Easter Egg-stras

AS well as the three swisses run by the Four Nations Chess League at Daventry, Northants, over Easter, there is a Saturday evening blitz and two 10-player round-robins, featuring five grandmasters and six international masters.

Main playing-hall

Easter Treat

AM traveling to the Northamptonshire market town of Daventry today for the Four Nations Chess League's Easter congress, which has three seven-round tournaments over four days: open, U2000 and U1700.

I have entered the U2000, which, with 65 entries, is easily the biggest of the tournaments.

All three have what can be thought of as the modern standard time-control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment.

Two halfpoint byes are allowed, and I am taking mine in the morning rounds on Saturday and Monday.

Players in the open include two grandmasters - full details at the 4NCL.

League Chess

PLAYED on board one (of four) for Battersea against Lewisham last night in Croydon & District League's Dave Luckin division, where teams are allowed a rating total of 6,600 elo, ie a player-average of 1650.

Anthony Agu (2091) - Spanton (1921)

Spanish Berlin

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

Much more common is 5...0-0, but the pawn-thrust is growing in popularity

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

6.exd5

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 like the text and 6.Nbd2. Naturally, 6.Nxe5 is possible, but after 6...0-0! note that 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bxc6 runs into 8...Bxf2+!, with a sharp position that the engines reckon favours Black.

6...Qxd5

The engines prefer this over 6...Nxd5.

7.Bc4 Qd6

This is the commonest queen-retreat in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

8.0-0 0-0

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

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

Black has more space in the centre, but White can take the initiative on the queenside, and the engines reckon this is the slightly more important factor.

9.b4 Bb6 10.a4 a6

This may be a novelty. The engines prefer 10...e4!?, when 11.dxe4 Qxd1 12.Rxd1 Nxe4 gives equal chances, according to Stockfish17.1, although Dragon1 gives White an edge.

11.Ba3 Ne7 12.Nbd2 Bf5 13.Qb3 Rad8!?

The engines fluctuate a lot, but come to more-or-less agree Black should play 13...c6 or 13...Ng6.

14.Ng5

Perhaps best is 14.a5 Ba7 15.b5 Bc5 16.Nxe5!? Qxe5 17.d4 Qf4 18.Bxc5, when White is a pawn up, has the bishop-pair and is better coordinated.

14...Bg6 15.a5 Ba7 16.Nde4 Nxe4 17.Nxe4 Qd7 18.b5 axb5 19.Qxb5 c6!?

The engines give this as best.

20.Qxe5!?

Withdrawing the queen to b2 or b3 maintains a bigger advantage, according to the engines.

20...Rfe8 21.Nc5 Qc8!? 22.Qg5 Nd5 23.a6?

The engines reckon White is slightly better after 23.Qd2.

23...b5 24.Bb3 Nxc3 25.h4?

Too slow. The engines suggest 25.Kh1!? or 25.Bb2, but prefer Black.

25...Rd4

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 25...Ne2+, and then 26...Rd4 or 26...Nd4.

26.Rfe1 Ne2+ 27.Kf1

How should Black proceed?

*****

*****

*****

*****

*****

27...h6??

27...Rg4 can be met by 28.Be6!, so best may be 27...Bxc5 28.Bxc5 Rg4 29.Qd2 Rxh4!? 30.f3 Qd8!, with equal chances, according to the engines.

28.Qxg6

The engines reckon White's advantage is worth more than a rook.

The game finished:

28...Rxh4!? 29.Bxf7+ Kh8 30.Ne6 Rxe6 31.Qxe6 Qxe6 32.Bxe6 Nd4 33.Bh3 b4 34.Bb2 Rf4 35.Re8+ Kh7 36.Re7 Rxf2+? 37.Kxf2 Nf5+ 38.Rxa7 1-0

The match ended 2-2.

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

9/12/25    LL         W       1904         1982             1            2008

16/12/25  LL         B        1904         2046             0            1968

18/12/25  CLL      B        1904         2066             1            2018

6/1/26      CLL      W       1929         2150             =            2066

7/1/26      LL         W       1929         1971             =            2058

8/1/26      CLL      B        1929         1800?           =            2038

13/1/26    LL         B        1929         2035             1            2067

27/1/26    LL         B        1929         2089             0            2041

29/1/26    CLL      B        1929         1882             =            2031

3/2/26      BCC     W       1928         1836             1            2043     

12/2/26    CDL      B        1928        1890              1            2057

25/2/26    LL         B        1928        1863              =            2047

26/2/26    CLL      B         1928        2015             0            2025

3/3/26      CDL      B        1914        1976              1            2043

24/3/26    BCC     W        1921        1780             1            2049

26/3/26    CLL      B         1921        1942             =            2045

31/3/26    CDL      B        1921         2091             0            2030           

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

BCC: Battersea club championship

CDL: Croydon & District League

I also have a win-by-default in the Central London League