Summer Time

MY chess plans are more-or-less settled for the summer.

Davos, Switzerland

Jun 14-16

Part of the SwissChessTour. A long way to go for a five-round weekender, but I will not have played any games since May 28, and I have never been to Davos, which is supposed to be beautiful.

Bischofsgrün, Bavaria

Jun 21-29

Nine-round seniors' championship run by chessorg.de.

Bad Herrenalb, Black Forest

Jul 5-13

Nine-round seniors' championship of Baden-Württemberg.

Hull, East Yorks

Jul 29-Aug 4

British seven-round 65+ championship.

Olomouc, Czechia

Aug 10-17

Nine-round Czech 65+ championship.

Torquay, Devon

Aug 31-Sep 6 

Seven-round Riviera Congress.

Summing Up Kenilworth

MY score in the English 65+ championship of +3=1-2 (I also took a half-point bye) gained 17.8 ECF and 12.8 Fide elo.

English 65+ Round Seven

I WAS downfloated.

Norman Hutchinson (1954 ECF/1952 Fide) - Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 d5!? 6.Qe2

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Bc4 Qd6, with at least the better side of equality for White, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

6...0-0 7.0-0 Re8 8.Bg5 dxe4 9.dxe4 h6 10.Bh4 Qe7 11.Nbd2 Bd7

Who stands better for the coming middlegame?

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White is perhaps a little more active, but really neither side can point to anything major. Stockfish16 calls the position equal, but Komodo14.1 gives White a slight edge.

12.b4 Bd6 13.Nc4!?

Stockfish16 (Komodo14.1 is not so sure) reckons this is an improvement on Rodrigo Rafael Vásquez Schroder (2459) - Vahap Şanal (2563), Lichess Blitz 2021, which went 13.a3 g5!? 14.Bg3 Nh5 15.Rfe1 (15.Nxe5?? Nxg3)  a6 16.Bc4 Nf4 with what the engines reckon is an equal position (Black went on to win, but possibly on time as the final position in Mega24 is roughly even).

13...Nd4?

This combination does not work. Better is 13...a6, eg 14.Ba4 b5 15.Nxd6 cxd6, with equality, according to the engines.

14.Nxd4!

14.cxd4 Bxb5 gives White at best equality.

14...exd4 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nxd6 Qxd6 17.Bxd7 Qxd7 18.Rad1

White is a pawn up and has the better structure, along with the safer king

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18...Re5?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 18...Qc6, eg 19.Rxd4 f5 (better than 19...Qxc3 20.Qg4+, according to the engines) 20.e5 Qxc3 21.Rfd1, when White is no longer a pawn up but still has his other advantages, along with an initiative. Note that if 19.Qg4+, the engines reckon 19...Kh7 is safe enough, albeit the position favours White.

19.Rxd4 Qe7?!

The engines reckon ...Qc6 is still better.

20.Qg4+ Rg5 21.Qf4 Qe5 22.Qxe5?!

White should probably keep queens on.

22...fxe5

Improving the pawn-structure seemed my best chance, but the engines much prefer 22...Rxe5!? The problem with the text is that the black king's rook is shut out of play in the centre.

23.Rd7 Rc8 24.Rfd1 Kf8 25.Rd5!?

The engines reckon this may be even better than 25.Rd8+ Rxd8 26.Rxd8+ Ke7 27.Rb8.

25...Ke7

If 25...f6, then 26.Rd8+ is strong.

26.h4 Rh5!?

The rook gets trapped after this, but 26...Rg6 27.Rxe5+ is not much of an improvement, if at all.

27.g3 Ke6 28.f4 f5!?

Desperation.

29.Rxe5+ Kf6 30.Ra5 1-0

English 65+ Round Six

I WAS upfloated.

Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide) - Alan Punnett (2031 ECF/1963 Fide)

French Exchange

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.c3 Bd6 8.0-0 Nge7 9.Re1 0-0?

This position is reached four times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but only once was ...

10.Bxh7+!

... played (two of the games featured the same player with white, and both times she played 10.Be3).

10...Kh8

Even worse is 10...Kxh7? 11.Ng5+ Kg6 (11...Kh6? 12.Ne6+!  Kg6 13.Qd3+ etc) 12.g4.

11.Bc2 f6 12.g4?!

It is probably not a good idea to weaken the king's position like this, even if it does lead to exchanges.

12...Bg6 13.Nh4 Bxc2 14.Qxc2 Qd7 15.Nd2 g5 16.Ng6+ Nxg6 17.Qxg6 Qg7!? 18.Qxg7+ Kxg7

White is a pawn up, but behind in development, and has weaknesses around the king

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Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon White's advantage is worth about three-quarters of a pawn.

19.Nf1 Rh8 20.Kg2 Ne7 21.Ng3 Kf7

Probably not 21...Bxg3?! 22.Rxe7+.

22.Bd2 Ng6 23.Nf5 Bf4 24.Be3 Rae8 25.Rh1 Re6 26.Rae1 Rhe8 27.Kf3 Rh8?!

This takes pressure off the white position. The engines recommend 27...Re4, eg 28.h4 Nxh4+ 29.Nxh4 gxh4 30.Rxh4 Kg6, after which White is awkwardly tied down on the e file.

28.Bxf4 Nxf4 29.Rxe6 Nxe6 30.h4 gxh4 31.Rxh4 Ng5+ 32.Ke2 Re8+ 33.Ne3 Ke6 34.f4 Ne4 35.Rh7 Kd6 36.Rh6 Kd7 37.Rh2

Played so the white king can go to d3 without being checked from f2.

37...b5!?

This is the top choice of the engines, at least for a while, although Stockfish16 comes to prefer 37...Nd6.

38.Kd3 Kd6 39.b3 a5 40.c4 bxc4+

The engines suggest seeking counterplay with 40...dxc4+ 41.bxc4 b4!?, albeit agreeing White is winning.

41.bxc4 c6 42.Nf5+ Kc7 43.c5 Rg8 44.Ne3 Rg7 45.Ke2 Nc3+ 46.Kf3 Nb5 47.Nf5 Rf7 48.Ke3 a4 49.Kd3 Kb7 50.Re2 Rf8 51.Re6 Rg8

If 51...Rf7, then 52.Nd6+ Nxd6 53.cxd6 wins quickly.

52.Rxc6! 1-0

Kenilworth Abbey

KENILWORTH has a long history, mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Chinewrde.

A priory was built in the 1120s, and gradually prospered, with nearby St Nicholas's Church built in the 1290s.

The priory was upgraded to an abbey in 1447, but less than 100 years later was confiscated by Henry VIII as part of the king's Dissolution of the Monasteries, with some of the stonework used to expand Kenilworth Castle.

Abbey grounds, now mainly used as part of St Nicholas's churchyard

English 65+ Round Five

Sheila Jackson (2088 ECF/2010 Fide) - Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Rd1+!?

One of the points of this move, which is the top scorer, at 59%, of those moves appearing more than 100 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, is to prevent Black playing systems in which the black king goes to the queenside.

9...Ke8

If 9...Bd7!?, trying to keep open the option of ...Kc8, then 10.Ng5 Nh6 leaves White with several enticing options, including 11.e6 fxe6 12.Nxe6+ Kc8 13.Nxf8 Rxf8 14.Bxh6.

10.Bg5!?

The mainline in Mega24 runs 10.Nc3 Ne7!? 11.h3 Ng6 12.b3 Be7 13.Bb2, with an equal position according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

10...Be7

The commonest continuation is 10...Be6.

11.Nc3

Mega24 shows Russia's Dmitry Goltsev had this position five times as White in online blitz games in 2022-3, scoring +4=1-0, performing 222 elo above his average rating in those games of 2241

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11...h6 12.Bxe7 Nxe7

Not 12...Kxe7?? 13.g4.

13.h3 Ng6 14.Rd2 Ke7 15.Re1

This may be a novelty. Magesh Chandran Panchanathan (2419) - J Deepan Chakkravarthy (2379), World U20 Championship (Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan) 2003, went 15.Rad1 Be6 16.Nd4 Rad8 17.b3 a6 18.Nce2 c5 19.Nxe6 Rxd2 20.Rxd2 fxe6 21.f4, with what the engines reckon is an equal position (½–½, 52 moves).

15...Be6 16.b3 Rad8 17.Na4?!

Black gets an initiative after this. The engines suggest 17.Rxd8, 17.Rd4 or 17.Rde2.

17...Rxd2 18.Nxd2 Rd8 19.Nf3 Bf5 20.c4 b6 21.Kh2 a6!?

This may be a bit slow. More to the point would seem to be 21...Nf4, and the engines' 21...Bc8!?

22.g4 Be6

The engines reckon 22...Bc2!? is enough for a slight edge.

23.Re3 h5 24.Kg3 Rh8 25.Nd4 hxg4

White is at least slightly better after 25...h4+?!, according to the engines.

26.hxg4 c5?!

I rejected 26...Bxg4! because after 27.Nxc6+ Kd7 I somehow thought 28.Nb8+ was good for White.

27.Nf3 ½–½

I was worried about 27.Nf5+, but the engines reckon 27...Kf8 is completely equal as 28.f4?!, planning 29.Rd3, allows 28...Rh1, when 29.Rd3? runs into 29....Rh3+ etc.

Doubling Up

THE venue, a Holiday Inn in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, is also the site for the English open and women's championships, consisting of seven rounds over four days, starting on Thursday June 20.

The hotel is centrally located in the new town, close to shops and restaurants

English 65+ Round Four

Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide) - Ivan Myall (1980 ECF/1933 Fide)

Modern/Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.Nf3

This is the commonest move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, although Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 prefer 4.d5, 4.Be3 and 4.dxc5.

4...cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6

The game began as a Modern Defence, but this position often arises from an Accelerated Dragon move-order in the Sicilian, eg 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7

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6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bc4 Qa5!?

This is, perhaps, the sharpest response to White's somewhat unusual line, more-popular moves being 7...Nf6, 7...e6 and especially 7...d6.

8.Bd2 Rb8!?

Keeping the sharpness. The main move in Mega24. albeit from a smallish sample, is 8...Qb4, but then the pawn-offer 9.Qe2!? is promising.

9.Qf3

Almost certainly not 9.Nd5?! Qc5 10.Ne3 Bxb2!? 11.Rb1, when the engines reckon both 11...Be5 and 11...Nf6 are good for Black.

How should Black meet the threat to f7?

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9...e6?

This seems to be the worst of the plausible choices. Probably also bad, and certainly ugly, is 9...f6?!, but 9...Nf6 looks satisfactory, eg 10.Nd5?! can be met by 10...Qc5.

10.Nb5!

The engines reckon 10.Nd5 Qc5 slightly favours Black, but the text wins material.

10...Qxd2+!?

This is best, according to the engines, eg 10...Qd8?! runs into 11.Nd6+ Ke7 12.Qxf7+ Kxd6 13.Qxg7, when the attempt to avoid material loss by 13...Nf6 14.e5+ Kxe5 15.Bc3+ Kf5?! leads to checkmate, one line running 16.Bd3+ Kg5 17.Bd2+ Kh4 18.Qh6+ Nh5 19.h3 and 20.g3#.

11.Kxd2 cxb5 12.Bd3

How large is White's advantage?

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White has queen for bishop and knight, but Black has the bishop-pair, and the white king is somewhat exposed. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth about three pawns.

12...Ne7 13.h4 h5 14.g4 Nc6 15.g5 b4 16.Rab1 Bb7 17.Qg3 0-0 18.f4 Rfd8 19.Rhf1

The engines prefer 19.f5!?

19...d5 20.e5 Na5 21.Rfd1 Bf8 22.Qf2 d4 23.Ke1 Bd5 24.Qe2

Grabbing the d pawn is playable, eg 24.Qxd4!? Bxa2 25.Qxa7 Bxb1 26.Rxb1 Nc6, White emerging with queen and pawn for rook and knight, and with a winning advantage (Komodo14.1) or at least the upper hand (Stockfish16).

24...Rbc8 25.Kf2!?

The engines prefer 25.Be4, eg 25...Bc4 26.Qf3 Bxa2 27.Rbc1!?, claiming White is winning. After the text, Komodo14.1 gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish16 reckons the position is completely equal.

25...Bc5 26.Kg3 Bb6 27.Ra1

Komodo14.1 still gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish16 for quite some time reckons Black is slightly better, but eventually comes to view the position as equal.

How should Black proceed?

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27...Nc6

The engines reckon 27...Nc4 confirms in the evaluations given before the last diagram, although they disagree on how to continue. Stockfish16 is also more-or-less fine with the text, but Komodo14.1 reckons it increases White's advantage by about the equivalent of a pawn.

28.a3 bxa3 29.Rxa3 Nb4!?

The engines are not keen on this, suggesting moves such as 29...Kg7, 29...Bc5, 29...Rc7 and 29...Ne7.

30.Qd2 Nxd3

The engines want to keep the knight on the board with 30...a5 or 30...Nc6.

31.cxd3!?

This splits White's queenside pawns, but fixes Black's d pawn on the d4 square, limiting the potential scope of the dark-square bishop.

31...Bc5 32.Ra5 Bb6 33.Raa1 Rb8 34.Rdc1 Rd7 35.b4 Rdb7 36.Qb2 Bd8!?

This is Komodo14.1's top choice, along with 36...a5, while Stockfish16 also has two equal-first choices, 36...Rd8 and 36...Rd7.

37.Qxd4 Bb6!? 38.Qb2

The same position as two moves ago, but with the black d pawn removed

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38...Be3

The point of Black's play - the dark-square bishop is active, and the b pawn endangered.

39.Rcb1

This seems cleaner than 39.Re1, when 39...Bxf4+!?, 39...Rxb4 and 39...Bc5 all lead to somewhat unclear positions.

39...Rb5?!

Not 39...Rxb4?, after which 40.Qxb4 Rxb4 41.Rxb4 leaves White up two exchanges. However 39...Bb6!? may be better, although White has queen and pawn for a pair of bishops.

40.Qc3?!

Probably stronger is 40.d4.

40...a5?!

Not 40...Bc5? 41.Qxc5 (41.bxc5 also wins) Rxc5 42.bxc5, but 40...Bb6 leaves White still having to batter down Black's semi-fortress.

41.d4 Rxb4 42.Rxb4 Rxb4 43.Qxe3 Rb3 44.Qxb3 Bxb3 45.Rxa5

In this position IM offered a draw

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45...Kg7 46.Kf3 Kf8 47.Ke3 Ke7 48.Ra7+ Kf8 49.Kd3 Bd5 50.Kc3 Ke8 51.Kb4 Kf8 52.Kc5 Kg7 53.Rd7 Bb3 54.Kd6 Bc4 55.Ke7 Bb3 56.Rd8 Bc4 57.Rf8 1-0

Absent With Leave

I RARELY take byes, but I made an exception yesterday for the second game of the first double-round day as I wanted to watch the FA Cup final.

Tournament playing hall - where I wasn't yesterday afternoon

English 65+ Round Two

Nigel Collins (1525 ECF/1602 Fide) - Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide)

English

1.c4 e6 2.e4!? d5 3.cxd5 exd5 4.exd5

There are 2,128 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, which often arises via a French Defence move-order, ie 1.e4 e6 2.c4!?

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4...Nf6 5.Nc3

Slightly more popular in Mega24 is 5.Bb5+, after which the mainline runs 5...Nbd7!? 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0 Nb6, with complete equality, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

5...Nxd5 6.Bc4 Nb6 7.Bb3 Nc6 8.Nf3

The engines prefer 8.Nge2.

How can Black exploit White's last move?

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8...Bg4

This is the commonest move in Mega24, albeit from a small sample, but the engines prefer 8...Qe7+ 9.Qe2, and now 9...Bg4, claiming Black has at least a slight edge.

9.d4!?

Contrary to first impressions, this is possible, but the engines prefer castling. Note 9.Bxf7+?? fails because after 9...Kxf7 the white king's knight cannot go to g5 or e5 (without being captured).

9...Bxf3?

Probably a novelty, and not a good one. The engines suggest another probable novelty, 9...Qf6!?, claiming a slight edge.

10.Qxf3 Qe7+ 11.Be3 0-0-0

11...Nxd4?! 12.Qxb7 looks good for White.

12.Qxf7?!

In the postmortem, long castling seemed strong, but the engines reckon even stronger is short castling.

12...Nxd4 13.Qxe7!?

Castling - either way - may be a tad better, but the engines are happy enough with the text.

13...Bxe7 14.Bxd4

White can keep the bishop-pair with 14.Bd1!? Nc4 15.Bc1, but it is hard to believe White can get any advantage that way.

14...Rxd4 15.0-0 Rd2 16.Rab1 Rf8 17.Ne4 Rd4 18.Nc3

Other moves also maintain equality, including 18.Rfe1 and 18.f3.

18...Rdf4 19.Rbe1 Bc5?!

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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20.Re2

The black bishop seems to have no good square after 20.Ne4!?. eg 20...Be7? runs into 21.g3, and if 21...Rf3 then 22.Nd2. Black could try 20...Bd4?!, but 21.g3 Rf3 22.Re2 sets up 23.Ng5, and if 22...h6 then 23.Rd2, eg 23...Be5 24.Re1 a5 25.Ng5!? Best may be 20...Bb4, but 21.Re2 gives White the upper hand, according to the engines.

20...a6?

This lets Ne4 come with even stronger effect.

21.Nd5?

Missing 21.Ne4, with similar lines to the note at White's 20th move, except that the white queen's rook is on the superior e2 square.

21...Nxd5 22.Bxd5 c6 23.Bf3 Bd4 24.b3 g5 25.Re4 Rxe4 26.Bxe4 h5 27.g3 h4 28.Kg2 Kc7 29.f3 Re8 30.g4?

This greatly devalues White's pawn-majority, and leaves an exploitable hole at f4.

30...Kd6

Black has a large advantage after 30...Be5!, according to the engines, eg 31.Rf2 Rd8 32.Re2 Bf4 33.Bf5 Kb6 with what they reckon is a positionally won game, although there is a lot of play left.

31.Rc1 Ke5?

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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32.Kf1?!

White wins a pawn with 32.Bxc6! as 32...bxc6?? loses to 33.Re1+ etc, and 32...Rc8 can be countered by 33.Re1+. Other moves also seem better than the text.

32...Rd8 33.Rd1 Rd6 34.Kg2 b6

This is enough for an advantage, but much stronger, according to the engines, is 34...b5!?

35.Rc1?!

The engines want White to start restraining, or at least slowing, Black's queenside pawns with 35.a4.

35...c5

Even better, according to the engines, is 35...Be3!, the point being 36.Rxc6? runs into 36...Rd2+ 37.Kh3 Rxa2.

36.Rc2?

White may hold with 36.Re1.

36...Be3 37.Re2 Kf4 38.Rc2 Rd1 39.h3 b5 40.Bb7 0-1 (Time)

The engines reckon Black is winning, eg 40...Rd6 41.Be4 a5 42.Bb7 a4! 43.bxa4 bxa4 44.Rb4+ Bd4 45.Rxa4 Rb6 46.Bd5 Rb2+ 47.Kf1 (47.Kh1? Kg3 and mates) Rf2+ 48.Ke1 Rh2 49.Kf1 Rh1+ (49...Rxh3?? 50.Kg2) 50.Ke2 Rxh3 etc, although we have come a long way from the point where White's flag fell (the time control was 90 minutes with a 30-second increment).

There Or Thereabouts

I AM staying above a Greene King, which is a little basic, but good value (at least by post-covid standards) and less than a 10-minute walk from the venue.

There is a shortcut through St Nicholas' churchyard

English 65+ Round One

Spanton (1913 ECF/1902 Fide) - Geoffrey Moore (2117 ECF/2014 Fide)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.c3 Nf6 7.Qe2 e5

How should White proceed?

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8.d4!?

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 8.Rd1 Be7 9.d4 cxd4 10.cxd4 exd4 11.Nxd4, with at least a slight edge, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo 14.1.

8...Be7!?

The engines give 8...cxd4 9.cxd4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Qg4!? with an unclear position.

9.dxc5

The engines reckon 9.d5!?, which does not occur in Mega24, is even stronger.

9...dxc5 10.Rd1

White has a slight edge after 10.Bg5, according to the engines.

10...Qg4!? 11.Nbd2 Rd8 12.h3 Qd7 13.Re1 h6 14.Nc4 Qe6 15.b3 0-0

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

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Black has a bad bishop, but more space on the queenside. White has problems finding a good square for the queen's bishop, but may be able to exploit the hole at d5. The engines reckon the position is completely equal.

16.Qc2 b5 17.Ne3 Rd7 18.Bb2 Rfd8 19.Rad1 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Rxd1+ 21.Nxd1 Nh5 22.Qd3 Nf4!? 23.Qxb5 Qg6 24.g3?

24.Ne3 maintains equality, according to the engines.

24...Qxe4 25.gxf4 Qxf3 26.Ne3 Bh4 27.Qf1 exf4 28.Qg2

How should Black proceed?

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28...Bxf2+?!

Almost certainly stronger is 28...Ne5.

29.Qxf2 Qxe3 30.Qxe3 exf3 31.Bc1 Ne5 32.Bxe3 Nd7

How would you assess this ending?

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Black is a pawn up and has a three-one kingside majority. But the black queenside pawns are weak, and the bishop is the better minor piece in endings with rival pawn-majorities. The engines give Black a slight edge.

33.b4

The engines prefer 33.h4 or 33.Kg2.

33...Kf8

White has easier queenside play after 33...cxb4?! 34.cxb4.

34.bxc5!? Nb8 35.Kf2 Ke7 36.Bd4

The engines prefer advancing the king or the h pawn.

36...f6 37.Ke3 Ke6 38.c4?!

The pawn proves a weakness on a light square, and anyway White does not need to keep the black king out of d5, eg 38.h4 Kd5? is met by 39.Kf4.

38...Nc6 39.Bc3 g5 40.Kf3 h5 41.Ke3 g4?

Impatient. 41...Ne5, among other moves, wins.

42.hxg4 hxg4 43.Kf4 f5 44.a4 Ne7 45.Bd4 Ng6+ 46.Kg3 Ne5 47.a5 Nxc4 48.c6 a6

Or 48...Nxa5 49.c7 Kd7 50.Bxa7.

49.Kf4 Nd6

White to play and draw

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50.Be5?

Several moves draw, eg 50.c7 Kd7 (50...Nc8 51.Bc5) 51.Bc5 Kxc7 52.Ke5 etc.

50...Nc8 51.c7

There is nothing better.

51...Ne7 52.c8=Q+

If 52.Bc3 then 52...Nd5+ wins.

52...Nxc8 53.Bc3 Ne7 54.Kg5 Nd5 55.Bd4 Nb4 56.Bc3 Nd3 57.Kh4 Kd5 58.Kg5 Ke4 0-1

Getting There (Kenilworth)

NORMALLY I like to travel to a tournament the day, or days, before it starts.

But last night I had a league match, so I caught the train to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, for the English 65+ championship this morning.

It is a relatively straightforward journey from London, albeit with one change, taking less than two hours.

The walk from Kenilworth station to my hotel was not without its compensations

London League

PLAYED last night on board seven (of eight) for Battersea against Cavendish in division one.

Chris Sherwood (1977) - Spanton (1913)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Nxd4 Bxd4 7.c3 Bb6 8.Bg5!?

This type of pin is generally considered less effective when Black has not castled. However in this position it is the top choice of Komodo14.1 and has been played by grandmasters.

8...h6 9.Bh4 c6 10.Ba4 d6

How should White proceed?

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11.Nd2?!

This is the top choice in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, and again has been played by grandmasters, but is probably a mistake. Komodo14.1 and Stockfish16 suggest 11.Bxf6!?, albeit preferring Black.

11...g5 12.Bg3 Bg4

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 12...h5. eg 13.h3?! h4 14.Bh2 g4 or 13.h4 Bg4, in both cases with at least the upper hand for Black.

13.Nf3!?

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer 13.Qe1 or 13.Qc2.

13...Nh5

Again the engines reckon ...h5 is even stronger.

14.d4 Nxg3 15.fxg3!

The engines agree this is much the better recapture.

15...Qe7 16.Qd2 0-0-0

Who stands better in this middlegame with opposite-side castling?

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Black has the bishop-pair, and the black kingside attack looks further advanced than White's play on the queenside. White has doubled g pawns, which give Black a hook for the kingside attack, but Black has a backward f pawn. The engines reckon Black has the upper hand (Komodo14.1) or is at least slightly better (Stockfish16).

17.Bc2

This does not only protect the e pawn, but also clears a path for the a pawn.

17...f5!?

The engines give 17...Bxf3!? 18.Rxf3 exd4, and if 19.cxd4 then 19...d5, when 20.exd5 Rxd5 is good for Black.

18.Kh1?!

Almost certainly better is 18.exf5, and if 18...e4?! then 19.f6!? Qe6 20.Rae1. However the engines reckon 18...Rhf8 gives Black a slight edge.

18...f4?!

Black wins a pawn with 18...fxe4 19.Bxe4 exd4.

19.gxf4 gxf4 20.a4 a6 21.b4 h5 22.b5 cxb5 23.axb5 a5 24.c4 h4

What should White play?

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25.Rxa5!?

This exchange sacrifice is the engines' second choice, behind 25.h3. After the latter they reckon 25...Bxf3 leaves Black with the upper hand.

25...Bxa5 26.Qxa5 h3 27.Qa8+?!

This starts a sequence in which White wins a second pawn, but the queens come off, and since exchange sacrifices are usually a middlegame weapon, not an endgame one, that probably overall helps Black. Instead 27.g3 gives a position the engines agree is better for Black, but they cannot agree how to continue.

27...Kd7 28.Qxa7+ Ke8 29.Qxe7+

White could keep queens on with 29.Qc6+, but 29...Bd7 30.Qd5 hxg2+ 31.Kxg2 is winning for Black, according to the engines.

29...Kxe7 30.Rf2 hxg2+ 31.Kxg2 Rdg8 32.dxe5 Bxf3 33.Kxf3 Rh3+ 34.Ke2

Or 34.Kxf4?! Rf8+ 35.Kg4 Rxf2 36.exd6+ Kxd6 37.Rxh3 Rxc2 etc.

34...dxe5

White has two pawns for the exchange, but the bishop is bad, the white rook cannot move without losing material, and the queenside pawns are weak

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35.b6

Desperation, but white is completely lost.

The game finished:

35...Rb8 36.c5 Rc3 37.Kd2 Rxc5 38.Rg2 Rxb6 0-1

Cavendish won the match 5-3.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London League               B       1924        2393                    0            1979

18/4/24   Central London League  B       1924        2329                    0            1976

23/4/24   London League               B       1924        2118                    =            1984

25/4/24   Central London League  W      1924        1997                    0            1964

30/4/24   Club Championship        W      1924        1731                    1            1972

2/5/24     Central London League  W      1913        2074                    0            1956

16/5/24   London League               B       1913       1915                     0            1939

21/5/24   Club Championship         B       1913       1862                     0            1919

23/5/24   London League               B       1913        1977                    1            1938

English Championship

AM making final preparations for traveling to Kenilworth, Warwickshire, tomorrow for the English 65+ championship, which starts at 16:00.

There are seven rounds over five days, which makes for two double-round days, and a time control of 90 minutes with a 30-second increment.

There are 40 entries, including three international masters: Peter Large, Paul Littlewood and defending champion Chris Baker.

Championship Chess

PLAYED in the Battersea club championship last night.

Dmitry Kolobkov (1862) - Spanton (1913)

Chigorin

1.d5 d5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 e6!?

Other moves are more popular, including 3...Nf6 and especially 3...dxc4.

How should White respond?

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4.cxd5

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.e3 0-0 7.Bd3, reaching a position occurring 729 times in Mega24. Komodo14.1 gives White a slight edge, but Stockfish16 calls it equal.

4...exd5 5.Bf4 Bd6!? 6.Bg3

Possible is 6.Nxd5!?, but it does not win a pawn, eg 6...Bxf4 7.Nxf4 Qxd4 8.Qxd4 Nxd4 9.Rc1. The engines also point out 6...Be6!?

6...Nf6 7.e3 Bf5 8.Bd3

If 8.Qb3 Black can reply 8...0-0 as both 9.Nxd5?? Nxd5 10.Qxd5 Bb4+ and 9.Qxb7? Nb4 10.Rc1 Rb8 11.Qxa7 Nc2+ are bad for White.

8...Bxd3 9.Qxd3 0-0 10.Nf3 Re8 11.0-0 Bxg3 12.hxg3

How would you assess this middlegame?

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It looks like an Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, but one in which all the bishops have been exchanged. Stockfish16 reckons the position is completely even, but Komodo14.1 gives White the better side of equality.

12...Ne4 13.Rfc1

White could try 13.Qb5, although after 13...Rb8 the d5 pawn is more-or-less poisoned, eg 14.Qxd5 (14.Nxd5?? a6)  Nxc3 15.Qxd8 Ne2+ 16.Kh2 Rbxd8 17.Rfe1 Nexd4 18.Nxd4 Nxd4 19.exd4 Kf8 with the better ending for Black. However the engines reckon 14.Nxe4!? leaves White slightly better, eg 14...Rxe4 15.Rfc1 with pressure.

13...a6 14.Na4 Qd6 15.Nc5 Nxc5 16.Rxc5 Ne7 17.b4 c6

White has a Minority Attack against Black's Carlsbad pawn-structure

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18.Rb1 Rec8 19.a4 f6!? 20.Rc3

If 20.b5? then 20...b6 21.Rcc1 axb5 22.axb5 a5 is good for Black. However the engines prefer 20.Qb3 or 20.Ne1.

20...Qd7 21.b5?!

The engines more-or-less suggest marking time, eg 21.Rc5!?, 21.Nh4 or 21.Rcc1!?

21...cxb5!

This slightly counterintuitive capture gives Black at least the better part of equality.

22.Rcb3?!

Probably better is 22.Rxc8+, eg 22...Nxc8 23.axb5 a5 24.Nd2, with equality, according to the engines.

22...bxa4?!

The engines give Black the upper hand after 22...b6.

23.Rxb7 Rc7 24.R7b4 a5 25.Rb5 Nc6 26.Qa3 Nb4 27.Qxa4 Qc6?!

The game is completely equal after 27...Qe8!?, according to the engines.

28.Ra1 Rca7??

White is a pawn up, but at best slightly better, after 28...Nd3 29.Rxa5 Qxa4 30.Rxa8+ Qxa8 31.Rxa8+ Kf7, according to the engines.

29.Rxb4 Qd6

Or 29...axb4 30.Qxc6 Rxa1+ 31.Kh2, although at least 31...Rb8 gives a hint of counterplay.

The game finished:

30.Rb5 Qd7 31.Nd2 h5 32.Qb3 a4 33.Qxd5+ Qxd5 34.Rxd5 a3 35.Ra2 Rb7 36.Nc4 Rb3 37.Ra5 Rc8 38.Nxa3 Rc1+ 39.Kh2 Rd3 40.Rxh5 Rdd1 41.g4 g6 42.Rc5 1-0

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London League               B       1924        2393                    0            1979

18/4/24   Central London League  B       1924        2329                    0            1976

23/4/24   London League               B       1924        2118                    =            1984

25/4/24   Central London League  W      1924        1997                    0            1964

30/4/24   Club Championship        W      1924        1731                    1            1972

2/5/24     Central London League  W      1913        2074                    0            1956

16/5/24   London League               B       1913       1915                     0            1939

21/5/24   Club Championship         B       1913       1862                     0            1919

Winning Chess

AUSTRIAN Fide master Siegfried Neuschmied won the Bodensee Senioren with +5=2-0, gaining 25.8 rating points.

His most important game was probably in round six, when he was upfloated on board one against the clear tournament leader, Polish international master Henryk Dobosz.

Neuschmied (2234) - Dobosz (2314)

Spanish Cozio

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nge7!? 4.0-0

This is easily the most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, and is treated as the main move by Alexey Dreev in his 2014 Chess Stars book Anti-Spanish: The Cozio Defence.

4...g6 5.d4

Dreev pays most attention to 5.c3.

5...exd4 6.Nxd4 Bg7

"The position is not promising for White" - Dreev

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7.Be3 0-0 8.Nc3

How should Black proceed?

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8...d6

Dreev awards an exclamation mark to 8...d5, stating: "This is no doubt Black's best move and it equalises without any problems. (The text) is not so energetic and it does not clarify the situation in the centre." There is no record in Mega24 of Dobosz having played the Cozio, although he has one game with 3...g6, so it seems on this occasion he played an opening with which he was not familiar. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 change to yellow after 8...d6, meaning they regard it as dubious.

9.Qd2

Dreev: "White's chances seems to be preferable, thanks to his space advantage."

9...a6 10.Bxc6!? Nxc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bh6!?

White has damaged Black's pawn-structure and now ensures Black does not have the bishop-pair as compensation.

12...f5!?

This seems to be a novelty - 12...Rb8 is known - and is not liked by the engines.

13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.f4!? Rb8 15.b3 c5 16.Rae1 fxe4!?

This opens the c8-h3 diagonal for the bishop, but activates the knight and makes the black king look a little less safe. The engines suggest 16...Rb4, with what they reckon is a slight edge for White.

17.Nxe4 Bf5 18.Ng3 Rb4 19.c3 Rb8 20.Re3 Qf6 21.Qe2 a5 22.Qa6 Ra8 23.Qc6 Ra7 24.Rfe1

How should Black respond to White's threats?

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24...Bc8?

I suspect most, or at least many, club players would choose 24...Rf7, which is also the engines' choice.

25.Re7+ Kh6!?

This is best, according to the engines, but the white position is much easier to play.
26.f5

The engines reckon best is 26.Qd5!?

26...Qxc3 27.Kh1!? Bb7?

Black has better, eg 27...Bxf5, when the engines reckon that, to keep a large advantage, White needs to find 28.R7e3!?, a possible continuation being 28...Qd4 29.Rf3 Kg7 30.h3!? Qh4 31.Re8 Rxe8 32.Qxe8, with what the engines reckon is a winning attack.

28.Qd7 Rf7 29.Qe8 Bd5 30.Rxf7 Bxf7 31.Qe7

This bishop is immune because, if captured, the white rook would be hanging.

31...c6 32.Qf8+ Qg7 33.Qxd6 Bd5?!

A bad move in a bad position, but the better 33...Qd4 does not bring much relief, eg 34.Qf8+ Kg5 35.Ne4+ Kxf5 36.Nd6+ etc.

34.Qf4+ 1-0

Bregenz Lessons VII: Distraction

IN my game from round seven at the Bodensee Senioren, I dropped a piece on move 10 in a slightly favourable position after being severely distracted.

I will not go into how I was distracted, except to say my opponent is old enough to know better.

The important point, at least from a results perspective, is not the cause of a distraction, but how one handles it.

Instead of fuming, I should have either remonstrated with my opponent, or called an arbiter.

Failing that, if wanting to avoid a scene, which is a distraction in itself, I should have at least ensured my head was cleared before I made a move.

If necessary, and it was early in the game, so there was no question of time trouble, I should have got up and walked around a bit to calm down.

LESSON: no one wants to hear a sob story, and excuses for a loss do not translate into points on the tournament score chart. Playing while distracted is a bit like playing with a hangover, except the latter is self-inflicted and likely to last the whole game. The former, even if the cause cannot be removed, can, and should, be ameliorated.

Bregenz Lessons VI: Some Fundamentals About Rooks

EVERYONE knows rook-and-pawn endings frequently have drawish tendencies.

However, rooks in themselves are not drawish pieces, eg rooks in the middlegame are often necessary in mating attacks.

Add a pair of rooks to an ending of opposite-coloured bishops and what would otherwise be a dead draw can give winning chances.

But, as a rule, it is probably fair to say the defending side in an ending should generally strive to keep rooks on the board.

If I had thought of this it would have helped me in my game from round six of the Bodensee Senioren.

The following position was reached after 23.Ra6-a1.

White has much the better bishop, but Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give White at best an edge of 0.1

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However 23...Kc6? allowed White to exchange rooks, after which Black is probably lost, or at least faces a long and very difficult struggle to hold the half-point (I failed to do so).

LESSON; there are exceptions (there nearly always are in chess), but rooks in an ending are often a defender's best friend.

Bregenz Lessons V: Revisiting Bishops v Structure

THREE days age I posted about the battle between a bishop-pair and a superior pawn-structure, namely in the case of Black using the king's bishop to capture the white queen's knight on c3.

I wrote that, whatever the objective merits of such an exchange, the important thing is probably knowing how to handle the resulting position, rather than which side the engines feel has a slight edge.

Such knowledge is a big help in knowing when to make such an exchange, and, from the other side, knowing when there is no need to prevent it.

The following position arose in my game from round five of the Bodensee Senioren.

White has just played 21.Bg4-f3 - should Black capture on c3?

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White has the better pawn-structure and the more-coordinated pieces, leading Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 to award White the upper hand.

The game saw 21...Bxc3!?, which smashes White's queenside, but leaves Black weak on the dark squares.
The exchange probably favours White, not least because the white weaknesses are hard to get at, and Black is left with two awkwardly placed minor pieces.

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon the exchange favours White by the equivalent of about a half-pawn, in a position that already favours White.

LESSON: bishop-pair v pawn-structure battles can be hard to evaluate, but a useful rule-of-thumb is that when you have a bad bishop (in this example the black queen's bishop) it is rarely a good idea to give up your good bishop.

Central London League

PLAYED on board three (of five) for Battersea against HMC 2 in division one last night.

Daniel Mayer (1915) - Spanton (1913)

Spanish Berlin/Open

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 a6!? 6.Ba4 exd4!? 7.Re1 d5 8.Nxd4 Bd6!? 9.Nxc6 Bxh2+ 10.Kh1! Qh4 11.Rxe4! dxe4 12.Qd8+! Qxd8 13.Nxd8 Kxd8 14.Kxh2 Be6 15.c3

For comments on these moves, see last month's London League game

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15...f5!?

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 recommend this (and 15...Kc8!?) over the more common 15...Ke7.

16.Be3 Rf8!?

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 16...g6 and 16...Ke7.
17.Nd2 Rb8?!

This achieves very little, and even sets up a potential knight fork at d7. The engines suggest 17...Rf7 or 17...Kc8!?, albeit giving White the upper hand.

18.Nb3 Bxb3

18...b5 19.Nc5 Rb6 at least makes use of the rook's deployment on the b file.

19.Bg5+ Kc8 20.Bxb3 b6 21.Rd1 h6

Where should the dark-square bishop go?

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22.Be7?!

The engines much prefer 22.Bf4 or 22.Be3.

22...Re8 23.Be6+?!

White should probably just withdraw the dark-square bishop.

23...Kb7 24.Rd7

Black to play with equal chances

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24...g6?

Too slow, whereas 24...f4 takes advantage of the awkward positioning of the white rook and bishops. White then may have nothing better than 25.Bd5+ Kc8 26.Be6 Kb7 with a draw by repetition.

25.Bd5+ Kc8 26.Bc6 b5 27.Bf6

The only move for an advantage, but good enough.

27...Rb6 28.Rd6 cxd6 29.Bxe8

Rook and two pawns are no match for the bishop-pair in this ending, especially with the rook not having an open file 

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29...d5 30.Bd4 Rd6 31.Bf7 a5 32.Be5 Rb6 33.Bxd5 b4?!

This probably hastens the end.

34.c4 Kd7 35.c5 Rb5 36.c6+ Ke7 37.c7 Rc5 38.Bc7 1-0

HMC 2 won the match 4.5-0.5.

MY BATTERSEA SEASON 2023-4

DATE.....EVENT...........................COL..RATING..OPP'S RATING..SCORE..SEASON PERF

24/10/23 London League               B      1870         2102                   =            2102

26/10/23 Central London League  W     1870         2118                    =            2110

21/11/23 Eastman Cup                  W     1882         2118                    =            2113

14/12/23 Central London League  B      1882         2152                    0            2023

10/1/24   London League               B      1884         2130                    0           1964

11/1/24   Central London League   B      1884        2278                    1            2083

25/1/24   Central London League  W      1884        2205                    =            2100

30/1/24   Club Championship         B      1884        1809                    1            2114

1/2/24     Central London League  W      1916        2072                    0            2065

7/2/24     London League               B       1916        2298                    0            2048

8/2/24     Central London League  B       1916        1960                    0            2004

15/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        1951                    =            1999

29/2/24   Central London League  B       1916        2014                    0            1970

5/3/24     Club Championship        W      1910        1990                    1            2000

2/4/24     Club Championship        B       1924        1927                    0            1968

4/4/24     Central London League  B       1924        2123                    =            1978

16/4/24   London League               B       1924        2393                    0            1979

18/4/24   Central London League  B       1924        2329                    0            1976

23/4/24   London League               B       1924        2118                    =            1984

25/4/24   Central London League  W      1924        1997                    0            1964

30/4/24   Club Championship        W      1924        1731                    1            1972

2/5/24     Central London League  W      1913        2074                    0            1956

16/5/24   London League               B       1913       1915                     0            1939