Lessons From Bischofsgrün IX

MY round-nine game, in which I was Black against Thomas Bildt (2029), featured a rare but sharp line from the King's Gambit, the following position being reached after White's eighth move.

White has just played 8.Bc1-d2

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White is a pawn up, and is slightly ahead in development in that White has four pieces developed (queen, bishop and two knights), while Black has two (bishop and knight), but has also castled.

If left undisturbed, White will, next move, castle long, after which he will have no worries.

Black's obvious move to delay castling is ...Re8+, but there is also ...Ng4 to be considered, which indirectly delays castling by threatening the triple fork ...Nf2 (if White has castled, the knight would hit the queen and both rooks).

I chose 8...Ng4?, and was rewarded by the sequence 9.Ne4?? Bf5, after which, as I showed in my annotations to the game, Black has a large advantage.

However, while Ne4 was a blunder, turning a winning position into a losing one. according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1, the idea is correct.

But the right way to implement it is with 9.Ng5, threatening checkmate. Black can defend against the threat by 9...g6, or 9...Re8+ 10.Be2 g6, but in each case there follows ...Nce4, when White simultaneously defends f2 and attacks c5.

LESSON: when you have two moves that seem to answer an important need in the opening, but one of the moves involves moving an already developed piece, while the other move develops an extra piece, you must be absolutely certain the former move is significantly better as you are not helping your development.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün VIII

I HAVE been asked why, if I dislike draws so much, did I acquiesce to an exchange of queens in the following position in round eight, where I was White against Udo Waltenberger (2033).

Black has just played 21...e7-e5!, and, after 22.Qxd8 Rbxd8, offered a draw, which I accepted

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The main, purely chess arguments, for White playing on are that White has the bishop-pair and more space in the centre.

But, apart from the fact that Black's knight has a strong outpost, and the bishops do not have great diagonals to work on, there is another major consideration.

This is that to avoid a draw by by keeping queens on would mean play remains very much in the middlegame, and in the middlegame a kingside majority (assuming both sides have castled short) is a potent force.

So. in the diagram, 22.Qf2, for example, could be answered by 22...f5, when Black is already better, both in engine terms and in practical human play.

LESSON: to paraphrase Cecil Purdy, taking risks to avoid a sterile draw against a higher-rated opponent is not a paying proposition.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün VI & VII

IN round six I was White against Dieter Bauer (1787), and in round seven I was Black against Manfred Herbold (2075).

The openings were very different - an English and a Sicilian Grand Prix Attack - but there was something similar about Black's position in both games after 10 moves.

Black has just captured on c4 in the English game

Black has just pushed the e pawn in the Sicilian game

In the English game, Black has one developed piece, a knight, against White's three - a bishop and two knights.

In the Sicilian game, Black has one developed piece, a bishop, against White's, arguably, four - both rooks and both knights, and White has castled.

In both games it is White to move, so Black's lack of development is even starker.

But there is a huge difference in how Stockfish18 and Dragon1 evaluate the positions.

In the first diagram, White is winning, according to the engines, after the game's 11.0-0, and after 11.Nxc6!

In the second diagram, again according to the engines, White has the normal slight edge one associates with moving first.

Why the difference, especially in view of the discrepancy in development being greater in the second diagram, and White having a doubled and vulnerable pawn in the first diagram?

The answer is that in the first diagram, lines have been opened in the centre, which makes it easier for pieces to attack the opponent's position in general, and the opponent's king in particular.

In the second diagram, while the centre is not closed, it is definitely not open either, with both sides having eight connected pawns, and none in contact with enemy pawns.

LESSON: the importance of development increases dramatically as lines are opened.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün V

MY round-five game, in which I was Black against Rolf Zens (1884), featured an instructive moment as the pressure built on my opponent's position.

I have just played 20...h7-h6

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The move stops Ng5, and makes ...e4 a major threat.

Indeed, if it were Black to move in the diagram, Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon 21...e4 would give Black an advantage worth almost a minor piece, one of the points being that not only does the move attack the white knight, it threatens ...exd3 with ...Bxc4 to come.

Probably best is 21.Rac1, reinforcing c4, although the 3ngines agree Black is positionally winning.

The game saw 21.Ng1, which is not the most ridiculous move on the board as, although the knight is out of play on the back rank, White now has a pawn and three pieces covering the e4 square.

But the move did not achieve what was presumably its primary purpose (we did not have a postmortem), as I played 21...e4! anyway.

LESSON: when making a retrograde move that you feel is the only way to stop an opponent's dangerous continuation, you must be certain the move actually achieves its purpose.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün IV

IN round four, where I was White against Stef van Kesteren (1861), I reached the following lost rook-and-minor-piece ending.

I have just played 26.Rc7-c6

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Black is a pawn up, and has the better minor piece for play on an open board with pawns on both wings, especially when rooks are present.

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon a reasonable consolidating move, such as 26...f6 or 26...Rfd8, leaves Black with a winning advantage worth about two pawns.

Naturally, there would still be a long way to go before the advantage could be turned into victory, but one way to virtually rule out winning chances was to play the game's 26...Bxd6?

After 27.Rxd6, the activity of the rook on the sixth rank means Black has at best a slight edge (Dragon1), or effectively no edge at all (Stockfish18 fluctuates, but eventually more-or-less settles on Black's advantage being worth a tenth of a pawn).

I was able to draw the game without any trouble.

LESSON: almost the last thing you want to do when playing for a win in an endgame is to swop off into a rook-and-pawn ending.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün III

IN my round-three game, where I was Black against Fide master Jochen Bruch (2115), my opponent offered a draw in the following position.

White has just captured on f7

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I am a pawn up and have two passed pawns, so it did not take me long to play 33...Kxf7, confident that, barring a catastrophic mistake, I would either win or have to settle for a draw.

I should have remembered that in rook-and-bishop endings with opposite-colour bishops, what counts more than the odd pawn is the activity of the bishops.

In the diagram, White has a dark-square bishop, anchored on d4 and bearing down on g7, while the black light-square bishop is 'loose', albeit not immediately endangered, and impeded by the black pawn on e4.

If I had seriously considered such matters, I would not have been so surprised after my defeat to discover the position in the diagram is completely equal, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

LESSON: Cecil Purdy put it rather more succinctly, if with a dash of hyperbole: "In endings with bishops of opposite colour, material means NOTHING, position EVERYTHING."

Lessons From Bischofsgrün II

THE following position was reached after six moves of my round-two game, in which I was White against Peter Babrikowski (2155).

Black has just played 6...d6!?

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The position is reached 1,429 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with most games (1,240) continuing with 7.Be2 or 7.Be3, both of which score an excellent 65%

I preferred 7.Bg5, which occurs just 40 times, and scores a miserable 35%.

One of the problems with my move in such positions is that after the reply 7...Be7, White has to be constantly on the alert for tricks based on the move ...Nxe4.

Indeed, if White were to meet 7...Be7 with 8.b3, Black can already play 8...Nxe4!?, eg 9.Nxe4 Bxg5 10.Nxc6! (an only-move, according to the engines) bxc6 11.Nxg5 Qa5+! 12.b4! (12.Qd2? Qe5+) Qxg5 13.Qxd6 Bb7, with what the engines reckon is an equal position.

I was aware of the danger, and I am sure my opponent was too, but that did not stop me reaching the following position, having just played 13.f3?!

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This is a case where ...Nxe4 does not just equalise, but gives Black at least a slight edge, eg 13...Nxe4! 14.Bxe7 Nxc3!? 15.bxc3 Qxe7 16.Qxd6 Qg5 leaves Black with much the better pawn-structure, as well as the better bishop, and Black has the upper hand (Stockfish18) or is even winning (Dragon1).

White can improve with 14.Nxe4 Bxg5 15.Nxg5 Qxg5 16.Qxd6, but 16...Rfd8 leaves Black with the better bishop, and what the engines reckon is a slight plus.

LESSON: when White has a pawn on e4, and Black has a knight on f6, the move Bg5 can open White to surprise tactical shots if Black has a bishop-queen battery on e7 and d8.

Lessons From Bischofsgrün

IN round one of the senior (55+) championship of Upper Franconia, my opponent, Hartmut Kumeth (1784), laid down his marker as early as move two when he followed 1.Nf3 c5 with 2.c3!?

As I pointed out in my notes to the game, 2.c3!? is not extremely rare (the position occurs 1,577 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database) and the move has been played by many top grandmasters.

It is also true that White can afford more leeway in the opening than Black before falling into serious trouble.

But by move seven, the following position had been reached.

White has just played 7.Be2, and is yet to advance anything to the fourth rank

Indeed, by playing 7...e4, I was first to occupy White's fourth rank.

It was not until move 12 that White finally, if briefly, reached his fourth rank by playing 12.dxe4.

I recaptured with the d pawn, so again White had nothing beyond the third rank

It was not until move 18 that White actually established something on the fourth.

White has just played 18.c3-c4

I do not think many players will be surprised to learn that Stockfish18 and Dragon1 reckon Black has a won game.

Indeed White only lasted another four moves.

LESSON: space in chess is important. If you are cramped, and have no compensation, such as pressure against the opponent's centre, you may well be lost.

Bigger Steps

I AM staying in Bischofsgrün an extra two days, mainly so as to have a conveniently timed flight home, but also giving me the chance for longer walks.

Today I set off along forest trails, rather than riverside paths, which makes the going much easier underfoot, and allows longer distances to be covered.

The downside is the scenery is less varied, but there were still interesting things to see

As in much of Germany, the area is dotted with hides for hunters

This tree seems to be doing fine, despite growing on a rock

A hide seemingly precariously perched to no great advantage ...

... until one sees the view it commands of partially cleared forest, where deer probably like to bask in early-morning sunshine

This tree has sent out roots across the rock it is growing on to find nutrients to support its existence

The area proved surprisingly deserted, and it was not until 08:45, by which time I had been walking for almost 90 minutes, that I came across a fellow hiker

I headed for Fichtelsee, a lake extended into a reservoir, which is approached along an attractive wooden walkway

The sky would cloud over later, with loud thunder in the distance, but for the moment the sun helped provide beautiful reflections

Rather pleasingly there was also somewhere to have coffee, the espresso being the best I have had in Bavaria on this trip (not that that is saying much - no one visits Germany for the coffee)

I later spotted a sign for Seehaus, and as friend had mentioned the place, I decided to head there to check it out

The route proved decidedly uphill, but at the top was a welcoming sight

When I left Seehaus, where I also enjoyed a decent espresso, I left the wide trails and kept to forest paths as much as possible

I lunched at Karches on matjesfilet, despite being some 300 miles (483km) from the sea 

I was surprised on returning to my hotel to discover that, according to Google Maps, and assuming I always took the most direct routes (I didn't), I covered just over 13 miles (21.5km)

Summing Up Bischofsgrün

MY score of +4=4-1  in the seniors' (55+) championship of Upper Franconia gained 34.4 Fide elo. I finished equal second, but missed out on a trophy (there were no cash prizes) on tiebreak.

Main Pleasures

ONE of the delights of walking alongside a river is that you can enjoy water-based views as well as land-based scenery.

This ford on the White Main does not have to be crossed - there is a bridge nearby - but it is fun to do so

Quite a lot of the path is covered in tree roots, which were slippery earlier in the week after overnight rain, but today were mostly bone-dry

Despite what internet 'experts' proclaim, the water of the White Main, at least the stretch from Karches to Bischofsgrün, looks red, not white, possibly due to clayey soil or iron deposits

Dappled sunlight, but also plenty of shade, was a bonus as temperatures reached the low 30s

Thunderstorms were forecast, but for the most part the sky stayed resolutely blue

After reaching the top of the Ochsenkopf (Oxhead) mountain, I decided to extend the walk by taking a circuitous, but less steep, route down, partly to save my knees

Fascinating rocks

Anyone who has played chess at Bad Wörishofen should recognise this as a kneipp-anlage (you walk through it as a form of hydrotherapy)

Bischofsgrün Round Nine

Thomas Bildt (2029) - Spanton (1951)

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d5!?

A pet line of mine. There are 110 examples of the move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database - 10 of the games are mine.

How should White proceed?

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4.exd5

This is the commonest continuation in Mega26, and is the second choice of Stockfish18 and Dragon1. Stockfish18 prefers the relatively rare 4.Nc3!?; Dragon1 the more popular 4.Nxe5.

4...e4 5.d4!?

5.Qe2 and especially 5.Ne5 are more common, but the engines agree the text is best.

How should Black respond?

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5...exd3

Dragon1 reckons the text and 5...exf3 have an almost identical value, but Stockfish18 suggests an apparent-novelty in 5...Bb4+!?, eg 6.Bd2!? Bxd2+ 7.Nfxd2 Nf6 8.Nc3 0-0, when the engines agree Black has enough for a pawn.

6.Qxd3!?

The engines are unsure whether to prefer this move, which is not in Mega26, or the known 6.Bd3, but given enough time, they come down in favour of the latter, reckoning Black should play 6...Ne7, when they find it hard to decide whether Black has enough for a pawn.

6...Nf6!?

Although 6.Qxd3!? is not in Mega26, the move transposes into a known position, where 6...Ne7 has been played. However, in this case the engines prefer the text.

What should White play?

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7.Nc3!?

The engines' main line runs 7.Qe2+ Qe7 8.Bd2!? (they also like 8.Nc3) Qxe2+ 9.Bxe2 Nxd5 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.Bxc3 Nc6, when Stockfish18 calls the position equal, but Dragon1 fluctuates between equal and slightly favouring White. If 8.Qxe7+, then 8...Kxe7, with ...Re8 to come.

7...0-0 8.Bd2 Ng4?

I was disappointed to discover after the game I made exactly the same mistake at Hastings 1991. Better is 8...Re8+, with equality, according to the engines, although the game remains tense, eg 9.Be2 c6!? 10.0-0-0 (10.dxc6 Qxd3 11.cxd3 Nxc6 12.0-0-0 Bf5, with good play for Black) cxd5 11.Ne5 Nc6, with what they reckon are equal chances.

White to play and gain what the engines agree is a winning position

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9.Ne4??

This turns a winning position into a losing one. Instead, 9.Ng5 seems to flummox Black in all lines, eg 9...Re8+ 10.g6 Nce4, or 9...g6 10.Nce4.

After the immediate 9.Ne4??, White has defended f2 and attacks c5, but there is a fatal flaw

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9...Bf5!?

Seeing this was one reason why I mistakenly liked 9.Ne4??

10.0-0-0

Perhaps slightly better is 10.Ng5, but 10...Nf2 11.Qc4 Re8 12.Qxc5 Nxe4 13.Nxe4 Rxe4+ gives Black strong play for a pawn, eg 14.Kf2 (14.Be2? Bg4) Nd7 15.Qc3 Nf6 16.h3 Nxd5, when Black has got the pawn back, and continues to have play against White's king and uncoordinated pieces.

10...Nf2 11.Qb5 Nxe4 12.Qxb7 Nd7

White has two pawns for a knight, but that is rarely sufficient in an early-middlegame

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13.Bd3 Rb8 14.Qa6 Rb6 15.Qc4 Nxd2 16.Nxd2 Qf6 17.c3 Rfb8

As well as being ahead on material, Black is fully developed and has the safer king - advantages adding up to the equivalent of being roughly a rook ahead, according to the engines

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18.Nb3 Be3+ 19.Kb1 Bxd3 20.Qxd3 Bc5!?

The engines reckon capturing on f4 is playable, but I saw no need to give Black counterplay for the sake of a pawn.

21.Rhf1 Bd6 22.g3?!

Missing Black's next move. The engines suggest 22.Ka1 or 22.Rd2, but still have Black winning.

22...Nc5 23.Qd4 Qxd4 0-1

Bischofsgrün Round Eight

Spanton (1951) - Udo Waltenberger (2033)

Maróczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bg7 5.c4 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Be2 d6 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 space advantage gives a slight edge, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

9...Nd7!?

This is fourth in popularity in Mega26, behind 9...a6, 9...Nxd4 and especially 9...Bd7.

10.Rc1

The main line in Mega26 runs 10.Qd2 Nc5 11.Rfd1 Bd7 12.f3, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.

10...Nc5 11.f3 a5 12.b3

Yordan Ivanov (2395) - Keith Arkell (2480), Balaguer (Spain) 1997, went 12.Ndb5!? f5 13.exf5 Bxf5 14.Nd4 Bd7 15.Qd2, with a slight edge for White, according to the engines (1-0, 53 moves).

12...Bd7

A short while after pressing the clock, UW offered a draw.

Objectively, should White accept?

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Black has not broken the bind, by getting in one of the three traditional anti-Maróczy pawn-breaks, ...b5, ...d5, ...f5, so the engines reckon White still has a slight edge.

13.Ndb5!?

Apparently a novelty, at least in this exact position, and preferred by the engines over the known 13.Qd2.

13...Na7 14.Qd2 Nxb5 15.Nxb5

The engines suggest 15.cxb5!?, making White's light-square bishop slightly less bad.

15...Ne6!? 16.Rfd1 Bc6 17.Nc3!? Rb8 18.Nd5 b6 19.Qe1!? Nc5 20.Qh4 Bxd5

How should White recapture?

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21.exd5?!

The worst of the three choices, according to the engines. They suggest 21.cxd5, and if, as in the game, 21...e5!?, then they reckon 22.Qxd8 Rbxd8 23.g4!? gives White the upper hand, a sample line continuing 23...f5!? 24.g5 Rf7 25.exf5!? gxf5, after which the position has opened a little for White's bishop-pair, but Black still has a strong knight, despite the engines' continuing evaluation of White having the upper hand.

21...e5!

The engines reckon this completely equalises.

22.Qxd8 Rbxd8 ½–½

Different Walk

I HAVE been walking to the top of the Ochsenkopf (Oxhead) mountain by following the Weismain river as far as Karches lake, and then heading to the top via the source of the river.

But for a change I took a more-direct route, that early on passes the Maria Alm, a cafe and beer garden near the foot of the Ochsenkopf

The walk was steep in places, and with temperatures well into the mid-20s, I rewarded myself at the top with an alcohol-free wesizenbier

I took a less-direct route down, choosing to follow a route I enjoyed two years ago, which meant following the waymark second from the bottom

The path is mainly easy-going underfoot

But there are dramatic rock formations to enjoy

Tree with unusual growths

Shade was welcome

A final unusual rock outcrop