Lessons From Bad Herrenalb IX

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

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

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

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

My opponent chose 17.Bd1!?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb VIII

IN round eight I reached the following position as White.

Black has just played 18...g5?! 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb VII

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons from Bad Herrenalb VI

IN round six I reached the following position as White.

Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb V

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

I have just played 14...Rfd8?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons from Bad Herrenalb IV

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb III

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

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

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

Black to play and win

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

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb II

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Position after 5.Nxe5!?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons From Bad Herrenalb

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Planes, Trains & Autobuses

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

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

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

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

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

View from inside

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

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

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

Much of the route goes through managed woodland

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

Before reaching town the woodland recedes to give longer views

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

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

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

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

Summing Up Bad Herrenalb

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

Blue Is The Colour

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

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

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

German cemeteries always seem immaculate

A carving urging people to "Listen"

The route crosses a small river - probably the Gaisbach

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

Hillsides are steeper than this photo conveys

There is open trail as well as woodland

Another unusual carving

Bad Herrenalb Round Nine

Erwin Illner (2045) - Spanton (1928)

Sicilian Maróczy Bind

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

Ensuring White can get in a Maróczy Bind.

3...Nc6 4.d4 cxd4

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

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

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

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

9...Bd7 10.Rc1!?

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

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

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

13.Bxg7 Kxg7

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

14.b3

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

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

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

16.Qd2 a5

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

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17.Bd1!?

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

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

19...Rfc8 20.Nb1?

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

20...bxc4 21.Qxb4?!

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

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

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

24...Rc1

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

25.Nd2?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yellow Stages

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

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

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

The route took me past a modern village

Part of the way went along the local Marienweg

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

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

The result is some pretty weeds flowers

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

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

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

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

The only other 'drama' was seeing this snake slowworm

Bad Herrenalb Round Eight

Spanton (1928) - Fedor Duschatskiy (2049)

Philidor

1.Nc3 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.e4

This position is usually reached via the move-order 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nd7 4.Nc3, although in that case 4.Bc4 is more popular

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4...Ngf6 5.Bc4 Be7 6.0-0

Slightly favouring Black, according to Stockfish16.1, is 6.Ng5 0-0 7.Bxf7+!? Rxf7 8.Ne6 Qe8 9.Nxc7 Qd8 10.Nxa8, although Dragon1 reckons the chances are equal.

6...0-0 7.h3!?

This is Dragon1's top choice; Stockfish16.1 prefers 7.a4 or 7.Re1.

7...c6 8.a4

There are 2,338 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database - how should Black continue?

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8...Nxe4!?

Most popular in Mega24 is 8...b6, while the engines like the relatively obscure 8...Re8!?

9.Nxe4 d5 10.Nxe5

This seems best. The problem with 10.Bd3 is that, after 10...dxe4 11.Bxe4, Black has a pleasant choice between the apparent-novelty 11...f5 and the known 11...Nf6.

10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 dxe4

The engines slightly prefer winning the bishop-pair with 11...dxc4.

12.Qe2 Qd4?!

This may be new. The engines prefer the known 12...Bf5.

13.Bf4 Bf5

The engines reckon 13...Qxb2?! 14.Rab1!?, with Qxe4 to come, is very good for White.

14.c3 Qd7 15.Rfd1 Qc8 16.Rd2 Rd8 17.Rad1 a5?!

The engines strongly dislike this, albeit they concede their suggested 17...Rxd2 18.Qxd2 h6 leaves White with at least the upper hand after 19.Qe2 or 19.Be3.

18.Bb3

Preparing to win the black e pawn, but even stronger, according to the engines, is 18.Rxd8+ Bxd8 19.g4!?, and if 19...Bg6 then 20.Qd2, eg 20...Bc7 21.Qd7 Kf8 22.e6!? with a huge attack.

18...g5?!

Probably better is the engines' 18...Rxd2 19.Rxd2 b5.

How should White proceed?

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19.Bg3?!

White is much better after this, but winning is 19.Bxg5! Bxg5 20.Qh5, eg 20...Bxd2? 21.Qxh7+ Kh8 22.Qf6#, or 20...h6 21.Qxf7+ Kh8 22.Rxd8+ etc, or 20...Bg6 (probably best) 21.Qxg5 Rxd2 22.Rxd2 with a pawn-plus and a big positional advantage.

19...Rxd2 20.Rxd2 Qe8 21.Bc2

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 21.e6!? fxe6 22.Be5.

21...Rd8 22.Rxd8 Qxd8 23.Bxe4 Bxe4 24.Qxe4 Qd1+ 25.Kh2 Qb3

How would you assess this queen-and-bishop ending?

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White is, at least temporarily, a pawn up, but the key to the position seems to be the relative safety of the two kings. The engines reckon White is winning.

26.Qf5!

The engines agree this is best.

26...Qxb2 27.Qc8+?!

Almost certainly better is 27.e6. I rejected it because of 27...f6?! (27...fxe6 is probably better), but after 28.Qxa5 the engines give White a huge advantage, eg 28...Qb3 29.Qa8+ Kg7 30.Qc8 Qxa4 31.Qe8 Qa3 32.Qf7+ Kh6 33.h4 Qc5 34.hxg5+ fxg5 35.f4 etc.

27...Kg6 28.e6?

White has the upper hand after 28.Qc7 or 28.Qd7, according to the engines.

28...Qxc3 29.Qc7 Kf6 30.exf7 Kxf7 31.Qxb7 Qc5 32.Qb3+ Qd5?!

Probably moving the king is better.

33.Qb1?!

The engines reckon the bishop ending after 33.Qxd5+ cxd5 34.Bc7 Bb4 35.Bb6 is much better for White.

33...Kg7 34.Qb7 Kf7 35.h4 h6 36.Qb1!?

Or 36.h5 g4 (other moves also hold the balance).

36...gxh4 ½–½

The position is completely equal, according to the engines.

In Memoriam

BAD Herrenalb's memorial to the two world wars is in the centre of town, near the Cistercian ruins.

The central plinth has a quotation, in German, from John's Gospel, chapter 15, verse 13: "No-one has greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his brother"

The 1914-18 plinth has the names of people who died in Russia, Poland (an interesting inclusion since Poland did not exist as a country from 1795 until after WW1), France (easily the commonest place of death), Germany, Belgium and "Missing"

As is true with most countries, the 1939-45 plinth contains many more names, and over a wider geographical spread: Russia (easily the commonest place of death), Romania, Poland, Finland, Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece, Tunisia and "Missing" 

Bad Herrenalb Round Seven

Karl Brettschneider (1983) - Spanton (1928)

English Symmetrical

1.c4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.e3 Bxc3!?

This radical imbalancing of the position has been played by grandmasters, but is not liked by Stockfish16.1 and Dragon1. Whichever way White recaptures, the battle usually revolves around whether the white dark-square bishop can get usefully into play.

6.bxc3 f5 7.Ne2 Nf6 8.0-0 b6!?

This is not in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but ...b6 is typically played in this variation. Known moves are 8...0-0, 8...Qc7 and 8...d6.

9.a4

The engines like 9.Nf4, eg 9...0-0 10.d3 Bb7 11.e4!? fxe4 12.dxe4 Ne5 13.Re1 with what they reckon is a slight edge for White.

9...Bb7 10.d3 0-0

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

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The engines give White a slight edge, perhaps because they reckon White's bishop-pair is worth more than Black's better pawn-structure.

11.f3!?

White wants to get in e4, to free the dark-square bishop, without the doubled c pawns becoming isolated.

11...Qc7 12.e4 fxe4

The engines much prefer 12...e5 or 12...Rf7.

13.fxe4 Nh5 14.Bh6

The engines give White the upper hand after 14.Nf4!? Nxf4 15.gxf4.

14...Rxf1+ 15.Qxf1 Ne5 16.Nf4 Ng4 17.Nxh5 Nxh6 18.Nf4 e5 19.Nd5 Bxd5 20.cxd5!?

The engines marginally prefer this over 20.exd5.

20...Rf8 21.Qe2 d6

The engines suggest 21...c4!?, the point being Black is decidedly better after 22.dxc4? Qc5+ 23.Kh1 Rf2. However they reckon 22.d4! maintains equality.

22.Bh3 Kg7 23.Be6

KB offered a draw.

How would you assess the position?

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The engines reckon the position is completely equal.

23...Qe7 24.Kg2 Nf7 25.Bxf7 Rxf7

I played on for another 23 moves, before conceding the draw, but the engines' evaluation never varied from 0.00.

Viewpoint

BAD Herrenalb has two large supermarkets, within about 100 metres of each other on the outskirts of town.

Depending on where your accommodation is, you are either spoilt for choice or face a mini-hike every time groceries are needed.

The road to the supermarkets is lined with trees.

The trees are numbered, but don't scoff - it seems to work: there have been no reported thefts of trees in over 20 years

In the distance can be seen a granite formation known as Falkenfelsen or Falkensteinfelsen - in other words, Falcon Rock

The walk up to the top of the rock is quite short, but steep.

Plenty of greenery on the way

I resisted temptation to walk on this fallen tree

Not Falkenfelsen, but almost a smaller version of it

I had lunch at the top while enjoying the views (left to right):