Miniatures 37

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

Spanton (147 BCF) - A Darrington (?)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

Pirc

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be2!?

A modest continuation, but it develops a piece, and has been played by many grandmasters, including Garry Kasparov. One idea is to play a quick Be3, without fearing ...Ng4.

How should Black respond?

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4...e6!?

The main move is 4...Bg7. Stockfish17 and Dragon1 do not like the text, which is not in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.

5.Nf3 Bg7 6.Bg5 0-0!? 7.Qd2 Nc6 8.0-0-0

White's large lead in development and greater space give a positionally won game, according to the engines

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8....Bd7?

The engines suggest 8...a6 or 8...d7.

9.h4

Even stronger is 9.e5.

9...Qb8 10.h5 Ng4 11.hxg6!? Nxf2?

This forks White's rooks, but Black has to play 11...fxg6 to have any sort of chance of escaping defeat.

12.Rxh7 f6?!

Again ...fxg6 is better, but still losing.

13.Bh6 1-0

LESSON: there are many mainstream defences in which Black falls well-behind in development or space, but none, as far as I know, in which Black falls behind in both.

Miniatures 36

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

D Jerome (101 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

King's Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 Bc5 3.Nf3 d5!? 4.fxe5? dxe4

How can White keep damage to a minimum?

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5.d4?

The engines give 5.Ng5!, when, after 5...Qxg5 6.d4 Qh4+!? 7.g3 Qe7 8.dxc5 Qxe5, White is a pawn down, but at least has the bishop-pair.

5...exf3 6.dxc5

At first glance White might seem OK, but the white queen cannot be saved

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6...f2+ 7.Ke2 Bg4+ 0-1

LESSON: in the King's Gambit, White is particularly sensitive on the h4-e1 diagonal.

Miniatures 35

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

William Watson (239 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1991

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Be7!?

This has been largely superseded by 5...Nd6, heading for a Berlin Wall.

6.dxe5

Most popular is 6.Qe2.

6...0-0 7.Qe2 d5 8.Rd1 Re8?

Probably a novelty, and not in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database. Known moves are 8...a6 and 8...Bg4.

How should White proceed?

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9.c4

The logical follow-up to 8.Rd1.

9...Be6 10.cxd5

Even stronger. according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, is 10.Be3.

10...Bxd5 11.Bd3?!

This seems to throw away White's advantage, whereas 11.Bf4 gives the upper hand, according to the engines.

What should Black play?

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11...Nc5!

An only-move (11...f5? 12.Bc4), but it gives complete equality, according to the engines.

How should White continue?

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12.Bc2??

Even grandmasters can blunder (Watson was awarded the title in 1990). The bishop could have been safely preserved by 12.Bb5 or 12.Bf5, but not the text.

12...Bxf3! 13.Qxf3 Nxe5??

Turning a win into a loss, whereas 13...Nd4 (13...Qc8!? is good enough for equality, according to the engines) leaves White without a good answer, eg 14.Qg4 Nxc2! 15.Rxd8 Raxd8, when Black gets more than enough for a queen. Another line given by the engines runs 14.Bxh7+!? Kxh7 15.Qh3+ Kg8 16.Nc3 Nce6, when White has nowhere near enough for a knight.

14.Qh3 Bd6?!

Other moves are a little better, but still losing.

15.Qxh7+ Kf8 16.Qh8+ Ke7 17.Qxg7 Kd7 18.Bg5 Qc8 19.Bf5+ Ne6 20.Qxe5 1-0

LESSON: a GM rarely gives a club player the chance to claim his scalp, but if the chance is not immediately taken, it is unlikely to be repeated.

Miniatures 32

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

R White (?) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapidplay 1990

King's Indian Attack

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d3!?

White, going first, can afford liberties like this, which may be why the position after 3.d3!? occurs 4,216 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with players on the white side including Nimzowitsch, Capablanca, Barcza, Benko, Shirov, Ehlvest, Topalov and Gukesh. Perhaps the idea is to take the opponent out of book, but it is also possible, as happens in this game, to transpose into lines of the King's Indian Attack with a quick g3.

3...Nf6 4.Nbd2 Be7 5.g3 d6

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon 5...d5 gives Black a slight edge.

6.Bg2 Bg4 7.0-0 Qd7!?

Raising the spectre of opposite-side castling

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8.Re1 0-0!?

Cold feet? I cannot recall, but, for what it is worth, the engines are not keen on castling on either side at this point, suggesting instead 8...h5!?

9.c3 Ne8!?

Probably a novelty - the move is not in Mega26.

10.Nf1 Bh3 11.d4 Bxg2 12.Bxg2 exd4

How should White recapture?

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13.Nxd4!? 

Dragon1 prefers 13.cxd4, but Stockfish17.1 fluctuates between the two moves.

13...Nf6 14.h3 Rfe8 15.Nf5!?

The engines strongly dislike this, preferring 15.Bf4 or 15.f3!?

15...Bf8

Preserving the bishop-pair and unmasking pressure against e4. The engines now suggest 16.c4, albeit awarding Black a slight edge.

16.Qg4?? 0-1

RW resigned without waiting for 16...Nxg4.

LESSON: blunders do not come much bigger than putting the queen en prise, but there is always an underlying cause for such moves, and here I suggest it was a case of concentrating so much on one's own threats that the opponent's possibilities were overlooked.

Miniatures 31

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

P Orn (150 BCF) - Spanton (147 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapidplay 1990

QGD

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Be2!?

This has been played by grandmasters, but trails 7.cxd5, 7.Qc2, 7.Bd3 and especially 7.Rc1 in popularity.

7...dxc4!?

Offering a transposition, which is accepted, to 7.Bd3 lines.

8.Bxc4

This position occurs 2,244 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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8...Nd5!? 9.Bxe7 Nxe7 10.0-0

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

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White's extra central space and lead in development give a slight edge, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

10...c5 11.Qc2 cxd4 12.Nxd4 b6?

Better is 12...Nf6.

How can White exploit Black's last move?

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13.Qe4

White has the upper hand after this, according to the engines, but they prefer 13.R(either)-d1 and 13.Bxe6!? fxe6 14.Nxe6  Qe8 15.Nc7 etc.

13...Rb8 14.Bd3

Again the engines like R(either)-d1, but not 14.Bxe6?? as Black has 14...Nc5.

14...Nf6 15.Qf4 Bb7 16.Bc2 Ned5 17.Nxd5 Qxd5 18.f3??

Spotting one threat (18...Qxg2#), but missing:

18...e5

The game finished:

19.Be4 exf4 0-1

LESSON: don't stop thinking when you have spotted an opponent's threat - the most dangerous moves have more than one idea.

Miniatures 28

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

Spanton (147 BCF) - William Upton (?)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1990

Nimzowitsch Defence

1.e4 Nc6 2.d4 Nf6?!

There are 200 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but Black already has a lost game, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1

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3.Nc3!?

There seems no good reason not to play 3.d5.
3...d5 4.e5

This is a relatively mainstream position, reached 897 times in Mega26

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4...Bg4??

Normal is 4...Nd7, as played by Magnus Carlsen, although Edgar Colle back in 1925 preferred 4...Ng8.

5.f3 Bh5 6.exf6 gxf6 7.Bd3 Bh6?? 8.Bxh6 Nxd4 9.Bb5+ Qd7?? 10.Bxd7+ Kxd7 11.Qxd4 Rag8!? 12.Qxd5+ Ke8 13.0-0-0 e6 14.Qd8#

LESSON: for once I am lost for words.

Miniatures 23

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

Spanton (151 BCF) - David Sands (191 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1990

French Exchange

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.Be3 Bd6 7.Nc3 Nge7 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4!? Bg6 10.h4!?

Not in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database. Known moves are 10.Bxg6, 10.Qd2, 10.a3 and 10.Ng5?!

How should Black proceed?

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10...Qd7

This is best, according to Stockfish17, although Dragon1 prefers 10...Bxd3 11.Qxd3, and then 11...Qd7.

11.Rg1 0-0-0 12.h5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 f5! 14.gxf5 Nb4

What should White play?

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15.Qd2?

White had to play 15.Qe2, covering f3 as well as c2. If Black replies, as in the game, 15...Qxf5, White has 16.0-0-0 with what the engines reckon is an equal game.

15...Qxf5 16.Nh4?

This makes it easy for Black, but if 16.Ke2, then 16...Rhf8, eg 17.Ne1 Qxh5+ 18.Kf1 Nf5 19.Nd1 Rde8 20.c3 Nc6, after which Black is 'only' a pawn up, but according to the engines has an advantage worth much more than a rook.

16...Nxc2+ 17.Kd1 Nxe3+ 18.Qxe3 Qxh5+ 19.Nf3 Rhf8 0-1

LESSON: the vulnerability of hangers, ie pieces that are unprotected, is often the basis of a combination.

Miniatures 19

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

Spanton (151 BCF) - Geoffrey Stearn (158 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1990

Spanish Schliemann

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.Qe2!?

This is only sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but has been played by grandmasters.

4...fxe4 5.Qxe4 Nf6 6.Qe2

How should Black proceed?

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6...Be7

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 suggest 6...Bd6!?, which is second in popularity to 6...e4?! (after the latter, White gets the upper hand with 7.d3, according to the engines).

7.Nxe5?

Better is 7.Bxc6 dxc6 8.Nxe5, although after 8...0-0 Black has some compensation for a pawn.

7...Nxe5 8.Qxe5 0-0

Black is a pawn down, but has more than enough compensation, according to the engines

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9.0-0 c6

The engines prefer 9...d5.

10.Ba4?

White needed to play 10.Be2, with equality, according to the engines.

10...d5 11.d4 Bd6 12.Qg5!?

The engines agree this is best, but the white queen remains a target, and White is short of pieces on the kingside.

12...Qc7 13.h3?

This natural-looking move is a mistake. Better is 13.Qh4 or 13.f4!?, but Black is winning, according to the engines.

13...Ne4 14.Qe3 Be6?!

Much stronger is 14...Bh2+ 15.Kh1 Bf4 16.Qe1 Bxc1 17.Qxc1 Nxf2+.

15.Nd2?

Better is 15.Nc3.

15...Bf4 16.Qe2 Bh2+ 17.Kh1 Rxf2 18.Qd3 Rxf1+ 0-1

LESSON: early development of the queen is fraught with danger - it often becomes a target for tempi-gaining moves by the opponent's minor pieces.

Miniatures 17

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

Spanton (151 BCF) - G Faulkner (131 BCF)

Highbury (London) Rapid 1989

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 g6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 g6 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.f3

This standard position -  a Maróczy Bind, but with the light-square bishops exchanged - occurs 1,964 times in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database

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10...a6!?

The main line in Mega25 runs 10...0-0 11.0-0 Rac8 12.b3, with a slight edge for White, according to Stockfish17 and Dragon1.
11.0-0 0-0 12.Rc1 Rac8 13.Qe2? Nxd4?

Missing the win of a pawn by 13...Nxe4! After the text the engines give White a slight edge.

14.Bxd4 Qc6 15.Rc2?

Correct is 15.b3.

15...Qxc4 16.Qe3?

White is still in the game after 16.Rd1 or 16.Qd1.

Black to play and win

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16...Ng4! 0-1

Black was much better anyway, but the text puts the seal on the win (16...Nd5 is also very strong).

LESSON: the d4 square can be vulnerable to combinations in those Maróczy Bind positions where Black has fianchettoed on the kingside.

Miniatures 10

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

Spanton (151) - J Lewis (141)

Highbury (London) Rapidplay 1989

Stonewall Attack/King's Indian Defence

1.d4 Nf6 2.e3 g6

This is easily Black's commonest continuation in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database.

3.Bd3 Bg7 4.f4

Stockfish17 and Dragon1 like 4.e4!?, at first claiming White has an edge, although they come to call the position equal. They do not like the text.

4...0-0 5.Nf3

Again the engines reckon White's best is e4.

5...d6 6.Nbd2 Nbd7 7.c3?!

This is a standard move in the Stonewall Attack, but it has little relevance here as Black has not played ...c5 (threatening a possible ...c4), and there is no question of a black knight landing on b4.

7...c5 8.0-0 a6 9.a4 Rb8!?

This move does not appear in Mega25, which only has 9...b6 and 9...Qc7.

10.Qe2 Qc7 11.Ng5 e5!?

How should White proceed?

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12.Nde4?!

White has equal chances after 12.dxe5!? dxe5 13.f5, according to the engines.

12...Nxe4 13.Nxe4 d5 14.Nxc5 dxc5 15.fxe5??

A hard-to-explain blunder. After 15.dxc5 e4!? 16.Bc2 Qxc5 Black is better, but the game goes on.

15...Nxd3 16.Qxd3 Bf5 17.Rxf5!? gxf5 18.Qxf5 Qc6 0-1

LESSON: no amount of 'sophisticated' opening preparation will avail if gross blunders are not avoided.

How Drawish Are Opposite-Coloured Bishops (part three)?

HERE is another opposite-coloured bishops ending I did not include in my series Opposite Exceptions.

White has just captured on e5 in Spanton (147 BCF) - Hass Ha'eri-Zadeh (-), Highbury (London) Rapid 1990

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27...Kg6 28.Bxc7

White is three pawns up, but it will not be a simple matter creating a second passed pawn on the queenside.

28...Bc6 29.Ke3 Kf7 30.g4 g6 31.f5 Bd7 32.fxg6+?!

It was almost certainly better to advance the white king before making an exchange.

32...Kxg6 33.Kf4 Kf6 34.f4 Be6 35.Ba5 Bc4 36.Bd2 Be2 37.g5+ hxg5 38.hxg5+

White has a second passed pawn, but the passers are near to each other, making them less effective in this type of ending as they are more easily restrained by Black.

38...Ke6 39.e5?!

There is no need to rush forward with this pawn and so give up control of the d5 and f5 squares. Probably better is queenside play, starting, for example, with 39.b3.

39...Bd1 40.c3

Now Black's two queenside pawns hold up three white ones.

40...Bh5 41.Be3 Bg6 42.Bd4 Kd5 43.Ke3 Kc4?

It is difficult for White to make progress after a waiting move such as 43...Bh5.

White to play and win

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44.Kd2?!

Stockfish15.1 and Komodo14.1 give 44.e6, eg 44...Kd5 45.e7 Ke6 46.Bf6 Kd5 47.Kf4 Ke6 (47...Bf7 48.Kf5) 48.c4! bxc4 49.Ke3 Kd5 50.Kd2 Be8 51.Kc3 Kc5 52.Bg7 Bf7 53.Bf8 (threatens 54.e8=Q+) Kd5 (53...Be8 54.g6 ) 54.Kb4 Be8 55.Ka5 Ke5 56.Kb6 Kf5 57.Kc7 Kxg5 58.Kd8 Bc6 59.e8=Q Bxe8 60.Kxe8 with a simple win.
44...Kd5 45.Ke3 Ke6?

Marking time with the bishop puts up considerably stiffer resistance.

46.Kf4

The engines point out a pretty win by 46.b3! axb3 47.c4! bxc4 48.a4 etc.

46...Kd5 47.Be3 Ke6

HH-Z offered a draw.

Stockfish15.1 reckons 47...Kc4!? draws, but Komodo14.1 disagrees. Best-play may run 48.Bb6 Kd5 49.Bd8 Bd3 50.Bf6 Bg6 51.Kg4 Ke4!? 52.e6!? Kd5 53.e7 Ke4 54.Kg3 Be8, when the engines still strongly disagree, but this may be one of those rare positions where a three-pawn advantage is not enough.

48.Bb6 Kd5 49.Bd8 Ke6?!

Stockfish15.1 reckons marking time with the bishop on the h7-b1 diagonal is best, although Komodo14.1 reckons that still loses.

50.Bf6

50.c4!? bxc4 51.Bf6 seems to win in a similar way to the note at move 44.

50...Kd5 51.Ke3 Bf5 52.Kf3 Bg6 53.Bg7 Ke6?! 54.Ke3

Again sacrificing the c pawn looks promising.

54...Kd5 55.e6!? Kxe6

White is two pawns up, but Stockfish15.1 reckons Black is holding, although Komodo14.1 gives White the upper hand

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56.Kd4 Kf7

Better may be 56...Kf5!?

57.Bf6 Bc2 58.c4!?

Ironically, perhaps, now that this pawn push is no longer a sacrifice, the engines do not much like it. Instead they suggest 58.Kc5 Bd3 59.Kb4, although as usual disagreeing as to how much of an advantage White has.

58...bxc4 59.Kxc4 Bb3+ 60.Kd4 Bc2 61.b4!? axb3 62.Kc3 Ke6 63.Kc4 Kd7 64.Kd5 1-0 (Time)

The final position is a tablebase draw.

Fundamentals (part 14)

Spanton (147) - D Ewart (148)
Highbury (London) Rapidplay 1990

White has just captured on c4 - who stands better?

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No prizes for guessing this ending arose from the Exchange Variation of the Spanish.
The analysis engines Stockfish10 and Komodo10 are not particularly impressed by the white position, but eventually agree White is slightly better. I suspect most humans would put White's advantage as higher than that - certainly White is the only player who can realistically hope for a win.
26...g5!?
Stockfish10 marginally prefers 26...a5. Komodo10 at one point sticks with 26...f5 for quite some time, but then switches to the text.
27.fxg5!?
The engines much prefer 27.g3, continuing 27...a5 28.b4 axb4 29.h4!? gxh4 30.gxh4 f5!? 31.e5 Kf7 32.Kxb4 with what they reckon is a large advantage for White, one line running 32...Ke6 33.Kc4 Ke7 34.Kc5 Ke6 when they continue to much prefer White, but do not come up with a continuation that makes progress.
27...fxg5 28.Kd4 c5+! 29.Ke3
The white king has to fall back as 29.Kxc5? is met by 29...Ke5 when White is close to being lost (the engines reckon Black is winning, but best play seems to lead to a queen-and-pawn ending in which Black is a pawn up, and is winning according to the engines, but the Nalimov endgame tablebase shows the position to be drawn).
29...h5!?
This seems to be OK, although at first the engines do not like it, but more natural is 29...Ke5.
30.g3
A better try seems to be the engines' 30.h4!?, eg 30...gxh4 31.Kf4 Kf6 32.e5+ Kg6 33.e6 Kf6 34.e7 Kxe7 35.Kg5 h3! 36.gxh3 Ke6 37.Kxh5, but 37...Kf5 looks to hold the draw.
30...c6?
Black seems to have a simple draw after 30...Ke5, and if, as in the game, 31.h4 then 31...g4 as Black has more reserve tempi and so can stop the white king penetrating.
31.h4 gxh4
Now 31...g4 is hopeless, but the text is no improvement.
32.gxh4 Ke5
At last, but too late - Black's reserve tempi will not save him as the white king can oscillate between f3 and e3 until the black king is forced to withdraw.
33.c3 b5 34.Kf3 b4 35.c4 a5 36.Ke3
The game finished:
36...Ke6 37.Kf4 Kf6 38.e5+ Ke6 39.Ke4 Ke7 40.Kf5 Kf7 41.e6+ Ke7 42.Ke5 Ke8 43.Kd6 Kd8 44.e7+ Ke8 45.Ke6 a4 46.bxa4 b3 47.Kd6 Kf7 48.Kd7 1-0

Fundamentals (part seven)

Spanton (151) - P Barnett (133)
Highbury (London) rapidplay 1989

White to play and draw

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48.Kd1??
48.Ke3 draws.
48...e3 0-1