British 65+ Round Three

Spanton (1919 ECF/1928 Fide) - Jim Burnett (2108 ECF/2039 Fide)

French Exchange

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bd3 Be7!?

This is a popular alternative to the mainline 5...Bd6.

6.0-0 Bg4 7.Bf4!?

More popular are h3, Bg5 and especially Re1.

7...0-0

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

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The position occurs 287 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database. Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckon the game is equal, but with White for choice - presumably because it is White to move.

8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.h3 Bh5 10.Re1 Re8 11.Nf1 Bg6!? 12.Bxg6!?

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 12.Ng3 and 12.Ne5.

12...hxg6 13.Ng3 Nf8 14.Qd3!?

How should Black proceed?

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14...c6

The engines are fine with this, and also like 14...Bd6, but note that 14...Ne6?! allows a strong-looking exchange sacrifice with 15.Rxe6! fxe6 16.Qxg6. Best play, according to the engines, continues 16...Rf8 17.Bh6 Ne8 18.Nh5, after which Black should probably give back the exchange with 18...Rxf3!? 19.gxf3 Bf6, but the engines reckon White is winning.

15.Re2 Bd6 16.Rxe8 Nxe8 17.Be5 f6 18.Bxd6 Nxd6 19.Re1 Qd7 20.Nh4 Kf7!? 21.b3!?

This is Stockfish16.1's top choice; Dragon1 marginally prefers 21.a4.

21...Re8 22.Re3 Rxe3 23.Qxe3 Qe6 24.a4 Qxe3 25.fxe3

How would you assess this knight-and-pawn ending?

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Black has doubled g pawns, but White has a backward e pawn. Given enough time, the engines come to agree Black is slightly better.

25...Ke6

The engines suggest 25..b5!?, when 26.axb5 cxb5 gives Black hopes of creating a passed a pawn. The engines reckon 26.a5 is preferable, but Black's pieces are better-placed for queenside play.

26.Nf3 g5

Now 26...b5 27.a5 is completely equal, according to the engines.

27.Kf2 Ng6 28.Nh5 Kf7 29.g4 Ne4+ 30.Kg2?!

Probably better is 30.Ke2 or 30.Ke1.

30...Ne7

The engines like 30...Nh4+!?, the point being White is forced to reply 31.Nxh4, after which 31...gxh4 gains space and fixes h3 as a weakness.

31.Ng3 Nxg3 32.Kxg3 Nc8 33.Nd2 Nd6 34.Kf3 Ke6 35.c4!? b6

The game is also equal after 35...dxc4 36.bxc4.

36.c5!? Nc8

Black has to be careful, eg 36...bxc5 37.dxc5 Nb7 38.b4 a5?! 39.Nb3 axb4? loses to 40.a5 etc.

37.cxb6 Nxb6 38.a5 Na8!? 39.b4 Nc7 40.Nb3 Kd6

Also completely equal is 40...Na6 41.Nc5+ etc.

41.Nc5 Nb5 42.Nb7+ Ke7 43.Nc5 Nc3 44.Nd3 Kd6 ½–½

Hull Remembers

NOT many places in Britain still have prominent war memorials commemorating the country's battles against the Boers of South Africa.

But Hull has such a memorial, and it is more prominently sited than a nearby cenotaph marking the two world wars.

The South African memorial, with the cenotaph behind

The plaque bears the words: Erected by public subscription to the memory of the men of Hull who lost their lives during the South African War 1899, 1900, 1901 & 1902.

British 65+ Round Two

FACED a Scottish Fide master.

Philip Giulian (2057 ECF/2070 Fide) - Spanton (1919 ECF/1928 Fide)

Réti

1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3 d4!?

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 4...Be7 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 c5 7.Bb2 Nc6 8.e3 b6, reaching a position occurring 2,315 times in Mega24 - one that Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckon is equal.

5.0-0 Nc6 6.e3 Bc5

How should White proceed?

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This is another of those lines in the Réti Opening in which the pawn-sacrifice b4 seems strong. After 7.b4!? Bxb4 8.exd4 Black probably has nothing better than 8...0-0 as 8...Nxd4? loses to 9.Nxd4 Qxd4 10.Qa4+ Bd7 11.Qxb4 Qxa1 12.Ba3 Nd5 13.cxd5 Qf6 14.Qxb7 etc.

7.exd4 Nxd4 8.Nc3 0-0 9.d3 Nxf3+!?

This capture is Stockfish16.1's top choice, but Dragon1 suggests an interesting novelty, 9...e5!?, eg 10.Nxe5 Re8 11.Re1 h6 12.Bf4 Bf5, although the engines agree White has at least a tiny edge.

10.Qxf3 c6 11.Be3!?

The engines like this apparent-novelty. Known moves are 11.Bg5 and 11.Re1.

11...Bd4 12.Bxd4 Qxd4 13.Qe3 Rd8 14.Qxd4 Rxd4 15.Rad1

What should Black play?

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15...e5!?

This looks risky, but the engines agree it is correct.

16.Rfe1 Bf5?!

But this is probably the wrong continuation. Perhaps best is 16...Be6, or 16...Bg4 followed, after 17.f3, by 17...Be6, eg 16...Be6 17.Rxe5 Rad8 18.Bf1 Bxc4 19.dxc4 Rxd1 20.Nxd1 Rxd1, with complete equality, according to the engines.

17.Rxe5 Bxd3?

The engines reckon 17...g6 18.Bf1 Rad8 19.Re3 b5 is only slightly better for White.

18.Re7 Rdd8

The engines give 18...c5 as a marginal improvement.

19.Rxb7 Bxc4 20.Bxc6?

PG said after the game he simply forgot to first exchange rooks. Indeed, after 20.Rxd8+ Rxd8 both 21.Bxc6 and Rxa7 are winning.

20...Rxd1+ 21.Nxd1 Bxa2

How should White continue?

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22.Rc7

The engines reckon White is at least slightly better after 22.Nc3 Be6 23.Bg2.

22...Nd5 23.Rd7

Or 23.Rxf7 Rc8 24.Bxd5 Bxd5 25.Rf5 Be6 26.Re5 Rc1 27.Rxe6 Rxd1+ 28.Kg2 a5 with almost complete equality, according to the engines.

23...Nb6 24. Rc7 Rc8 25.Rxc8+ ½–½

Note that 25.Rxa7?? would have lost to 25...Rxc6 26.Rxa2 Rc1 etc.

Big Changes At Hastings

A FLYER at the British championships announces significant alterations to the established format for this year's Hastings Congress.

*The Masters is now nine rounds over seven days (Dec 28-Jan 3), meaning two double-round days.

*There are six-round Christmas tournaments over four days, and five-round New Year tournaments over three days. 

*No sponsor is named, but "sponsorship opportunities are available."

Ringing The Changes

HULL has never been part of the national telephone grid.

Originally local councils across the country installed and maintained communication cables.

These were mostly taken over by the General Post Office, which later became the Post Office, with telephone responsibilities transferred to British Telecommunications - better known as BT - in 1980.

But Hull remained independent, and made sure people knew about it by painting phone boxes off-white.

Two Hull phone boxes outside an impressive-looking Wetherspoon

British 65+ Round One

Spanton (1919 ECF/1928 Fide) - Robert G Clark (2038 ECF/2076 Fide)

Caro-Kann Panov-Botvinnik

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 g6!?

There are 732 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but the mainline runs 6...Bg4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11.Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+!? Ke7 13.Qxb5 Qd7 14.Nxd5+ Qxd5 15.Qxd5 exd5 16.Be3, reaching a position Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckon is completely equal.

Position after 6...g6!? - how should White proceed?

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7.Bg5!?

Anatoly Karpov has played this, but the most popular continuation in Mega24 is 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Nxc3 9.Bc4!? Nd5 10.Bxd5 e6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.0-0, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.

How should Black respond?

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7...Bg7!?

Commonest in Mega24 is 7...Ne4, but the engines like 7...Be6.

8.Bxf6 exf6!

More popular is 8...Bxf6, but the engines much prefer the text.

9.cxd5!?

The engines reckon 9.Nxd5 0-0 gives Black more than enough compensation for a pawn, eg 10.Be2 f5 11.0-0 Be6 12.Qb3 Na5 13.Qb4 Bxd5 14.cxd5 Qxd5.

9...Ne7 10.Bb5+ Bd7 11.d6

This occurred in all three games to reach the position in Mega24, but the engines suggest the apparent-novelty 11.Qa4!?, which RC in the postmortem said he had thought was my idea.

11...Bxb5?!

The engines reckon 11...Nf5 and 11...Nc8 give equal chances, but not 11...Nc6? 12.Qe2+ Kf8 13.d5 Ne5 14.Nxe5 fxe5 15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.0-0 as 16...Qxd6 runs into 17.Ne4 Qd7 18.d6 f5 19.Nc5 Qxd6 20.Rac1, when White has a huge attack, eg 20...Rc8 21.Rfd1 Qe7 22.Qc4 Rc6 23.Rd7 Qe8 24.Rxb7 Rd6 25.Qb4 etc.

12.Nxb5

Not 12.dxe7? Qxe7+ 13.Kd2 Bh6+ 14.Kc2 Qc7 15.Re1+ Kf8, after which the black king may even be the safer of the two monarchs, and Black has bishops on an open board.

12...Qa5+ 13.Nc3 Nd5?

The engines reckon Black needed to play 13...Nf5 or 13...Nc8.

14.Qe2+ Kd7?!

And here they reckon 14..Kf8 is better, although still very good for White.

15.0-0 Rhe8

The engines agree this is best, but it is well-met by ...

16.Qc4 Nxc3 17.Qxf7+ Kxd6 18.Qxg7

... after which White is 'only' a pawn up, but the black king is horribly exposed.

18...Ne2+!?

This is the engines' top choice.

19.Kh1 Qd5 20.Qxf6+ Re6 21.Qg5 Rc8

The engines prefer 21...Qxg5+!? 22.Nxg5 Re7, but Black is two pawns down and the black king is still not safe.

22.Ne5!?

This seems best.

22...Kc7 23.Rfe1 Nxd4 24.Rac1+ Kb8

What should White play?

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25.Rxc8+?

This largely lets Black off the hook. Best seems to be 25.Qf4, but the engines also like 25.Qg3 and 25.Rcd1.

25...Kxc8 26.Qf4?!

Almost certainly better is 26.f4.

26...Nc6 27.Qf8+

This is the only move to keep an edge, according to the engines.

27...Qd8 28.Qxd8+ Nxd8?

The engines reckon White has just a slight edge after 28...Kxd8.

29.Nf3?!

Probably better is, among other moves, 29.Re3.

29...Rc6 30.Nd4 Rd6 31.Nb3

The engines prefer 31.Nf3, and if Black repeats with 31...Rc6, then 32.Re2!?

31...Nc6 32.g3 a5 33.Rc1?!

Probably better is 33.Re2 or 33.Kg2.

33...a4 34.Na5 Rd2 35.Nxc6 bxc6 36.Rxc6+ Kb7 37.Rc4 Rxb2 38.Rxa4 Rxf2 39.Kg1 Rc2 40.Rh4

Black to play and draw

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40...h5

40...Rc1+ may also draw, but 40...Rxa2? 41.Rxh7+ wins for White, according to the Syzygy endgame tablebase.

41.a4 Ra2 42.Rf4 Kc7 43.h4 Kd7 44.Rf6 g5!?

Also drawing is 44...Rxa4.

45.hxg5 Rxa4 46.Rh6 Rg4 47.Rxh5 Rxg3+ 48.Kf2 Ra3

The position is easily drawn.

The game finished:

49.Rh4 Ke7 50.Rf4 Ra5 51.Rg4 Kf7 52.Kg3 Kg6 53.Kh4 Ra1 54.Rg3 Ra4+ 55.Rg4 Ra1 56.Kg3 Ra5 57.Kf4 ½–½

Claim To Fame

AMONG Hull's more unusual claims to fame is what is billed as the smallest window in the world, sited in what is certainly one of the world's strangest-named streets.

The window is in the George Hotel in Land Of Green Ginger

The window - little more than a glassed slit - and beside it a plaque making the more-modest claim that the window is the smallest in England

The story goes that the tiny window was installed so a porter or boy could be employed to look out for passing stagecoaches containing possible customers.

This is extremely unlikely on several grounds, including the fact that vision from the window is very limited, and anyway in the late 1600s, when the George was built, a landlord would have had no qualms about ordering a servant to stand outside the premises looking for customers, no matter the weather.

As to the name of the road, which was formerly called Old Beverley Street, there is no consensus as to its origin.

Fanciful suggestions include that it is a corruption of Lindegroen Junior, after a Dutch family that lived in the area.

Remembering that Hull was once a prosperous port, second in importance to London, a more likely reason is that the street contained a warehouse for ginger, which used to be a valuable spice.

Hull

Most of the British championships, including the 65+, are being held at Hull City Hall

Nearby is the Punch Hotel, built in 1895 - one of many fine-looking pubs in the old town

British Seniors

AM making final preparations for traveling to Hull tomorrow for the British 65+ championship.

It is a seven-round tournament with a time control of 40 moves in 90 minutes, a further 30 minutes to complete the game, and a 30-second increment throughout.

There is one round a day, with all but the last round in the afternoon.

I am seeded 34th of 58 entries, with the top seed being Fide master Terry Chapman (2287), followed by international master Craig Pritchett (2186).

All but nine of the players are England registered.

Brain Exercise

I RECKON keeping the brain active must help when it comes to playing chess, or at least it does no harm.

That is why on London tube trains I like to solve what I call Tube Puzzles.

One I saw today on the Northern Line looked at first glance to be easy, but proved surprisingly tricky, at least for me.

The carriage had the serial number 53576.

As usual, each number should be used once, and once only, and must be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided to make a balanced equation.
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My solution: 5 + 5 = 7 + (6 - 3)

Perking Up The Petrov

THE Petrov Defence 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 is undergoing something of a revival, both over the board and at correspondence.

The latter may not be much of a surprise as the Petrov seems to me to be  one of those defences where Black can be slightly worse for quite a few moves, but in positions very manageable with the help of engines.

Over the board the Petrov was extremely popular at high levels until the rise of the Berlin Wall in the Spanish.

Perhaps one reason for the Petrov's revival is repetition-fatigue settling in with the Berlin.

Another reason may be the discovery that after 3.Nxe5 Black can get away with the 'duffers' move' 3...Nxe4!?

Indeed Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckon ...Nxe4 is only slightly inferior to the mainline ...d6, and the former has the advantage of perhaps causing whites to let their guard down.

Polish Fide master Kamil Plitchta has produced a video for Chessable on this line, which no doubt is helping the revival.

I have also noticed a rise in whites ignoring 3.Nxe5 in favour of 3.d4, after which the most popular continuation is 3...Nxe4

Position after 3...Nxe4

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White has three main replies.

Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 quite like 4.Nxe5, which occurs 723 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, scoring 53%.

Given enough time, the engines come to marginally prefer 4.Bd3, which occurs 8,388 times in Mega24 and scores 61%.

Between these two moves is 4.dxe5, which occurs 1,560 times in Mega24, scoring 57%, and which I have seen a few times recently in club-level chess.

The pawn capture is also increasing in popularity among the elite, the usual continuation being 4.... d5 5.Nbd2.

It is here that Fabiano Caruana introduced the shocking 5...Qd7!? in a win over Nikita Vitiugov at Grenke (Germany) 2018.

Position after 5...Qd7!?

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I have not been able to find any analysis explaining the idea behind 5...Qd7!?, which scores an impressive 47% in Mega24 and may be an additional factor in the revival of the Petrov.

However, I suspect one major point is that after 5...Qd7!? White is no longer threatening the deeply disrupting 6.Nxe4 dxe4 7.Qxd8+.

Most popular has been 6.Bd3, threatening to win a pawn, but after 6...Nc5 White has generally continued 7.Be2, with a completely equal position, according to Stockfish16.1, although Dragon1 gives White a tiny pull.

CONCLUSION: new ideas are helping to revive the Petrov, and the defence can be expected to increase in frequency at club level over the coming months.

King's Gambit

WHEN going through a book of games listed by opening it is natural to expect the first entry in the King's Gambit section to be special.

Here is the first King's Gambit in 500 Master Games of Chess by Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont.

Notes in italics are algebraicised from the book.

Lionel Kieseritzky - Ignazio Calvi

Match (Paris) 1842*

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5

The 'classical defence'.

4.h4

The most energetic reply.

4...g4 5.Ne5

Known as the 'Kieseritzky Gambit', this 'gambetto grande' was already well known in the 16th century.

It is easily the most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database.

5...h5!?

An ancient idea which scorns the consolidation of the inner lines, which is obtained chiefly by developing the pieces 5...Bg7 or 5....Nc6 or 5...Nf6 or 5....d5, followed by ...Nf6.

Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 strongly dislike the text, preferring 5...Nf6, 5...d6 or 5...Qe7!?

6.Bc4 Rh7!?

A painstaking rook!

7.d4 d6 8.Nd3

How should Black proceed?

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8...f3!

The engines agree this is best. The point is a developing move, eg 8...Be7, allows White to develop smoothly with 9.Bxf4. This was illustrated in Harry Pillsbury - A Lissek, Vienna Blindfold Simul 1902, which continued 9...Bxh4+ 10.g3 Bg5 11.Nc3 Nc6 12.Bxg5!? Qxg5 13.Nf4 Nf6 14.Nd5?! Nxd5 15.Nxd5 f5?! 16.Qd3 with a position that remained sharp (1-0, 56 moves).

9.gxf3 c6?!

The engines reckon this is too slow, preferring 9...Nc6 or 9...Be7.

10.Nf4

Preventing both 10...d5 and 10...Be6.

10...Ne7?!

Less cumbersome would be 10...Nf6. The queen's knight could later on be developed via d7 to b6, and the king's bishop could find employment by ...Bh6 and eventually ...Bxf4.

11.Nc3 Nd7 12.Kf2?!

The engines are strongly against committing the king like this.

12...Rh8?!

Or first 12...Bg7 13.Qd3, and now only 13...Rh8 in view of the threat 14.e5.

The engines want to start opening lines to the white king with 12...gxf3, eg 13.Qxf3 Qb6 with ...Ne5 on the horizon.

13.Qd3 Bg7 14.Bd2 Kf8?!

The king relinquishes the critical e file, but remains in the danger zone.

Both Kieseritzky and Calvi are playing imaginatively, but dubiously, with their kings. The engines suggest 14...b5 or 14...Qb6.

15.Rae1 Qb6 16.Be3 Qc7?!

16...Qxb2 would be too risky.

Grabbing the b pawn is well-met by 17.Bb3 or 17.fxg4, according to the engines, but they reckon much better than the text is 16...gxf3.

17.Be6

A pretty episode.

Winning, according to the engines, is 17.Bxf7!? Kxf7 18.Qc4+, and even stronger, they reckon, is first 17.fxg4!?

17...b5

Hoping that the moment is favourable for a counteraction on the queenside.

18.b4?!

The engines reckon this throws away White's advantage, preferring 18.fxg4.

18...Nb6 19.Bb3 a5 20.a3 a4 21.Ba2 Bb7?

Rather than hope for things to happen in the distant future, he should have played 21...Bd7.

More to the point, according to the engines, is 21...d5 or 21...gxf3.

22.e5?!

Piercing the front.

The engines much prefer 22.fxg4 or 22.Nce2.

What should Black play?

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22...d5?!

He tries to keep the lines closed, for if eg 22...dxe5 23.dxe5 Bxe5 (or 23...Rd8 [then] 24.Bd4 etc) 24.Bd4 Bxd4+ 25.Qxd4 Rh7 26.Qf6 and wins.

The engines disagree with much of this analysis, eg they reckon 25...Rh6 is at least equal for Black. However they give 24.Bc5! as winning for White, the main threat being 25.Qf5. Therefore they reckon best is 23...Rd8, meeting 24.Bd4 with 24...Nd7, claiming at least a slight edge for Black.

23.e6

Energetic play.

The engines again much prefer fxg4 or Nce2.

23...Bc8 24.Bc1 Qd6 25.exf7 Kxf7?

A decisive mistake, allowing the hostile knight to get powerfully into play. Better would be the intermediary measure 25...Bf5, although Black's position would still be uneasy after 26.Qd2 Kxf7 27.Nce2 etc.

The engines agree the text is a mistake, but want to meet 25...Bf5 with 26.Ne4!? as they reckon 26.Qd2 gxf3 is good for Black. After 26.Ne4!? dxe4 (26...Qd7 may be better) 27.fxe4 Black should probably return the piece with 27...Ng6!?, as saving the bishop with, for example, 27...Bc8 can be met by the calm 28.c3!? with what the engines reckon is more than enough compensation for a knight.

26.Ne4 Qc7?!

Both 26...Qd7 and 26...Qd8 seem less worse.

27.Ng5+ Kg8 28.Rxe7?!

A sacrifice which has the double task of eliminating a defending piece and of speeding up the concentration of his own forces.

The engines reckon this lets Black back into the game, whereas 28.Ng6 seems overwhelming.

28...Qxe7 29.Re1 Qf6!?

He tries in vain to establish some counterscheme.

The engines like the text, giving White at best a slight edge

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30.Re8+ Bf8 31.Ng6 Bf5?

Completely equal, according to the engines, is 31...Bd7, eg 32.Rxa8 Nxa8 33.Nxh8 Bf5 and 34...Kxh8.

32.Qxf5!

Winning a piece.

32...Qxf5 33.Ne7+ Kg7 34.Nxf5+ Kf6 35.Re6+!? Kxf5 36.Bb1 1-0

White mates in two.

The game well-illustrates how difficult it is to analyse a sharp game reasonably accurately without an engine.
*It is listed in the book simply as "Paris, 1847," but was the first game of their match played in the French capital five years earlier.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb IX

MY round-nine game reached the following Maróczy Bind position.

I have just played 16...a5, threatening 17...a4

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The pawn push ...a4 would not be the end of the world for White, but it does weaken the Bind and is probably best prevented.

I expected 17.Rb1, while Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 very marginally prefer 17.Qb2. In both cases the idea is to meet ...a4 with b4.

My opponent chose 17.Bd1!?

The move more-or-less physically stops ...a4, but it undevelops the bishop and disconnects the white rooks.

The latter point is in some ways the more serious as one of the main tasks in the opening is to get the rooks connected.

Indeed, once rooks are connected the opening can be thought of as over, since achieving the connection normally means the player has developed all the minor pieces and the queen, and has castled.

Hence my opponent's move could be argued as taking White from the middlegame back to the opening.

Having said all that, the engines are perfectly happy with 17.Bd1!?

Dragon1 at first even reckons White has a slight edge, but fairly soon comes to agree with Stockfish16.1 that the position is equal.

However, the position in much harder for a human to play than is the case after 17.Rb1 or 17.Qb2.

This was dramatically illustrated by the game continuation 17...Qb4 18.Qd4 b5 19.Qb6!? Rfc8 20.Nb1? bxc4 21.Qxb4?! axb4 22.Rxc4 Bb5 (0-1, 37 moves).

LESSON: undeveloping moves, especially in ways that discoordinate other pieces, are fraught with danger.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb VIII

IN round eight I reached the following position as White.

Black has just played 18...g5?! 

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I replied 19.Bg3?!, which gives a pleasant advantage, but the game was drawn on move 36.

I wanted to capture on g5, but after Black recaptures and White continues 20.Qh5 there are quite a few continuations to consider, all of which must work for White if the capture on g5 is to prove correct.

Easily dismissed is 20...Bxd2? as that unprotects the f6 square, so White has 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 22.Qf6#.

Stockfish16.1 reckons best is 20...Rxd2, but calculates that 21.Qxg5+ and 22.Rxd2 leaves White the equivalent of more than a minor piece ahead.

Dragon1 fluctuates between Stockfish16.1's choice and 20...Bg6, but reckons that after the latter White is the equivalent of almost a rook ahead on playing 21.Qxg5.

The move that stopped me playing 20.Bxg5! was 20...h6. On 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 I missed that 22.Rxd8+ wins. The point is 22...Bxd8 allows 23.Qg8#, so Black has to give up the queen with 22...Qxd8, but 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.Qxf5 is overwhelming.

LESSON: when most lines of a winning combination work, but one line seems not to, it is worth spending a lot of time ensuring there is not after all a way to make the combination sound.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb VII

MY round-seven game was completely equal, according to Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1, for most of its duration.

After much manoeuvring, we reached this position, with me to make my 48th move

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After a fair bit of thought I played 48...Qc2+ and offered a draw, which was accepted.

I took some time because I was considering playing ...Qd4 in the hope White would go wrong.

If I had played the move, what should the outcome have been?

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What had caught my attention was a win for Black after 48...Qd4? 49.Qxd4 exd4 50.Ke2 Kf6 51.Kd3? Ke5 and 52...Kxd4.

However I eventually spotted it is White who should win, by playing 51.Kd2 with Kd3 and Kxd4 to come.

LESSON: pawn-endings are in a way the simplest of all endings in that nothing can move more than a square at a time (apart from pawns still in their starting position), but in another way they are the most complicated in that a subtle subtle nuance can turn a win into a loss, which is why players are often warned not to swop off into such an ending unless absolutely certain of the outcome.

Lessons from Bad Herrenalb VI

IN round six I reached the following position as White.

Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge

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I continued 18.Rae1?, only to lose a pawn to 18...g5 19.Be3 Nxe5.

LESSON: advanced pawns are usually an asset as they give pieces more space to operate in, but they can be vulnerable as they can be more difficult to protect.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb V

THE following position was reached in my round-five game.

I have just played 14...Rfd8?

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At first glance this might be thought a typical IQP position.

Black has an isolated queen's pawn, but it is not under pressure, and the only black piece awaiting development is the queen's rook.

White has blockaded the isolani, but the knight on e2 is somewhat passive and none of the white heavy pieces has been developed.

But first impressions can be deceptive - here especially, as Black is lost!

The key is finding the move 15.Nf5, unblockading the d pawn but attacking both d6 and g7.

Black's best reply, according to Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 is 15...Qd7!?, but they reckon 16.Bxf6 gxf6 (16...Qxf5!? loses the exchange) 17.Neg3 gives White a winning attack.

If instead 15...g6, White has 16.Nxg7! Kxg7 17.Nf4 Qf5 18.g4 with Nh5+ to come.

The game saw 15.Rc1? Ba7? 16.Nf4? Rac8?, both players oblivious to the critical nature of the position.

Finally my opponent played 17.Nf5, giving him an advantage worth more than a minor piece, according to the engines.

LESSON: the queen is as sensitive as it is powerful. The need to preserve it can create combinational chances for the opponent.

Lessons from Bad Herrenalb IV

THE lesson from my round-four game is the same as from round one.

Indeed, Black makes the identical dubious move, ...e5, albeit in a very different position.

In round one I here played 6...e5?!, and would have been at a disadvantage if my opponent had found, or had known, the clever reply 7.b4!?

In round four my opponent was Black, and here played 8...e5?!

That brings about a position occurring 77 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but in the vast majority of times it is Black to move.

In other words, Black has played ...e5 without spending a tempo on ...e6.

When that is the case, Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 still like White's space advantage, reckoning White has the upper hand, being the equivalent of just over a pawn ahead.

But when it is White to move, as in my game, Dragon1 at first awards White a positionally won game, but backs down a little, agreeing with Stockfish16.1 that White's advantage is worth almost 1.4 pawns.

LESSON: moving a pawn or a piece for the second time in the opening needs to be justified by something the opponent has done. The fact that the move is desirable does not make it sound.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb III

IN round three I largely outplayed an opponent rated 224 elo higher.

He was so disgusted with his position as White that he offered a draw on move 13.

Thirty moves later we got down to a knight-and-pawn ending, eventually reaching the following position.

Black to play and win

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Numerous moves preserve Black's winning advantage, including 66...f3, 66...a3 and 66...Ne3.

I uncorked 66...Ng3??, and immediately saw I would have to concede a draw as White has 67.Ng4+.

LESSON: never relax. When your advantage is so large that opponents have no realistic hope of saving themselves, only your carelessness can change the 'inevitable' outcome.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb II

MY round-two game in the Baden-Württemberg 60+ championship began as a Nimzowitsch System in the English: 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4!?

There are 4,666 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

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Black replied 4...Bc5, which occurs 1,630 times in Mega24, second only to 4...Bb4's 1,748 times.

I continued 5.Nxe5!?, which, judging by body language, caught my opponent by surprise, although, since his rating is 2063, I am sure he is familiar with the basic idea.

When Black plays ...Nxe4, intending, after Nxe4 to play ...d5, forking the knight on e4 and a bishop on c4, it is with the idea of equalising the game.

When, as in this game, White plays the similar Nxe5, it is usually in the hope of achieving a slight plus.

The difference can be explained by White enjoying the advantage of the move, which is normally more potent in the early stages of a game.

Position after 5.Nxe5!?

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The mainline in Mega24 runs 5...Nxe5 6.d4 Bb4 7.dxe5 Nxe4 8.Qf3 Nxc3 9.bxc3 Ba5 10.Bf4, which at best gives White a tiny edge (Dragon1 calls the position completely equal).

My opponent played 5...Bxf2!?, which is clearly tempting as it occurs 194 times in Mega24 and has been the choice of 14 players rated over 2300.

However after 6.Kxf2 Nxe5 7.d4 White has the bishop-pair and the centre.

True, White has lost castling rights, and after 7...Neg4+ 8.Kg1 has difficulties developing the king's rook.

But the advanced black knight is easily driven away, and the white king is not in danger, so it is not so surprising that Dragon1 and Stockfish16.1 reckon White has a positionally won game.

LESSON: allowing the well-known forking combination Nxe5 (...Nxe4 for Black) can be embarrassing, but lashing out with ...Bxf2+ (Bxf7+ for White) is rarely a good idea. Losing the bishop-pair and control of the centre is much more significant than depriving the opponent of castling rights.

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb

BEGINNERS are warned not to move the same piece twice in the opening.

Naturally it is taken as read that there are occasions where something has to be moved for a second time, a common example being when a white bishop on g5 is challenged by ...h6.

But this second tempo can be justified by the fact Black has spent on tempo on pushing the h pawn.

And this is the key point - moving a unit for the second time is often not a good idea if the move is only desirable.

The move usually needs to be justified by some action the opponent has taken, typically spending a tempo, or leaving something unguarded.

My round-one game at Bad Herrenalb reached the following position in a Réti after White played 6.d3.

This position occurs 215 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

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The most popular continuations are 6...Be7 and especially 6...Bc5.

I preferred 6...e5!?, which has been played by grandmasters rated over 2700, including world champion Liren Ding, albeit 10 years.

At first glance the move looks good - Black gains space in the centre, supports the advanced d pawn and opens the c8-h3 diagonal for Black's light-square bishop.

But the move violates the beginners' rule against moving a piece, or in this case a pawn, twice in the opening.

Not only that, but it is at an early stage of the opening, when such offences are more likely to be serious, and it is Black who is breaking the rule, which is significant because White is a  tempo up by virtue of having the first move.

The position after 6...e5!? occurs 1,071 times in Mega24, but that is largely because the vast majority of those games reach the position with Black to move.

That makes a huge difference, with Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 reckoning Black is at least equal.

But the position with White to move gets a very different assessment, with the engines giving White the upper hand.

In the game my opponent replied 7.a3, evidently hoping to get in 8.b4, which I stopped with 7...a5.

However it turns out Black's lost tempo means White can play the immediate 7.b4!?

The obvious point is that 7...Nxb4 can be met by 8.Nxe5, an exchange that clearly favours White.

The much less-obvious point is that 7...Bxb4 can also be met by 8,Nxe5!

After 8...Nxe5 9.Qa4+ White, one way or another, captures the black dark-square bishop, eg 9...Nc6 10.Bxc6+ bxc6 11.Qxb4 with the upper hand for White, according to the engines.

LESSON: moving a pawn or piece for the second time in the opening needs to be justified by something the opponent has done.

Planes, Trains & Autobuses

HOTEL guests in Bad Herrenalb receive a pass that gives free travel on local buses and trains.

I used mine yesterday morning to travel about 21 miles by train to Neureut, a suburb on the farside of the city of Karlsruhe.

The route was single-track and quite scenic at first, but soon became double-track and very urban, with quite a lot of it underground.

Having returned to Bad Herrenalb for lunch, I set out by train again in the afternoon, but this time got off at the second stop, Frauenalb-Schielberg, because I had spotted some interesting ruins.

The ruins turned out to be of Frauenalb convent, which dates back to the 1100s but has been much altered over the centuries thanks to the ravages of fire, warfare and conversion into a factory

View from inside

The notice board gives an idea of how Frauenalb looked in more-prosperous times

This nearby statue was erected in 1725 by Frauenalb Abbess Maria Gertrud von Ichtratzheim (apparently the coat of arms at the base is hers)

The ruins are about three miles from Bad Herrenalb, and, as I discovered, there is an easily followed walking trail back into town.

Much of the route goes through managed woodland

But some is sufficiently left alone that it gives a faint idea of how dark the 'true' Black Forest looks

Before reaching town the woodland recedes to give longer views

It is just as well I have the free travel pass as yesterday, less than 24 hours before I was due to leave Bad Herrenalb to catch a plane at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airport, Booking.com messaged me to say my booked taxi had been cancelled.

No explanation was given, and no substitution offered, but I have been promised a refund.

And it looks as if this cloud on my holiday has a silver lining as the travel pass will seemingly get me all the way to Baden-Baden, from where I can catch a bus to the airport (despite its name, it is nowhere near Karlsruhe).

It will mean two trains and a bus, and a travel time of between two and three hours, but my flight is not until late afternoon, so all could be working out for the best.

Summing Up Bad Herrenalb

MY score of +3=5-1 in the Baden-Württemberg 60+ championship gained 36.6 Fide elo and won a 50-euro third-place rating prize.

Blue Is The Colour

ACTING on impulse again, I decided to follow a series of blue-diamond waymarks to see where they would lead.

Rather as with the yellow-diamond route, I quickly gained height on leaving Bad Herrenalb, but on the opposite side of the valley.

Again I did not have insect repellent, and again and I suffered a horsefly bite - a messy one as I swatted my assailant, with a surprising amount of blood spattering (presumably mine).

German cemeteries always seem immaculate

A carving urging people to "Listen"

The route crosses a small river - probably the Gaisbach

Hikers are invited to "dangle" their soul as well as their feet (at least, I think that is what the sign is saying)

Hillsides are steeper than this photo conveys

There is open trail as well as woodland

Another unusual carving

Bad Herrenalb Round Nine

Erwin Illner (2045) - Spanton (1928)

Sicilian Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4!?

Ensuring White can get in a Maróczy Bind.

3...Nc6 4.d4 cxd4

Actually Black can avoid the Bind, for example by playing 4...d6?!, but that would surely be a case of the cure being worse than the ailment.

5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess the position, which occurs 18,859 times in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database?

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Allowing the Maróczy Bind used to be regarded as tantamount to a positional blunder. Theory is no longer so condemnatory, but White's space advantage is worth a slight edge, according to Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1.

9...Bd7 10.Rc1!?

This is a common move in the Bind, although here it is not liked by the engines. The mainline in Mega24 runs 10.Qd2 Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 with what the engines reckon is at least a slight edge.

10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 Nd7!?

Anyone unfamiliar with the Maróczy Bind might find this surprising, as Black is offering to exchange the fianchettoed bishop. But the text is second in popularity to 12...a5 in Mega24, and White usually responds 13.Be3!? The point is that after ...

13.Bxg7 Kxg7

... White has swopped off his good bishop, and it will not be easy for White to get at the newly weakened h6 square. Nevertheless the engines still prefer White.

14.b3

The mainline in Mega24 runs 14.Qd4+ Kg8 15.Rfd1 Qb6 16.Qxb6 Nxb6 with a slight edge for White (Dragon1) or at least the better side of equality (Stockfish16.1).

14...Qb6+ 15.Kh1 Nf6!?

The black king's knight usually goes to c5 in these lines, often preceded by the move ...a5.

16.Qd2 a5

How should White meet Black's threat to play ...a4, putting pressure on b3 and readying an opening of the a file?

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17.Bd1!?

The engines are fine with this, but undeveloping the bishop while unconnecting the white rooks seems strange. The engines marginally prefer 17.Rb1 or 17.Qb2!?
17...Qb4 18.Qd4 b5 19.Qb6!?

The engines suggest 19.Be2 or 19.Rb1, in both cases claiming equality.

19...Rfc8 20.Nb1?

Another undeveloping move, and this time it is definitely a mistake. The engines give 20.Qd4, eg 20...bxc4 21.bxc4 Bd7!? 22.Be2 Qc5 23.Qxc5 Rxc5 with a slight edge for Black.

20...bxc4 21.Qxb4?!

Better. according to the engines, are 21.Qe3 and 21.Qd4, but in both cases Black ensures the gain of a pawn by answering 21...cxb3.

21...axb4 22.Rxc4 Bb5 23.Rxc8 Rxc8 24.Rg1

White loses a piece after 24.Re1 Rc1 25.Nd2 Be2, but the engines reckon the effectively-forced text is not much better.

24...Rc1

Even stronger is 24...Ra8, but the text is good enough.

25.Nd2?!

Probably better is 25.a4, although after 25...Bd3 26.Nd2 Ra1 27.g4!? Nd7 White is horribly tied down and lost, according to the engines.

25...Ra1 26.g3 Rxa2 27.Nf1 Rf2!?

This forces simplification that frees White's game a little but also makes Black's task easier.

28.Ne3 Be2 29.Bxe2 Rxe2 30.Nd1 Nd7 31.Rg2 Re1+!?

An important nuance. Getting the rooks off is good for Black, but it is much better, as will be seen, if f3 is left unprotected.

32.Rg1 Rxg1+ 33.Kxg1 Nc5 34.Ne3 Nxb3 35.Nc2 Nd2 36.Nxb4 Nxf3+ 37.Kg2 Nd2 0-1

Yellow Stages

I DID not intend going for a walk as, following a long game, I had a late lunch and thought I would just wander around town, enjoying a non-alcoholic beer or two.

Accordingly I had not bothered to put on any insect repellent, although I was still wearing sunscreen from having sat outside with an espresso for 30 minutes or so before breakfast (the sun is fairly strong here, even at 07.15).

But when I caught sight of a yellow-diamond waymark, I thought I would see where it (and more of the same) would take me.

The route took me past a modern village

Part of the way went along the local Marienweg

A fallen tree forming a crossbar with the help of three other trees

Although this is the Black Forest, there are many deciduous trees in these northern parts, and so there is none of the trademark blackness caused where it is all pine 

The result is some pretty weeds flowers

Much of the route was uphill and, thanks to not having repellent, I attracted more than my fair share of insects, including a horsefly that left a nasty bite on my right shin.

Eventually, having concluded the route was not circular, I retraced my steps, but somehow missed a turning and emerged on a deserted road.

There were no signposts, and I did not fancy walking back uphill to try to find the missing turn, and since the sun had been over my right shoulder for the previous 20 minutes or so, I decided to continue in the same general direction.

I fairly quickly came to what seemed to be the bottom part of the modern village in the first photo above, and, after following a no-through road in the centre of the village, reached several flights of stone steps, which took me back to the yellow-diamond route.

The only other 'drama' was seeing this snake slowworm