Bad Bertrich 50+ Game One

Playing hall

Jürgen Dieter (1769) - Spanton (1997)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 d6 8.Be2 0-0 9.0-0

Now both sides have castled, how would you assess this position, which occurs 20,723 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database? 

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White's extra space gives a slight edge, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

9...Bd7 10.Rc1

This is a popular alternative to 10.Qd2, after which the main line in Mega26 runs 10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 a5 13.b3 Nd7!? 14.Be3!? (exchanging dark-square bishops is generally regarded as favouring Black in the Maróczy Bind) Nc5 15.Rab1, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.

10...Nxd4 11.Bxd4 Bc6 12.f3 a5 13.Qd2

White often plays 13.b3, partly to prevent Black's next, but the text is also common.

13...a4 14.Rfd1 Nd7!? 15.Bxg7!?

As explained in the note to White's 10th move, White normally likes to keep dark-square bishops on the board in these lines, but the text has been played by Judit Polgár.

15...Kxg7 16.Nd5 Bxd5

Judit Polgár (2682) - Rauf Mamedov (2639), President's Cup Rapid (Baku, Azerbaijan) 2010, went 16...Kg8 17.Qe3 Bxd5 18.cxd5 Qa5 19.Qc3 Qb6+ 20.Qd4 Qa5 21.f4, with an equal game, according to the engines (but 0-1, 58 moves).

17.Qxd5!?

The engines prefer 17.cxd5.

17...Qb6+ 18.Qd4 Qxd4+ 19.Rxd4

How would you assess this queenless late-middlegame?

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Black has the better minor piece, and enjoys a slight edge, according to the engines.

19...Rfc8 20.Rd2 Ra5 21.Rdc2 Rac5 22.Rc3 Nb6 23.Kf2 e6!? 24.Ke3 Kf6 25.f4 h5 26.g3 Nd7 27.Kd4

The engines suggest pressurising d6 with 27.Rd3 or 27.Rd1, claiming complete equality.

27...e5+!?

The backward d pawn should not prove a liability, and meanwhile Black has created an outpost at d4 for the knight.

28.Ke3 R5c6 29.Bd1 Nc5 30.Ra3?!

Stockfish18 suggests 30.b4 or 30.b3, while Dragon1 prefers shuffling rooks with 30.R1c2 or 30.R3c2.

30...Ra6?!

White has problems after 30...Rb6!?, eg 31.Rc2 exf4+ 32.gxf4 Re8 33.Bf3 Nxe4! 34.Bxe4 d5!, while after 31.b3 the engines give 31...h4!? 32.bxa4 Rb2 33.Rc2 Rxc2 34.Bxc2 hxg3 35.hxg3 Rh8, claiming much the better game for Black.

31.Rac3 Rb6 32.R1c2 Rb4 33.Be2 Rc6 34.Rd2 Ke7 35.Rd3 Rcb6 36.Rcc2 Ne6 37.Rf2

The engines suggest 37.c5!?, albeit preferring Black after 37...exf4+ 38.gxf4 Nxc5.

37...Nd4 38.Rcd2 Ke6 39.Bf1 Ke7 40.Kd3??

Black to play and win

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40...Rc6?

Missing mate-in-two with 40...Rb3+! 41.axb3 Rxb3#.

41.Ke3?

The king should have continued moving to the queenside with 41.Kc3.

41...Rc8

Black has the upper hand after this, but the engines point out the strength of 41...b5!, eg 42.cxb5 Rc1! 43.fxe5 dxe5, when White seems unable to meet Black's threats, eg 44.Rd3 Re1+ 45.Kd2 Rxe4, or 44.Be2 Nc2+ 45.Kf3 a3! 46.bxa3 Ne1+ 47.Ke3 Rc3+ 48.Bd3 Rd4, or 44.b3!? axb3 45.Rb2 Rc3+ 46.Kd2 bxa2! 47.Rxa2 Rbb3 48.Ra7+ Kd8 49.Ra8+ Kd7 50.Ra7+ Kc8 51.Ra2 Nf3+ 52.Ke2 Rd3 53.Rg2 Kb7 54.h3 Re3+ 55.Kf2 Ng5 - tricky lines, especially the third one, but in each case Black emerges on top.

42.Bd3 Ra8

Opening a second front with 42...h4!? is strongest, according to the engines.

43.Rf1 Ne6 44.Rdf2 exf4+ 45.gxf4 Nc5 46.f5?!

The engines prefer 46.Rc2 or 46.h4.

46...g5 47.Kd4

How should Black proceed?

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47...f6

The engines give 47...Nxd3!?48.Kxd3 Rc8 49.Rc2 b5!?, eg 50.cxb5 Rxc2 51.Kxc2 Rxb5, reckoning the rook-and-pawn ending is winning for Black.

48.Rd2 Nd7

Exchanging on d3 is still strong, according to the engines, and they also like 48...b5!?

49.Kc3 Rb6 50.Be2 h4 51.Rc1 Rc6 52.Rdc2 Ne5 53.Kb4 Rb6+

The engines like pushing on the kingside with 53...g4!?

54.Ka3!?

This looks risky, but Dragon1 is convinced it is best, although Stockfish18 is less sure.

54...Nd7 55.Rc3 Nc5 56.Bd3 Rg8 57.h3!?

Another white pawn on a light square, but it holds up Black's kingside pawn-majority.

57...Kd7 58.R1c2?

Both 58.Bc2 and 58.Rg1 leave White only slightly worse, according to the engines.

What should Black play?

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58...Re8?

Missing the strength of 58...Ra8 and 58...Kc6, eg 58...Ra8 59.Rd2 Kc6 60.Rdc2?! Rb3+! 61.Rxb3 (61.axb3 axb3+ 62.Kb4 Ra4#) axb3+ 62.Kb4 bxa2. Better is 60.Rc1, but 60...Nb3! wins at least the exchange.

59.Re2 Rc8 60.Rec2?

Setting up the same lines for Black as in the last note.

60...Nb3?

Seeing the idea, but missing that the way to implement it is with ...Ra8 or ...Kc6.

61.Rf2 Na5!? 62.Rfc2 Rbc6 63.Be2 b6 64.Kxa4!?

After all the manoeuvring and black pressure, it is White who goes ahead on material

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64...Ra8 65.Kb4 Nb7?

Black has full compensation for a pawn after 65...Rc5, according to the engines.

How should White proceed?

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66.Ra3?

Black is in trouble after 66.Bf3 Nc5 67.b3 (67.e5? allows a perpetual by 67...Ra4+ 68.Kb5 Ra5+ etc), eg 67...Ra5 68.Re3 (68.e5?? Na6#) 69.Rd2 Kc7 70.Bh5!? Rf8 71.Re1!? Raa8 72.a4, although there is no immediate breakthrough. The engines reckon 66.b3, with similar ideas, is also good.

66...Rxa3 67.Kxa3 Nc5?!

Probably better is 67...Rc8, intending to meet 68.b4 with 68...Nd8!?

White to play and gain a large advantage

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68.Bf3

The engines give 68.b4! Nxe4! 69.c5! (69.Bf3 d5) Rc7 (White threatened 70.Bb5, pinning the black rook against the king) 70.Bb5+ Kc8 71.Re2! Nc3 72.Ba6+ Kd7 73.cxb6! Rc6 74.Re6 Rxb6 75.Bc4, with the upper hand (Dragon1) for White, or even a won game (Stockfish18).

68...Nd3?

The engines reckon 68...Rc8 holds.

69.Rc3?

JD offered a draw, but he would probably have been winning after 69.e5 Rc5 70.e6+.

After 69.Rc3?, how would you assess the ending?

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White's extra pawn gives at least a slight edge, but Black should probably hold.

69...Ne5 70.Kb3?!

Probably better is 70.Be2, although Stockfish18 becomes a lot less enthusiastic if given plenty of time.

70...Rc5?!

After 70...b5 71.Be2 (71.cxb5?? Rxc3+ and 72...Nxf3) bxc4+ Black has equalised as 72.Bxc4? loses to 72...Rxc4 73.Rxc4 Nxc4 74.Kxc4 g4 etc.

71.Be2 Kc6

Not 71...b5?? as the simple 72.cxb5 wins.

72.Kc2 Ra5 73.a3 Ra8 74.b4 Nd7 75.Kb3 Re8 76.Bf3 Re5 77.a4 Kc7 78.Rd3 Kc6 79.Rc3 ½–½

Czech 65+ Round Five

Wooden belltower honouring Czech poet Petr Bezruč

I faced a Pole.

Spanton (2003) - Krzysztof Krupa (1946)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.Nc3 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.d4 c5!? 4.Nf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6

By an unusual move-order (more common is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7), an important tabiya of the Accelerated Dragon in the Sicilian has been reached, the position occurring 60,015 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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One of the points of the move-order is that White does not get the opportunity to set up a Maróczy Bind with c4.

6.Nxc6!?

This is the fourth-most popular continuation, scoring just 37% in Mega26.

6...bxc6 7.Bc4 d6

How should White proceed?

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8.0-0

Tempting, at least at first glance, is 8.Qf3 Nf6 9.e5!? dxe5 10.Qxc6+, but Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon the game is equal after 10...Bd7. Pengxiang Zhang (2649) - Ernesto Inarkiev (2663), Russia-China Summit (Nizhny Novgorod, Russia) 2007, continued 11.Qa6 0-0 12.0-0 Qb8!? 13.Bb3 Rc8 14.Bg5 e6 15.Rad1 Bc6, with an equal game, according to the engines (but 1-0, 30 moves).

8...Nf6 9.e5!?

A positional pawn sacrifice that is more permanent than it may at first appear.

9...dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8 11.Re1

There are 17 games in Mega26 with 11.Bxf7?, but 11...e6 traps the bishop.

11...e6 12.Rxe5!? Nd5 13.Re1

The engines prefer 13.Re2, when 13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 Bxc3 15.Rb1 gives White enough for a pawn (Stockfish18) or even a slight edge (Dragon1).

13...Rb8?!

Apparently a novelty, but the engines like 13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 Bxc3 15.Rd1+, continuing with another apparent-novelty in 15...Kc7!? (15...Ke7 is known), when 16.Rb1 Rd8 17.Bf4+ e5 18.Rxd8 Kxd8 19.Bg5+ Kc7 20.Bxf7 is roughly equal.

14.Nxd5?!

Obvious, but the engines point out the possibility of 14.Ne4!?, when 14...Bxb2? fails to 15.Bxb2 (not 15.Rb1? Be5) Rxb2 16.Bb3, trapping the rook. Black should probably play 14...Ke7, but the simple 15.Rb1 leaves White with the upper hand, according to the engines.

14...cxd5 15.Bb3

Now the tactics have died down, how would you assess this late-middlegame?

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The chief feature in the position is the imbalanced pawn-structure, where the black centre pawns would favour the second player in a full-on middlegame, but less so here. The black king looks a little vulnerable, but on the queenside it will be well-placed to cope with White's queenside majority in the event of an ending. The engines give Black at least the better part of equality.

15...Ba6 16.Bg5+ Kc8 17.Rab1 Rb4!?

The engines are OK with this, even though it gives White a tempo for the useful ...

18.c3

... after which the black rook is obliged to retreat as neither 18...Rg4?! nor 18...Re4 helps Black's cause.

18...Rb7 19.Rbc1 h6!? 20.Be3 Rd8 21.Red1 g5!? 22.Rd2 Rc7 23.Rcd1 Kb7 24.Bd4 f6!?

The engines prefer 24...Rg8 or 24...Bxd4.

25.f3 Bc4 26.Bf2!?

How should Black proceed?

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26...Rg8!?

Not just supporting the bishop - Black hopes for kingside attacking chances. The engines suggest 26...f5 or 26...Bf8!?, although they agree 26...Bxb3 27.axb3 is also equal.

27.Rd4

The engines reckon White is better after both 27.Re1 and 27.Ba4!?, one point about the latter being 27...Bxa2?? loses to 28.b3.

27...f5 28.R4d2 g4!? 29.fxg4 Be5?

It is hard to know what my opponent missed here. Black has to recapture on g4, either immediately or after 29...Bxb3 30.axb3.

30.Bxc4 Rxc4 31.gxf5 Rcg4 32.g3

The game finished:

32...h5 33.Re2 Re4 34.Rxe4 dxe4 35.fxe6 h4 36.Re1 hxg3 37.hxg3 Bxg3 38.Bxg3 Rxg3+ 39.Kh2 1-0

Czech 65+ Round Four

Water-feature in the municipal botanic garden

Vladimír Hadraba (1978) - Spanton (2003)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nb3!?

7.Nb3!? is sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but scores a higher percentage than the more common moves, including the mainline 7.Bc4

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The move is also liked by Stockfish18 and Dragon1, although they come to marginally prefer 7.Bc4. The idea of the text is to prevent ...d5, while also avoiding an exchange of pieces.

7...0-0 8.Be2 a5 9.a4 d5!?

But it seems Black's thematic move in the Accelerated Dragon is possible anyway, albeit as a sacrifice. More usual are 9...d6 and especially 9...Nb4!?

10.exd5 Nb4

How should White proceed?

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11.0-0!?

Getting on with development, rather than trying to hold on to the pawn. The main line in Mega26 runs 11.Bf3 Bf5 12.Rc1 Rc8 13.0-0, when Xavier Montheard (2220) - Claude Adrian (2335), Clichy (France) 1998, continued 13...Rxc3!? 14.bxc3 Na2 15.c4!? (15.Ra1 Nxc3 and 16...Nfxd5 gives Black good compensation for the exchange, according to the engines) Nxc1 16.Qxc1, with the upper hand for White, according to the engines, although the game was drawn.

11...Nfxd5 12.Nxd5 Nxd5

This is an improvement on Ted van Eck (2033) - Spanton (2017), Oberjoch (Bavaria) 2017, which saw 12...Qxd5? 13.c3 Qxd1 14.Rad1 Nc6, when several moves give White a positionally won game, according to the engines, including 15.Rd5 and 15.Bb6, but not after the game's 15.Nd4?, when 15...Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Be6 more-or-less equalised (0-1, 66 moves).

13.Bd4 Bxd4!?

The most common continuation in Mega26 is 13...e5?!, but 14.Bc5 Re8 15.Bb5 almost certainly favours White.

14.Nxd4

This seems to be a novelty. The engines marginally prefer the known 14.Qxd4.

14...e5 15.Nb5 Bf5  16.Bd3!?

The engines reckon the text or 16.Bg4 is best, but White has to be careful, eg 16.Bf3 e4 17.Be2 Nf4 is good for Black, as 18.Bg4?? loses to 18...Qg5.

16...Bxd3 17.Qxd3 Nb4 18.Qe2 Qf6

Perhaps 18...Qe7 is marginally better.

19.Rad1

VH offered a draw.

How would you assess the position?

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Black has the only pawn on the two centre files, but White has a farside pawn-majority that might prove useful in an ending. The engines reckon chances are equal.

19...Rfd8!?

Wrong rook? The engines are unsure.

20.c3 Nc6

On 20...Nd5, the engines suggest 21.g3!? White can also temporarily sacrifice the exchange with 21.Rxd5, recovering the material after 21...Rxd5 22.Nc7 etc.

21.g3!?

Preventing the possibility of ...Qh4 or ...Qf4 (both moves target a4), as well as ruling out a back-rank mate by Black.

21...Qe7!?

Preparing ...f5 and ...e4, with hopes of transferring the black knight to f3 or d3.

22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Rd1 Kg7 24.Na3!?

While the b5 outpost looks good, the white knight will be more active on c4.

24...f5!?

But this is possibly more loosening than effective.

25.Nc4 e4 26.Kg2 Rd7!?

Hoping to win the open file with ...Qd8.

27.Nb6 Rd8 28.Nc4 Rd7 ½–½

Bregenz Seniors Round Four

I WAS upfloated.

Josef Nussbaumer (1742) - Spanton (1911)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Bc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.f3!?

More popular are 7.Be2 and especially 7.Bc4, but there are 8,532 examples of the text in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, and it has been played by many grandmasters.

How should Black respond?

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7...0-0

It is probably too early for the Accelerated's trademark move ...d5, as White can reply to 7...d5?! with 8.Bb5.

A typical response to an early f3 in these lines is ...Qb6, and there are 367 examples of 7...Qb6? in Mega26, but it fails to 8.Nf5 Qxb2 9.Nxg7+ Kf8 10.Na4!, eg 10...Qa3 11.c3 Kxg7 12.Bc5, or, if 10...Qe5, then 11.Bh6.

8.Qd2 d5

How should White proceed?

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9.exd5

This is second in popularity in Mega26 to 9.Nxc6!?, which, despite its popularity, is probably not best, although it has been played at blitz by Fischer and Caruana (they both lost). Stockfish18 and Dragon1 like 9.0-0-0, claiming equal chances.

9...Nxd5 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.c3!?

The engines agree this is best.

12...e5 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Bb5 Bd7 15.Bxd7 Qxd7 16.a4?

It is too early to be pushing the queenside majority with this apparent-novelty. The known move is 16.0-0.

16...Qc6 17.Bf2!?

This may be the bishop's best square.

17...e4?!

Almost certainly stronger is the engines' 17...Qc4!?, preventing castling, and if 18.Qe2, then 18...e4!, eg 19.Qxc4 exf3+.

18.0-0 exf3 19.gxf3

How would you assess this middlegame?

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Material is equal, and both sides have two isolated pawns. White has a farside pawn-majority, but the less-safe king. The engines give Black a slight edge (Stockfish18) or the upper hand (Dragon1).

19...Re7

Dragon1 suggests 19...d4!? 20.Bxd4 Rad8, with attacking chances, but Stockfish18 reckons 21.Kg2!? is a good answer, one line continuing 21...Re5 22.Rae1!? Red5 23.Re4 Qxa4 24.b4 with unclear play.

20.Bd4 Rae8

The engines prefer 20...Bxd4, and then 21...Rae8.

21.Bxg7 Qxg7 22.Qd4+?!

White is close to equalising with 22.Rae1!?, according to the engines.

22...f6?!

This weakens the second rank, so 22...Kg8 is probably better.

23.Rf2 Qc4!?

Black should probably keep queens on, since, despite 22...f6?!, Black has the safer king.

24.Qxc4 dxc4

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

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Black has two pawns holding up three on the queenside, but White's kingside pawns are well-placed to make it difficult for Black to create a passer on the kingside. The engines reckon the position is equal.

25.Rd2 Rb8 26.Kf2 Reb7 27.Ra2!? f5 28.Ke3

The engines suggest 28.a5!? or 28.Kg3!?

28...Kf6 29.Rd6+

29.h4!? is preferred by the engines.

29...Ke5 30.Rd4!? Rxb2 31.Rxb2 Rxb2 32.Rxc4 Rxh2

How should White proceed?

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33.Rc7?

Better than the text is 33.f4+, but best is the engines' 33.Rc5+!, and if 33...Kd6, then 34.Ra5, with what they reckon is complete equality.

33...h5?

Black is winning after 33...f4+ 34.Kd3 Rf2!, according to the engines.

34.f4+ Kd6!? 35.Rxa7 h4 36.Ra6+ Kc5 37.Rxg6 h3 38.Rg5

Black to play and draw

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38...Kc4?

Black draws with 38...Rc2 39.Rxf5+ Kd6 40.Kd3 Rf2! (40...h2? 41.Rh5), eg 41.a5 Rf3+ 42.Kc4 h2 43.Rh5 Rxf4+ 44.Kb3 Rf2. The engines show that also drawing is 38..Kd6 39.Rxf5 Rc2, which is simply a transposition.

39.Rxf5 Rc2

Or 39...Kxc3 40.Rh5, when 40...Ra2 41.Rxh3 Rax4 is a standard winning rook-and-pawn-v-rook position with the defending king cut off from the pawn.

40.Rh5 Rxc3+ 41.Ke4

The only winning move, but not hard to find.

41...Rd3 42.f5 Ra3 43.f6 Rd3 44.a5 Rd4+

White to play and win

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45.Kf3!

Clearly 45.Kf5?? loses to 45...Rd5+ 46.Kg6 Rxh5 47.Rxh5 h2 etc, but the plausible 45.Ke3 only draws after 45...Rd6! as White cannot both defend the f pawn and prevent the h pawn from queening.

45...Rd1

Thanks to the white king being on f3, White can meet 45...Rd6 with 46.Rf5, without allow the h pawn to queen.

46.Kg4 Rf1 47.Kg5 Kd5!? 48.Rxh3 Ke6 49.Re3+ Kf7 50.Re7+ Kf8 51.a6 Rg1+ 52.Kf5 Rf1+ 53.Ke6 Re1+ 54.Kd6 Rf1 55.Ke6 Re1+ 56.Kd5 Rf1 57.Re6 Kf7 58.Rb6 Rd1+ 59.Kc6 Rc1+ 60.Kb5 Rb1+ 61.Kc6 Rd1 62.Kb7 Rd7+ 63.Kc8 Rd1 64.a7 Ke8 65.a8=Q 1-0

4NCL Round 11

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against Oxford 3 today.

Philip Neatherway (1835 ECF/1804 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/1911 Fide)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 d5!?

8...d5!? is the 'new' move I blogged about last month while playing at the world team 65+ championship in Albania

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9.Nxc6!?

Varying from Neatherway (1806) - Jacques Parry (1596), London Classic Open 2017, which went 9.exd5 Na5 10.d6?!, when the simple 10...Qxd6 would have given Black a slight edge, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 (they also like 10...Ng4!?).

The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 10.0-0 Nxb3 11.Nxb3 b6 12.Qd2 Bb7 13.Rad1 Qd7, when Black has sufficient compensation for a pawn, according to the engines, but the whole variation is in its (relative) infancy, and a consensus has not emerged as to how White should proceed.

9...bxc6 10.exd5 cxd5 11.0-0!?

After 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.Qxd5 Bxb2 Black has at least equalised, according to the engines, and if 12.Bxd5, they reckon both 12...Bxb2!? and 12...Qa5+ at least equalise.

11...Bb7 12.h3!?

This may be too slow. The engines do not agree on how White should play, but they suggest 12.Bd4, 12.Re1 and 12.Na4!?

The position after 12.h3!? was also reached in Chinmay Kulkarni (2215) - Dammaraju Gukesh (2320), Aeroflot Open B (Moscow) 2018, but there it was White to play as the game followed a different variation in which Black plays ...d6 and later ...d5 (1-0, 30 moves)

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12...e5!?

This may be a novelty, and anyway is probably an improvement on the known move 12...Qa5.

13.Bg5

The engines suggest attacking Black's centre immediately with 13.f4!, when their main line runs 13...d4 14.fxe5 dxe3 15.exf6, and either 15...Bh6 or 15...Qb6!?, claiming Black has more than enough for a pawn. Also possible is 13.Bc5, as long as White does not meet 13...Re8 with 14.Ba4?!, when Black has 14...d4! as 15.Bxe8 Qxe8 16.Ne2 fails to 16...Qc6!

13...d4 14.Ne2 Qb6 15.Ng3 Qc6 16.f3 Nd5 17.Bxd5!?

The engines do not like this, preferring 17.Qd2.

17...Qxd5 18.c3 d3!?

The d pawn may never queen, but it is unlikely to be endangered either as Black has the only light-square bishop

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19.Qd2 f6 20.Be3

The engines prefer getting rid of the bishop-pair with 20.Bh6.

20...f5 21.Bf2 h5!? 22.Rfe1 Kh7 23.Nf1 Bh6 24.Be3 f4!?

The engines agree both the text and 24...Bg7!? are better than swopping bishops.

25.Bf2 Rfe8 26.Rad1 Red8?!

This gives away much of Black's advantage, according to the engines. They prefer offering the a7 pawn with 26...Rad8, meeting 27.Bxa7 with 27...g5!?, 27...Rd7 or 27...Qxa2, eg 27...g5!? 28.Nh2 Bg7!? 29.Ra1!? Qa5 30.Bf2 e4!? 31.fxe4 Bxe4, when they reckon Black has a positionally won game.

27.Nh2?!

This does not seem to achieve anything, whereas the engines' 27.c4!? offers counterplay, eg 27...Qd6 28.Qa5, with pressure. Perhaps Black should try 27...Qxc4, but 28,Rxe5 Rd7 29.Qa5 again offers counterplay.

27...a5 28.c4!?

With the same idea as at move 27, but the inclusion of Nh2 and ...a5 favours Back.

28...Qd6 29.Qc3 Bg7 30.Qb3

How should Black proceed?

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30...Rd7

The engines give 30...Rab8!?, and if 31.Ba7, then 31...e4! 32.Bxb8 Rxb8, when Black has obvious compensation for the exchange, and, they reckon, is winning comfortably.

31.c5 Qd5 32.Qxd5 Rxd5

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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White's queenside pawns give counterplay, but Black's extra space, bishop-pair and dangerous passer on d3 add up to a winning advantage, according to the engines.

33.Nf1 Ba6

The engines give 33...g5 34.Nd2 g4!? 35.fxg4 hxg4 36.hxg4, after which Black's central pawn-mass is very threatening.

34.Nd2 Rb8 35.b3 a4?!

The wrong plan, according to the engines. They give 35...g5, and if, as in the game, 36.Re4, then 36...g4!? 37.hxg4 hxg4 38.g3!?, awarding Black at least the upper hand after 38...gxf3 or 38...Rf8. Perhaps 36.Nc4 is better, but then 36...a4, among other moves, also gives Black at least the upper hand, according to the engines.

36.Re4 axb3 37.axb3 Bf8 38.Ra4 Bb7?!

Probably better is 38...Bb5.

39.b4

White is winning (Dragon1) or at least has the upper hand (Stockfish17.1)

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39...Bc6 40.Ra7+

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 40.Ra6!?, eg 40...Bb5 41.Ra5 Rdd8 42.Ne4 Kg8 43.Ra7 Bg7 44.Be1!? Ra8 45.Rxa8 Rxa8 46.Nd6 Bc7 47.Rxd3.

40...Kh6 41.Rb1 Rd7 42.Ra6

White is at least slightly better after 42.Rxd7 Bxd7 43.Ne4, according to the engines.

42...Bb5 43.Re6 Re7 44.Rxe7

PN offered a draw.

Objectively speaking, should Black accept?

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Black has the bishop-pair, but White has a connected pair of passed pawns. However, both Black's passer and the white duo are easily blockaded, and the position is equal, according to the engines.

44...Bxe7 45.Kf1?!

But the position is not equal anymore. White should almost certainly have stopped Black taking the open file. After 45.Ra1, the engines reckon the position is completely equal, one sample line running 45...Bc6 46.Ra6 Bd5 47.Ra7 Bf8 48.Rd7 Bc6 49.Rxd3 Rxb4.

45...Ra8 46.Ke1?

Immediate king centralisation is not right in this situation. The engines suggest improving the knight with 46.Ne4, meeting 46...Ra3 (46...Ra2?? 47.Nc3) with 47.Ke1, when they agree Black has a slight edge, but no more.

46...Ra2

PN spent about 21 minutes on his next move, thus flouting grandmaster John Nunn's 20-minute rule

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Nunn wrote in Secrets Of Practical Chess (Gambit 1998): "When analysing a given position, it is fair to say that one almost always sees more in the first five minutes than in the next five minutes. The five minutes after that is even less productive, and so on. I have observed that if a player spends more than 20 minutes over a move, the result is almost always a mistake. The normal decision-making process should not take longer than this, even in fairly complex situations."

However, the move my opponent came up with is, for a while, the top choice of Stockfish17.1, although not of Dragon1.

47.c6!?

The engines come to more-or-less settle on 47.Rd1, but continue 47...Ba4 48.Rb1 Bb8!?, eg 49.Ne4 g5 50.g4!? fxg3 51.Bxg3 g4! 52.hxg4  hxg4 53.Bxe5 Re2+ 54.Kf1 gxf3 with what they reckon is a large advantage for Black. Note that 47.Ne4, trying to get the same sort of position as in the line 46.Ne4 Ra3 47.Ke1, runs into 47...Re2+, with fatal consequences whichever way the king moves, eg 48.Kf1 Rc2 49.Ke1 g5, when one line continues 50.Rd1 g4!? 51.hxg4 hxg4 52.Rd2 (52,fxg4? Re2+) Rc1+!? 53.Rd1 Rc4 54.Rb1 g3 55.Bg1 Rc2 56.Nd2 e4! 57.fxe4 Bf6. These are long, and not simple, lines, but the engines' verdict always strongly favours Black.

47...Rc2?!

There is no need for this 'cleverness'; 47...Bxc6 is both simple and good.

48.Bc5!?

This seems White's best try.

48...Bxc5

Apparently much stronger, but also more complicated, is the engines' 48...Bh4+!? 49.Kd1 Ba4 50.Rb3!? e4!? (50...Bxb3? 51.Nxb3, when 51...Bd8 is forced, but 52.Nc1!? completely equalises, according to the engines) 51.fxe4 f3! 52.gxf3 Bg5 53.c7 Rxd2+ 54.Ke1 Bd7 55.b5 Be6 56.Rc3 Rc2!? 57.Bf8+ Kh7 58.Rxd3 Bh4+ 59.Kd1 Rxc7, after which Black is winning on material.

49.bxc5 Bxc6 50.Rb3 Rxc5 51.Rxd3

How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending?

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Black is a pawn up, and has the generally better minor piece for cooperating with a rook, but all the pawns are on one side of the board. Stockfish17.1 for quite some time gives Black only a slight edge, while Dragon1 reckons Black has the upper hand. However, given longer to calculate, the engines reverse their positions, with Stockfish17.1 giving Black the upper hand, but Dragon1 calling White only slightly worse.

51...Bb5 52.Rd6 Rc1+ 53.Kf2 Rc2 54.Rd5 Bc6 55.Rd6 Kg7

Nevertheless, it is one of those positions where the better side can keep probing, knowing there should only be two possible outcomes (short of Black falling for a knight fork).

56.Ke1 Kf7 57.Kd1 Rc3 0-1 (Time)

PN said afterwards he thought White is lost. However, the engines disagree, but only if White plays 58.h4!, when they reckon Black probably has just a slight edge. Other plausible moves seem to lose, eg 58.Ke1 g5!? 59.Kf1 g4!? 60.hxg4 hxg4 61.fxg4 Rc1+ 62.Kf2 Ke7 63.Rd3 Rc2 64.Kg1 e4 etc.

Wessex B won the match 3.5-2.5, finishing 13th of the 30 teams that entered Division Four.

World Team 65+ Round Three

Bo.	31	Denmark - 2	Rtg	-	46	England - 5	Rtg	0 : 0
19.1		Thuesen, Mogens	2070	-		Freeman, Richard C P	1897
19.2		Sonderstrup, Bjarne	1967	-	CM	Stokes, Michael	1861
19.3		Cordes, Steffen	1982	-		Spanton, Tim R	1908
19.4		Mortensen, John	1945	-		Marshall, Michael	1859

Steffen Cordes (1982) - Spanton (1908)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3

Via a minor transposition at the start, the game has reached what is probably the main tabiya of the Accelerated Dragon in the Sicilian, with 15,502 examples of the position in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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8...d5!?

The main move is 8...d6, transposing into a more-regular Dragon, with a position occurring 7,079 times in Mega26. For many years the main try to keep the game in independent Accelerated lines was 8...a5. Other tries include 8...Re8, 8...Ng4!? and 8...Qa5. The text is Black's thematic move in the Accelerated Dragon, but it was thought to be impossible here as it appears to just lose a pawn. However, the move goes back to at least 1960, and Alexei Shirov gave it a spin in 2013, but it perhaps only started being taken seriously when Boris Gelfand started playing it with regularity 10 years ago.

9.exd5 Na5 10.Qf3

SC said afterwards that 8...d5!? had been played against him in a blitz game, and his opponent told him the best continuation, after 9.exd5 Na5, was 10.Qf3. Stockfish17.1 agrees, but Dragon1 prefers 10.Qd2.

10...Nxb3 11.axb3 Bg4 12.Qg3 Bh5!?

This frees the knight to pressurise d5.

How should White proceed?

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13.d6!?

This is the main move in Mega26, and it is also liked by the engines. The point is to give back the pawn, while saddling Black with an isolani on a half-open file.

13...Ng4!?

Offering to make the pawn-sacrifice permanent.

14.0-0!?

After 14.dxe7 Qxe7 the engines give an apparent-novelty in 15.Nd5!?, which could lead to a quick draw after 15...Qe4 16.Nc3 Qe7 17.Nd5 etc.

14...Be5 15.dxe7

Perhaps 15.f4 is better, and then 15...Bxd6 gives equal chances, according to the engines.

After the game's 15.dxe7, how should Black proceed?

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15...Qxe7?!

Almost certainly better is 15...Bxg3 16.exd8=Q Bxh2+ 17.Kh1 Rfxd8, when Black has won back the sacrificed pawn, while retaining the bishop-pair.

16.f4

The engines reckon 16.Nd5 gives White a slight edge.

16...Bg7

White has only one move that avoids a lost position

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17.Rfe1??

The first new move of the game, whereas the known 17.Bf2 is equal, according to the engines, after, for example, 17...Nxf2 18.Qxf2 Rad8 19.Nf3 Bxf3!? 20.Qxf3 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 b5!?, with Black enjoying enough activity to make up for still being a pawn down.

17...Nxe3 0-1

There is no salvation for White, eg 18.Nd5 can be met by 18...Qc5, or the even stronger18...Nxd5!? 19.Rxe7 Bxd4+ etc.

Team Result

Thuesen 1-0 Freeman

Sonderstrup = Stokes

Cordes 0-1 Spanton

Mortensen 0-1 Marshall

Denmark 2 1.5-2.5 England 5

Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the Battersea club championship.

Spanton (1921) - Ibrahim Abouchakra (1780)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nxc6!?

This is fourth in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database behind 6.Nde2, 6.Nb3 and especially 6.Be3.

6...bxc6 7.Bc4 d6 8.0-0 Nf6 9.e5!?

A pawn sacrifice that divides the engines. Dragon1 reckons it gives White the upper hand; Stockfish17.1 claims it is only enough for equality.

How should Black respond?

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9...Ng4

IA said afterwards he rejected 9...dxe5 10.Qxd8+ Kxd8, which is the main line, because White can capture on f7, but he missed that after 11.Bxf7?? e6 the bishop is trapped.

10.e6?!

Almost certainly better is 10.exd6.

10...Ne5?

Black should play 10...f5.

11.exf7+ Nxf7 12.Bxf7+ Kxf7 13.Qf3+ Kg8?

Apparently a novelty. After 13...Bf6 14.Qxc6 Rb8 White is a pawn up and has the safer king, but Black has the bishop-pair and has the only pawns on the two central files, meaning White is only slightly better (Stockfish17.1) or at best has the upper hand (Dragon1). Indeed the engines reckon White should prefer 14.Ne4!? d5 15.Nxf6 exf6 16.Qc3.

14.Qxc6 Bf5 15.Nd5!?

The engines prefer 15.Re1.

15...Rc8 16.Qb7 Kf7 17.Bg5?!

The engines suggest 17.Qb3!?, 17.Re1 or 17.Qxa7.

How can Black cut White's advantage to a minimum?

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17...Re8?

Better than the text is 17...Rb8, but best is the engines' 17...Qd7!, the point being that, after 18.Qxd7 Bxd7, the capture 19.Bxe7?? loses to 19...Bc6, while 19.Nxe7?! Rc5 20.h4 Bxb2 also favours Black.

18.Rfe1

The engines prefer 18.Qb3.

18...Bf8

Again 18...Qd7! works.

19.Qb3

Can you find a good reply for Black?

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No ... or, to be on the safe side, if you have found a good reply, you have done better than the engines.

19...Bxc2?!

The engines' best is 19...Kg7, but 20.Qe3 leaves White well on top, eg 20...Kf7!? 21.Qf3 Kg8 22.c4!? h6 23.Bf6!? Qd7 24.Bxe7!? (Stockfish17.1), or 20...Qa5!? 21.Nxe7 Bxe7 22.Bxe7 Qb6 23.Qf4 Qxb2 24.Bxd6 (Dragon1).

20.Qf3+

Probably even stronger is 20.Qh3.

20...Kg7

How should White proceed?

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21.Bxe7! Bxe7 22.Rxe7+ Rxe7 23.Qf6+ Kh6 24.Nxe7 Rb8

This, for a short time, is Stockfish17.1's top choice, but objectively best, or, rather, least worst, is probably 24...Ra8.

25.Qf4+ Kg7 26.Nc6 Qb6 27.Nxb8 Qxb8 28.Qd4+ 1-0

The bishop is also dropping.

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

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

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně VI

IN round six I was on the black side of an Accelerated Dragon against Fide master Jan Bartoš (2124).

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 the commonest continuation is 7.Bc4, but when Garry Kasparov reached the position in a 2022 rapid game, he preferred 7.Nxc6, and this is what my opponent played.

After 7...bxc6, 4,173 games out of 4,567 (that is 91.4%) in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database have the continuation 8.e5, but my game saw 8.Bc4!?

Position after 8.Bc4?!, a move new to me

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It was perhaps naive of me to think an FM may not have properly considered Black's possibility of relying on the well-known central fork trick to capture on e4.

However, it seems he had not, as after 8...Nxe4?! 9.Nxe4 d5 JB failed to find, or perhaps failed to properly evaluate, 10.Bd4!, instead playing the 'normal' 10.Bd3, when the position is equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, although I still went on to lose.

10.Bd4!. however, causes Black problems, eg 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Qd4+ f6 13.0-0-0, when White has a huge lead in development, and Black has still not regained the sacrificed piece.

After 13...Qb6 14.Rhe1 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 e5! 16.Rd2 dxc4 Black has got the piece back and, temporarily, won a pawn into the bargain, but 17.Rd6 shows who is in charge.

Instead of castling, Black could start with 10...Bxd4, and after 11.Qxd4 0-0 12.0-0-0 the engines reckon 12...Qc7 is marginally better than 12...Qb6. Black will again get the piece back, but White has the upper hand, according to the engines.

Capturing on e4 in the diagram position is tempting, but as always one cannot just play by analogy - the specifics of a position have to be properly considered.

LESSON: 'similar' is not 'the same'.

League Chess

PLAYED on board one (of eight) for Battersea 2 against Greater London in London League Division Three last night.

Hendrik Brackmann (2089) - Spanton (1929)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nxc6!?

This is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, scoring 52%, which is much higher than the more popular 7.f3 (39%) and 7.Be2 (43%), but not quite matching the most popular move, 7.Bc4 (53%).

7...bxc6 8.e5 Ng8

The gambit 8...Nd5!? has been recommended, eg in an Andrew Martin video, but after 9.Nxd5 cxd5 10.Qxd5 Rb8 11.0-0-0!? Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 give White the upper hand.

9.Bd4

This is Stockfish17.1's top choice; Dragon1 prefers 9.f4.

9...Qa5 10.f4

How should Black continue?

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10...Nh6

The engines prefer 10...Rb8 or 10...f6.

11.e6 Bxd4?!

This is probably a mistake. The engines give 11...f6 or 11...Rg8!?

12.Qxd4 0-0

This is the only move in Mega26. The engines suggest two novelties, 12...f6 and 12...Rf8!?
13.exd7 Bb7?!

Probably better is 13...Nf5!? 14.cxd8=Q Nxd4 15.Qa6 Nxc2+ 16.Kd2 Qxa6 17.Bxa6 Nxa1, although after 18.Rxa1 the engines reckon White has a winning advantage.

14.0-0-0 Rfd8 15.Qe4 Kf8!? 16.Bc4 Qc7 17.Qe5 Rxd7!?

The engines agree this is better than taking on e5.

18.Rxd7 Qxd7 19.Qh8+ Ng8 20.Qxh7 Qf5

Now the flurry of forcing and semi-forcing moves has died down, how would you assess the position?

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White has emerged a pawn up, with the better pawn-structure and safer king, and has a slight lead in development - advantages that equal being more than a minor piece ahead, according to the engines.

21.Qh4 Rd8 22.Re1

The engines suggest 22.Bd3 or 22.Qf2.

22...Rd4 23.Rxe7??

Correct is 23.Bd3, when 23...Qxf4+ 24.Qxf4 Rxf4 wins back the pawn but, according to the engines, leaves White with a winning advantage, thanks to the weaknesses in Black's position.

Black to play and win

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23...Rxf4??

Winning is 23...g5, with a simple interference motif. I had seen the idea earlier, but thought I had calculated the text out to a win.

24.Rxf7+ Qxf7 25.Qd8+ Qe8 26.Qd6+

This is what I missed.

26...Kg7 27.Qxf4 Qe1+ 28.Nd1 Qe7

White is two pawns up, with the safer king, and all the black pawns are isolanis

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29.Qb8 Nf6 30.Qxa7

White is now three pawns up, but White's advantage is worth about double that, according to the engines.

30...Nd5 31.Qd4+ Kh7 32.Bxd5 cxd5 33.Ne3 Qg5 34.b4!? Ba6 35.Kb2 Bc4 36.Ng4 Qd2?? 37.Qxd2 1-0

Greater London won the match 4.5-3.5.

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

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       

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

BCC: Battersea club championship

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