bg7

The position is reminiscent of a Tarrasch Defence to the Queen's Gambit, but with colours reversed

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9.d5!?

The main move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 9.Nf3, but it scores only 49%, whereas the rare text has racked up an impressive 61%.

9...0-0 10.Nge2 N8d7 11.Be3 Nf6

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 suggest 11...Ne5!?

12.0-0

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

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White's isolani has gained space in the centre, and does not look vulberable, which may be why Dragon1 gives White a slight edge. Nevertheless, it is an isolated pawn, and it is not obvious how White can use the pawn for attacking chances, eg the pawn has not created outposts for White's knights, except, perhaps, at d4. Stockfish18 calls the game equal.

12...Bd7 13.h3!?

This may be a novelty. The known move is 13.Re1.

13...Nc8!?

Heading for the blockading square d6.

14.Nd4 Nd6 15.Qe2 a6 16.a4

The engines reckon White has a slight edge after 16.Rad1 or 16.Rfe1.

16...Qa5 17.Rfd1 Rfe8 18.Bf4!? Rac8 19.Be5 Nfe4!? 20.Bxg7 Nxc3 21.bxc3 Kxg7 22.c4 Qc5!? 23.a5 Kg8!?

This retreat - perhaps withdrawal is a better word - is the engines' top choice.

24.Rac1?!

The engines do not like this pawn sacrifice

24...Qxa5 25.Ba2?!

This looks rather slow. The engines suggest 25.Qe3 or 25.Nf3.

25...Ba4 26.Bb3 Bxb3 27.Nxb3 Qb4 28.Nd2

It is hard to see what White has for a pawn

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28...b5!? 29.Rb1 Qc5 30.cxb5 axb5 31.Nb3 Qc4 32.Qe5 Qe4 33.Qg5 Qf5 34.Qe3 Qe4 35.Qg5 Rc4 36.Qd2?!

Probably better is the engines' 36.Na5, although Black remains on top.

36...Rc2 37.Qg5 Qe2 38.Qf4 Rb2 39.Nd4 Rxb1 40.Nxe2?

Better is 40.Rxb1, although 40...Qa2 gives Black the upper hand, according to the engines. The text wins the white queen, but after ...

40...Rxd1 41.Kh2 Rxd5

... Black has two rooks and two pawns for it.

0-1

Multi-Millionaire!

AT some point today my blog passed two million hits, and, as I type this, has reached 2,051,031 hits.

However, there is apparently no way of discovering how many of these views are by humans, and how many by bots.

Nevertheless, the figure looks impressive, especially when compared with the 183,062 hits for my other main blog, 10mm and all that!

And my third blog, Chess Tip Of The Day, which is really just a feeder blog for the PC/laptop version of Beau Chess, has just 18,561 hits, albeit it has been going for a much shorter period.

Summing Up The British

MY score in the 65+ of +3=2-2 gained 7.8 ECF elo but lost 13.2 Fide elo.