Miniatures 12

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

Spanton (151 BCF) - Chris Briscoe (155 BCF)

Barbican (London) Rapid 1989

Nimzowitsch

1.e4 Nc6 2.Nf3 d5!?

Magnus Carlsen has played the text, which keeps the game in independent Nimzowitsch Defence lines, and has a strong affinity with the Scandinavian.

3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qa5 5.d4 Bg4 6.Be2

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like 6.Bb5!?

6...e6

The engines reckon 6...0-0-0 equalises.

7.h3 Qh5?

The engines give 7...Bxf3 8.Bxf3 Rd8!? 9.Bxc6+ bxc6 10.0-0, with what they reckon is a slight edge for White.

8.Bf4

Even stronger is the simple 8.0-0, forcing 8...Bxf3 9.Bxf3, when White has more space, the bishop-pair and a lead in development.

8...0-0-0 9.Qd2

White is still better after this, but the engines give 9.Bh2 as best, whereas 9.0-0 allows 9...Qf5 10.Be3 Bh5, when 11.g4? Bxg4! 12.hxg4 Qxg4+ 13.Kh1 Qh3+ is a perpetual as 13.Nh2? loses to 13...Bd6 14.f4 (forced) Qxe3.

9...Bb4?!

Probably better is the engines' 9...Bxf3!? 10.Bxf3 Qa5, albeit they give White at least a slight edge.

10.0-0-0?

The wrong side.

After 10.0-0 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Qa5 White would be well on top

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10...Bxf3 11.Bxf3 Qa5

The same position as in the previous diagram, except here White has effectively castled into Black's attack instead of away from it

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12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Kb1?

This somewhat natural-looking move is a mistake. White should unpin the knight, for example with 13.a3!? or 13.Qe3, or get on with development with 13.Rhe1.

13...Nf6 14.Bg5??

Correct is 14.Qd3, albeit Black is better after 14...Bxc3 15.bxc3 (15.Qxc3? Qxc3 16.bxc3 Ne4) and 15...c5 or 15...Nd5.

14...Ne4 15.Qc1?

White can more-or-less struggle on, at least at rapidplay time controls, after either 15.Qe3 Nxc3+ 16.bxc3 Bxc3 17.Rd3 Qb4+ 18.Kc1 or 15.Nxe4!? Bxd2 16.Bxd8 Rxd8 17.Rxd2.

15...Nxg5?!

Good enough for a winning advantage, but immediately decisive is 15...Nxc3+ 16.bxc3 (16.Ka1 Qxa2#) Bxc3, when White has nothing better than giving up the queen with 17.Qb2!?

16.Qxg5?? Qxg5 0-1

LESSON: I cannot recall what I was thinking during this game, but my moves have all the hallmarks of playing too quickly, and I am convinced more games are lost through playing too quickly than through playing too slowly.

Summing Up North Shields

MY score in the Northumberland Open of +1=0-3 (I also received a compulsory full-point bye) lost 26.8 ECF elo and 40.2 Fide elo.

Northumberland Round Five

I RECEIVED a compulsory bye in round four.

Spanton (1936 ECF/1977 Fide) - Andy Trevelyan (1920 ECF/1812 Fide)

King's Indian Sämisch

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Bg5!?

This is the second-most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, but a long way behind 6.Be3.

How should Black respond?

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6...Nbd7

The main line in Mega25 runs 6...c5 7.d5 e6 8.Qd2 exd5 9.cxd5 a6 10.a4 Re8 11.Nge2 Nbd7 12.Ng3 Qa5, when Stockfish17 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge.

7.Qd2 Re8!? 8.Nh3!? e5!?

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 8...Nf8 9.Nf2 Ne6!?

9.d5 Nf8 10.Nf2 Bd7 11.Be2 h5!?

Apparently a novelty, and preferred by the engines over the known 11...Rc8.

12.h4!? N8h7

How should White proceed?

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13.Be3!

The engines much prefer this over 13.Bh6 Bxh6! 14.Qxh6, after which they coolly continue with 14...c6!?, the point being Black has swopped off his bad bishop, and does not need to worry about the white queen, which looks aggressive but lacks support.

Both moves, according to the engines, are better than leaving White's dark-square bishop where it is, eg 13.g4 Nxg5 14.hxg5 Nh7 15.gxh5 Qxg5, after which the danger to Black's kingside seems over.

13...Qc8!? 14.0-0-0

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

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Material is equal, and positions with opposite-side castling are difficult to judge, but White has more space, and White seems better placed to attack on the kingside than Black is on the queenside. The engines reckon White has a positionally won game.

14...a6 15.Kb1 Rb8 16.Rdg1 b5 17.c5 b4 18.Ncd1 dxc5 19.Bxc5 a5 20.g4 Bb5 21.Nd3 Nd7

The engines suggest 21...c6.

22.Be3

This looks natural, but the engines reckon White can sacrifice a piece with 22.gxh5!? Bxd3+ 23.Qxd3!? Nxc5 24.Qc4, followed by 25.hxg6.

22...Nhf6 23.Bh6!?

This is playable, now Black is no longer able to reply with ...Bxh6 as Qxh6 would leave White geared up for a strong attack.

23...c5 24.dxc6!?

The engines do not like this, reckoning White should keep lines closed on the queenside for as long as possible.

24...Qxc6 25.Bxg7 Kxg7 26.Qg5

The engines prefer 26.gxh5 Nxh5 27.Ne3, but reckon chances are equal.

What should Black play?

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26...Rbc8

The sacrifice 26...Nxe4? 27.fxe4 Qxe4 can be met by 28.Qe3, but the engines like 26...Qd6 and 26...b3, albeit Stockfish17 is much keener than Dragon1.

27.Ne3??

Black to play and win

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27...Rh8??

Missing that 27...Nh7 wins material as 28.Nf5+ Kh8 leaves White with two pieces en prise.

28.Rc1 Qc6 29.Rxc8

Even stronger is the engines' 29.Nf5+ Kf8 30.Nxb4!, eg 30...axb4 31.Bxb5 Qa8 (31...Qxb5 32.Rc8+ and mates) 32.Bxd7 Nxd7 33.Qe7+ Kg8 34.Rxc8+ Qxc8 35.Nd6 etc.

29...Rxc8

Not 29...Bxd3+ 30.Bxd3 Qxd3+? 31.Rc2, while 29...Qxc8 30.Rc1 Bxd3+ 31.Bxd3 Qb7 32.Bc4 is also very good for White.

30.Nxb4?

The same idea as in the note to White's 29th move, but it is no longer strong. Instead 30.Nf5+ wins, eg 30...Kf8 31.Qh6+ Ke8 32.Qh8+ Nf8 and now 33.Nxb4!, for example 33...axb4 34.Bxb5+ Qxb5 35.Nd6+ etc. Probably slightly better is 30...Kg8!?, but in addition to 31.Ne7+ Kh7 32.Nxb4! the engines fairly quickly find 31.Nf4+!, eg 31...exf4 32.Ne7+ Kg7 33.Bxb5 Qb7 34.Nf5+ Kg8 35.Nd6 Qb8 36.Nxc8.

30...axb4 31.Bxb5 Qxb5 32.Nf5+ Kg8

Not 32...Kf8?? 33.Qh6 Ke8 34.Nd6+ and 35.Nxb5.

33.Ne7+ Kf8?

The engines reckon Black has enough compensation for the exchange after 33...Kg7 34.Nxc8+ Qd3+ 35.Ka1 Qxf3.

34.Nxc8 Qd3+ 35.Ka1 Qxf3 36.Rc1

White is winning because, unlike in the previous note, the white queen has a check on h6.

36...hxg4 37.Qh6+ Ke8 38.Qd2?

White has a win with 38.Qh8+ Nf8 39.Nb6!, eg 39...Ke7 40.Nd5+! Nxd5 41.Qxe5+ Kd8 42.exd5 etc.

38...Qf4 39.Nd6+ Kf8 40.Qc2 g3 41.Qc4

Black to play and draw

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41...Ng4

This looks natural and forced, but the engines' 41...Kg7!! draws, the point being that after 42.Qxf7+ Kh6 White has nothing better than 43.Qc4, when Black's passed g pawn gives sufficient counterplay.

42.Rf1 Nf2

How should White continue?

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43.Qxb4?

This loses.

There seem to be several drawing lines, including 43.Qc8+ Ke7! (43...Kg7? 44.Qxd7 g2 45.Rg1) 44.Nb7! g2 45.Qd8+ Ke6 46.Qe8+ Kf6 47.Qh8+ with perpetual check, and 43.Rg1 Kg7! 44.a4!? bxa3 45.bxa3 Nh3 46.Rg2 Nf2 47.Rg1 etc.

However, the best try is probably 43.h5!?, as it is tricky to meet, eg 43...gxh5? (this is the engines' choice at first) 44.Qc8+ Ke7 45.Nf5+ (this is possible now Black's g6 pawn has been diverted) Kf6 46.Qxd7 g2 47.Qd6+ Kg5 48.Qd8+ Kg6 49.Qg8+ Kf6 50.Qg7+ Ke6 51.Qxg2 wins for White. Better is 43...g2, when 44.Rg1 Qf3 45.hxg6 fxg6 46.Qc7 Kg8 47.Qxd7 Nh3 seems to hold, and 43...Kg7 may also be good enough for a draw.

Black to play and win

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43...Kg7

Winning is 43...g2! as White has no useful discovered check, and, according to the engines, has nothing better than 44.Rb1, when 44...Nd3! wins, eg 45.Qc4 Qf1! 46.Qf7+!? Qxf7 47.Nxf7 Kxf7, after which the knights and Black's pawn on the seventh are too much for the rook to handle. If 45.Qb3, then 45...N7c5 brings another piece decisively into the attack, eg 46.Qd1 Qf2 47.Qg1 Qd2 48.Nc4 Qb4 49.Na3 Qxe4 with what the engines reckon is an overwhelming position.

44.Ne8+ Kh6

White to play and draw

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45.Qe1?

The engines agree 45.Qe7! draws, their main line running 45...g2 46.Qg5+ Qxg5 47.hxg5+ Kxg5 48.Rg1 Kf4 49.Rxg2 Nxe4, when Black's active king and extra pawn seem to provide full compensation for the exchange.

Stockfish17 reckons 45.Qd6!? also draws. but Dragon1 claims it loses. After Dragon1's 45...Nxe4, Stockfish17 gives 46.Qd3, when Dragon1's 'winning' 46...Ndc5?! runs into 47.Rxf4 Nxd3 48.Rxe4 f5 49.Re3 g2 50.Rg3, after which 50...Ne1 gives complete equality, Dragon1 'admits', but it loses for Black, according to Stockfish17. However the engines agree 46...Nec5!? draws. Having gone through this analysis, I took the engines back to the position after 45.Qd6!?, when Dragon1 changes to agreeing the position is drawn, but Stockfish17 at first reckons 45...g2!? gives Black a slight edge, although it fairly soon reverts to calling the position equal. So it seems 45.Qd6!?, like 45.Qe7!, draws, but the line is very complicated, even for top engines.

Black to play and win ... or lose

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45...Qxe4??

This turns a win into a loss.

White has no good answer to activating the 'reserve' knight with 45...Nc5, eg 46.Nd6 Ncd3 47.Qb1 Kh5! 48.a4 Kxh4 49.a5 Nb4 50.Nc4 g2 51.Rg1 Kh3 52.b3 Nfd3 53.Nb2 Nxb2 54.Kxb2 Qd2+ 55.Ka3 Nc2+ 56.Kb2 Nd4+ etc.

The engines reckon the immediate 45...Kh5!? also wins.

46.Qd2+ Qf4 47.Qxd7 g2 48.Rg1 Nh3??

Missing a backward queen move in time trouble, but after the better 48...Ng4, both 49.Nf6 and 49.a4 win, according to the engines.

49.Qxh3 Qf2 50.Qxg2 1-0

Northumberland Round Three

I WAS upfloated against a junior (born 2011).

Joel Ofeni (1836 ECF/1782 Fide) - Spanton (1936 ECF/1977 Fide)

Albin Countergambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 d4 4.a3

This and the commoner 4.Nf3 are almost equally liked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1.

4...Nc6 5.Nf3

Via a minor transposition the game has reached a tabiya occurring 3,320 times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database

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5...Be6

The main moves in Mega25 are 5...Nge7 and 5...Bg4, while the engines also quite like 5...g6!?, albeit reckoning White in each case has the upper hand.

6.Nbd2

The engines prefer this and 6.b4 over the more popular 6.e3.

6...Qd7 7.b4 0-0-0?!

This is strongly disliked by the engines. They suggest developing the king's knight, to either e7 or h6.

8.Qa4!

This seems to be a novelty, and is slightly preferred by the engines over the known 8.Bb2.

8...Kb8

8...Nxe5?! is probably not an improvement for Black after 9.Qxa7.

9.b5 Nce7 10.Bb2?!

Almost certainly better is 10.Nb3 as it prevents Black's next.

10...c5 11.bxc6 Nxc6 12.Qb5

The engines prefer 12.g3 or 12.Nb3, eg 12.g3 Nxe5?! (the engines suggest 12...f6!?) 13.Qxd7 Nxf3+ 14.Nxf3 and 15.Nxd4.

12...f6!?

Perhaps best is 12...a6 13.Qb6 Nge7, with ...Nc8 to come.

13.exf6 Nxf6 14.Ne5?!

Aggressive, but the engines prefer concentrating on kingside development with 14.g3.

14...Nxe5 15.Qxe5+ Bd6!?

Offering a second pawn, but 15...Ka8 may be even stronger.

16.Qxd4 Qc7

The engines, particularly Stockfish17, prefer 16...Qc6.

17.Qc3 Rhe8 18.h3?!

Probably too slow. Best may be 18.e3, allowing 18...Bxh2, when Black has won back one pawn and has good compensation for the remaining pawn-deficit.

18...Bf5 19.e3

This is Dragon1's top choice. Stockfish17 suggests 19.Qf3.

19...Be5 20.Qb3

How should Black proceed?

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20...Rxd2!

The engines reckon this exchange sacrifice is the strongest continuation.

21.Kxd2 Qa5+?

But this is a weak follow-up. White is lost after 21...Ne4+ since 22.Ke2, as in the game, can be met by 22...Rd8 23.Bxe5 Qxe5, when Black threatens ...Qxa1, ...Rd2+ and ...Nc3+, while 22.Kc1 Nxf2 is hardly an improvement.

22.Ke2 Rd8?

Now Black is losing. The engines reckon ...Ne4 is still correct, this time with equal chances.

23.Bxe5+ Qxe5 24.Rd1 Rxd1 25.Qxd1 Qb2+ 26.Qd2 Qxa3 27.f3 Nh5 28.Kf2

Also good is 28.Qd8+ Bc8 29.Kf2.

28...Qe7 29.Qd4 Qc7 30.Qh4 Nf6

There is nothing better, but now queens come off.

31.g4 Be6 32.Qg3 Nd7 33.Qxc7+ Kxc7 34.Bd3 h6 35.f4 Nb6 36.Rc1

The final white piece enters play, meaning White's advantage of the exchange and a pawn is overwhelming

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36...Kc6 37.Be4+ Kc5 38.Bxb7 Nxc4 39.e4 a5 40.f5 Bd7 41.Ba6 Bb5 42.Bxb5 Kxb5 43.Ke2 a4 44.Kd3 Ne5+ 45.Kd4 Nc6+ 46.Rxc6!? Kxc6 47.e6 a3 48.Kc3 1-0

Northumberland Round Two

David Egan (1917 ECF/1787 Fide) - Spanton (1936 ECF/1977 Fide)

Spanish Berlin

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

A standard position, occurring 735 times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database

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8.Bg5

This and 8.Nd2 are almost equally popular, but the latter scores 11 percentage points higher in Mega25.

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

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 prefer 10.Bc4!?

10...d6 11.Nd2?!

The engines strongly dislike this, although it has been played by grandmasters. They suggest 11.Bxf6!?, albeit giving Black a slight edge, but definitely not 11.Qf3?? as that loses the dark-square bishop to 11...g5, since 12.Bg3? can be met by 12...Bg4, trapping White's queen.

11...g5

This is why the engines dislike White's 11th move,

12.Bg3 Bg4

They reckon even stronger is 12...h5, and if 13.h4 then 13...Bg4, eg 14.Qe1 Nd7! with a strong kingside attack.

13.Qe1 Nh5

Again the engines prefer ..h5.

14.Nc4

The engines agree this is marginally better than 14.Kh1, as played in Alexei Shirov (2660) - Peter Keller (2328), Chess.com Blitz 2024. That continued 14...Qf6 15.h3?! Be6 16.Bh2!? Nf4, with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines (but 1-0, 54 moves).

14...Nxg3 15.hxg3 Qd7

This may be a novelty. The engines like the known 15...Bc7, or another apparent-novelty in 15...h5.

16.Nxb6 axb6 17.Bb3 h5!? 18.f3 Be6 19.Qe3

The queen hits two undefended pawns.

How should Black respond?

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19...h4!

The engines prefer this over defending the b and g pawns with 19...Qd8.

20.g4

Possible is 20.Qxg5!?, but 20...hxg3 21.Qxg3 0-0-0 gives Black promising compensation. After 22.Kf2!? (forced, according to the engines) Rhg8!? 23.Qh4 d5 the position is unclear, with the engines fluctuating between calling the position equal and awarding White a slight edge.

20...Qd8

The engines are happy with this retreat, now the position has changed slightly.
21.d4 c5?!

Probably better is 21...Bxb3.

22.Bxe6 fxe6 23.dxe5 dxe5 24.Rfd1 Qe7

Black has two pairs of doubled pawns, but the weaknesses are not easy for White to get at

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25.Qd3 h3?

It is better to give up the b6 pawn, eg 25...Kf7!? 26.Qb5 Kg6!?, and if 27.Qxb6, now 27..h3, when 28.g3 h2+ 29.Kg2 Rad8 is completely equal, according to the engines.

26.Qb6+ Kf8 27.Rd7 Ra5?!

Probably better is 27...Qf6, but 28.Qxb6 hxg2 29.Rad1! is winning, according to the engines.

28.Qd3 Qf6?

Better is 28...c4, but the simple 29.Rxe7 cxd3 30.Rxe6 gives an advantage that the engines reckon is almost equivalent to being a rook up.

29.Qd6+ 1-0

Northumberland Round One

Spanton (1936 ECF/1977 Fide) - Oliver Graham (1829 ECF/1751 Fide)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bc5!?

This has been played by grandmasters, but trails 7...Nf6, 7...c5 and especially 7...Bd7 in popularity in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.

How should White respond?

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8.Be3

This beats 8.Nb3 for popularity, but Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon there is little to choose between the two moves.

8...Nf6

This was Capablanca's choice in a 1914 game, and it is the commonest continuation, but the engines suggest 8...Bd7 or 8...Ne7.

9.f3 Bb6!?

Capablanca preferred castling.

10.Nc3 Bd7 11.Kf2!? h6!?

Apparently a novelty. The engines suggest 11...h5, 11...0-0-0 or 11...Ba5.

12.Nb3!?

This allows White to force off Black's bishop-pair.

12...Be6!? 13.Bxb6 cxb6 14.Nd4 Ke7!?

Now both players have connected rooks, how would you assess the position?

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White's superior pawn-majority gives the upper hand, according to the engines.

15.Nxe6 Kxe6 16.Rad1 Rhd8 17.Na4!?

This achieves nothing. The engines suggest starting to realise White's majority with 17.g4!?

17...Nd7 18.Rd2 b5 19.Nc3

Possible was 19.Rxd7!? as, whichever way Black captures, White regains the exchange with 20.Nb6(+).

19...Ne5 20.Rxd8 Rxd8 21.Rd1 Rxd1 22.Nxd1 b6

OG offered a draw.

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

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White still has the superior pawn-majority, but the engines reckon it is not easy to make much of it. Dragon1 gives White a slight edge, but Stockfish17 is not even sure of that.

23.Ne3 Nc4?

Allowing a pawn ending is probably losing, and at any rate makes Black's defence very difficult.

24.Nxc4 bxc4 25.Ke3 c5 26.f4 h5 27.h3!?

This allows 27...h4, which Dragon1 reckons is good for Black, reducing White's advantage to a slight edge, but Stockfish17 agrees with me that 28.Kf3 wins, eg 28...f5!? (Dragon1's idea) can be met by both 29.g4 and 29.e5, which Dragon1 comes to realise win for White.

27...Kd6 28.Kf3 b5 29.g4 h4!?

This is Stockfish17's top choice. Dragon1 prefers 29...hxg4+, but both 30.hxg4 and my planned 30.Kxg4!? seem to win.

30.g5 b4 31.Kg4 a5

White to play and win ... or lose

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32.Kxh4??

This allows Black a well-known breakthrough on the queenside, whereas that is prevented by 32.c3 (but not 32.a3?? c3).

32...a4

There is no defence against the threat of 33...b3

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33.Kg4

If 33.b3 then 33...cxb3 34.axb3 axb3 35.axb3 c4 etc, while 33.c3 loses to 33...a3, and 33.a3 loses to 33...c3.

The game finished:

33...b3 34.cxb3 axb3 34.axb3 cxb3 36.e5+ Kd5 37.g6 fxg6 38.Kg5 c4 39.Kxg6 c3 40.bxc3 b2 41.Kf7 b1=Q 42.e6 Qf5+ 0-1

Lessons From York IV

MY round-five game, in which I had white against Shriaansh Ganti (2144), could have reached the following position after 35 moves.

It would have arisen after an exchange of rooks on d8

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I rejected the line because, although I knew White was better, I feared Black could stop my king from entering the black position by keeping pawns on b7 and f7.

However Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon White is winning, so I think it should be instructive playing the position out.

In what follows I will take black, with Stockfish17 - definitely a better endgame-player than Dragon1 - commanding white.

36.Ke4

The only winning move, according to the engines, but obvious enough.

36...Kd7 37.Kd5

Again probably an only-move, but again pretty obvious.

37...Kc7 38.h4 Kd7 39.a4 Kc7 40.g4 Kd7 41.g5 Kc7 42.Kc5 b6+

Not what I want to play, but 42...Kd7 43.Kb6 Kc8 44.Ka7 Kc7 45.b5 axb5 46.axb5 Kc8 47.b6 will see the b7 pawn drop.

43.Kd5 Kd7 44.h5 Kc7 45.h6 gxh6 46.gxh6 Kd7 47.b5 axb5 48.axb5 Kc7 49.Kf5 Kd7 50.Kf6 Ke8

Or 50...Kd6 51.Kxf7 Kc5 52.Kg7 Kxb5 53.f4 etc.

51.Kg7 1-0

LESSON: space matters, even in an ending.

North Country

AM making final preparations for traveling to Newcastle tomorrow for the Northumberland congress, which is being held at nearby North Shields with five rounds over three days.

The time control is 110 minutes, plus a 10-second increment, and there are 115 entries, including 24 in the open.

Lessons from York III

MY round-four game reached the following position after 18 moves.

White has just played 18.Qd1-f3!? in Richard Cowan (1972) - Spanton (1936)

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The game continued 18...a5 19.Rab1 Rad8 20.g5 Nh5 with equal chances.

What I wanted to play was the positional pawn sacrifice 18...e4!?

However I was worried that after 19.dxe4 Ne5 20.Qg3 Black did not have enough compensation.

In fact Stockfish17 and Dragon1 reckon Black is at least equal, and may have a slight edge.

They also reckon that an improvement is 19...d3 20.Ne3 (20.Qxd3? Bxf2+) Bd4!? 21.Bxd4 Nxd4, with at least the upper hand for Black.

In turn the engines give 19.Qe2!? as a possible improvement for White, although again they prefer Black.

Two things stand out: 1) 18...e4!? is probably a sound pawn sac; 2) I came nowhere close to unravelling what was possible in the position.

LESSON: when a move like 18...e4!? seems to be crying out to be played, it is usually wise to spend the time needed to thoroughly investigate the position.

Lessons From York II

CHESS clocks are such an integral part of tournament chess that it is easy to forget they only started being used less than 150 years ago, at the London congress of 1883.

Adjournments were a common feature for many decades, and were still being used in some weekend swisses when I moved to London to 1988 and started regularly playing chess the following year.

However, quickplay finishes soon become the norm, even in some events featuring elite players.

The next big innovation in time control was the introduction of a 30-second-per-move increment that, theoretically at least, did away with the need for adding on any other extra time.

In the London League and the Central London League the normal time control is now 75 minutes with a 15-second increment.

This does away with the requirement for recording moves once your clock goes below five minutes, and more importantly, from the viewpoint of organisers, makes long-lasting games less likely as it is hard to play accurately for multiple moves when down to a 15-second increment.

In weekend chess the trend is towards the even faster 10-second increment, and at York this was used with a basic time allocation of 80 minutes.

All of this is a preamble to showing how my round-three game progressed (I took a halfpoint bye in round two) in which I had white against Nick Shakhlevich in an Exchange Variation of the French Defence.

Each diagram is accompanied by the number of moves, the evaluation of Stockfish17 and Dragon1, and the minutes remaining (rounded to the nearest whole minute).

10 moves
White slightly better
Spanton 70m Shakhlevich 46m

20 moves
Black winning
Spanton 50m Shakhlevich 10m

30 moves
Black winning
Spanton 41m Shakhlevich 2m

40 moves
White winning
Spanton 29m Shakhlevich 0m

50 moves
Equal
Spanton 20m Shakhlevich 1m

60 moves
Equal
Spanton 18m Shakhlevich 0m

70 moves
Equal
Spanton 15m Shakhlevich 0m

80 moves
White winning
Spanton 12m Shakhlevich 0m

90 moves
White winning
Spanton 11m Shakhlevich 1m

Black resigned four moves later.

As can be seen, Black established a winning position by move 20, but had just 10 minutes, plus the 10-second increment, for the rest of the game, meaning he had used about 73 minutes in gaining his advantage.

Shakhlevich stopped recording moves shortly thereafter, having fallen below five minutes on the clock, but the engines reckon he was still winning 10 moves later, albeit having just two minutes, plus the increment, to complete the game.

Another 64 moves were to pass before the game concluded, meaning Black was effectively playing at 10-seconds-a-move for a very large portion of the game.

To play dozens of moves with just a 30-second increment is tough enough, but to do so at a reasonable standard with a 10-second increment is next to impossible, at least at club level.

LESSON: clock management in modern chess is more important than ever, and should rank near the top of player's priorities along with the traditional factors of king safety, smooth development, having a plan, etc.

Lessons From York

IN round one I was on the black side of a Maróczy Bind, which reached the following position after White's 15th move.

White has just played 15.b3 in Aaron Rich (2134) - Spanton (1936)

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White enjoys the space advantage that traditionally comes with a Maróczy Bind, and is not saddled with a bad light-square bishop, as often happens.

Black needs to break the bind, usually by getting in ...f5, ...d5 or, most common, ...b5.

Here White has the d5 square firmly under control, while 15...f5? is weakening, and can be met by 16.Rfe1 with a positionally won game, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1.

That leaves playing for ...b5.

A sensible way to start is 15...a6, but another decent move is 15...Rac8, putting indirect pressure on the knight.

I preferred 15...Rfc8, with the same idea of pressurising c3, while at the same time leaving the queen's rook to support ...a5-a4 (after probably first playing ...Qb4).

However my move, while not bad, runs counter to the following Maróczy Bind rule-of-thumb.

LESSON: the black king's rook is often needed for defence on the kingside in the event of White playing f4 (in the game, 16.f4 was indeed played), so it is as well to leave it on f8 until, and unless, White spends a tempo on the typical Maróczy Bind reinforcing-move f3.

Summing Up York

MY score of +2=1-1 (I also took a halfpoint bye) gained 21.4 ECF elo.

Sign passed while walking from York to the venue at New Easrwick

River Foss on the outskirts of York

York Round Five

FACED a junior (born 2010).

Spanton (1936) - Shriaansh Ganti (2144)

Sicilian Nimzowitsch/...e6/Four Knights

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6!?

This seems to have been first played by Aron Nimzowitsch in 1911.

3.Nc3!?

This is more popular than 3.e5 in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, but scores five percentage points lower.

3...e6!?

The main line in Mega25 runs 3...d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Bb5+ Bd7 6.Ne5!? Nf6!? 7.Qf3!?, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1.

4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6

By an unusual move-order the game has reached the starting position of the Four Knights Variation of the Sicilian

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6.g3!?

Overwhelmingly most popular is 6.Ndb5.

6...Bb4 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0

With both players castling early, how would you assess the position?

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The position occurs 184 times in Mega25, with results almost exactly 50-50, although Black performs better rating-wise.

8...d6 9.Nde2!?

This is, by a small margin, the commonest continuation. The idea, as I understand it, is not so much to avoid doubled c pawns, but to avoid an exchange of knights and to keep maximum pressure on the d5 square.

9...e5!?

Black may have a slight edge after 9...a6, according to the engines.

10.a3

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 10.Bg5 and 10.h3.

10...Bc5 11.b4!? Bd4?!

Almost certainly better is 11...Bc7, when 12.Nb5 Bc7 13.Nxc7 Qxc7 also loses the bishop-pair, but in a better way than in the game. However, the engines show Black can meet 12.Nb5 with 12...Be6!, when 13.Nxd6? fails to 13...Bg4, eg 14.Re1 Nd4 etc, and 13.Qxd6? can be met by 13...Bc4.

12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.Be3 Nc6 14.Nb5 Ne8 15.c4 a6?!

Probably better is 15...Be6.

16.Nc3 Be6

SG offered a draw.

Should I have accepted?

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When a higher-rated player, particularly a junior, offers a draw to a pensioner, you can be fairly sure that objectively the junior stands worst.

17.c5!? Nd4!?

A pawn sacrifice, presumably in the hope of freeing Black's position and generating activity. The engines prefer 17...Qd7 or 17...a5, but reckon White is well on top.

18.Bxd4 exd4 19.Qxd4 dxc5 20.Qxc5

Also good, according to the engines, is 20.Qxd8 Rxd8 21.bxc5 Rc8 22.Na4.

20...Rc8 21.Qe3 Nd6 22.Rfd1 Nc4!? 23.Rxd8 Nxe3 24.Rxc8

24.Rxf8+?! Kxf8 gives the black king a tempo.

24...Rxc8 25.Nxd5 Bxd5

SG offered a draw in my time.

26.exd5 Nxg2 27.Kxg2

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

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White's extra pawn is passed but vulnerable. Nevertheless the engines reckon White is winning.

27...Kf8

How should White proceed?

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28.d6!

This seems to be the only winning move. The problem with 28.Rd1 ("rooks belong behind passed pawns") is that after 28...Ke7 Black will blockade the passer with his king, leaving the black rook to generate counterplay.

28...Rd8

If 28...Ke8, then 29.Re1+ is very strong.

29.Rd1 Ke8 30.Re1+ Kf8 31.Re7?

This throws away White's winning chances. Correct is 31.Rd1 Ke8 32.Kf3, eg 32...Kd7 33.Re1! Kxd6 34.Rd1+ Ke7 35.Rxe8 Kxe8 36.Ke4, when material is level, but White's much more-active king seems enough to win.

Analysis diagram

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Best play, according to the engines, runs something like 36...Kc7 37.Kd5 Kb6!? 38.a4 Kc7 39.h3!? Kd7 40.h4 h5!? 41.Kc5 Kc7 42.f3 g6 43.Kd5 Kd7 44.g4 hxg4 45.fxg4 b6 46.h5 etc. There are many other possible lines, but the space advantage enjoyed in all of them by the white king appears decisive.

The game finished:

31...b5 32.Ra7 ½–½

York Round Four

Richard Cowan (1972) - Spanton (1936)

Réti

1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.b3!?

Although 3.g3 is more associated with Richard Réti, the text seems to have been first played by Réti in a game in 1923, the same year as he first played 3.g3.

3...Nf6 4.Bb2 Be7 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 c5 7.e3 Nc6 8.0-0

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

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The position occurs 4,488 times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database, with White scoring a resounding 61%. However, in those games that were rated, which were the vast majority, whites turned in a 2282 performance, marginally down on their average rating of 2284.

8...d4!? 9.exd4 cxd4 10.Re1 Re8 11.Na3!?

Fabiano Caruana is among grandmasters who have played this, but it is not liked by Stockfish17 or Dragon1. They suggest 11.d3 or 11.a3!?

11...Bc5 12.d3 e5 13.Nc2 Bg4

The engines prefer 13...Qd6 or 13...a5. The latter occurred in Caruana (2786) - Theodore Slade (2027), Chess.com Blitz 2023, which continued 14.Ng5 Bf5 15.a3 Qc7 16.Bc1 h6 17.Ne4 Nxe4 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.dxe4 f5!?, when Black had the upper hand, according to the engines (but 1-0, 38 moves).

14.h3 Bh5 15.g4!?

This thrust is nearly always controversial, but here it is engine-approved.

15...Bg6 16.Nh4 Qb6 17.Nxg6 hxg6

White has won the bishop-pair, but Black's central pawn-duo means the white dark-square bishop has very little scope

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18.Qf3!?

The engines strongly dislike this, suggesting 18.g5 Nh5 19.Bc1!?

18...a5 19.Rab1 Rad8 20.g5 Nh5 21.Bc1 Bb4!? 22.Nxb4 Qxb4 23.Re2 Qd6 24.Re4

White is slightly better after 24.a3, according to the engines.

24...Nb4!?

How should White proceed?

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25.a3?

Stockfish17 gives 25.Qe2, while Dragon1 marginally prefers 25.Ra1.

25...Na2

But not 25...Nc2?? as the knight is lost after 26.Qe2 Nxa3 27.Ra1.

26.b4!?

Possibly slightly better is 26.Re1, but 26...Nxc1 27.Rbxc1 Qxa3 wins a pawn, at least temporarily, and more importantly gains the f4 square for the king's knight, and anyway the engines' 26...e4!? may be even stronger. Probably worse is 26.Bb2?! Nc3 27.Bxc3 dxc3.

26...axb4 27.axb4 Nc3 28.c5?!

The engines much prefer 28.Rb2 or 28.Rb3.

28...Qc6

Even stronger seems to be 28...Qa6.

29.Ra1 Nxe4 30.Qxe4 Qxe4?

Black is still winning after 30...Qb5 or 30...Ra8, according to the engines.

31.Bxe4 Ra8 32.Rb1

Not 32.Rxa8?? Rxa8 33.Bxb7 Ra1 34.c6 Rxc1+ 35.Kh2 Nf4 36.b5 Nd5.

32...Ra7 33.b5!?

The engines at first prefer 33.Kf1, but after being shown the text it comes to be Dragon1's top choice, although Stockfish17 sticks with 33.Kf1.

33...Rc8

Stockfish17 reckons 33...Rea8!? is winning, but Dragon1 claims it leaves the game completely equal. Both engines reckon 33...Rb8 gives Black a slight edge, while they agree the text leads to equality.

34.b6 Ra5 35.Bxb7 Rcxc5 36.Be4 Rcb5 37.Rxb5 Rxb5 38.b7

This position lends weight to Siegbert Tarrasch's opinion that two bishops are as strong as a rook and a knight

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38...Nf4!

This is the only move that stops White gaining a substantial advantage, eg 38...Rb1 is easily met by 39.Kh2, when Black cannot prevent the dark-square bishop arriving at d6 via a3, while 38...f5? is even worse as 39.Bd5+ forces the black king to the h file, since 39...Kf8?? 40.Ba3+ loses the rook to 40...Ke8 41.Bc6+ etc.

39.Bxf4

If 39.Ba3, then 39...Nxh3+ 40.Kg2 Nf4+ 41.Kf3 Rb3!? (41...Ne6 may also hold) 42.Bd6 f5 43.b8=Q+ (43.Bc6?? Rxd3#) Rxb8 44.Bxb8 fxe4+ 45.Kxe4 Nh3 draws. The engines point out that after 43.gxf6 gxf6, White still has nothing better than b8=Q+. And if 40.Kh2, then 40...Nxf2 41.Bc6 (forced) Rb1 42.Bd6 Nxd3 43.b8=Q+ Rxb8 44.Bxb8 is also a draw, according to the engines.

39...exf4 40.h4 f5 41.gxf6 gxf6 42.Kg2 g5

How should White proceed?

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43.h5?

Simplest is 43.hxg5 fxg5 44.Kf3, with complete equality, according to the engines, but other moves also draw, including 43.Kh3 and 43.Bc6!?

43...Kg7 44.Kf3

Black to play and win

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44...Kh6

Winning is 44...f5! After 45.Bxf5 Rxb7 the rook is free to leave the b file, and the position becomes like any normal exchange-up ending, as will be seen later in the game. White can try 45.Bc6, but the rook simply moves along the b file, and then the black king will pick up the h pawn.

White to play and draw

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45.Kg4

Drawing is 45.Bc6! Indeed Black has to be careful not to lose, eg 45...Rb4 46.Ke4 Kxh5? 47.Kd5 is a simple win for White, one line running 47...g4 48.Kc5 Rb2 49.Bb5 etc. However, 46...Rb1! seems to hold, and the draw is simpler for Black after 45...Rb1 or 45...Rb2.

Black to play and win

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45...f5+

This is a straightforward win now that White has no alternative to capturing the pawn.

46.Bxf5 Rxb7 47.Bg6 Rb2 48.Kf3 Kg7 49.Be4 Rb5 50.Kg4 Kh6 51.Bg6 Rb1 52.Kf3 Ke1 53.Bf7 Kg7 54.Bd5 Kf6 55.Be4 Rh1 56.Bg6 Rh2 57.Be8 Kf5 58.Bg6+ Ke5 59.Bf7

Or 59.Kg4 Rxf2 60.Kxg5 Rxg2+ 61.Kh4 f3 62.Kh3 Kf4 63.Be4 Rg3+ 64.Kh2 Rg5 etc.

59...Rh4

It has taken longer than it should, but at last the black kingside pawns are ready to advance.

60.Bg6 g4+ 61.Kg2 Rh3 62.Kg1 f3 63.Be8 Kf4 64.Bf7 g3 65.fxg3+ Kxg3 66.Bg6 f2+ 0-1