League Chess

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

Spanton (1938) - Tony Niccoli (2285)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.Nc3 f6 6.d4 exd4 7.Qxd4 Qxd4 8.Nxd4 Bd7 9.Be3 0-0-0

This position occurs 279 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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10.f3

Long castling was played in 222 of those games.

10...Ne7 11.Rd1

Ruling out castling on the queenside - in fact the plan can be to not castle at all.

11...Ng6 12.Kf2!?

Emanuel Lasker often developed his king this way in the Exchange Variation of the Spanish, the idea being the king is well-placed on f2 to later assist an advance of White's pawn-majority. On the other hand, the absence of the king from c1/b1 leaves the white queenside pawns more vulnerable.

12...Ne5 13.Nb3!?

This may be a novelty, and is not liked by Stockfish17.1 or Dragon1. They suggest 13.h4 or 13.b3.

13...b6 14.h3

Preparing f4, without allowing a black piece to land on g4.

14...Nc4 15.Bc1 Bd6 16.f4?!

But, played this early, the move is probably too loosening.

How should Black exploit White's last?

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16...Rde8

Black can seize the initiative with 16...g5!?, when 17.fxg5?! fxg5 gives White an isolani and an exposed king. Better is 17.f5, and the engines suggest 17.Nd4!?, the idea being to meet 17...gxf4 with 18.b3, when 18...Ne5 allows 19.Bxf4, after the engines still much prefer Black, but they reckon even better is 18...Bb4!?, when 19.bxc4 Bxc3 20.Bxf4 equalises the number of pawns, but both 20...Rhe8 and 20...c5 leave Black much better.

17.Rhe1 Bb4 18.Rd3 Re7 19.a3 Bd6 20.Nd2 Bc5+ 21.Kf3 Be6?

Black should swop knights.

How can White exploit Black's last?

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22.Nxc4?

Missing 22.Na4!?, after which Black loses the bishop-pair, and contracts tripled c pawns, as 22...Bd6? is met by 23.Nxb6!

22...Bxc4 23.Rdd1 Rhe8 24.Be3 Bd6

Swopping bishops may be better.
25.Bxb6 Bxa3

How should White proceed?

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26.bxa3?

This is possibly the worst of the plausible choices. Best is probably the engines' 26.Bxc7!, when 26...Bxb2 27.Ba5!? more-or-less obliges Black to give up the bishop-pair with 27...Bxc3, after which the engines reckon White is at least slightly better. If Black tries to preserve the dark-square bishop with 27...Ba3?, White has 28.Na4!, with very strong play as Black does not seem to have a good answer to the threat of Nb6+, forking king and light-square bishop, eg 28...Bb5 29.Nb6+ Kb7 30.c4.

26...cxb6

Black has lost the bishop-pair, but straightened the queenside pawns, so who stands better?

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No one, according to the engines.

27.Rd6 Kc7 28.Red1 Bf7 29.R6d4 Be6!? 30.g4 a5 31.Ne2 Rd7!?
The engines reckon an exchange of rooks favours White.

32.f5!?

The engines prefer 32.Rxd7+ Bxd7, and now 33.f5!?

32...Rxd4 33.Rxd4 Bf7 34.Nf4 b5

Black has a slight edge after 34...g5!? or 34...c5, according to the engines.

35.Nd3 Rd8 36.Ke3 Ba2

Possibly better is 36...Rxd4 37.Kxd4 Kd6, with what the engines agree is complete equality.

37.Nc5 Rd6?

White has at most a slight edge after 37...Rxd4, according to the engines.

38.Rxd6 Kxd6 39.Nb7+ Ke5 40.Nxa5 c5 41.Nb3 Kd6 42.Nd2 Ke5 43.Nf3+ Kd6 44.h4 Bb1 45.Kd3!? b4 46.axb4 cxb4

White to play and maintain a winning position

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47.g5?

The simple 47.Nd2 snuffs out Black's counterplay, and, after 47...Ba2, the time is right to play 48.g5.

47...b3

Exploiting White's self-pin at move 45.

48.Nd4

An only-move.

48...bxc2

White to play and draw

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49.Nxc2?

White holds with 49.Kd2, eg 49...c1=Q+ 50.Kxc1 Bxe4 51.Kd2 Ke5 52.Ne6, or 49...Ke5 50.Ne6.

Black to play and win

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49...Ke5

But not 49...Bxc2+?? 50.Kxc2 Ke5 51.Kd3 Kf4, as 52.gxf6 gxf6 53.Kd4 wins for White, as does 51...fxg5 52.hxg5 Kf4 53.f6.

50.gxf6 gxf6 51.h5 Bxc2+ 52.Kxc2 Kxe4 0-1

TN: "Sorry."

Me: "It was my fault."

Hammersmith won the match 4-1.

My Battersea Season 2025-6

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

16/9/25   CLL       W       1936         1952             0           1552

18/9/25   CLL       W       1936         1797             =           1675

16/10/25 CLL       W       1889         2047             0           1665

23/10/25 CLL       B        1889         1823             1           1805

18/11/25  LL         W       1891         1980             =           1840

20/11/25  CLL      W       1891         1866             1            1911

25/11/25  BCC     B        1891         1817             1            1955

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

7/4/26      BCC     B         1938        1505*            1            2030

9/4/26      CLL      W        1938        2012              =           2029

30/4/26    CLL      W        1938        2285              0           2023

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

*A win against a 1505 counts as a 1905 performance, so I have excluded this game from calculating my season's performance as it would lower my average despite me winning.

World Team 65+ Round Eight

Bo.	37	Norway - Golden Oldies	Rtg	-	46	England - 5	Rtg	0 : 0
27.1		Esbensen, Arnt	2169	-		Freeman, Richard C P	1897
27.2		Taksrud, Vidar	1931	-	CM	Stokes, Michael	1861
27.3		Johnsen, Oystein	1949	-		Spanton, Tim R	1908
27.4		Bjorgvik, Jan Arne	1818	-		Marshall, Michael	1859

Øystein Johnsen (1949) - Spanton (1908)

London System

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 Bd6 4.Bg3 Nf6 5.e3 b6 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.Bd3 Bb7

How should White proceed?

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8.Bh4!?

Presumably ØJ did not fancy 8.0-0 Bxg3. The main move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 8.Ne5, when 8...c5 9.c3 Nc6 is equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

8...Nbd7 9.0-0

With both sides having castled, how would you assess the position?

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The position is largely symmetrical, with the notable exception of the queens' bishops, but the engines award Black at least the better part of equality, perhaps because having the move in such a position confers a small initiative.

9...Re8

But this is not the way to pursue it, according to the engines. They suggest 9...c5 or 9...Qb8!?

10.c3 h6!?

Anticipating 11.Qc2.

11.Qc2 c5 12.b3 Rc8 13.Rac1 Qc7 14.Bg3!?

The engines fluctuate between the text, 14.Qb1 and 14.Qb2.

14...Bxg3 15.hxg3

So White has allowed ...Bxg3 anyway

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15...Ng4 16.e4!?

This is the classic pawn break in this sort of position, but the engines are not keen on it here.

16...dxe4

Possibly stronger is 16...cxd4, eg 17.cxd4 Qxc2 18.Bxc2!? Ndf6!?, when 19.e5 Ne4 favours Black, according to the engines, but so does 19.exd5 Nxd5.

17.Bxe4!?

The engines reckon this is better than 17.Nxe4 cxd4 18.cxd4 (18.Nxd4?! Qe5! 19.Nf3 Qh5 is risky for White) Qxc2 19.Rxc2 Rxc2 20.Bxc2 Rc8.

17...Ndf6 18.Bxb7 Qxb7 19.Rfe1 Red8 20.dxc5 Rxc5 21.Ne4 Nxe4 22.Qxe4 Qxe4 23.Rxe4 Nf6

Where should the rook go?

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24.Rd4!?

This is the engines' top choice.

24...Rdc8 25.c4 b5 26.Kf1 Kf8

The game is completely equal after 26...bxc4 27.Rdxc4 Rxc4 28.bxc4, according to the engines.

27.Ne1!?

This seems playable, but probably better is 27.Nd2.

27...e5 28.Rd2?!

The active 28.Rd6!? is better, according to the engines, eg 28...bxc4 29.Ra6!? cxb3 30.Rxc5 Rxc5 31.Rxa7 bxa2 32.Rxa2, when Black is a pawn up, but all the pawns are on one side of the board, and the engines reckon Black has only a slight edge.

28...cxb4 29.Rdc2

The engines prefer 29.bxc4 Rxc4 30.Rd8+!? Rxd8 31.Rxc4, when Black is again a pawn up, but with pawns on both sides of the board, giving Black at least the upper hand, according to the engines.

29...Ne4 30.b4 R5c7?!

Probably better is taking the open file with 30...Rd5!?, one point being 31.Rxc4?? Rxc4 32.Rxc4 loses to 32...Nd2+ and 33...Nxc4.

31.Ke2?

Black has at best a slight edge after 31.Re2, according to the engines.

31...Ke7 32.Ke3 f5 33.g4 g6 34.gxf5 gxf5 35.g4?!

The engines much prefer 35.Nd3!?, eg 35...Kd6 36.Nb2 Kd5 37.Rd1+ Ke6 38.Rh1 c3!? 39.Rxh6+ Kd5 40.Nd1, although after 40...f4+ Black has pressure.

35...Kf6

The engines suggest 35...c3 or 35...Nd6.

36.f3

And here they like 36.Nf3 or 36.Rd1.

36...Nd6 37.Rh2 f4+ 38.Kf2 Nf7 39.Rc3 Rd8 40.Kf1 Kg6 41.Rhc2 Rd4 42.Ra3!? Rd6 43.Rac3 Rdc6?!

The engines give 43...Rd4, and if 44.Ra3, then 44...Nd6, claiming a large advantage for Black.

44.Nd3!? a6 45.Nc5 Nd6 46.Re2 Kf6 47.Ne4+!?

Forcing a double-rook-and-pawn ending, but the engines reckon White is better off keeping knights on, challenging Black to find a way to make progress after 47.Rc1 or 47.a3.

47...Nxe4 48.Rxe4

How would you assess this ending?

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Dragon1 reckons Black is winning, but Stockfish17.1 gives Black only a slight edge. The practical point, however, is that unless Black gets careless and lets White create something with the 2-1 pawn-majority on the a-b files, there are only two likely outcomes - a draw or a black win.

48...Ke6 49.Re2?!

The rook is well-placed on e4. White should almost certainly be centralising the king, as far as is possible, with 49.Ke2 or 49.Ke1.

49...Rb7 50.a3 Rd7 51.Ke1?

Much better, but still losing, according to the engines, is going for counterplay with 51.Rh2.

51...Rd3 52.Rec2 Rd4?

This is probably still winning, but much stronger is 52...Rxc3 53.Rxc3 Kd5, eg 54.Kd2 Kd4 55.Kc2 Rg6!? 56.Kb2!? (56.Kd2 h5!) e4!? 57.fxe4 Rxg4.

53.Rd2 Kd5 54.Rdc2 Rc7 55.Rh2 Rc6 56.Rhc2 Re6 57.Kf2 e4 58.fxe4 Rexe4 59.Rh3 Rd3 60.Rh5+ Kd4 61.Rxh6

Black to play and win

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61...Rxa3?

One of the few plausible moves that does not win, whereas 61...c3, 61...Ree3 and even 61...Kd5!? win comfortably.

62.Rd6+ Ke5 63.Rc6 c3 64.R2xc3 Rxc3 65.Rxc3 Rxb4

This is a tablebase draw

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66.Ra3 Ke4 67.Ra6 Rb2+

White to play and draw

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68.Ke1?

The Syzygy endgame tablebase shows only 68.Kg1! draws.

The problem with the text will soon become apparent, whereas 68.Kf1? loses to 68...f3! (only-move), and if, as in the game, 69.g5, then 69...Kf4 (another only-move), eg 70.g6 Kg3 (a third only-move, but the easiest of the lot to find) 71.Ra1 Rh2 (71...Rf2+ also wins) 72.Kg1 f2+ 73.Kf1 Rh1+ 74.Ke2 Rxa1.

After 68.Kg1, Black can again try 68...f3, but 69.Rf6! draws, eg 69...Ke3 70.g5 Rb1+ (70...f2+ 71.Kg2) 71.Kh2 f2 72.g6, when Black has to take a draw as 72...f1=Q?? loses to 73.Rxf1 Rxf1 74.g7 etc.

68...Kf3

White cannot prevent the black king from occupying g2, as 69.Kf1? allows 69...Rb1#.

69.g5 Kg2 70.g6 f3 71.Rf6

Black to play and and maintain the win

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71...Rb1+?

There are two winning lines: 71...Re2+ 72.Kd1 Re7, eg 73.Rf7 f2!? (73...Re8 also wins) 74.g7 Re8 75.Rf8 f1=Q+, and 71...Rb7 72.Rf5 Re7+ 73.Kd2 f2, eg 74.Rg5+ Kh3 75.Rf5 Kg3 76.Kd3 Kg2 77.Rg5+ Kf1 78.Kd2 Rd7+ 79.Kc2 Ke2 80.Re5+ Kf3 81.Rf5+ Kg3 82.Kc3 (82.Rg5+ Kf4) Rg7 83.Rf6 Kg2 etc.

72.Kd2 f2 73.g7 Rb2+ 74.Kc1 Rb8 75.Rg6+ Kf3 76.Rf6+ Ke2 77.Re6+ Kf1 78.Rg6 Rg8 79.Kd2 Rd8+ 80.Kc3 Rc8+ 81.Kd4 Rd8+ 82.Kc5 Rc8+ 83.Kb6 Rg8

White to play and lose

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84.Kc7??

This loses because Black will be able to capture on g7 with check.

84...Ke2 85.Re6+ Kd3 86.Rd6+ Ke4 87.Rf6 Rxg7+ 88.Kd8 Ke3 89.Re6+ Kd2 90.Rd6+ Ke2 91.Re6+ Kf1 0-1

Team Result

Esbensen = Freeman

Taksrud 1-0 Stoke

Johnsen 0-1 Spanton

Bjorgvik = Marshall

Norway Golden Oldies 2-2 England 5

League Chess

PLAYED on board one (of four) for Battersea against Coulsdon 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.

Ishan Ramdewar (1976) - Spanton (1914)

QGD Exchange

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bg5 c6 6.e3 h6!?

An early ...h6 used to be taboo in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. The thinking was twofold. Firstly, if played before White castled, it was feared White could castle long and use the pawn as a hook for a kingside pawnstorm. Secondly, if White castled short, it was thought the third rank on the kingside should be left uncluttered as Black might want to place a rook and/or queen there to attack the white king's position. But 6...h6!? has been played by Carlsen, Kramnik, Ding, etc. What changed? Engines quite like the move, rating it marginally better than the common 6...Be7.

7.Bh4 Be7 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Nge2!?

This is massively more popular than the 'traditional' Nf3.

9...Re8 10.0-0

The position after 10.Qc2 Nbd7 11.0-0-0!? occurs 136 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but 11...b5 gives Black the upper hand, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

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

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Mega26 has 702 examples of this position, with White scoring a very good 59%. The engines reckon White is slightly better.

10...Nh5!? 11.Ng3!?

This seems to be a novelty. The engines prefer 11.Bxe7, followed by queenside play.

11...Bxh4 12.Nxh5!?

The engines marginally prefer this over capturing with the queen.

12...Qg5??

Blundering a piece ... or, at least, it should.

How does White win a piece?

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13.Nf4??

There is no satisfactory answer to the simple 13.g3, eg 13...Bg4 can be met by 14.Be2, after which the black dark-square bishop cannot be saved.

13...Qf6 14.Qc2 Be6

The engines much prefer 14...Qd6, claiming equality.

15.g3 Bg5 16.Nxe6 Qxe6

Not 16...Rxe6?? 17.f4 Rxe3 18.fxg5 Qxd4 19.Bh7+ and 20.Kg2.

17.b4 a6 18.a4 Nd7 19.b5 axb5 20.axb5 Rxa1!? 21.Rxa1

How should Black proceed?

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21...Bxe3??

The engines suggest 21...g6, 21...Rb8 or 21...Nb6, but in each case give White the upper hand.

22.Bf5 Qe7 23.Bxd7 Bxf2+ 24.Qxf2 Qxd7

How big is White's advantage?

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Two pawns come nowhere close to compensating for a knight in this middlegame position, especially with two white queenside pawns effectively holding back three black ones. The engines reckon White is approximately the equivalent of 2.5 pawns ahead.

25.Re1?!

This gives away much of White's advantage.

25...Rxe1+ 26.Qxe1 Qg4?!

After the 'ugly' 26...cxb5! Black has counterplay thanks to having a passed pawn and the safer king.

27.Qe8+ Kh7 28.Qe5 Qf3 29.Ne2?!

White is still winning after 29.Qe1, according to the engines.

29...cxb5!

'Ugly', but effective. Black now has three isolated pawns, but the engines agree having a passer is much more important.

30.Nf4 Qd1+ 31.Kg2 Qc2+?!

It is a game of equal chances after 31...b4, according to the engines.

32.Kh3?!

The engines give White the upper hand after 32.Qe2, one point being 32...Qxe2+?! 33.Nxe2 b4 fails to 34.Nf4!

32...Qd1?

The game is completely equal, according to the engines, after both 32...b4 and 32...Qc8+ 33.Kg2 b4.

33.Qf5+ Kg8

White to play and win

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34.Qxd5?

Both 34.Qd3 and 34.Nxd5 seem good enough for at least a slight edge, but winning is 34.Qc8+ Kh7 35.Qxb7 as 35...Qf1+ 36.Kg4 Qd1+ comes to nothing after 37.Kf5, eg 37...Qxd4 38.Qxb5 g6+ 39.Kg4 h5+ 40.Kh3, although the whole line is not easy to envisage from the diagram.
34...g5 35.Qd8+ Kg7

White to play and draw

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36.Nd5??

White has a draw after no fewer than seven moves, according to the engines, including 36.Ne6+!?, 36.Qd5, 36.Qe8 and 36.Qc7.

Black to play and win

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36...Qf1+ 37.Kg4 f5+ 38.Kh5 Qh3#

Coulsdon defaulted on board three, but the match was drawn 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

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

Weimar Round Six

Wilfried Adam (1828) - Spanton (1939)

King's Indian Attack/Sicilian Closed

1.e4 c5 2.d3!? Nc6 3.Nf3 g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.c3!? d5 6.Nbd2 e5 7.Bg2 Nge7

Perhaps it is a matter of taste whether the opening is classified as a King's Indian Attack or  the Closed Variation of the Sicilian

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If pressed to choose, I would pick the former, but would not be surprised to be called wrong. ChessBase muddies the water further by opting for "B30: Sicilian: 2...Nc6 3 Bb5, lines without ...g6," which is certainly not correct.
8.0-0 0-0

Getting the name right would be nice, but evaluating the position correctly is more important, so how would you assess matters now both sides have castled?

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Black has more space, which may be why Stockfish17.1 gives Black the better part of equality. Dragon1 has the position as almost completely equal.

9.h3!?

This prevents the pinning ...Bg4, but that does not look dangerous, and also prepares an advance of the g pawn, but the engines prefer 9.exd5 or 9.a3!?

9...h6!?

But this h-pawn push, which prepares ...Be6 without allowing the reply Ng5, is the top choice of the engines.

10.Ne1!?

Probably a novelty. The engines prefer the known 10.Re1, which is more normal in the KIA.

10...Be6 11.f4 Qd7 12.Kh2 Rad8

The engines reckon Black has a positionally won game, but I was not expecting my opponent to resign and time soon

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13.Qe2 Rfe8

Black has a large lead in development, but the position, while not closed, is not open either.

14.Nb3 b6 15.Be3 a5 16.Nc2 a4 17.Nd2

How should Black proceed?

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17...d4

Gaining space, but closing the centre. The engines prefer 17...exf4 and especially 17...f5!?, both of which are likely to lead to more lines opening.

18.cxd4 cxd4 19.Bg1 b5 20.Nf3 f6

The engines still like ...exf4 and especially ...f5.

21.a3

White would surely have had to play this sooner or later as otherwise the white queen's rook could not move.

21...Rc8 22.g4 g5!?

This is Stockfish17.1's top choice (Drgaon1 prefers 22...exf4). The idea is to oblige White to push on with the f pawn, and so make it more difficult to open lines on the kingside.

23.f5 Bf7 24.Qd2 Qa7 25.h4 Na5 26.Rae1 Nb3 27.Qe2 Bf8 28.Na1 Rc6 29.Nxb3 Bxb3

Stockfish17.1 marginally prefers 29...axb3. Dragon1 fluctuates between the two moves, before coming down in favour of the text.

30.Rc1 Rec8 31.Rxc6 Rxc6 32.hxg5 Rc2 33.Qe1 hxg5 34.Rf2 Qc7 35.Rxc2 Qxc2 36.Qd2 Qc7?!

The engines much prefer 36...Nc6 or 36...Qxd2, although, even after the text, they still reckon Black has a positionally won game.

37.Nxg5!?

The engines suggest 37.Kh3!?, 37.Ne1, 37.Bf1 or 37.Bh3, but they do not out-and-out condemn the text either.

How should Black respond?

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37...Bh6!

This is best, although it leaves Black a pawn down. Also good is Stockfish17.1's second choice, 37...Nxf5, provided Black sees the same ...Bh6 idea. Dragon1's second choice, 37...Qc2, is also probably winning.

38.Ne6 Bxd2 39.Nxc7

Why is Black winning despite being a pawn down?

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Black's bishops are more active than White's, and Black will be able to create an advanced passed pawn, against which White's pieces are not well-placed to contend, whereas Black's king is ideally situated to deal with White's extra kingside pawn.

39...Bc1?

But this is the wrong way to go about matters. After 39...b4 40.axb4 Bc1!, White is helpless, eg 41.Nb5 Bxb2 42.Bf2 a3 43.Nxa3 Bxa3, when Black's extra piece should prevail easily.

40.Nxb5 Bxb2 41.Bf2 Bd1!?

Possibly better is 41...Bc1 or 41...Kg7, in each case with full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines. They do not like the text when it is inputted, and for quite a few moves afterwards, but later judge that it is OK.

42.Bh4 Be2 43.Bxf6 Nc6

Not 43...Bxd3?? 44.Bxe7 Bxb5 45.g5, and if 45...d3, then simply 46.Bf3.

White has one move to maintain at least equality - everything else loses

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44.Na7?

Also losing is 44.g5? Bxd3 45.Nc7 Bxa3, and 44.Bg5? Bxd3 45.Nc7 Bxa3, and 44.Kg3? Bxd3 45.Nc7 Bxa3.

But the engines' 44.Kg1! is another story, eg 44...Bxd3? 45.Bf1! Bxe4 46.Bc4+ Kf8 47.Bg5! Na5 48.Be6 Nb7 49.f6 Bg6 50.Bh6+ Ke8 51.Bd5 Nd8 52.Nd6+ Kd7 53.Nc4 Bc3 54.Nxe5+ Kd6 55.f7, when White wins a piece.

So 44.Kg1! should be met with 44...Bc1!, eg 45.Bf1 Be3+ 46.Kg2 Bxg4, when the engines reckon Black has enough activity to make up for a being a pawn down.

44...Nxa7 45.Bxe5 Bxd3 46.Bd6 Be2 47.e5

Black to play and win ... or lose

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47...d3??

This turns an advantage worth +3.00, or possibly more, into a disadvantage worth more than -7.00. Instead, Black wins by attacking the white dark-square bishop with 47...Nb5 or 47..Nc8, or by taking control of the g8-a2 diagonal with 47...Bc4.

48.Bd5+ Kh7

Even worse is 48...Kg7? as that allows 49.f6+ with tempo.

White to play and win ... or lose

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49.Bc4??

Both 49.f6 and 49.Be4 win without any trouble.

49...Nc8 50.Kg3?

This does not help, but White should lose anyway after the engines' top choice, 50.Bc7, eg 50...Bxa3 51.g5 Bc1 52.g6+ Kh6 53.Kg2 Bf4 54.Kf2 Bg4! 55.Bxd3 a3 56.Bb1 Bxf5! 57.Ba2 Kxg6, after which Black will win White's last pawn, and so be up knight and pawn. White will eventually have to give up a piece for the a pawn, although Black may have to show how to win with king, bishop and knight versus king.

50...Nxd6 51.exd6 Be5+ 52.Kf2 Bxd6 53.g5 Bxa3 54.Ke3!?

This is Stockfish17.1's top choice, which means White's position is completely hopeless.

54...Bc1+ 55.Kd4 Bxg5 0-1

Weimar Round Five

Spanton (1939) - Erich Krüger (2033)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

6.Be3!? is a favourite of Ian Nepomniachtchi and Wesley So

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6...Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne2 Re8 9.Qd2!?

Castling is normal.

9...Qc7!?

Ensuring White can only castle short after moving a kingside pawn.

10.c4!?

Playing this without first spending a tempo on c3 is one of the points of 6.Be3!? However the engines suggest 10.h3 or 10.0-0-0!?

10...c5!

The problem with continuing development with, say, 10...Nd7, is White can reply 11.c5!, knocking Black's dark-square bishop off its best diagonal, which is worth it, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, despite giving up the d5 square.

How should White respond?

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11.dxc5!?

One point of this is White will be able to castle short without spending a tempo on moving a kingside pawn. 11.d5 is an obvious alternative, and the engines also suggest 11.h3 and 11.0-0-0!?, in all four cases with what they reckon is an equal position.

11...Bxc5 12.Bxc5 Qxc5 13.0-0 Nc6 14.b3!

The engines agree this apparent-novelty improves on the known 14.Rad1, when Borislav Praštalo (2222) - Nermin Haznadar (2044), Bosnia-Herzegovina Team Championship 2024, went 14...Bg4 15.Rde1!? Red8!?, with a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (but 1-0, 46 moves).

14...Bg4 15.h3?!

This spends a tempo encouraging Black to make a move he probably wanted to play anyway. Possibly best is 15.Nf4!?

15...Bxe2 16.Bxe2 Rad8 17.Qb2

Not 17.Qc2?? Nd4.

17...Nd4 18.Rfe1??

The engines suggest 18.Bd1!?, but Black has the initiative.

After 18.Rfe1?? it is Black to play and win

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18...Qe5!

Other moves, eg 18...Qa5, are also good, but the text leaves White busted.

19.Kf1

Or 19.Bf1 Nf3+ and 20...Qxb2.

19...Qh2 20.f3 Nf5!?

Simpler is 20...Nxe2 21.Rxe2 Rxe2, after which White loses at least a rook. However, the text also wins quickly.

21.Kf2

Objectively best, or, rather, least-worst, is 21.Bd3 Ne3+ 22.Rxe3 Rxe3 23.Be4 f5 24.Qf2!? Qh1+ 25.Qg1 Qxg1+ 26.Kxg1 fxe4, but clearly this is also hopeless.

21...Qg3+ 22.Kg1 Nh4 0-1

Miniatures 26

IN this occasional series I am going through my decisive games of 20 moves or fewer.

J Martin (140 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

London (Barbican) Rapid 1990

QGD Semi-Tarrasch

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nxd5!?

This occurs 143 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, and has been played by grandmasters, but more popular are 6.g3, 6.e3 and especially 6.e4.

6...Qxd5 7.e3 Nc6 8.Bb5 Bd7

Benoît Colin - Alexander Alekhine, Bern 1932, went 8...cxd4 8.Qxd4?? Qxb5 0-1.

9.0-0 cxd4 10.Bxc6

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 suggest making a gambit of it with 10.Qe2!?

10...Bxc6 11.Qxd4 Be7!?

Can White safely grab the g pawn?

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My opponent thought so, but he was wrong.

12.Qxg7? 0-0-0!?

Offering a second pawn, but it too is poisoned.

13.Qe5

The engines suggest 13.Re1 or 13.e4, but agree Black is winning.

13...Rhg8 14.Qxd5 Bxd5

Queens are off the board, but Black still has strong pressure against White's kingside, the obvious immediate threat being ...Bxf3.

15.Kh1

The engines give 15.e4!? Bxe4 16.Ne1, but 16...Rd1 leaves Black with a large advantage.

Black to play and win

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16...Rxg2!

Not the only way to win, but the most convincing.

17.Kxg2 Rg8+ 18.Kh3 Bxf3 0-1

Mate cannot be prevented.

LESSON: grabbing a pawn in front of your castled king often gives the opponent lots of compensation.

4NCL

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against a junior (born 2012) from Guildford Young Guns B in weekend three of the Four Nations Chess League Division Four.

Spanton (1928 ECF/1939 Fide) - Elijah De Lange (1840 ECF/1664 Fide)

Pirc

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.f4 Bg7 5.Nf3 c5!?

A well-known idea in the Pirc. The point is that after ...

6.dxc5

... Black does not have to recapture immediately.

6...Qa5 7.Bd3 Qxc5 8.Qe2 Bg4 9.Be3 Qb4!?

This is a rarely played alternative to the normal 9...Qa5.

How should White respond?

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10.0-0

Stockfish17.1 also likes 10.a3!? Qxb2 11.Kd2!?

10...Nbd7!?

This apparent-novelty is Stockfish17.1's top choice, at least for a while. Known moves are 10...0-0, 10...Nc6 and 10...Qxb2? The capture is bad because of the reply 11.Nb5, when 11...Na6 loses the black queen to 12.Rfb1.

11.a3 Qa5

Not 11...Qxb2?? 12.Na4.

12.b4!?

This makes the c pawn backward, but takes away the c5 square from the black queen's knight.

12...Qd8 13.Rad1 0-0

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

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White has more space and a lead in development, but Black has a solid position - one that looks as if it could have come from the Dragon Variation of the Sicilian. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge.

14.Qf2

The engines suggest 14.h3 or 14.Qe1!?

14...Bxf3!?

This is a common idea in the Pirc/Modern complex. Black gives up the light-square bishop for the white king's knight, usually as preparation for playing ...e5. Ideally, from a black perspective, the capture is provoked by White spending a tempo on playing h3. White has not done that here, but it could be argued 14.Qf2 is a similar spend of a tempo, in that after the text White is obliged to recapture on f3 with the queen.

15.Qxf3 a6 16.Rfe1

The engines claim White has at least a slight edge after 16.Ne2!? or 16.Nb1!?

16...Rc8 17.Nb1!? Qc7?!

This is strongly disliked by the engines. They reckon both 17...b5 and 17...Nb6 equalise.

18.c4 a5 19.Rc1 axb4 20.axb4 b6 21.Nc3 Ra8 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.cxd5 Qb7

How should White proceed?

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24.Rc6

Active and aggressive, but Black has counterplay. The engines suggest 24.Bb5.

24...Ra3 25.Bb5?

Too late. White still has chances of a small edge after 25.Qe2.

25...Bc3!?

The 'Dragon' bishop strikes.

What should White play?

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26.Rb1?!

Stockfish17.1 gives 26.Rc1!? Bd2 27.Bxd2 Rxf3 28.gxf3, which is the same as the game, except the white king's rook is on the open c file instead of passively placed behind the b4 pawn. Dragon1 comes to view both moves as equally good.

26...Bd2 27.Bxd2

There is nothing better.

27...Rxf3 28.gxf3

How would you assess this imbalanced middlegame?

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White has rook and two bishops for queen and knight. That is a material advantage for Black, but the bishop-pair and White's control of the c file give some compensation, although Black is still winning, according to the engines, which probably regard White's weakened king's position as significant.

28...Nb8!?

The engines prefer 28...Nf6.

29.Rc2

There is no good way to give up the exchange on c6.

29...Rc8 30.Ra2 Rc7 31.Rba1 Qc8 32.Ra8?

As with my 24th move, I play something that is active and aggressive, but fails to take into account my opponent's counterplay. Perhaps best is 32.Be1!?, Stockfish17.1's idea being to meet 32...Qh3 with 33.Bg3.

Black to play and win

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32...Rc2!

Other reasonable-looking moves allow White to more-or-less equalise, according to the engines.
33.Bc6?

Perhaps best is the retreat 33.R8a2, but then White has lost the initiative, and has no compensation for being material down and with an exposed king.

33...Rxd2 0-1

Black wins easily after 34.Rxb8 Qxb8 35.Ra8 Qxa8 38.Bxa8 Rb2.

The match was drawn 3-3.