Calvià Round Five

Looking to Magaluf from near the summit of Sa Morisca

Faced a Latvian.

Spanton (2035) - Vjačeslavs Verņuks (1784)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Be3!? Bd6 7.Bd3 Na6!?

Played quickly, and probably a sign of preparation - it is the top choice of Dragon1, although Stockfish18 suggests 7...Nd7 or the mainline 7...0-0.

8.a3 Qc7!?

But this seems to be a novelty, and a somewhat strange one as the black queen's knight is likely to want to use the c7 square, now White has prevented ...Nb4.

9.Ne2 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.c4 0-0 12.c5!?

This is the top choice of the engines.

12...Be7

White has kicked Black's dark-square bishop from its aggressive post at d6, but contracted a backward pawn, creating a hole at d5

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The engines reckon White has the upper hand.

13.Qa4 Bxe2

The engines strongly dislike 13...Nb8?!, claiming 14.Nf4 Bg6 15.Nxg6 gives White a positionally won game.

14.Bxe2 Nb8

The engines suggest 14...f5!?, reckoning 15.Bxa6 bxa6 16.Qxa6 f4 gives Black good compensation for a pawn, eg after 17.Bd2 Stockfish18 likes 17...Bxc5!? 18.dxc5 Qe5+ 19.Qe2 Qxb2 20.0-0 Rae8, when White has to give back the piece. However, instead of taking on a6 at move 15, the engines reckon castling (either side) gives White the upper hand.

15.0-0 Nd7 16.b4 f5 17.Rfd1 Nf6 18.Bf3 a6!?

This is both engines' top choice.

19.d5 cxd5 20.Bxd5 Nxd5

The engines reckon 20...f4!? 21.Bc1 Qe5!? 22.Bxb7!? Qxa1 23.Bxa8 Rxa8 24.Bxf4 Qa2 is equal, White's two pieces and better coordination balancing out Black's knight.

21.Rxd5 Bf6

The engines suggest 21...f4!?, meeting 22.Rd7 with 22...Qe5 23.Bd4 Qe6, when 24.Rxb7 Rad8 seems to give Black good compensation for a pawn. However, 22.Bd4!? is almost certainly an improvement, one point being 22...Rad8 can be met by 23.Be5.

22.Rad1

How should Black proceed?

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22...Rad8!?

Trying to hold on to the f pawn with 22...f4 can be met by 23.Rd7 Qb8 24.Bd4 Bxd4 25.Rxd4, with a dominating position for White. Perhaps marginally better than the text is 22...Qc6, but 23.Qc2 is very pleasant for White.

How should White proceed?

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23.Rxf5

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 23.Rxd8 Rxd8 24.Rxd8+ Qxd8 25.c6!? bxc6 26.Qxa6, creating a passed pawn, and leaving Black with a weak c pawn.

23...Be5

The engines suggest 23...Qc6 24.Qc2 (24.Qxc6?? Rxd1+) Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Rd8, although they give White the upper hand.

24.f4?

White is winning after a move such as 24.Re1, 24.Rd2 or 24.Rf3, according to the engines.

24...Rxd1+?

Missing 24...Qc6!, when the white queen has to retreat, eg 25.Qb3 (25.Qxc6?? Rxd1+) Qe6 26.Rxd8 Qxb3 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.Rxe5, when the black queen is better than White's rook, bishop and pawn, although Black has to be careful as 28...Qxa3? loses to 29.c6! White could instead play 25.Qc2, but 25...Bf6 is very strong as White has no good reply to the threat of winning the exchange with ...g6.
25.Qxd1 Rd8 26.Qb3 Bf6 27.Rd5

White is a sound pawn up

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27...Re8 28.Qd3 Qe7 29.Bf2 Qc7 30.Bg3 Rd8!?

Offering an exchange of rooks to relieve the pressure on the d file is the engines' top choice.

31.Rxd8+ Bxd8 32.f5 Qc8 33.Be5 Be7

The engines suggest 33...Bg5!?

34.Kh2 Qc6 35.Qd4 f6

Not 35...Bf8?? 36.Qd8.

36.Bf4 Kf8 37.Qd3 h6 38.Kg3 Ke8?!

Black can do little but wait, although the text, which is presumably aimed at having the king in position to combat White's pawn-majority, hardly helps.

39.Qf3 Qd7 40.Qe4

Threatens 41.Bd6.

40...Kd8 41.Kf3 Qd1+ 42.Kf2 Qd7 43.Ke3 Ke8

This barely worsens Black's position, according to Stockfish18, although Dragon1 is less impressed.

44.Bd6 1-0

Championship Chess

PLAYED last night in the first qualifying round of the Battersea club championship, which has a new format this season.

There are six dates for games before Christmas, after which players will be divided into three or four divisions for an additional seven possible games.

Last night's game turned out to be replete with sharp and somewhat unusual tactics.

Spanton (1953) - Stephen Welch (1411)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

Fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 6.Bc4, 6.Nf3 and especially 6.c3.

6...Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Ne2!?

Avoiding the pin that is available to Black after 8.Nf3.

8...Bg4!?

Pinning anyway! Normal is 8...Re8.

9.h3 Bh5

How should White proceed?

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10.Qd2

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 like castling and 10.c4!? After the latter, they reckon 10...Bb4+ 11.Kf1!? leaves White with at least a slight edge, a possible continuation being 11...Bd6!? 12.g4!? Bg6 13.h4 Bxd3 14.Qxd3 Re8 15.h5, reaching a an imbalanced position that the engines agree favours White.

10...Re8 11.0-0 Nd7 12.c4

One of the points of 6.Be3!? is to get in c4 without spending a a tempo on c3.

12...b6 13.b4!? Qc7?!

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 13...Bg6, albeit giving White a slight edge.

14.c5!?

Gaining space, but making the d pawn backward.

14...bxc5 15.dxc5?!

Almost certainly stronger is 14...bxc5!?, keeping Black's minor pieces out of the key e5 square, and prioritising dynamism over structure.

15...Be5

The engines give 15...Bh2+ 16.Kh1 Ne5, reckoning White has a slight edge at best.

16.Rab1 Rad8

SW offered a draw in my time.

How would you assess the position?

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White has the endgame advantage of a farside pawn-majority, but for now that is somewhat overshadowed by the activity of Black's pieces. Nevertheless the engines give White at least a slight edge.

17.f4?!

Premature.

How should Black respond?

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17...Bxe2

This is fine, but the engines highlight the strength of 17...Nxc5!, when 18.bxc5 (not 18.Bxc5?? Bxe2 19.Qxe2 Bd4+ etc) Bxe2 19.Qxe2 Bd4 leaves Black slightly better, the main line running 20.Bxh7+ (forced - 20.Rf3? loses to 20...Rxe3! 21.Rxe3 Qxf4 22.Re1 Re8) Kf8 21.Qh5 Rxe3.

18.Qe2?

Correct is 18.Bxe2, with a slight edge, according to the engines.

18...Bd4 19.Bxh7+?!

This works out well, but is objectively bad. The engines reckon White should sac the queen with 19.Bxd4!? Rxe2 20.Bxe2, when White has rook and two bishops for queen and knight, but may not be losing (the engines disagree).

Black to play and win

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19...Kxh7?

Both other king moves win, eg 19...Kf8 20.Rb3 Rxe3! 21.Rxe3 Re8 22.Rf3 Rxe3! 23.Rxe3 Qxf4.

20.Qh5+ Kg8 21.Bxd4

White is a pawn up, but Black has full compensation, according to the engines

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21...Re4 22.Rbd1

Black to play and fully equalise

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22...Rde8

The engines reckon Black had to find 22...Nf8!, when both the bishop and white f pawn are en prise, so the latter falls. The problem with immediately playing 22...Rxf4 is that, after 23.Rxf4 Qxf4 24.Bf2!, the knight is pinned. Play might continue 24...Qb8 25.b5!, when 24...Qxb5 25.Qf5 Qb7 26.Qd3 leaves White up about +4.00, while 24...Ne5 25.b6! axb6 26.cxb6 is also fatal for Black in the long run, according to the engines. However, it is probably fair to say finding quite a few of these moves would tax even masters, never mind club players.

23.g3?!

Probably the wrong way to hold on to the f pawn. Correct, according to the engines, is 23.Qf3 or 23.Qg4.

23...Re2?

The engines reckon Black is equal after moves such as 23...Nf8, 23...a5 and 23...Qb7.

White to play and win

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24.Rf2

24.Be5! wins the exchange.

24...g6?

White is a pawn up, but only slightly better, after 24...Re1+ or a retreat such as 24...R2e4, according to the engines.

25.Rxe2!

This is one of most clearly advantageous cases of giving up a queen for two rooks, but even so I was unsure about playing it - perhaps an example of how conditioned chessplayers are to venerate the queen.

25...gxh5 26.Rxe8+

White's advantage is roughly the equivalent of being up a rook (Stockfish18) or up almost a rook and a minor piece (Dragon1).

26...Kg7

This is apparently best, while if 26...Kh7, then 27.Bf2!? is strongest, according to the engines.

27.Re7

Now the knight falls.

27...Qc8 28.Rxd7! Kg6 29.Ba1 1-0

Bregenz Seniors Round Six

FACED a Swiss.

Spanton (1911) - Reinhard Döserich (1734)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Be3!? Bd6 7.Bd3 Be6

The main move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database is 7...0-0.

8.Ne2!? Nd7!?

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 marginally prefer this over the more popular 8...0-0.

9.Nf4!?

How should Black proceed?

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9...Qc7?

Spanton (1982) - Brian Hewson (2062), British 65+ Championship (Liverpool) 2025, went 9...Bxf4!? 10.Bxf4 Qb6 11.0-0!? Qxd4 12.Qd2 Ne5!, with advantage to Black, according to the engines (0-1, 72 moves). However, they reckon 11.Be3!? Qxb2 12.0-0 improves, awarding White full compensation for a pawn.

Also better than the text is 9...Bf5!?, the idea being 10.Bxf5 can be met by 10...Qa5+ and 11...Qxd5.

10.Nxe6 fxe6 11.Qh5+ Ke7 12.0-0-0

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

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White's safer king and bishop-pair add up to a positionally won game, according to the engines.

12...Rae8 13.Rhe1 Kd8!?

The queenside is the safest place for the black king.

14.Kb1 g6 15.Qh3 Nb6 16.Bd2!? Qf7 17.c4 Bc7 18.Bc3

The engines like 18.a4!?, one point being 18...Nxa4? loses to 19.c5!?

18...Kc8!?

This is the engines' top choice.

19.b3 Kb8!?

And again moving the king is engine-approved.

20.Qf3 Rhf8 21.a4!? Nd7 22.a5

The engines suggest 22.c5!?, or 22.Bb4 and then c5.

22...a6

The engines reckon Black can ignore White's advancing a pawn in favour of counterplay in the centre, eg 22...e5!? 23.d5 cxd5 24.Qxd5!? Qxd5 25.cxd5 Bd6, assessing Black's position as only slightly worse. If, instead of pushing the d pawn, White tries 23.a6, the engines give 23...exd4 24.Bxd4 Ne5, after which White loses the bishop-pair, and the white king's position is looking airy.

23.Bb4

How should Black respond?

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23...Rg8

The engines suggest sacrificing the exchange with 23...e5!? 24.Bxf8 Qxf8, eg 25.Bc2 Qa3 26.Re2 f5!? 27.Qc3 e4, after which Black will probably pick up the a5 pawn at some stage, and have what is probably the safer king in a position with opposite-colour bishops. The engines give White a slight edge, but the position is double-edged and difficult to play for both sides.

24.Be4 Ka7

The engines like 24...Kc8!? or 24...g5!?, but give White at least the upper hand.

How should White proceed?

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25.Bxc6! bxc6

The engines reckon it is better not to take the bishop, but then Black is a pawn down and with a bad position.

26.Qxc6 Rc8?!

Best, according to the engines, is something like 26...Bf4 27.d5 exd5 28.Rxe8 Qxe8 29.Qxd5, but Black is losing either the knight or the bishop, after which White will be two pawns up and with a continuing attack.

27.Rxe6 1-0

Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen III

CAPTURING with check nearly always improves your position, often dramatically, and is rarely bad.

It was just my luck that my round-three game in the Bad Wörishofen seniors featured an exception to this usually reliable rule.

The following position was reached after 11 moves of a Caro-Kann Tartakower.

Achim Heller (2045) has just played 11...b5!?

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Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White has at least a slight edge after 12.c5.

I intended playing c5, but first played 12.Qc2, thinking I was gaining a tempo thanks to the threat of capturing on h7 with check.

But my opponent 'overlooked' the threat, as I thought, by replying 12...bxc4!

I annotated this as !? in my original post, but really the move deserves an unadorned exclamation mark.

According to the engines, I should have replied 13.Bxc4, with an equal game.

Instead I played 13.Bxh7+ Kh8 14.Ng3!? with a sharp position where, as AH pointed out after the game, 14...g6 is simply good for Black.

The engines reckon White should prefer 14.Be4 or 14.Rae1!?, but agree Black has a slight edge either way.

I still find it hard to believe 13.Bxh7+ is not the best move in the position - there cannot be many examples of such a phenomenon.

Bad Wörishofen Senioren Round Three

Spanton (1919) - Achim Heller (2045)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Be3!? Na6!?

The main move is 6...Bd6, but the text has been played by Magnus Carlsen.

How should White respond?

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7.a3

This is the main continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database. Either the text or 7.c3 is obligatory if White wishes to play Bd3 without the bishop being harassed by ...Nb4. The move c3 is common in the Tartakower Variation of the Caro-Kann, usually played at move six. But one of the main points of 6.Be3!? is to allow c4 without spending a tempo on c3, hence the text. The radical alternative, 7.Bxa6!?, does not, contrary to first impressions, damage Black's pawn-structure as Black can reply 7...Qa5+!

7...Bd6 8.Bd3 0-0 9.Ne2!?

9.Nf3 allows the pinning ...Bg4, although that is not necessarily a bad thing for White.

9...Re8 10.0-0

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

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There are 30 examples of the position in Mega26, with both sides' setups being fairly typical for the Tartakower Variation, except that the white dark-square bishop is somewhat passively placed, and the black queen's bishop seems a little out of place in that it normally heads for the kingside via d7. Dragon1 gives White a slight edge, and Stockfish17.1 comes to agree if given enough time.

10...Nc7

Ian Nepomniachtchi (2771) - Carlsen (2830), World Blitz Championship (Samarkand, Uzbekistan) 2023, went 10...Bg4 11.Qd2 Nc7 12.c4 Bxe2!? 13.Bxe2 f5 with an equal game, according to the engines (½–½, 37 moves) They suggest 11.h3, 11.Re1 and 11.Bxa6!? as possible improvements.

11.c4 b5!? 12.Qc2

The engines much prefer the thematic 12.c5, a move that does not appear in Mega26.

12...bxc4!? 13.Bxh7+

The engines prefer 13.Bxc4.

13...Kh8 14.Ng3!?

Samuel Zenelaj (2290) - Yixing Wu (2151), Hvar (Croatia) 2023, continued 14.Be4 Nd5 15.Nc3 Rb8, with a slight edge for Black, according to the engines (½–½, 25 moves).

14...Bxg3!?

The engines reckon 14...g6 15.Bxg6 fxg6 16.Qxg6 Qe7 gives Black the upper hand.

15.hxg3 Nd5 16.Be4 g6 17.Rfe1 Kg7

How should White proceed?

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18.Qxc4??

The position is equal after a move such as 18.Bd2, 18.Rac1 or 18.Qc1!?, according to the engines.

18...Rxe4 19.Bh6+

Not 19.Qxc6? Bf5.

19...Kxh6 20.Rxe4

Giving up two bishops for rook and pawn is rarely a good deal, and this is no exception as White's remaining pieces cannot easily get at the black king, and meanwhile the black knight has an unchallengeable central outpost.

20...g5 21.f4?!

Almost certainly an improvement is 21.Qxc6, although Black has a comfortable advantage after both 21...Bf5 and 21...Be6.

21...gxf4 22.Qxc6 Bf5 23.Re5 Be6 24.Rxe6!?

There is nothing better.

24...fxe6 25.Qxe6 Qg8 26.Qh3+ Kg7 27.Qd7+ Qf7 28.Qg4+

AH now tried to play 28...Re8, until I pointed out he was in check.

28...Kf8 29.fxg4

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

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White has three pawns for a knight, and the slightly safer king, but the black king is not easily got at. The engines agree Black is winning.

29...Re8 30.Rc1 Qe7

Threatening to win White's rook with 30...Qe3+.

31.Qh3 Qe3+?!

Not 31...Nxf4?? 32.Qh6+, but the engines reckon Black should go after White's pawn weaknesses with 31...Qe4.

32.Qxe3 Rxe3

32...Nxe3 may be slightly better.

What should White play?

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33.Rc8+?

33.Rc5 keeps Black's edge to a minimum, eg 33...Nxf4 can be met by 34.Rf5. The engines give 33...Ne7 34.Ra5, with good drawing chances.

33...Kf7 34.Rd8?!

Perhaps 34.f5 is best, but Black is winning, according to the engines.

34...Nxf4 35.d5 Re7 36.d7 Rb7 37.b4 Ke6 38.Kf2 Rd7 39.Re8+

The engines reckon exchanging rooks increases Black's advantage.

39...Kxd6 40.g4 Ne6 41.Ke3 Ke5 42.Ra8 Rg7 43.b5 Nc7!? 44.Rb8

Not 44.Rxa7? Nd5+ and 45...Rxa7.

44...Rxg4 45.Rb7 Nd5+ 46.Kf2 Ra4 0-1

Mural of St Christopher unwittingly carrying the Christ-child across a river

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

League Chess

PLAYED on board five (of eight) for Battersea against East Ham in London League Division Two last night.

Spanton (1904) - Aakarsch Boswan (1982)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

This is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but is liked by Stockfish17.1, along with the commonest continuation, 6.c3. Dragon1 likes 6.c3 and 6.h3!?

6...Bd6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.Nf3 Re8 9.0-0

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

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Appearances can be deceptive. White has the only pawn on the two central files, which is also the only pawn on a fourth rank, and White, unlike Black, has an undamaged pawn-majority, but the engines reckon the position is equal. Wikipedia tries to explain this paradox by explaining that ...exf6 "offers Black rapid development," which is true, but there is no reason why Black's development should be any more rapid than White's.

9...Nd7 10.c4 Nf8 11.Re1 Bg4 12.Be2!?

This position occurs 13 times in Mega26, but in each case with White to move, when the engines reckon White is slightly better

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12...Qd7

White's loss of a tempo gives Black equality, according to the engines, and the text is Stockfish17.1's top choice, although Dragon1 suggests 12...Ne6 or 12...Bb4!?

13.Qd2 Ng6 14.Rad1 Qf5

How should White proceed?

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15.c5!

The engines agree this is the only way to avoid a disadvantage.

Disastrous would be 13.h3? Bxh3! as 14.gxh3? Qxh3 wins for Black thanks to the threatened ...Nh4. Also losing is 15.Bd3? Qh5, when White has no good answer to 16...Bxf3, while the immediate 15.d5?!, which, like the text, also aims for central counterplay, is well-met by 15...c5.

15...Bc7 16.d5 cxd5 17.Qxd5 Qxd5 18.Rxd5

Now the queens are off the board, how should Black proceed?

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18...Nf4

Black still has kingside pressure.

The main alternative is 18...Be6, when 19.Rd3 Bxa2!? wins a pawn, but 20.b3 traps the bishop. However, after 20...Rad8 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Bc4 Black can try 22...Ne5 or 22...Be5, with an unclear position that Stockfish17.1 reckons gives equal chances, but Dragon1 reckons favours White.

19.Rd2 Nxe2+ 20.Rdxe2 Bxf3!? 21.gxf3

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

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White's pawn-minority has been smashed, but that is probably not as serious as it looks as White will in any case be defending on the kingside. Meanwhile White has a healthy farside pawn-majority, which for quite some time Dragon1 reckons gives White an edge, but the engine comes to agree with Stockfish17.1 that the position is equal.

21...Re6 22.Bd2 Rae8 23.Re4 f5 24.R4e3 Be5 25.b4 Bd4 26.Rxe6 Rxe6 27.Kg2?!

Best may be 27.Kf1.

27...Kf8?!

The engines give Black the upper hand after 27...Rxe1 28.Bxe1 Kf8.

28.Rxe6 fxe6

What should White play?

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29.f4!

This puts a fifth white pawn on a dark square, which is normally not a good idea in an ending when both sides have dark-square bishops. However, the engines agree f4 is the best move in the position, one point being 29.Kf1 is well-met by 29...e5.

29...Ke7 30.Be3!?

How should Black proceed?

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30...Bxe3!?

The engines reckon this results in a completely equal pawn ending, whereas 30...e5!? gives Black at least a slight edge, eg 31.fxe5 Bxe3! (31...Bxe5 is only equal, according to the engines) 32.fxe3 Ke6 33.Kf3 Kxe5, when Black's more-active king makes the black position easier to play, but the game should probably be drawn.

31.fxe3 Kd7?

The engines suggest 31..a6 or 31...b6.

White has one winning move - everything else loses

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32.b5!

The plausible 32.Kf3 Kc6 33.a4 loses to 33...a5 (33...Kd5 also wins), while 32.a4 Kc6 leads to similar results.

32...e5!?

Standing pat with, say, 32...Ke7 33.Kf3 Kd7 lets the white king manoeuvre to the queenside and force through a passed pawn, eg 34.Ke2 h6 35.h4 g6 36.Kd3 etc.

33.fxe5 g5

Or 33...Ke6 34.c6 bxc6 35.bxc6, when Black cannot capture on e5.

34.Kf3 h6 35.h3 h5 36.a4 a6!?

Black is lost anyway, eg 36...g4+ 37.hxg4 fxg4 38.Kf4 Ke6 39.a5 Kd7 40.c6+!? bxc6 41.b6 etc.

37.c6+ bxc6 38.bxa6 1-0

The match was drawn 4-4.

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         

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

BCC - Battersea club championship

League Chess

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

Spanton (1891) - Hassan Mugalu (1866)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

6.Be3!? is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 6.Bc4, 6.Nf3 and especially 6.c3

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6...Be7

This bishop normally goes to d6.

7.Bd3

One of the ideas of 6.Be3!? is to play 7.Bd3 without spending a tempo on c3.

7...Nd7 8.Nf3 0-0 9.0-0

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

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White has a small edge in development, the only pawn on the fourth rank, and a queenside pawn-majority that could be significant in an ending. Black's kingside majority makes his king extra-safe, and gives middlegame attacking chances. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White is slightly better.

9...Re8!?

The engines agree this apparent-novelty is an improvement on the known 9...Nb6.

10.Re1 Nf8 11.Nh4!? g6 12.Nf3

The engines are not keen on this knight manoeuvre, which has cost two tempi. Admittedly Black's 11...g6 creates a hole at h6, but is a useful move for supporting ...f5 and/or ...h5.

12...Ne6 13.c4

This is another point of 6.Be3!? - to get in c4 without spending a tempo on c3.

13...f5

The engines suggest 13...Ng7!? or 13...Bb4.

14.Qd2 a5

The engines point out that possible is 14...f4!? 15.Bxf4 Nxd4, although after 16.Nxd4 Qxd4 17.Be5 they prefer White, albeit not by much.

15.a3 a4 16.Rad1 Bf6 17.Bb1 Bd7 18.Ba2

The engines like the immediate 18.d5!?

18...Qa5 19.Qc2?

The engines suggest 19.Qxa5 Rxa5 20.g3.

How should Black proceed?

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19...Rad8

Missing 19...Nxd4!, when 20.Nxd4 Bxd4 wins a pawn as capturing again on d4 is not possible, thanks to Black's pressure against e1. Slightly better may be 20.Bxd4!?, but 20...Bxd4 21.Rxe8+ Rxe8 22.Qd2 Qxd2 23.Rxd2 c5 pockets a pawn, and temporarily wins the bishop-pair. However, while Dragon1 reckons the resulting position is winning for Black, Stockfish17.1 awards Black only a slight edge.

20.Bd2 Qa7 21.Bc3?

The engines give 21.c5!?, claiming a slight edge for White.

How should Black proceed?

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21...Ng5

Missing 21...Nxd4!, eg 22.Nxd4 Bxd4 23.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 Qxd4, when Black has a pawn and, according to the engines, the upper hand. This time, capturing first with the bishop makes no difference as 22.Bxd4 Rxe1+ 23.Rxe1 Bxd4 24.Nxd4 Qxd4 is merely a transposition.

22.Nxg5 Bxg5 23.d5 Rxe1+ 24.Rxe1 b5?

Lashing out in a difficult position rarely works, and this is no exception. Best, according to the engines, is 24...cxd5 25.cxd5 Qb6, but they give White at least a slight edge after 26.h3 or 26.h4! (26...Bxh4? 27.Qd2!).

25.Qe2 bxc4?

This make matters worse by helping improve the white queen.

26.Qxc4 cxd5 27.cxd5 Be6

White to play and win

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28.Rxe6!?

Also winning is 28.Qe5.

28...fxe6

Not 28...Rxd5? 29.Re8#, but relatively best may be 28...Qc7, although White has several winning moves, including the picturesque 29.Re1!?
29.Qxe6+ Kf8 30.Qg8+ Qf7 31.Qf7+ 1-0

After the forced 31...Kd6 the black king blocks Black's threat of back-rank mate, making 32.Qxa7 possible.

Battersea defaulted on top board; the match was drawn 2.5-2.5

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

CLL: Central London League

LL: London League

League Chess

PLAYED on board one (of five) for Battersea 3 against West London in Central London League Division Three last night.

Spanton (1936) - Charles Sturt (1797)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

This is fourth in popularity, behind 6.Bc4, 6.Nf3 and especially 6.c3. One idea is to get in c4 without spending a tempo on c3.

6...Bd6 7.Bd3 Qc7 8.Ne2 0-0

Not 8...Bxh2?? 9.g3 etc.

9.h3 Re8 10.0-0

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

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White has the only pawn on the two central files, but the main difference between the two sides is probably White's superior pawn-structure - superior, that is, for an ending. In the middlegame Black's kingside pawn-mass makes the black king very safe and could be used as part of a kingside attack. Nevertheless Stockfish17 and Dragon1 give White a slight edge.

10...Nd7 11.Re1

This may be a novelty. Known moves are 11.c4 and 11.Qd2.

11...Nf8 12.c4 Be6

How should White proceed?

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13.Rc1

The engines suggest 13.c5!?, pushing Black's dark-square bishop off the b8-h2 diagonal, but ceding the d5 square.

13...Qd7 14.Nf4 Bf5 15.Qc2 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 Rad8

Both sides have centralised their rooks, and the position is equal, according to the engines

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17.Red1 Ne6 18.Nxe6 fxe6

CS spent quite a long time considering 18...Qxe6!?, but rejected it because of 19.Re1. The engines marginally prefer the text.

19.Qb3 Rb8 20.Rc3 Qc7 21.g3 Qb6 22.Qc2 Qa5!? 23.Kg2 Rd7

Not 23...Qxa2?? as 24.Ra3 traps the black queen.

24.Rd3 Red8 25.Ra3 Qc7 26.Qe4 Qd6 27.Rad3

Almost certainly not 27.Bf4?! e5.

27...f5!? 28.Qh4 Re8 29.Bf4 Qe7 30.Qxe7 Rdxe7 31.Bxb8 Rxb8

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

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Black has a backward e pawn, but White's d pawn is also weak in that it cannot be protected by a friendly pawn. The engines reckon the position is equal.

32.f4 h6 33.h4 g5!?

Neither engine likes this at first, but Stockfish17 comes to be fine with it.

34.hxg5 hxg5 35.fxg5 Kg7?!

The engines prefer 35...Rg7, eg 36.Re1 Kf7 37.Rde3 Rg6, with equality, according to Stockfish17, although Drgaon1 gives White a slight edge.

36.Kf3 Kg6

The engines suggest 36...b5 or 36...Rd8.

37.Re1?!

I rejected 37.Kf4 because of 37...Rh8, but the engines give White at least a slight edge after, for example, 38.a4 Rh2 39.R1d2 Rh1!? 40.Re2 Rc1 41.Rde3.

37...Kg5 38.Rde3 Rd8 39.Rxe6 Rxe6 40.Rxe6 Rxd4

Who, if anyone, has an edge in this endgame?

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The position is completely equal, according to the engines, but it is arguable Black's position is easier to play, thanks to the king and kingside pawn being more advanced, and the rook already hitting an unprotected pawn.

41.Re7 Rd3+ 42.Ke2

Losing is 42.Kg2? Rd2+ 43.Kf3 Rxb2. Dragon1 for quite some time reckons 42.Kf2!? also loses, but comes to agree with Stockfish17 that 42...Rd2+ 43.Re2 Rxe2+ 44.Kxe2 Kg4 45.Kf2 holds.

42...Rxg3 43.Rxb7 Kf4 44.Rxa7 Rg2+ 45.Kf1 Rxb2 46.c5!?

This comes to be liked by Stockfish17, along with moves such as 46.Rc7 and 46.a4, but Dragon1 strongly disapproves.

46...Rc2

Dragon1's idea is 46...Ke3, when I intended 47.Ra3+. After the further 47...Kd4 48.Ra4+ Kd5!? (this is the engines' choice) 49.Rf4, White seems OK. If 48...Kxc5 the Syzygy endgame tablebase shows White has a draw with both 49.a3!? and 49.Ke1!?, but 49.Ra5+? loses to 49...Kb6! 50.Rxf5?! (50.Ra8 seems to put up more resistance) Rxa2.

47.a4 Kf3

Which way should the white king go?

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48.Ke1

Going to the 'short side' with 48.Kg1? is quickly fatal, eg 48...Rc1+ 49.Kh2 f4 50.a5 Rxc5 51.a6 Rh5+!? 52.Kg1 Ra5 53.Ra8 Ra1+ 54.Kh2 Kf2 55.a7 f3, reaching a position that occurs in the game, except that in the game the white king is on d2 rather than h2, and so well-placed to intercept the c pawn.

48...Rxc5 49.a5 f4 50.a6 Ra5 51.Ra8 Ra1+ 52.Kd2 Kf2 53.a7 f3 54.Kc3 c5

The c pawn is doomed anyway.

55.Kc4 Ra5 56.Kd5 Kf1 57.Rf8 Rxa7 58.Rxf3+ Ke2 59.Rc3 Ra5 ½–½

Battersea 3 won the match 3-2.

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

CLL: Central London League

British 65+ Championship Round Four

Spanton (1947 ECF/1982 Fide) - Brian Hewson (2097 ECF/2062 Fide)

Caro-Kann Tartakower

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

There are 821 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database. One of the ideas is to possibly dispense with the move c3.

How should Black respond?

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6...Be6

The main continuation in Mega25 is 6...Bd6, which is also liked by Stockfish17 and Dragon1. They also like 6...Na6!?

7.Bd3 Bd6 8.Ne2!? Nd7 9.Nf4!?

This involves a positional pawn sacrifice. The engines prefer 9.0-0 or 9.c4.

9...Bxf4 10.Bxf4 Qb6

How should White proceed?

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11.0-0!?

Effectively making it a double-pawn sacrifice. This is a slight improvement, according to the engines, on Alejandro Pablo Marin (2455) - Salvador Armengol Navrro (2260), Catalonia Team Championship 1999, which went 11.c3!? Qxb2 12.Bd2 Nb6 13.0-0 0-0, when White did not seem to have enough for a pawn, although the game was drawn in 61 moves.

However, best, according to the engines, is 11.Be3!?, eg 11...Qxb2 12.0-0 Qa3!?, with an unclear position but one in which they reckon White has decent compensation for a pawn.

11...Qxd4 12.Qd2

The engines suggest 12.Qc1!?, and if, as in the game, 12...Ne5, then 13.Rd1 0-0-0!?, when Stockfish17 reckons White has enough for a pawn, but Dragon1 disagrees.

12...Ne5!

Grabbing the b pawn is possible, but the engines agree the text is best.

13.Be3 Qd6

The engines prefer either taking on b2, or 13...Qh4!?

14.Rad1?!

The wrong rook, according to the engines, whereas after 14.Rfd1 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Qxd3 16.Rxd3 White has enough for a pawn (Stockfish17) or is only slightly worse (Dragon1).

14...Nxd3 15.Qc3?

Not 15.Qxd3?! Qxd3 16.Rxd3? as, in contrast to the previous note, Black has the skewer 16...Bc4. However the engines' 15.Rfe1 is an improvement.

After 15...Qc3? it is Black to play and gain a winning advantage

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15...Nf4!

Black also has at least a slight edge after 15...Bf5, but the text is much stronger.

16.Rxd6

Forced.

16...Ne2+ 17.Kh1 Nxc3 18.bxc3 Bxa2 19.Bc5!?

The engines fluctuate between the text and 19.Ra1 Bd5 20.Bc5 a5!? 21.Re1+ Be6 22.Rb1 0-0 23.Rxb7 a4 24.Ba3 Rfe8, which they also assess as winning for Black.

19...Be6 20.Ra1 0-0

20...a5 21.Rb1 is a transposition to the previous note.

21.Rxa7!? Rxa7 22.Bxa7 Ra8 23.h3 h6

Not 23...Rxa7?? 24.Rd8#.

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

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Black is a pawn up, but the extra pawn is doubled and part of a majority that cannot create a passer by normal means. There are also opposite-coloured bishops, which means Black must be careful to only allow an exchange of rooks if the resulting bishop ending is clearly winning. However, White's c2 pawn is chronically weak and cannot be defended in the long run. The engines agree Black is winning, but reckon Black's advantage is worth less than a minor piece.

24.Bb6 Ra6 25.Rd8+ Kh7 26.Bd4 Ra4 27.Bb6 Rc4 28.Ba5 Bd5 29.Rd7 b6!? 30.Bb4

Or 30.Bxb6 Rxc3 and 31...Rxc2.

30...Re4 31.Rd6

Black also wins after 31.Re7 c5!? 32.Rxe4 Bxe4 33.Ba3 Kg6, with ...Bxc2 to come, according to the engines.

31...Re2?

Better first is 31...b5.

32.c4 Bxc4 33.Rxc6 b5 34.Bxc5 Rxc2

Despite the slip at move 31, the engines reckon Black is still winning

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35.Rb6 Kg6 36.Bf8??

This 'only' loses a pawn, but the loss of f2 turns the assessment from a little over +2.00 in Black's favour to more than +4.50.

36...Rxf2 37.Kg1 Rb2 38.g3 h5 39.h4 Bd5 40.Kf1 Rb3 41.Kf2!? Rf3+ 42.Ke1 Rxg3 43.Rxb5 Bc4 44.Rb2 Rh3?!

Black is winning comfortably after this, according to the engines, but the text makes the ending less straightforward than it should be.

45.Rg2+ Kf5 46.Bxg7 Rh1+!? 47.Kd2 Rxh4 48.Ke3?

Better is 48.Rf2+ as 48...Rf4? 49.Rxf4+ Kxf4 50.Bxf6 is drawn, eg 50...Kg3 51.Be5+ Kg2 Bf6 etc. However the engines reckon 48...Kg4 49.Bxf6 Rh3! wins.

48...Re4+ 49.Kd2 h4 50.Rf2+ Rf4 51.Ke3 Rxf2 52.Kxf2 Kg5

This is the only winning move, according to the Syzygy endgame tablebase, but it is obvious enough.

53.Kg2 Bd5+ 54.Kh3 Be6+ 55.Kg2 f5 56.Be5 f4 57.Bc7 Kg4 58.Bb6 Bd5+ 59.Kh2 h3 60.Bc5 Bg2 61.Kg1 Kf3 62.Bf2!? Ke2

Not 62...h2+?? 63.Kxh2 Kxf2 stalemate.

63.Bg3!? Kf3 64.Bf2 Kg4 65.Kh2 Bd5 66.Bg1 Be6 67.Bc5 Kf3 68.Kg1 Ke2 69.Bd6 f3 70.Bg3 f2+ 71.Bxf2 h2+ 0-1