Summing Up & Moving On

MY score in the Kraków 60+ seniors of +4=2-3 cost me exactly five Fide elo.

I flew back to Stansted yesterday afternoon with Ryanair, caught a National Express coach to London's Liverpool Street, dumped my bag in my flat, packed a new bag and caught the Underground to Euston, followed by two trains to Telford, Shropshire, arriving at 23:00 for this weekend's rounds three and four of the 4NCL's division four.

Kraków Seniors Round Nine

Bogusław Czepczyński (1648) - Spanton (1743)

Catalan

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.d4 c6 6.Bg2 Bd6 7.Nf3

What's in a name - or, to put it another way, what would you call this opening?

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After 4.cxd5 ChessBase calls it "A17: English Opening: 1...Nf6 with ...Bb4." After 7.Nf3 it changes to: "D35: Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation." I reckon it is a Catalan, albeit one in which White has captured on d5 at an unusually early stage.

7...0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Re1 Bg4

This is the most popular move (just) in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 are unimpressed, preferring 9...Bf5.

10.h3 Bh5 11.a3 a5 12.Bg5 Nbd7 13.e4!?

There is a game in Mega24 in which a 2163 played 13.Qc1. The engines much prefer the text.

13...dxe4 14.Rxe4!? Rxe4 15.Nxe4 Be7

How should White proceed?

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16.Nc3!?

The engines like this retreat, although they also like 16.Nxf6+ Bxf6 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.Qb3, claiming a tiny pull for White.

16...h6 17.Bf4 Nb6 18.g4 Bg6 19.Ne5

This is rather a good example of a position in which dynamism more than makes up for the structural weakness of having an isolated queen's pawn

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19...Nbd5

Preserving the bishop-pair with 19...Bh7?! looks problematic after 20.Qb3.

20.Nxg6 fxg6 21.Bg3 Bd6 22.Be5!

How should White respond?

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22...Qc7

This may be better than 22...Bxe5, when best-play. according to the engines, runs 23.dxe5 Nxc3 24.bxc3 Qxd1+ 25.Rxd1 Nd5 26.Bxd5+ cxd5 27.Rxd5, after which White has won a pawn, but the position is not clearcut (White has the upper hand - Komodo14.1; White has a tiny pull - Stockfish16).

23.Nxd5 Nxd5 24.Bxd5+ cxd5 25.Qb3 Qc6 26.Bxd6 Qxd6 27.Qxb7 Rxb2 28.Qa7 Rxb2 29.Qxa5

White has won a pawn, but Black is active and so is completely equal, according to the engines

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29...Rb3

Arguably more clearcut, but requiring a huge belief in one's calculating abilities, is the engines' 29...Rxf2!?

30.Kg2 Qe6?!

Probably better are 30...Kh7 and 30...Rd3.

31.Re1 Qf7

The only move to keep the game going.

32.Re3 Rxe3 33.fxe3

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

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As I understand it, two factors stand out in a queen-and-pawn ending. The first is that a passed pawn nearly always gives excellent winning chances, but these can be cancelled by having an exposed king. The engines reckon this position is equal.

33...Qe6 34.Qd2 Qa6 35.Qb2 Qd3 36.Kf2

The practical problem, from the defender's view, is that the player a pawn up can keep on probing in the knowledge that, barring a horrific blunder, the worst that can happen is the game is drawn

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36...h5?!

Trying for counterplay, but I probably should have stayed pat with, for example, 36...Qc4.

37.Qe2!?

The engines agree this is strong.

37...Qxa3 38.gxh5

White no longer has the 'holy grail' of a passed pawn, but is nevertheless winning, according to the engines

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38...Qd6!? 39.hxg6 Qh2+ 40.Ke1 Qg1+ 41.Kd2 Qxg6

I find it hard to comprehend how this position is so much better for White than the position with a passed pawn after 36.Kf2, but the engines are insistent

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42.Qg4 Qc6 43.Qf5 Qc4

Nevertheless, it is far from obvious, at least to me, how White should continue.

44.Qc2

The engines suggest the counterintuitive 44.Ke1!?

44...Qb4+

Apparently 44...Qf1!? gives better drawing chances.

45.Qc3 Qb8 46.Kd3

And here the engines like 46.Qc6.

46...Qb5+ 47.Kd2 Qb8 48.Kc1

Again Qc6 is the move, according to the engines.

48...Qb7 49.Qc5 Qa8 50.Kb2 Qb7+ 51.Kc3 Kh8!?

Played so that White cannot capture on d5 with check.

52.Qf8+ Kh7 53.Qf5+ g6!? 54.Qf4 Qc8+ 55.Kd2

What should Black play?

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55...Qc4

I thought 55...Qxh3!? 56.Qf7+ Kh6 57.Qxd5 made White's task easier, thanks to White having a pair of connected passed pawns.

However the Syzygy endgame tablebase shows the position is drawn, but there is only one move that draws

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In the diagrammed position Black needs to find 57...g5!! as everything else loses. So objectively I should have grabbed the h pawn at move 55, but I believe the practical chances of Black drawing from the diagram are low.

Back to the game:

56.h4 Qa2+ 57.Ke1 Qg2 58.Qg5 Qe4 59.Kf2 Qe6 60.Kg3 Qf7 61.Qf4 Qe6?

The queen should stay on the seventh rank.

White is winning anyway, but now has a sequence that puts the result beyond doubt 

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62.Qe5

After 62.Qc7+ Kh6 63.Qe5 Qg8 64.Qg5+ Kh7 65.h5 Qb8+ (pawn-endings are lost for Black) 66.Kh3 Qc8+ 67.Kh4 gxh5 68.Qxh5+ Black is pretty much hopeless, but 62...Kg8 63.Qe5 Qf7 64.Kg4 Qd7+ 65.Kg5 Kh7 66.h5 Qd8+ 67.Kg4 Qc8+ 68.Kf4 Qf8+ 69.Kg3 is little better.

62...Qf7 63.Kg4 Qd7+ 64.Kg5 Qd8+ 65.Kg4 Qd7+ 66.Kg3 Qf7 67.Qg5

Stockfish16's 67.h5!? seems strong, the point being that after 67...gxh5 68.Kh4 Qf2+ 69.Kxh5 White has a tablebase win.

67...Qe8?!

Almost certainly better is 67...Qf1.

68.Kf2

This time both engines suggest h5, the move I have been trying to prevent. After 62.h5!? gxh5 63.Kh4 White will recover the sacrificed pawn, leaving the black king with no cover.

68...Qf7+ 69.Ke2 Qe8?

Lack of concentration, but, as I pointed out earlier, the practical chances very much lie with the attacker in this type of ending.

70.Qxd5 Qb8 71.Qf7+ Kh8

Not 71...Kh6? as the queens come off after 72.Qf4+.

72.Qf6+

The position is a tablebase draw after 72.Qxg6? Qh2+ (or 72...Qb2+).

72...Kh7 73.Qe7+ Kh6 74.Qg5+ Kh7 75.Qf4 Qb7 76.Kf2 Qb2+ 77.Kf3 Qd2 78.Ke4 Qc2+ 79.Kf3 Qd1+ 80.Kg2 Qe2+ 81.Kh3 Qd1!?

White to play and win (ie avoid a draw by repetition)

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82.Qg3?

This seems the only move that does not win (apart from giving the queen away with, for example, 82.Qf3??). The engines like 82.Kg2!?, but perhaps easiest for a human to calculate is 82.Qf2.

The game finished:

82...Qh1+ 83.Kg4 Qe4+ 84.Kh3 Qh1+ 85.Qh2 Qf3+ 86.Qg3 Qh1+ ½–½

Kraków Seniors Round Eight

FACED another Ukrainian international master.

Spanton (1743) - Alexander Kalinin (2091)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 Nf6 8.f3 Bc5 9.Be3 0-0

There are 161 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but Alexander Alekhine condemned Black's play in annotations he made for Spanish chess prodigy Arturo Pomar

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10.Nf5!?

Alekhine: "Of course!"

I have had this position four times previously, winning every one, albeit only two of those games were against higher-rated opponents. Nevertheless the situation seems to be not as clearcut as Alekhine's comments suggest.

10...Bb4+

Three of my opponents played the obliging 10...Bxe3?!, after which, as Alekhine pointed out, Black is "without the slightest positional compensation" for having relinquished the bishop-pair.

11.c3 Bd6!?

This move does not appear in Mega24, but I find it hard to believe it has not been played before.

12.Nxd6 cxd6

AK offered a draw.

Should I have accepted the offer, and, if not, what should White play?

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Black's pawn-structure has been improved, but at the cost of ceding the bishop-pair. The main feature in the position now is Black's semi-backward d pawn on a half-open file, which is presumably why Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give White a slight edge.

13.c4

Other moves are possible, but it seemed to me White's only hope of a meaningful advantage lay in preventing a well-timed ....d5.

13...Re8

Possible is 13...d5!?, but the engines reckon 14.exd5!? cxd5 15.c5 gives White at least a slight edge.

14.Bg5

The engines suggest 14.Kf2, and if 14...d5 then 15.exd5!? cxd5 16.c5, again claiming at least a slight edge for White.

14...d5 15.cxd5 cxd5 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.0-0 dxe4 18.fxe4 Re4 19.Rxf6 Re1+ 20.Rf1 Rxf1+ 21.Kxf1 Bd7

Completely equal, according to the engines

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22.Nc3 Bc6 23.Rd1 Re8 24.g3

I offered a draw.

24...Re5 25.Rd2 Kg7 26.Rf2 f6 27.Re2 Rf5+ 28.Rf2 Re5 29.Re2 Rf5+ 30.Rf2 Re5 ½–½

Kraków Seniors Round Seven

Spanton (1743) - Jan Przygrodzki (1583)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6!?

Castling is the main move in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but the text has also been chosen by top players. The idea of capturing now is so Black cannot retake with the king's knight after playing 4...Nge7.

4...bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Qe2!?

The idea of playing this, rather than castling, is so ...Ng6 can be met by h4.

6...Ng6 7.h4 h5 8.e5

One of the chief motifs of the 4.Bxc6!? variation is White's efforts to keep Black's light-square bishop out of play, and, naturally, Black's efforts to give it a role.

8...Be7

This is second in popularity in Mega24 to 8...f6!?, after which the mainline runs 9.Qe4 Kf7!? 10.Na3 d5!? 11.exd6 Qxd6 12.Nc4 Qd5 with a complicated positional struggle.

Position after 12...Qd5 - White has the better pawn-structure and has a slight edge, according to Stockfish16, but Komodo14.1 reckons the bishop-pair gives Black enough compensation

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9.Qe4 d5!? 10.exd6 Qxd6 11.Na3 Qd5 12.Bg5 f5?!

This may be a novelty, and is probably not a good one. Known moves are 12...Rb8 and 12...Qxe4+.

13.Qe3 Bf6!?

The engines agree this is best.

How should White proceed?

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14.Bxf6

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 14.Nc4!?, and if 14...Ba6 then 15.0-0-0!? They also like the immediate 14.0-0-0!?, and if 14...Qxa2 then 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nc4.

14...gxf6 15.c4?!

Almost certainly better are 15.0-0-0!?, offering a transposition to the previous note, and 15.Nd2.

15...Qd6 16.d4?!

Hoping to take advantage of Black's uncastled king, but the white king is also uncastled. Probably better is 16.0-0-0, and if 16...e5 then 17.d4, as the e pawn is pinned.

16...cxd4 17.Nxd4 f4!? 18.Qd2 e5

Black has opened a route for the light-square bishop to get into the game.

19.Nb3 Qxd2+ 20.Nxd2 Bf5

The engines reckon Black has at least the upper hand

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21.0-0-0 Kf7 22.c5!? e4?

But this is premature. After 22...Rhd8 23.Nac4 Rd5 24.Nd6+ Ke6 25.N2e4 Bxe4 26.Nxe4 a5 Black is positionally winning, according to the engines.

23.Nac4 Ne5 24.Nxe4??

Getting the move-order wrong. The correct way to win a pawn is 24.Nd6+ Ke6 25.N2xe4.

24...Nxc4 25.Nd6+ Nxd6 26.Rxd6 Be4 27.Re1!? Bxg2 28.Rd7+ Kg6 29.Ree7 Kf5 30.Rf7? Bd5 31.Rfe7 Bxa2 32.Rxa7 Rxa7 33.Rxa7 Bd5

Black is a bishop up and there is no chance of complications.

The game finished:

34.Kd2 Rb8 35.Kc3 Rb3+ 36.Kc2 Rf3 0-1

Kraków Seniors Round Six

Józef Wąsik (1567) - Spanton (1743)

New London

1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 e6 3.e3 Bd6 4.Bg3 b6!?

ChessBase's 2024 Mega database has 10 more-popular moves: ...Nd7, ...Nc6, ...c6, ...h5, ...Qc7, ...c5, ...f5, ...Bxg3, ...Ne7 and especially ...Nf6. However, many lines will transpose.

5.c3 Nf6

Keeping the option of ...Ba6, to exchange light-square bishops, as well as the mainstream ...Bb7.

6.Nd2 0-0 7.Ngf3 Bb7

7...Ba6 has been played by grandmasters, but after 8.Bxa6 Nxa6 9.Qe2 White has an edge, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

8.Bd3 Ne4 9.Bxd6 cxd6!?

Black has greater central control and a useful half-open c file, but White has the better bishop

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10.Qc2 f5

Another pawn on a light square, but ...f4 is in the air.

White's next move never crossed my mind

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11.Ke2?!

Is the king really safe here? There are lots of obstructing pawns and pieces in the centre, but the centre is certainly not closed.

11...Nc6

White's next move also did not cross my mind, although it probably should have done, and it is consistent with Ke2

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12.Rag1?!
I was expecting the white rooks to be centralised, followed by the king dropping back to f1. The text is more aggressive, but almost certainly too slow.

12...Rc8 13.a3 e5

How should White respond?

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14.Ne1?

The engines suggest 14.Nb3, but agree Black is winning, although they do not agree on how to proceed (suggestions include ...a5, ...Qe8, ...Qf6 and ...f4).

14...exd4 15.Bxe4

Both pawn recaptures are met by ...Nxd4+.

15...dxe4

Possibly even stronger is 15...fxe4, but from now on Black's advantage is so large that winning continuations are more-or-less a matter of taste.

16.Qb3+ Kh8 17.cxd4?!

Probably a little better is 18.exd4.

There now comes an extended king hunt.

17...Ba6+ 18.Kd1 Na5 19.Qa2 Qc7 20.Qb1 Nc4 21.Qc2 Qd7 22.Qb3 Bb5 23.Qa2 Nxd2!? 24.Kxd2 Qc6 25.Qb1 Qc4 26.Qd1 f4 27.f3

What is Black's best continuation?

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27...fxe3+

Missing 27...Qxd4+! 28.exd4 e3#.

28.Kxe3 exf3 29.Nxf3 Rce8+ 30.Kf2 Re2+ 31.Kg3 Qc7 32.Qb1 Qf4+ 0-1

Kraków Seniors Round Five

FACED a Ukrainian international master.

Vladimir Chubar (1805) - Spanton (1743)

Liberated Bishop/London System

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Bf5 3.Bf4 e6 4.e3 Bd6 5.Bd3!?

This is Komodo14.1's top choice, at least for a while. Stockfish16 prefers 5.Bg3 or 5.Bxd6.

5...Bxf4 6.exf4 Qd6 7.Qxd2!?

The engines prefer 7.Bxf5 exf5, and either 8.0-0 or 8.Nc3.

7...Bxd3 8.Qxd3?!

The engines reckon 8.cxd3!? is necessary, after which Stockfish16 gives Black the upper hand, or at least a slight edge, but Komodo14.1 gives Black at best a slight pull.

How should Black proceed?

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8...Nc6

Almost certainly not 8...Qb4+?! 9.Nc3 Qxb2?! 10.0-0, but the pawn-grab 8...Qxf4! is strong as Black threatens ...Qc1+, so White cannot play 9.Qb5+ Nd7 10.Qxb7?? as 10...Rb8 11.Qxa7 Qc1+ 12.Ke2 Qxh1 wins for Black.

9.g3 Nf6 10.Nbd2 0-0 11.c3 Ne7 12.0-0 c5 13.Ne5 c4!?

Pushing on like this is often frowned upon, but here White does not have the counterthrust e4.

14.Qc2 b5 15.a3 a5 16.Ndf3 Ne4 17.Ng5!? Nxg5

The engines reckon Black has at least the better side of equality after 17...Nf6, and they also prefer 17...f6 18.Nxe4 dxe4 19.Ng4 f5.

18.fxg5 f6 19.gxf6 Rxf6?!

Probably better is 19...gxf6 20.Ng4 e5.

The backward e pawn proves a permanent weakness

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20.Rfe1 Raf8 21.Re2 Nc6 22.Rae1 Re8?!

Passive. Perhaps better is seeking counterplay with 22...Rh6.

23.f4 Ne7

If 23...b4?!, White has 24.Qa4, when the vulnerability of the e8 rook restricts Black's options.

24.Kg2 Qc7?

Better is 24...Ref8.

What should White play?

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25.Nf3

Even stronger is the engines' 25.Ng4 Rg6 26.Rxe6!, the point being 26...Rxg4 can be met by 27.Qe2.

25...Qd7 26.Ng5

How should Black meet the twin threats of Qxh7+ and Nxe6?

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26...g6?

Correct is 26...Nf5. I rejected it because of 27.g4 Nh4+ 28.Kg3 Ng6 29.f5??, missing the strength of 29...Qd6+. Better is 28.Kh1 g6 29.Qd1 with a slight edge for White, according to the engines.

27.Nxe6 Nf5 28.Nc5 Rxe2+ 29.Qxe2 Qf7 30.Qe5

White's advantage is worth more than a minor piece, according to the engines.

30...Nd6

Marginally better, but still losing, according to the engines, is 30...h6.

The game finished:

31.Nd7 Qxd7 32.Qxf6 Ne4 33.Qe5 Qb7 34.Re2 1-0

Kraków Seniors Round Four

Spanton (1743) - Marek Michalik (1623)

Alekhine

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 exd6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Bd3 Nc6 8.Be3 Bf6 9.Nge2

It might seem we have come a long way from the opening, but there are 322 examples of this position in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database

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9...Bg4 10.f3!?

Alexander Alekhine played 10.a3?! in a 1932 simul. After 10...Nxd4 11.f3 Nxe2 12.Qxe2 Be6 Black was clearly better, the game being drawn in 41 moves.

10...Bh5 11.0-0 Bg6!?

This is the commonest move in Mega24.

12.Re1 Qd7!?

Probably a novelty.

It seems risky leaving the black king uncastled for so long, but is there a refutation?

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Apparently not. The game continued:

13.Ne4 Be7 14.Qd2 d5!?

This more-or-less equalises, if followed up correctly.

How should White proceed?

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15.Nc5?!

Probably better is 15.cxd5, when Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 15...Nb4!?, one line running 16.d6!? Nxd3 17.Qxd3 cxd6!?, after which the engines marginally prefer White.

15...Bxc5 16.dxc5 dxc4??

This loses a piece, albeit for two pawns. Better are 16....Bxd3 17.cxb6 dxc4, with approximate equality, and 16...Nxc4 17.Bxc4 dxc4 18.Qxd7+ Kxd7 19.Rad1+ Kc8, after which the engines reckon Black may have an edge, but the position looks much easier for White to play.

17.Bxg6 hxg6

There is nothing better.

18.cxb6 axb6 19.Qxd7+ Kxd7 20.Nc3 Ra5!? 21.Rad1+ Kc8 22.Rd5 Nb4 23.Rxa5 bxa5

Black's queenside pawn-structure has been straightened out, to an extent, but from White's viewpoint fewer pieces make an accident less likely 

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24.Rd1 c6 25.a3 Nd3 26.b3 Re8 27.Bb6 Re1+!?

The engines are happy with this, but Black's practical chances are reduced almost to zero.

28.Rxe1 Nxe1 29.bxc4 Nc2 30.a4 Na3 31.c5 (1-0, 45 moves)

Happy (Early) New Year

SHORTLY before the start of yesterday afternoon's round, one of the players came up to my board, wished me Happy New Year and presented me with a book.

I say "one of the players" as I was rather taken by surprise and did not pay proper attention as to whom it was, but I think it was the top seed, Fide master Sergej Shilov.

We played four years ago at Olomouc, when I successfully claimed a draw by threefold repetition in an ending of queen versus queen and pawn. Clearly I must have behaved properly while doing so as there appear to be no hard feelings.

Anyway, the book he gave me is Jerome K Jerome's Three Men In A Boat.

I have the book at home, but what makes this edition something of a collectors' item is that it was published in 1955 by the "Foreign Languages Publishing House" of Moscow.

An English-language edition but published in the Soviet Union

The book has endnotes, also in English, including an explanation that Margate is "a sea-side health resort on the Kent coast," and that the expression "don't look half bad" means "look attractive."

It may come in handy as I have only brought two books for reading material on this trip and I am fair shooting through the first of them, Lewen Weldon's Hard Lying - An Intelligence Officer On The Levantine Shore 1914-19 (much more fun than its title might suggest).

Kraków Seniors Round Three

Marek Niedźwiecki (1367) - Spanton (1743)

Sicilian Hyper-Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.c3 Bg7 4.g3!?

Overwhelmingly most popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database is the consistent 4.d4.

4...d5

This seems a naturally aggressive response, but when Accelerated Dragon guru John Donaldson reached the position, in 1997 in the Isle Of Man, he played 4...d6.

5.Qc2?

Apparently a novelty, and certainly not a good one.

5...dxe4 6.Qxe4 Nf6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Bg2 Bf5 9.Qb3

How should Black proceed?

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9...Qd3?!

I missed White's reply. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 like 9...Nc6.

10.Ne5 Qd6

Despite the sub-par ninth move, Black is still better.

11.f4?!

The engines give 11.Nc4 Qe6+ 12.Ne3 Nc6 13.Qxe6 Bxe6 with just a slight edge for Black.

11...Nc6 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.0-0

Both sides have castled - how would you assess the position?

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Black's queenside pawns are shattered, but that is unlikely to prove significant unless an ending is reached. Meanwhile White is well-behind on development and has the more-exposed king. The engines reckon Black is positionally winning.

13...Bd3 14.Re1 c4 15.Qa3 c5!?

Sacrificing the exchange to keep mating-hopes alive.

16.Bxa8!?

White is losing anyway, according to the engines, but this capture is hard to justify on any but materialistic grounds.

16...Rxa8 17.b4 Qd5 18.Qa5 Ne4 19.bxc5 Bd4+!?

Another sacrifice, although this one is temporary at most

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20.Re3!?

The mainline I had calculated runs 20.cxd4 Qxd4+ (20...Nxg3!? is even stronger, according to the engines) 21.Re3 Qxa1 22.Qb4 Qxa1 23.Qxb1 Bxb1, after which Black emerges a knight up.

20...Bxc5

This threatens ...Bxe3+ followed by ...Qxa5.

21.Qa4 Nxg3!?

The sacrifices keep coming, but that is not surprising when one looks at the state of the white queenside.

22.hxg3 Qf3 23.Qxc4!?

Desperation, but White is mated after the 'obvious' 23.Kh2, eg 23...Bxe3 24.dxe3 Be4 etc.

23...Bxc4 24.d4 Qd1+ 25.Kh2 Qxc1

The game finished:

26.dxc5 Qxe3 27.Na3 Qf2+ 28.Kh3 Be6+ 29.g4 0-1

Kraków Seniors Round Two

Spanton (1743) - Piotr Sanetra (2012)

Spanish Exchange

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7,Nxd4 c5 8.Ne2 Ne7!?

This rare continuation has been tried, according to ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, by three players rated over 2400, scoring +1=2-0

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9.Bf4 c6 10.Bd6 Ng6!?

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 agree this is Black's best move.

11.Bxf8 Rxf8

Black no longer has the bishop-pair as compensation for an inferior pawn-structure, but the engines reckon White is at best slightly better

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12.Nbc3 b5 13.0-0-0 Bd7 14.h4 0-0-0

Both sides have castled - who stands better?

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White has the better pawn-structure, but Black has the only piece that can operate long-range on diagonals, which seems to be enough for the engines to call the position completely equal.

15.h5 Ne5 16.f3 g5!?

Counter-intuitive, but the engines are OK with it.

17.hxg6 hxg6 18.Nf4 Rh8!?

A clever way to discourage Nd3.

19.Rde1!?

After 19.Nd3 Nxd3+ 20.cxd3 White gets a backward pawn on a half-open file.

19...Kc7 20.Nfe2 Be6 21.Nf4 Bc8 22.Nd1 a5 23.Rxh8!? Rxh8 24.Ne3 Rh4

PS offered a draw.

25.Ne2 Be6 26.a3

Not 26.Ng3? Bxa2 27.b3 c4 28.Kb2 as 28...cxb3 saves the bishop, thanks to 29.cxb3? losing to 29...Nd3+ etc.

26...a4 27.Ng3 Nc4 28.Nxc4 Bxc4

Black has reached an ending of rook-and-bishop versus rook-and-knight, but still has the inferior pawn-structure - completely equal, according to the engines

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29.Kd2 Rh2 30.Rg1 Kd6 31.Ke3 f6 32.Kf2 Ke5 33.Ke3 g5 34.Nh1 Be6 35.Nf2 c4 36.c3 f5 37.exf5 Bxf5 38.Nh1

The engines reckon 38.g4!? gives a slight edge.

38...Rh8 39.Ng3 Bc2 40.Kd2 Bd3 41.Ke3 Rh2 42.Kf2 Rh6 43.Re1+ Kd5 44.Re8 Rf6!?

Continuing to play actively.

45.Rg8 Bg6 46.Ne2 Ke5 47.g3 Rd6 48.Nd4 c5 49.Ne2 Rb6?!

The engines reckon 49...Kf6 maintains equality.

50.Rc8

White is better after 50.f4+!?, according to the engines.

50...Kd6 51.f4 gxf4 52.Nxf4 Bc2 53.Rd8+ Kc7?

White only has a slight edge after 53...Kc6, according to the engines.

White to play and win

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54.Nd5+??

This turns a win into a loss. Correct is 54.Rd2. I rejected it because of 54...Be3, but the engines continue 55.Ke3 Ba8 56.Rd5, which wins a pawn and kills Black's counterplay down the b file as 56...Kc6 is met by 57.Rd8, eg 57...Bb7 58.Nd5 Ra6 59.Kf4, after which Black is in a sorry mess on the queenside, while the f pawn prepares to march on.

54...Kxd8 55.Nxb6 Be4
This is what I missed. There is no saving the knight.

The game finished:

56.Ke3 Bg2 57.g4 Kc7 58.Nxa4 bxa4 59.Kf4 Kd6 60.Kf5 Bh3 61.Kf4 Ke6 62.g5 Bf4 0-1

Location

HOTEL Galaxy is beside the Vistula river, about a 20-minute walk from the main square in old-town Kraków.

I used Google Maps to get there, the shortest route being a series of switchbacks.

The twin towers of St Mary's Basilica in the old town

I doubt I could have found my way back, at least not without internet access, so instead I walked down to the river and turned left.

This took more like 30 minutes, but was much more interesting and much easier.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy bar now has a chess menu, and the price of a half-litre of beer has dropped from 18 zloty (about £3.60) to 14 zloty (about £2.80).

But the wifi is getting worse. Last night I watched, on my laptop, Wolves beat Brentford 4-1, but the wifi was so feeble I only saw one goal live.

Kraków Seniors Round One

Jakub Marszałek (1345) - Spanton (1743)
Vienna Game

1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e4 e5 3.a3!?

An interesting bit of tricoration. One idea is that after 3...d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 White can play 5.Qh5.

Position after 5.Qh5 - this is a Steinitz Variation of the Scotch with colours reversed and White having the extra move a3, which cuts out the response ...Nb4

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3...Bc5

A more-measured response - hoping to make 3.a3!? seem irrelevant.

4.Be2 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.d3 0-0

It still looks like a Reversed Scotch, but with White having played much more passively than Black normally would

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7.Nf3 Nc6 8.0-0 Re8 9.Ne4 Bb6!?

Looking after the kingside with 9...Be7 or 9...Bf8!? may be better.

10.c3

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 give 10.c4!? Nf6 11.Bg5 with an initiative, not least thanks to the threat of 12.c5.

10...h6 11.Ng3 Be6 12.Bd2 Qf6 13.Re1 Rad8

Black has activated every piece (apart from the king), while White is still to move his queen and king's rook - nevertheless the engines reckon the position is equal

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14.b4 Nf4 15.Bxf4 Qxf4 16.Qd2 Qf6 17.Ne4 Qe7 18.h3?!

Almost certainly too slow. The engines suggest something like 18.Ng3!? a6 19.Qc2 Qd7 20.a4 with more-or-less equal chances.

18...f5 19.Nc5!?

Even worse, according to the engines, is 19.Ng3 e4.

19....Bxc5 20.Bxc5 Qxc5

I have given back the bishop-pair but emerged a pawn up and with more space and the better pawn-structure

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21.Qb2 b6 22.Rad1 a5 23.Rd2?!

The engines much prefer 23.d4.

23...e4 24.d4 Qd6 25.Nh2 Ne5!? 26.Red1 Nc4 27.Bxc4 Bxc4 28.Nf1 f4 29.d5?

White should have done something about Black's threatened next move.

Black to play and get a large advantage

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29...e3 30.fxe3 fxe3 31.Re2

The engines agree this is best, but after ...

31...Bxe2 32.Qxe2 Qxa3

...Black is the exchange and two pawns up.

The game finished:

33.Rd3 Qc5 34.Kh2 Rxd5 35.Qa2 c6 36.Qe2? Qd6 37.Kh1 Rxd3 38.Qg4 e2 0-1

Alarming

FOR the best part of 30 minutes last night - it might have been longer - an alarm rang in Hotel Galaxy with a recorded announcement in four languages: Polish, English, German and Russian.

The gist of the message was that a "hazard" had been detected, but the room was safe, so stay where you are, do nothing and await "further instructions."

The alarm was played over and over again until it stopped just as suddenly as it began, but without "further instructions."

While the alarm was ringing, I called Reception to try to find out what was going on, but could not understand what I was being told, not least thanks to the loudness of the alarm.

I sent an email: For goodness sake STOP
Later in the evening I received a reply: Dear Sirs,
next time you hear the alarm for your safety we recommend you leave the room.
I answered: But the alarm said the room was safe and that I should do nothing until "further instructions," which never came!
And in turn received: Dear Sir

The alarm was triggered by a third party. After the fire brigade checked the building, it turned out to be false.

Meanwhile, for those thinking of coming here for the world senior team championships in July, I can report my room has a comfortable double-bed (not the common Continental practice of two single mattresses pushed together) and a decent shower, but the wifi fades in and out most annoyingly, especially when trying to watch football.

Early-morning view of the Vistula river from my room

There was a wide choice at breakfast, with OK orange juice but the usual machine coffee.

My favourite, fruit salad, was not available per se, but was easy enough to make.