BEAU CHESS - the post-work workings-out of a chess amateur

I begin this blog after getting back into league chess following many years' absence due to work. My post-job status also means I am able to play more tournament chess. My new club in London is Battersea and my first game for them is on Thursday September 14, 2017. I start with a Fide rating of 1858, an ECF grade of 169 (=1968 elo) and an ICCF correspondence rating of 2267. My current Fide is 1913, my ECF is 1904 and my ICCF is 2330.

Sunday, 30 November 2025

Benidorm Bali Round Four

AFTER taking a halfpoint bye in the first of today's two rounds, I faced an Irishman.

Pat O'Hanlon (1794) - Spanton (1896)

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Nf3 Bxf4

This is the most popular continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

5.exf4 Qd6 6.Qd2 Nf6 7.Nc3 Bd7!?

This apparent-novelty is Stockfish17.1's top choice at first, although after a while it comes to view the text and 7...0-0 as of roughly equal value. Dragon1 starts by approving of castling, but comes to prefer the text, although later it switches back to castling and to 7...a6.

8.Bd3

The engines suggest 8.0-0-0!?

8...0-0 9.0-0

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

*****

The half-open e file and control of e5 are White's compensation for having doubled f pawns. The engines reckon the game is equal.

9...c5 10.dxc5 Qxc5 11.Ne5!?

By transposition we have reached the game Nicolas Eliet (2422) - Alexei Barsov (2531), Bogny-sur-Meuse (France) 2003, which continued 11...Rd8 12.Rfe1 Nc6 13.Rad1 Be8!? 14.Ne2 Nd7 (14...Ne4!? is suggested by the engines) 15.g3 g6 16.h4, at which point a draw was agreed, although the engines reckon White is at least slightly better.

11...Nc6 12.a3 d4!?

How should White respond to this pawn thrust?

*****

13.Nxd7

This, by a small margin, is the engines' top choice, but they are also happy with other moves of the knight, including 13.Ne4 and 13.Na4.

13...Nxd7 14.Ne4 Qe7 15.Rfe1 Nf6 16.Nxf6+

White probably has a slight edge after 16.f5, according to the engines, eg 16...e5 17.Qe2 Nxe4 18.Bxe4, although Stockfish17.1 is less sure than Dragon1.

16...Qxf6 17.Be4 Rac8 18.Rad1 Rfd8 19.g3 g6 20.Qe2 Rc7 21.Bd3 Rdc8 22.h4 h5 23.Qe4 a6!? 24.Rd2 Kg7 25.Kg2 Re7 26.Rde2 Na5 27.b3!? Nc6 28.Qf3 Rec7 29.Qe4 Qe7 30.b4

The engines suggest 30.a4!?, although this gives up the b4 square.

30...Qd6 31.Qf3

Here they suggest 31.Rd2 or 31.b5!?

31...Ne7 32.Re5 Nd5

After much manoeuvring by both sides, how should White proceed?

*****

33.g4?!

A sharp try, but it may be a mistake.

33.f5!? is possibly best-met by 33...gxf5, when both 34.Qxh5 and 24.Rxd5!? lead to sharp play that seems roughly balanced.

33.Rg5 Nf6 34.f5!? exf5 35.Qxf5 also gives equal chances, according to the engines.

How should Black respond?

*****

33...f6

Best may be 33...hxg4 34.Qxg4 Rxc2! 35.Bxc2 Rxc2 36.f5 Ne3+! 37.R5xe3 dxe3 38.f6+!? Kxf6! 39.Rxe3, after which Black emerges a pawn up, but the line is very sharp and certainly hard to envisage from the diagram.

34.R5e4

Not 34.Rxe6?? Nxf4+ etc, but Stockfish17.1 suggests 34.Rxd5!?, claiming 34...Qxd5 35.Qxd5 exd5 36.f5!? gxf5 37.Bxf5 gives White full compensation for the exchange, although Dragon1 is not wholly convinced.

34...hxg4 35.Qg3

Not 35.Qxg4?? f5 36.Rxe6 Qxe6! (this is even stronger than 36...Nxf4+, as after 37.Kf1 Nxe6 White has 38.Bxf5 Nf4 39.Bxc8) 37.Rxe6 fxg4 38.Rxg6+ Kf7 39.Rxg4 Rg8.

35...f5

Possibly 35...Qc6 is stronger.

36.Re5?

Correct is 36.Rxe6!, when 36...Nxf4+?? fails to 37.Kf1. However Black has 36...Ne3+! 37.R1xe3 Qd5+, eg 38.Kg1 dxe3, although after 39.Qxe3 White has enough compensation for the exchange, according to the engines. Dragon1 slightly prefers 38.R3e4?, but Stockfish17.1 shows this is wrong, thanks to the long line 38...fxe4 39.Re5 (39.Rxe4 Re8) exd3+! 40.Rxd5 dxc2 41.f5 c1=Q 42.Qe5+ Kh6, and only now does Dragon1 realise White does not have a draw as 43.fxg6 can be met by 43...Qc6, eg 44.Kg3 d3! 45.Qg5+ Kh7 46.h5 Re8 47.h6+ Kg8 48.Qf5 Rce7, after which the Black king is safe enough, and Black is up a rook for at most two pawns.

36...Rc3

Even stronger, according to the engines, are 36...Re7 and 36...Rxc2!? 37.Bxc2 Rc3, when 38.Bd3 runs into 38...Rxd3! 39.Qxd3 Nf4+ and 40...Nxd3.

37.Kg1

The engines more-or-less come to agree this is the best try, as after 37.Rxe6 Ne3+! 38.R1xe3 Qd5+ 39.Kh2 dxe3 40.Qxe3 they reckon White does not have enough for the exchange, especially if Black finds 40...Rh8!

37...Rxa3?

Probably best is 37...Re8.

38.Rxe6 Qxf4

White to play and equalise

*****

39.Qg2

The engines give 39.Rd6! Qxg3+ 40.fxg3 Nxb4 41.Ree6 Rc7 42.Rxg6+ Kf8 43.Bxf5 Rxg3+ 44.Kh2 Rh3+ 45.Kg1 Rxh4, when Black is three pawns up, but White seems to have enough for a draw, eg 46.Rd8+ Ke7 47.Rxd4 Nc6 48.Rf4 Rh8 49.Re6+ Kd8 50.Rd6+ Ke8 51.Rxg4, after which White has won back two pawns and remains very active. Black could instead try 40...Ne3, but 41.Rxd4 Nxc2 42.Rd7+ Kh6. However 43.Ree7 Rh8 (only move) 44.Kh2 Nxb4 45.Bxf5! gxf5 46.Rd6+ Kh5 47.Rg7 forces Black to take a draw by repetition by 47...Ra2+ 48.Kg1 Ra1+ etc. Naturally there are many alternatives in these lines, but 39.Rd6! seems to hold up in all of them.

After 39.Qg2, it is Black to play and win

*****

39...Qf3?

Winning is 39...g3, eg 40.Qxg3 Qxg3+ 41.fxg3 Nxb4, when Black is two pawns to the good, and the black king does not face serious threats. Trickier is 40.fxg3 as Black is losing unless he finds 40...Rxc2! 41.gxf4 Rxg2+ 42.Kxg2 Nxf4+ and 43...Nxe6.

40.Qh2?

After 40.Qxf3 gxf3 41.Rd6 Nf4 42.Kh2 White is two pawns down, but seems to have enough activity to hold, eg 42...Rc7 43.Re5 Kf7 44.Rxd4 Nh5 45.Rd6. But the position is far from easy to play, for example winning back a pawn by 42.Rxd4? (instead of playing 42.Kh2) can be met by 42...Rxd3!, when 43.cxd3? fails to 43...Ne2+ etc, and 43.Rxd3 Nxd3 44.cxd3 gives a rook-and-pawn ending in which White is 'only' a pawn down, but every white pawn is isolated, and Black's advantage is equivalent to being about a rook up, according to the engines.

40...Nf4 41.Re7+ Kh6 42.h5 Nh3+ 43.Kf1 Rxd3!

This is strongest.

44.cxd3 Rc2

Other moves also win.

45.R7e2 Qxd3 46.hxg6 f4 0-1

Collection Grows

My latest free chess pen

Saturday, 29 November 2025

Benidorm Bali Round Two

Spanton (1896) - Enrique Martínez Pérez (1726)

Modern/Pirc

1.Nc3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.d4 c6 4.f4 d6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0

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

*****

White has more space and a slight lead in development, which together give the upper hand, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

7...a5!?

This is Stockfish17.1's top choice, for a while, and is anyway preferred over the much more popular 7...b5, which the engines agree is well-met by 8.e5. Dragon1 also prefers the text over 7...b5, but to a lesser degree, and eventually both engines settle on 7...Nbd7!? as best.

8.a4 Qb6 9.Kh1 Na6 10.Ra3!? Bd7 11.Rb3 Qc7 12.Be3 Ng4 13.Bf1 Nb4 14.Qd2 d5

The engines dislike this, preferring 14...Rad8 or 14...Nf6.

How should White proceed?

*****

15.h3

The engines much prefer 15.e5.

15...dxe4!

This equalises, according to the engines.

16.Nxe4 Nf6 17.Nc5 Bc8

The engines give 17...Bf5!, the point being 18.g4 can be met by 18...Ne4 (not 18...Bxc2?? 19.Rxb4 etc) 19.Nxe4 Bxe4, when they reckon Black is at least slightly better. White should probably play 18.c3, when 18...b6 19.cxb4 bxc5 seems equal.

18.c3 Nbd5 19.f5!?

White gets reasonable compensation for this pawn sac, but I probably should have gone for my other main thought of 19.c4!?, and after 19...Nb4, best may be 20.Ne3.

How should Black respond?

*****

19...b6!?

This zwischenzug is Black's best chance for an edge.

20.Bh2 Qd8 21.Nd3

21.fxg6!? is probably asking too much of the position after 21...bxc5, eg 22.gxh7+ (the engines reckon this is is better than taking on f7) Nxh7 (22...Kh8!?) 23.dxc5 Bf5!? 24.Ne5 Be4!?, with a complicated position that the engines reckon favours Black.

21...Bxf5 22.Nfe5 Ne4!? 23.Qc1 Qc8?!

The engines suggest 23...Rc8 or 23...f6, claiming a slight edge for Black.

24.c4 Nb4 25.Nxb4 axb4 26.g4!? Be6 27.Bf3 Bxe5!?

This looks risky, but Dragon1 reckons it is best. Stockfish17.1 also likes the text, but reckons 27...f6 is as good.

28.Bxe5 Nd6 29.Qh6 f6 30.Bxd6 exd6 31.d5!?

31.Rxb4 regains the pawn and gives complete equality, according to the engines.

31...cxd5 32.cxd5?

Capturing on b4 is best.

Black to play and win

*****

32...Bf7?

Missing 32...Qc4!, forking the white rooks.

33.Rfc1 Qd7 34.Rxb4 Ra5

There seems nothing wrong with 34...Rxa4.

35.Qd2 Rc8?!

Capturing on a4 is still playable, and is better than the text.

36.Rxc8+

Possibly stronger is 36.Rc6!?, with a slight edge, according to Dragon1, although Stockfish17.1 reckons the position is equal.

36...Qxc8 37.Rxb6 Rxa4

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

*****

The engines reckon the position is completely equal.

38.Rc6

Not 38.Rxd6? Ra1+, eg 39.Kg2 Qc5 40.Rd8+ Kg7 41.Qf2 Qc7, and White's rook drops, or 39.Bd1 Qb8! 40.Rxf6 Qb3 etc.

38...Qb8 39.Qc3?

Probably best is 39.Kg2, with equality, according to the engines.

Black to play and win

*****

39...Kg7?

Missing 39...Ra1+, followed by 40...Qa7, eg 40.Kg2 Qa7 41.Kg3 Qg1+ 42.Bg2 Re1 etc.

40.g5 Qd8?

Black has to play 40...Rf4, according to the engines, and after 41.gxf6+ probably has to continue with 41...Kh6!?, as 41...Rxf6 42.b4 gives White a dangerous queenside initiative.

White to play and win

*****

41.gxf6+

This wins a pawn, but not the game, whereas 41.b4! wins comfortably, according to the engines, as Black cannot cope with pressure against f6 and d6 as well as the advancing passed pawn.

41...Qxf6 42.Rxd6 Qd4!

There is no win after this.

43.Kg2 Rb4 44.Kg3 Rc4 45.Qxd4 Rxd4 46.Rd7 Kf6 47.b3 h5 48.h4 Rb4 49.Bd1 Rd4

EMP offered a draw in my time.

50.Bc2 Rxd5!?

The engines do not like this because they do not understand the coming bishop-and-pawn ending. Stockfish17.1 reckons the move gives White the upper hand, while Dragon1 reckons White's advantage after the text is worth more than a rook, but they are both wrong.

51.Rxd5 Bxd5 52.b4

This allows complete equality, but so does 52.Kf4 as Black has 52...Bxb3!, which the Syzygy endgame tablebase confirms is a draw (White's bishop is on the wrong colour complex for promoting an h pawn).

52...g5 53.b5 Bb7 54.Bd1 Kg6 55.Bf3 gxh4+ 56.Kf2 Bc8 57.b6 Kg5 58.Kg2 h3+ 59.Kh2 h4 60.Bd5

EMP offered a draw.

60...Kf5 61.Bc6 Ke5 62.Bd7 Bb7 63.Bxh3 Kd6 64.Bg2 ½–½

Three Kings

El Castell, a rocky promontory in Benidorm old town

Friday, 28 November 2025

Benidorm Bali Round One

Samuel Salas Lerida (1669) - Spanton (1896)

Sicilian 2.g3

1.e4 c5 2.g3!?

There are 9,120 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

*****

One of the ideas of 2.g3!? is to play a Closed Sicilian without the move Nc3. The point is that often in the Closed Sicilian White feels obliged to move the queen's knight a second time in order to get in the pawn-push c3 to expel a black knight from d4.

2...d5

The main line in Mega26 runs 2...Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Ne2 Bg7 5.0-0 d6 6.c3, with what Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon is an equal position.

3.Bg2!?

Much more popular is 3.exd5, after which play usually goes 3...Qxd5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.Bg2 Qe6+!? 6.Kf1!? Nc6 7.h3 Bh5 8.d3, again with what the engines reckon is equality.

3...dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bg2 Nc6 6.Nc3 Bg4

The engines like 6...e5.

7.f3!?

Here they much prefer 7.Nf3, meeting 7...Nd4 8.h3 Bh5 with 9.g4, claiming a slight edge for White (Stockfish17.1) or at least equality (Dragon1).

7...Bh5

Withdrawing the bishop to f5 or e6 gives the upper hand, according to the engines.

8.Nge2 e5 9.0-0 Be7 10.d3 0-0

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

*****

Black has more space, but the engines reckon White keeps the balance with vigorous play.

*****

11.Bg5

The engines give 11.g4!? Bg6 12.f4! exf4 13.Nxf4, and if 12...Nxg4!?, then 13.f5 Bh5 14.Bxc6!? bxc6 15.Ng3 with promising kingside play.

11...h6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Qd2?

The engines suggest 14.g4!? Bg6 15.f4, but reckon Black has at least a slight edge.

14...Qd7

Possibly slightly stronger is 14...f5.

15.f4 f5 16.N4c3 e4!?

Exploiting the fact 14.Qd2? left the queen unprotected.

17.Qe3 exd3 18.cxd3 Rad8 19.Rad1 Nd4

How should White proceed?

*****

20.Qe5?

The engines give best-play as something like 20.Rd2 Bf6 (they fluctuate between this and 20...Rfe8) 21.Kh1 (or possibly 21.Qf2) Rfe8 22.Qf2 b5!? 23.Ng1 (or maybe 23.Nc1) Bf7 24.Nf3 b4 25.Nd1 Bxa2, with a large advantage for Black.

20...Bf6

Other moves also win.

21.Qd5+ Qxd5 22.Bxd5+ Rxd5! 23.Nxd4

23.Nxd5 Bxe2 is not much of an improvement for White.

23...Rxd4 24.Rd2 Rfd8 25.Nb5 Rxd3 26.Rxd3 Rxd3 0-1

Benidorm Bali Starts This Afternoon

Entries have reached 521

315 in the U2000 and 206 in the open.

Lessons From Cap Negret IX

MY round-nine game, where I had black against Alberto Pastor Alonso de Prada (2000), reached the following position on move seven of a Réti.

White has just castled

*****

Usually in such Réti positions, White plays an early d3. I decided to punish his omission of this move by playing ...d3 myself.

But 7...d3? turns a slightly advantageous position, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, into a lost one (Stockfish17.1), or at least one in which White has the upper hand (Dragon1).

LESSON: greed in grabbing a poisoned pawn in the opening is a well-known phenomenon, but it is also possible to be greedy in grabbing space.

Thursday, 27 November 2025

Getting There (Benidorm)

CAUGHT Ryanair's 13:20 from Gatwick (South - hurrah!) to Alicante, then a Beniconnect minibus shuttle, arriving at my hotel shortly after 18:00 local time.

Santa at the venue, Gran Hotel Bali

Lessons From Cap Negret VIII

I HAVE been asked a couple of questions about the ending in my round-eight game, where I had white against fellow Battersea Chess Club member Paul Stokes (1807).

The first question arises in the following position, where I have just played 65.Rc7-c5.

Black replied 65...Bf3?, but in my blog notes I pointed out that Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon both 65...Kg7 and 65...Kh7 hold

*****

First, let us see what happened in the game.

I played 66.Bd7!, to which Black gave a check with 66...Rb1+, only to resign after I continued 67.Kf2.

The point is that after 67...Be4 68.Bd5+, Black is losing a second pawn, giving White two protected passers.

I was asked, why does 65...Kg7 make such a difference, particularly as White is poised to win a second pawn anyway, eg with 66.Bc6? The point is that, with the black bishop on a secure square, 66...Rb1+ now draws, one line running 67.Kf2 Rb2+ 68.Kg3 Rb3 69.Bxd5 Rxe3+ 70.Kf2 Rf3+ 71.Ke2 Bxd5 72.Rxd5 Rf4 etc.

The second question concerns this position, after 66.Bd7!

*****

In my notes I covered what happens if, instead of checking with the rook by playing 66...Rb1+, Black secures the bishop with 66...Be4. The engines reckon 66...Be4 is probably Black's best try, but 67.Bc6 wins, eg after 67...Rb1+ 68.Kf2 Rb2+ 69.Kg3 Rb3 the same position is reached as in the previous note, except the black king is on g8 rather than g7. That makes all the difference as capturing on d5 now comes with check, and after 70.Bxd5+ Bxd5 71.Rxd5 Rxe3+ 72.Kf2 Black does not have ...Rf3+, and the rook-and-pawn ending is an easy win for White, according to the engines.

I was asked, doesn't 66...Rb2, rather than the checking 66...Rb1+, draw? After 67.Be6+ Kf8 68.Bxd5, this seems correct, as both 68...Bxg4, and 68...Re2+ followed by 69...Bxg4, give excellent drawing chances. However, the engines point out the strength of 68.Rc7! (other moves also apparently win), when Black can no longer capture on g4. Black could try 68...Re2+ 69.Kf1 Rxe3, but 70.h6 (even stronger than the also-winning 70.Rf7+) is decisive, eg 70...Be4 71.Rc8+ Ke7 72.Bf5 Bxf5 73.gxf5 Rh3 74.h7 Rxh7 75.Rc7+ etc.

LESSON: engine analysis, especially when options are relatively few, is nearly always correct, but a lot can be learnt by delving into what lies behind the engines' verdicts.

Wednesday, 26 November 2025

Beni-bound

AM making final preparations for flying to Alicante tomorrow for the annual Benidorm congress at the Gran Hotel Bali.

I am playing in the U2000, which has 307 entries, including 12 from England and 11 from Ireland, the two foreign contingents to make double-figures, and there are a further 209 entries in the open.

There are nine mostly-afternoon rounds over eight days, so I have taken a halfpoint bye on the double-round day.

The time control is 90 minutes with a 30-second increment.

Championship Chess

Played in the Battersea club championship last night.

Alan Palmer (1817) - Spanton (1891)

Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Qa4 d6 7.Bd3

The main line in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database runs 7.e5!? dxe5 8.Nxe5 Bd7 9.Nxd7 Qxd7 10.Be3, when White has the bishop-pair and, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, a slight edge.

How should Black meet 7.Bd3, which occurs three times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database?

*****

7...Bg7

Although the position has only been reached three times in Mega26, three moves have been played: the text, 7...Nd7!? and 7...Bd7.

8.Nd5!?

A delayed e5 has been played, but the engines like the reply 8...Nd7!?

8...0-0

Again the engines like 8...Nd7!?

9.Nxf6 Bxf6 10.c3 d5

The engines suggest 10...Bg4, one point being 11.Nd4?! runs into 11...Nxd4 12.cxd4 Bd7!, eg 13.Qb4 a5!? 14.Qxb7 Bxd4, when Black has a positionally won game, according to the engines.

11.0-0

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

*****

The main difference between the two sides may be that Black has an extra pawn on the two centre files, which could be why the engines for quite some time give Black the better part of equality. However, while Dragon1 sticks to this, Stockfish17.1 gradually comes to give Black a slight edge, but then flips to almost dead-eye equality.

11...e5?!

However the engines agree this is wrong, preferring 11...d4!? After 12.Nxd4 Nxd4 13.cxd4 Qxd4 14.Qxd4 Bxd4, Black's central majority has gone, but Black has a little pressure against the white queenside.

12.Bh6 Re8 13.h3

13.exd5 Qxd5 14.Be4 gives White an initiative.

13...d4 14.cxd4 exd4 15.Rfe1 Bd7 16.a3!? Qb6 17.b4!? Ne5 18.Qd1 Nxd3 19.Qxd3

How would you assess this middlegame?

*****

Black has the bishop-pair and an isolated, but passed, centre pawn. White has a kingside pawn-majority that could give middlegame attacking chances against Black's king. The engines agree the position offers equal chances.

19...Bb5 20.Qd2 d3

The engines suggest 20...Bc6, pressurising the e pawn, or 20...Bh8!?, making sure e5 does not come with tempo.

21.Be3

21.e5 gives White a slight edge, according to the engines.

21...Qa6!?

Not just overprotecting d3, but putting pressure on a3.

22.Bd4 Bxd4 23.Nxd4 Rac8

White to play and lose

*****

24.f3??

'Consolidation', but it sets up a fatal pin. The engines give 24.Nxb5 or 24.a4!?, in each case claiming equality.

24...Qb6 25.Qf2 Ba4!?

From a4 the bishop eyes the passed pawn's queening square, prevents the retreat Nb3 and, also importantly, as will be seen later, protects e8.

26.Rac1 Rcd8?!

Black is still winning after this, but much better is 26...Red8.

27.Rc5

Possibly better is 27.Rc4, although Dragon1 is a lot less sure about this than Stcokfsih17.1. A sample continuation: 27...Rd7 28.e5!? Rd5!? 29.Re4 Rdxe5, after which White has saved the knight but not, according to the engines, the game.

27...Qf6?

Much stronger is 27...Rxd4! 28.Qxd4 Rd8 etc, or 27...Rd7 with ...Red8 to come.

28.e5 Qe7

How should White proceed?

*****

29.e6?

Best is 29.Re4, eg 29...f5 30.exf6 Qxf6 31.Rxe8+ Rxe8 32.f4, after which the knight has a retreat square, and Black only retains a slight edge, according to the engines.

29...fxe6 30.Rf1?!

This passivity does not help, but either recapture on e6 can be met by ...d2.

30...b6 31.Re5 Qd6 32.Re4 e5 33.Qa2+ Kg7 34.Rfe1

Or 34.Nb3 Qd5 35.Rb1 Bxb3, with pushing the d pawn to come.

34...exd4 35.Rxe8 Rxe8 0-1

My Battersea Season 2025-6

Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf

16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552

18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675

16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665

23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805

18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840

20/11/25 CLL W 1891 1866 1 1911

25/11/25 BCC B 1891 1817 1 1955

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

BCC - Battersea club championship

Lessons From Cap Negret VII

MY round-seven game, where I had black against Luxembourg-based Geoffrey Stern (1970), reached the following position after White captured on e4.

White has a slight lead in development, and pressure against Black's queenside, but Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon the game is equal

*****

I went for the 'safety-first' 11...Qxd1?!, which, as I pointed out in my blog notes, has been played by a 2400+ player (he later became a grandmaster), but is probably a mistake.

The point is that after 12.Rfxd1, White's lead in development has grown, and he still has pressure against the Black queenside. The resulting position is deeply unpleasant for Black, who has lost all seven games in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database that saw ...Qxd1.

Black should probably prefer 11...Qf6, simultaneously attacking f4 and b2, or 11...f6!?, preparing ...e5.

I rejected 11...Qf6 for fear that 12.Bg5!? is dangerous, forcing, as it does, 12...Qxb2. White certainly gets decent compensation for a pawn, which is why 11...f6!? might be a better practical choice for the nervous defender.

LESSON: exchanges that increase an opponent's lead in development are rarely really a 'safety-first' option.

Tuesday, 25 November 2025

Lessons From Cap Negret VI

MY round-six game, where I had White against Josep Fernández Pérez (1801), featured a common pseudo-sacrifice that is perhaps not as well-known as it should be.

The relevant position arose after Black played 56...Ka6-a7.

White is a pawn up, but the extra pawn is on a rook's file, and there is no obvious way to safely advance it

*****

57.Nxc6+!

This takes advantage of the fact that the b5 knight, although apparently occupying a strong outpost, is only supported by a pawn, which in turn is only supported by a piece that cannot help defend b5.

After the forced 57...Nxc6 58.Kxb5, I had won a second pawn, and Black resigned.

LESSON: knights, and to a lesser extent rooks, are vulnerable to this pseudo-sacrifice.

Monday, 24 November 2025

Lessons From Cap Negret V

MY round-five game, where I had black against Belgian Fide master Johan Goormachtigh (2188), reached the following position after White played 12.Qb3-d1.

Black has a slight lead in development, but has an IQP that looks vulnerable

*****

What I failed to appreciate is that, although my position is quite active, there is something of a logjam on the queenside, where my bishop has no retreat squares, and my queen and knight could be vulnerable to a pawn-fork on b4.

The engines like 12...Bxc3!?, giving up the bishop-pair but inflicting a weak pawn on White, while at the same time relieving the queenside logjam.

However, I was loath to give up my dark-square bishop, and instead defended d5 with 12...Rfd8?!, which is a developing move, but could have been met by 13.Nb5.

The game saw 13.Nd4, which might not be so strong, or at least would not be if I had taken a second opportunity to play ...Bxc3.

Instead, oblivious to the danger, I played 13...Bg6?, after which White took his second chance, and played 14.Ncb5, after which I made another mistake with 14...Ne6?, when the simple 15.Nxe6 fxe6 16.Bc7 gave White a large advantage.

Even with the superior 14...Na6, Black is trouble, eg 15.a3 Be7 16.b4 Qb6 17.Rc1, with what the engines reckon is a positionally won game for White.

LESSON: pieces need breathing room - when one is short of squares, particularly retreat squares, alarm bells should ring.

Sunday, 23 November 2025

Lessons From Cap Negret IV

MY round-four game, where I had white against Luis Vicente Martín Martín (2000), was a Scandinavian that reached the following fairly common position after five moves.

It occurs 484 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with the vast majority of games continuing 6.Nf3 or 6.Bc4

*****

I tried 6.g4!?, which is obviously double-edged, but also much liked by Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1. I had not prepared the move, but had seen it the previous evening in passing, either in the diagram position or in one much like it.

My opponent replied 6...Be6!?, of which there are two examples in Mega26, compared with 17 for 6...Bg6 (and two for 6...Bc8?!).

The engines come to like the text best, and the game continued 7.Bg2 Qd8!?, which is also how the two games in Mega26 went.

How should White proceed?

*****

Jean-Baptiste Mullon (2445) - Martin Herndlbauer (2125), EU Team Cup (Rhodes) 2013, went 8.f4!? Qxd4 9.Nf3 Qb6 10.f5 Bd7 11.Qd2, with what the engines reckon is a game-winning initiative for White (1-0, 23 moves).

Stefan Voigt (1745) - Andreas Fischer (1917), Münster Team Tournament 2019, saw 8.g5!?, which the engines agree is the strongest move in the position. After 8...g6, White got cold feet and somewhat spoilt his position by defending d4 with 9.Nge2!?, whereas the engines reckon White can continue offering the pawn with 9.Qe2, or defend it with the more-active 9.Nf3. Nevertheless, White was considerably better for much of the game, until blundering a piece (and even then he should not have resigned, as Stockfish17.1 shows White still had plenty of resources).

I played 8.Be3, easily the least-dynamic of the three moves. After 8...Nf6 9.h3 Nd5 10.Nxd5 Bxd5 Black was close to equalising.

Going back to the diagram, the main feature of the position is the difference in development. White has developed three pieces, and is two moves away from being able to castle on either flank. Not only that, but if White castles long, the queen's rook will be on the half-open d file, currently occupied by the black queen. Black has developed one piece, and will require at least six moves to connect rooks.

In addition, it is White to move, so all in all the position is crying out for dynamic play, not stodgy consolidation. But playing Be3 moves an already developed piece, and puts it on a square where it can be attacked by a black knight on d5.

LESSON: when your advantages are dynamic, the position almost certainly calls for dynamic play - otherwise your advantages will wither away as the opponent catches up in development and/or coordination.

Saturday, 22 November 2025

Lessons From Cap Negret III

PAWNS, provided they are not in danger of being captured, become more powerful the further they advance.

This increase in strength tends to be incremental, until the pawn safely reaches the seventh rank, when its power takes off thanks to the threat of promoting.

These factors were an important consideration in round three, where, as Black against Salvador Freijedo Álvarez (2123), I sacrificed a pawn to get the following late-middlegame position.

I have just made a recapture on b7

*****

White has an extra pawn, and the pawn is protected, but Black's passer has already crossed the halfway line, giving Black active play.

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 agree Black does not have enough compensation for a pawn, but they disagree as to White's best continuation.

Stockfish17.1 suggests 23.Qf3, but Dragon1 prefers the game's 23.Qc2, and I replied 23...c3, getting my passed pawn to the sixth rank.

My opponent continued with 24.Qe4, attacking my rook and centralising the queen, while also continuing to prevent my passer advancing further.

The engines prefer 24.Rc1, bringing the rook into play, although note that White is not threatening to capture the pawn, even if it were White's move, as 25.Qxc3?? Qxc3 26.Rxc3 would lose to a back-rank mate.

I met White's queen move with 24...Rb8, and we both took time out to ensure back-rank mate was no longer possible: 25.g3 g6.

Also possible was 25...Qxa2!? - the engines reckon both moves give equality.

White now played the blunder 26.Qe5??, and was obliged to resign after 26...Qxe5 27.dxe5 c2 - the black pawn, having reached the seventh rank, cannot be stopped from becoming a queen.

The strength of 27...c2 can be gauged from the fact that if I had followed the well-known axiom that rooks belong behind passed pawns, and instead played 27...Rc8, the engines reckon White would be winning, not Black.

LESSON: I like to think of a pawn on the seventh rank as having reached Seventh Heaven - certainly its presence often means Hell for the opponent.

Friday, 21 November 2025

League Chess

PLAYED on board three (of five) for Battersea against Railsport in Central London League Division Two last night.

Spanton (1891) - Hassan Mugalu (1866)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Be3!?

6.Be3!? is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 6.Bc4, 6.Nf3 and especially 6.c3

*****

6...Be7

This bishop normally goes to d6.

7.Bd3

One of the ideas of 6.Be3!? is to play 7.Bd3 without spending a tempo on c3.

7...Nd7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0

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

*****

White has a small edge in development, the only pawn on the fourth rank, and a queenside pawn-majority that could be significant in an ending. Black's kingside majority makes his king extra-safe, and gives middlegame attacking chances. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White is slightly better.

9...Re8!?

The engines agree this apparent-novelty is an improvement on the known 9...Nb6.

10.Re1 Nf8 11.Nh4!? g6 12.Nf3

The engines are not keen on this knight manoeuvre, which has cost two tempi. Admittedly Black's 11...g6 creates a hole at h6, but is a useful move for supporting ...f5 and/or ...h5.

12...Ne6 13.c4

This is another point of 6.Be3!? - to get in c4 without spending a tempo on c3.

13...f5

The engines suggest 13...Ng7!? or 13...Bb4.

14.Qd2 a5

The engines point out that possible is 14...f4!? 15.Bxf4 Nxd4, although after 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Be5 they prefer White, albeit not by much.

15.a3 a4 16.Rad1 Bf6 17.Bb1 Bd7 18.Ba2

The engines like the immediate 18.d5!?

18...Qa5 19.Qc2?

The engines suggest 19.Qxa5 Rxa5 20.g3.

How should Black proceed?

*****

19...Rad8

Missing 19...Nxd4!, when 20.Nxd4 Bxd4 wins a pawn as capturing again on d4 is not possible, thanks to Black's pressure against e1. Slightly better may be 20.Bxd4!?, but 20...Bxd4 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Rxd2 c5 pockets a pawn, and temporarily wins the bishop-pair. However, while Dragon1 reckons the resulting position is winning for Black, Stockfish17.1 awards Black only a slight edge.

20.Bd2 Qa7 21.Bc3?

The engines give 21.c5!?, claiming a slight edge for White.

How should Black proceed?

*****

21...Ng5

Missing 21...Nxd4!, eg 22.Nxd4 Bxd4 23.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Qxd4, when Black has a pawn and, according to the engines, the upper hand. This time, capturing first with the bishop makes no difference as 22.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Bxd4 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 is merely a transposition.

22.Nxg5 Bxg5 23.d5 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 b5?

Lashing out in a difficult position rarely works, and this is no exception. Best, according to the engines, is 24...cxd5 25.cxd5 Qb6, but they give White at least a slight edge after 26.h3 or 26.h4! (26...Bxh4? 27.Qd2!).

25.Qe2 bxc4?

This make matters worse by helping improve the white queen.

26.Qxc4 cxd5 27.cxd5 Be6

White to play and win

*****

28.Rxe6!?

Also winning is 28.Qe5.

28...fxe6

Not 28...Rxd5? 29.Re8#, but relatively best may be 28...Qc7, although White has several winning moves, including the picturesque 29.Re1!?
29.Qxe6+ Kf8 30.Qg8+ Qf7 31.Qf7+ 1-0

After the forced 31...Kd6 the black king blocks Black's threat of back-rank mate, making 32.Qxa7 possible.

Battersea defaulted on top board; the match was drawn 2.5-2.5

My Battersea Season 2025-6

Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf

16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552

18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675

16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665

23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805

18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840

20/11/25 CLL W 1891 1866 1 1911

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

Thursday, 20 November 2025

Lessons From Cap Negret II

THE modern main line of the Exchange Variation of the Spanish starts 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.0-0 Bg4.

Position after 5...Bg4

Castling by White on move five goes back to at least 1867, but only became popular after it was taken up by Bobby Fischer.

His early games with it elicited the reply 5...f6, but that has been overtaken in usage by the pinning bishop move.

My round-two game, where I had white against Alonso Infante Martín (1556), began 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4.

Emanuel Lasker helped popularise 5.d4, although, at least according to ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, he played 5.Nc3 slightly more often.

The position after 5.d4 occurs 5,222 times in Mega26

In 4,822 of those games, Black continued with 5...exd4, but my game saw 5...Bg4!?

After the further moves 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 0-0-0+ 8.Ke2 Bc5?! 9.Be3 Bxe3 10.Kxe3 White is a pawn up, and Black no longer has the bishop-pair as compensation for having a queenside pawn-majority that cannot make a passed pawn with normal play.

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White has a winning advantage.

I do not know why my opponent played 5...Bg4!?, but I suspect he was playing by analogy, knowing it was a sound move against 5.0-0 and thinking it must be right against 5.d4 too.

As a matter of fact, as I pointed out in my blog notes, 5...Bg4!? is playable, but Black must have one of two plans in mind.

Historically, the first plan was to make the game a definite gambit with 8...f6!? (instead of 8...Bc5?!). After 9.exf6!? Nxf6 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.h3 Bh5 12.g4 Bg6 13.e5 Nd7 Black had excellent compensation for a pawn in Kornél Havasi - Alexandru Tyroler, Hungarian Championship (Temesvár - now Timișoara, Romania) 1912, with Black going on to win in 28 moves.

The second plan, apparently introduced by Siegbert Tarrasch against Walter John at the 1914 German Chess Federation Congress at Mannheim, was to immediately go after White's extra pawn with 8...Re8.

That game continued 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Kxf3 Rxe5, with an equal game, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, although White went on to win in 36 moves.

However, the point is that Black more-or-less must adopt one of those two plans (make the game an out-and-out gambit, or fight to win back the pawn); merely getting on with development is unlikely to be enough.

LESSON: similar positions sometimes require similar plans, but you cannot just play by analogy as there will be occasions when, as in the two lines of the Spanish Exchange given above, an apparently small difference (5.d4 instead of 5.0-0) has a big effect.

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

League Chess

PLAYED on board four (of eight) for Battersea against Lewisham 2 in London League Division Two last night.

Spanton (1891) - Anthony Agu (1980)

Spanish Classical

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3

More popular are 5.d4 and especially 5.0-0.

5...d6 6.Be3!?

This is quite a sideline - only sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

6...Bb6

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon capturing gives Black a slight edge.

7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Qe2 Ne7!? 9.Nc4!?

Probably a novelty. Zhanibek Amanaov (2398) - Anton Demchenko (2514), Voronoezh (Russia) 2010, went 9.Ba4!? c6 10.Bb3 Ng6 11.0-0-0!? a5, with at least a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (but ½–½, 35 moves).

9...c6 10.Nxb6 axb6 11.Bc4 b5 12.Bb3 Be6 13.0-0

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

*****

Black's doubled pawns are not really a weakness, but they make Black's structure less flexible, although in compensation Black has pressure down the a file. White's bishop-pair is not a major factor as it is unlikely to survive long. The engines call the game equal.

13...Bg4!? 14.h3 Bh5?!

But now the bishop-pair could easily be significant. Almost certainly better is 14...Be6, despite the loss of time.

15.g4 Nxg4?

This is bad, but the engines reckon White has the upper hand anyway after 15...Bg6 16.Nh4.

16.hxg4 Bxg4

How big is White's advantage?

*****

Black has two pawns for a bishop, a pin on the white knight, and hopes of exploiting the exposed state of White's king. But the last two factors are manageable - the pin is easily broken, and it is not easy for Black to get at the white king. The engines reckon White's advantage is worth 2.5 pawns (Dragon1) or a little more (Stockfish17.1).

17.Bg5 Qd7 18.Bxe7!? Qxe7 19.Qe3 Qf6 20.Nh2 Bh5

The engines much prefer 20...Be6 or 20...Bd7.

21.Kh1 Kh8 22.Rg1 h6 23.Rg3 Rg8?

The engines suggest 23...Qf4!?, which I think many humans would regard as tantamount to resigning, but anyway there are other better moves than the text.

24.Rag1?!

Missing the strength of 24.Rh3, when 24...Bg6? can be met by 25.Rxh6+.

24...Kh7 25.Rh3 Bg6 26.Rg4 Rh8 27.Nf3 d5 28.Rgh4 Rae8 29.Nh2 Kg8 30.Nf1 Qe6 31.Ng3 Rf8 32.exd5 cxd5 33.Qf3 Rd8 34.Qe2 Qd6 35.Nf1 Re8 36.Ne3 d4 37.Ng2 Re7 38.Rg3 h5 39.Qf3 Rh6 40.Qd5!?

The engines strongly dislike this, but mainly because they believe an exchange of queens greatly reduces White's advantage, which has slowly grown over the previous dozen moves.

40...Qf6!?

A human response, much to the engines' disgust.

41.Rf3 Qg5 42.cxd4 Kh7

Avoiding lines in which Qd8+ picks up a rook.

43.Re3 Qf6 44.Qf3 Qg5 45.dxe5 Rxe5 46.Rxe5 Qxe5 47.d4 Qe7 48.Qe3 Qd8 49.Rf4 Qd7 50.Qf3 f6 51.Qd5

Threatening, as well as an exchange of queens, 51.Qg8#.

51...Qc8 52.Rf3 h4 53.Rc3 Qe8 54.Qe6

Exchanging queens can hardly be avoided any longer

*****

54...Qxe6 55.Bxe6 b4 56.Re3 Bc2 57.d5 Kg6 58.d6 Rh8 59.d7 Ba4 60.Rd3 Rd8 61.Nxh4+ Kg5 62.Nf3+ Kf4 63.Kg1 Bc6 64.Nh2 Ke5 65.Bh3 f5 66.Nf3+ Kf6 67.Kh2

The engines like 67.Rd6+ Ke7 68.Rxc6!? bxc6 69.Bxf5.

67...Be4 68.Re3 g5 69.Nd2 Bc6 70.Rd3 Rxd7!? 71.Rxd7 Bxd7

How would you assess this minor-piece ending?

*****

White's knight-for-a-pawn advantage means White is winning comfortably, but Black has counterplay, mainly based on the fact that the strongest piece in a minor-piece ending is the king, and Black's is much better placed than White's.

72.Kg3 Be6 73.b3?

White is still winning, but now the a pawn is chronically weak.

73...f4+ 74.Kh2

An only-move!

74...g4 75.Bf1 Ke5 76.Nc4+ Kd4

White to play and keep a winning advantage

*****

77.Kg2?

The engines show that only 77.Nd6 and 77.Na5 maintain the win, although the lines are not simple, eg 77.Nd6 Kc3!? 78.Nxb7 Bf5 79.Nc5 Kd4!? 80.Na6 Kc3 81.Be2 g3+!? 82.fxg3 fxg3+ 83.Kxg3 Bb1 84.Bc4 Ba2 85.Nc5, after which White will eventually have to demonstrate how to win with bishop-and-knight against a bare king.

77...Bd5+?

For quite a long time Dragon1 reckons this draws, but comes to agree with Stockfish17.1 that only 77...Kc3 and 77...Bf5 are correct.

78.Kg1 Be4 79.Nd6 Bc6 80.Bb5?

Offering an exchange is wrong.

80...Bf3

And so is declining it, although why is not immediately obvious. After 80...Bxb5 81.Nxb5+ Kc5! 82.Nc7 Kd6! 83.Ne8+ Ke7! 84.Ng7 Kf6 85.Mh5 Kg6 it turns out the knight cannot escape the attentions of the black king.

81.Bd7 Kc3 82.Nc4 g3!?

White to play and win

*****

83.fxg3?

Natural-looking, but the engines show 83.Bf5 and 83.Be6 are the only winning moves. I find it difficult to understand why swoping pawns is wrong, but the reason may be that by not swoping there will come a moment when Black is obliged to play ...gxf2+, giving White a tempo to activate the king.

83...fxg3 84.Bf5

Black to play and draw

*****

84...b5!?

The engines reckon just about everything draws, including 84...g2, 84...b6!?, 84...Bd5 and 84...Bc6, but at first they strongly dislike the text. However, Stockfish17.1 comes to call the position after the text completely equal, although Dragon1 reckons White is winning.

85.Ne5 Be2?

The engines agree the bishop should stay on the long light-square diagonal.

White to play and win

*****

86.Nc6?

86.Kg2 and 86.Bc6 seem to be the only winning moves, eg 86.Kg2 Kb2 87.Nd3+ Kxa2 88.Nc1+ Kb2 89.Nxe2 Kxb3, although again White will have to demonstrate technique with bishop and knight.

86...Bf3 87.Ne5 Bd5 88.Nd3 Bf3 89.Ne1 Be2?

This is wrong for the same reason it was wrong at move 85.

90.Be6?

The engines show winning are 90.Kg2 and any reasonable move keeping the white bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal.

Black to play and draw

*****

90...Kb2?

Drawing are 90...Bh5!? and 90...Kd2!?

91.Kg2 Kxa2

White to play and win

*****

92.Nc2?

Both 92.Kxg3 and 92.Nf3 allow White to eventually reach bishop-and-knight-versus-bare-king.

92...Bd1 93.Nxb4+ Ka3 94.Nd3 Bxb3 ½–½

Lewisham 2 won the match 5-3

My Battersea Season 2025-6

Date Event Colour Rating Opp's Rating Score Season's Perf

16/9/25 CLL W 1936 1952 0 1552

18/9/25 CLL W 1936 1797 = 1675

16/10/25 CLL W 1889 2047 0 1665

23/10/25 CLL B 1889 1823 1 1805

18/11/25 LL W 1891 1980 = 1840

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League