Lessons From Mariánské Lázně IX

IN round nine I had white against Pavel Vodička (1967), reaching the following position after 27 moves.

I have just played 27.Qf3-e4

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Black should probably accept that kingside play will not lead to an attack, and settle for equality with 27...Qg4 28.Qxg4 hxg4.

Instead, the self-pinning 27...Kh7?! was played.

I give the move a dubious sign (?!), rather than calling it outright bad (?), because the refutation is not obvious.

I have analysed the position, with Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, in some depth here, but a key line runs 28.d6! Bxd6 29.Nf3 Be7 30.Rxd8 Rxd8 31.Nxe5 Qe6 32.f4 Rd5 33.Ra1! Bd6 34.Ra6, when Black has no good answer to the threatened f5.

In the game I played 28.Nf3?!, which is not even second-best, but was sufficient for equality, and the game was indeed drawn, without much drama.

LESSON: when an opponent plays a move that violates frequently given advice, in this case to avoid self-pinning, it often pays to search long and hard for a refutation.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně VIII

IN round eight I had black against Germany's Guido Schott (2016).

By coincidence, the players to either side of GS were also Germans, although I did not pay much attention to this before the start of the round.

My game began 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3!? Nf6 3.c4, a somewhat unusual variation of the Réti.

But it is not exactly rare - this position occurs 9,956 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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I continued 3...e6, and, at about this time, or maybe a couple of moves later, I glanced at the adjacent boards to see what was happening there.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed that all three boards were showing the moves Nf3, e3 and c4, although in one case in a slightly different order.

Naturally, since White's system is not forcing, all three games diverged quite considerably quite quickly.

It reminded me of a famous variation in the Sicilian prepared by three Argentinian players when they faced three Soviets in the 14th round of the 1955 Interzonal in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The preparation backfired when Efim Geller found a piece sacrifice, whose follow-up the Argentineans had not properly analysed, and all three Soviet players, using the sacrifice, went on to win, with the games visible for all to see on giant display boards.

Such 'triple games' are rare, but when I asked one of the Germans the next day whether they had indeed prepared Nf3, e3 and c4 together, he agreed they had.

Their preparation worked out slightly better than the Argentineans', although the Germans' score on the three boards of +0=2-1 would not have matched their hopes.

LESSON: team preparation can be fun, but there is a danger of ending up playing something you do not properly understand, and that may not suit your style.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně VII

EDMAR Mednis in his book Practical Opening Tips (Cadogan 1997) spends a chapter discussing the merits of pawn captures towards the centre, as opposed to pawn captures away from the centre.

When Black, for example, plays ...Bxb3 it is nearly always better to recapture with axb3 rather than cxb3.

Generally speaking, the nearer a pawn is to the centre, the stronger it is.

This particularly applies to a rook's pawn, which, when 'promoted' to a knight's pawn, doubles the number of squares it controls.

Of course, in the great scheme of things, we are talking small margins - a better pawn-structure is unlikely to make up for the loss of a piece, although it might make up for the loss of a pawn.

A prominent exception to the desirability of capturing towards the centre comes in the Spanish, after White captures a knight on c6.

This commonly happens in the Exchange Variation (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6), but also occurs in delayed forms of the Exchange, and in some other lines.

My round-seven game at Mariánské Lázně, when I had white against Poland's Michał Nisztuk (1696), featured one such line.

It started as a Berlin Defence to the Spanish, ie 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6.

I continued with the relatively unusual 4.Qe2!?, and after 4...Bc5!?, which is the most popular reply in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, I played the rare, but engine-approved, 5.Bxc6!?, which occurs in 56 out of 788 games in Mega26, ie 7.1% of the time.

Position after White's capture on c6

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The game saw 5...dxc6?!, but after 6.Nxe5 Qd4 7.Nd3 it was clear something had gone wrong for Black, who, with best play, is not getting the pawn back.

It turns out the diagram is one of those exceptional cases in the Spanish when a capture on c6 should be answered with the positionally desirable option of capturing towards the centre.

After 5...bxc6 the engines still approve of 6.Nxe5, but then 6...Qe7 7.Nd3 can be met by 7...Ba6, when Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon Black has at least a slight edge.
LESSON: general rules about which way to recapture are useful guidelines but, as American author and international master John Watson would be sure to point out, they should not be relied on - calculation is necessary.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně VI

IN round six I was on the black side of an Accelerated Dragon against Fide master Jan Bartoš (2124).

After 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 the commonest continuation is 7.Bc4, but when Garry Kasparov reached the position in a 2022 rapid game, he preferred 7.Nxc6, and this is what my opponent played.

After 7...bxc6, 4,173 games out of 4,567 (that is 91.4%) in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database have the continuation 8.e5, but my game saw 8.Bc4!?

Position after 8.Bc4?!, a move new to me

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It was perhaps naive of me to think an FM may not have properly considered Black's possibility of relying on the well-known central fork trick to capture on e4.

However, it seems he had not, as after 8...Nxe4?! 9.Nxe4 d5 JB failed to find, or perhaps failed to properly evaluate, 10.Bd4!, instead playing the 'normal' 10.Bd3, when the position is equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, although I still went on to lose.

10.Bd4!. however, causes Black problems, eg 10...0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Qd4+ f6 13.0-0-0, when White has a huge lead in development, and Black has still not regained the sacrificed piece.

After 13...Qb6 14.Rhe1 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 e5! 16.Rd2 dxc4 Black has got the piece back and, temporarily, won a pawn into the bargain, but 17.Rd6 shows who is in charge.

Instead of castling, Black could start with 10...Bxd4, and after 11.Qxd4 0-0 12.0-0-0 the engines reckon 12...Qc7 is marginally better than 12...Qb6. Black will again get the piece back, but White has the upper hand, according to the engines.

Capturing on e4 in the diagram position is tempting, but as always one cannot just play by analogy - the specifics of a position have to be properly considered.

LESSON: 'similar' is not 'the same'.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně V

AT every move it is vital to perform a simple blunder-check.

Mine takes the form of a mantra, Captures-Checks-Hangers-Threats, which is adapted from the teachings of first world correspondence champion Cecil Purdy.

In other words, I quickly examine every possible capture and every possible check, followed by looking for hangers, ie pieces and pawns that are not protected by other pieces are pawns, and finally I search for threats, eg moves that attack a queen or other valuable pieces,

More often than not, this takes less time to carry out than it takes to type (especially if, like me, you type with one finger on each hand).

Unfortunately, in the heat of battle, it is easy to forget to blunder-check.

That is what happened in the following position from my round-five game, where I had white against Russia's Sergei V Ivanov (2029).

Black has just avoided the loss of the exchange by playing 20...Rf6-f5

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White has a promising sacrifice in 21.Nxg7!?, which equalises, according to Dragon1, although Stockfish17.1 rates the move less highly.

Instead I played 21.g4?, almost without thought, as I had expected Black's last move, and had pre-planned my reply.

But if I had carried out my mantra, Captures-Checks-Hangers-Threats, I would surely have recognised the danger of my opponent replying 21...Rxh5!

After 22.gxh5 Qxh3 Black has a pawn, the bishop-pair and a strong attack - much more than enough for an exchange, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

LESSON: forget to blunder-check at your peril!

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně IV

CERTAIN words in chess have a technical meaning separate from their usage by the general public.

An obvious example of this is in the common pub-quiz question: "How many pieces are there on the board at the start of a game of chess?"

Most people, assuming they had at least a passing acquaintance with the game, would answer 32.

But an experienced chess player would probably pause, knowing that in chess the word pieces has a technical meaning that includes rooks, knights, bishops, kings and queens, but excludes pawns.

Similarly, 'good' and 'bad' has a technical meaning when applied to bishops.

A bad bishop, in this sense of the word, is one on the same colour complex as many of its own side's pawns, especially centre pawns, while a good bishop is one unobstructed in this way.

The importance of whether a bishop is technically good or bad becomes paramount in endings.

In the middlegame, however, what counts for more is whether a bishop is active or passive.

All of which is a long-winded introduction to my round-four game against Germany's Achim Heller (2038), in which the following position was reached after seven moves.

I have just played 7...Bf8-e7

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Black's dark-square bishop is technically good - Black's centre pawns are on light squares - but passive.

Black's light-square bishop is technically bad, but is active as it helps control the e4 square, reducing the chance of White making the pawn-break e4, and being well-placed to support the black king's knight should it ever go to e4.

White's light-square bishop is both good and active, while White's dark-square bishop is unmoved and technically bad.

It is also currently passive, but it can be made active by developing it to b2, and, indeed, 8.Bb2 is overwhelmingly the commonest move in the position (grandmasters have also played 8.Nc3 and 8.cxd5) as on b2 it helps prevent the pawn-break ...e5, and can support a white knight landing on the e5 square.

My opponent came up with what is probably a novelty in 8.Ba3!?

This is not an out-and-out mistake, but I think it is significant that after 8...0-0 Dragon1 suggests playing 9.Bb2!?, and Stockfish17.1 fluctuates between that move and the game's 9.Bxe7.

LESSON: whether a bishop is good or bad can be of decisive importance in an ending, but in the middlegame (and the opening) what usually counts is whether a bishop is active or passive.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně III

IN round three I reached the following position with white against Martin Taus (2052)

Black has just played 16...Nb6-c4?!

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Black had a bad position anyway, but the only good thing about the text is its aggressiveness.

White has several strong continuations, including 17.Qh3+ and 17.Bc3, but probably best is 17.Ng5, when 17...Rf7 defends the f7 pawn and prevents a fork of Black's rooks, but 18.Qh3 Kc7 19.e6 fxe6 20.Nxe6+ leaves White with an advantage worth more than a minor piece, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

Instead I played 17.exd6?! Bxd6 18.Nxd6?!, exchanging White's well-placed knight for Black's unmoved bishop. Not only that, but after 18...Rxd6 Black is helped to dominate the d file, a process continued by 19.Re4?! Rhd8.

I cannot recall my exact thinking at the time, but I am fairly sure I was both intimidated by the knight at c4 and pleased to exchange a pair of minor pieces in the belief this would make life easier against an opponent who outrated me by 137 elo.

In other words, a clear case of playing the rating rather than the position.

LESSON: just as contempt for a weaker player can make you careless, so exaggerated respect for a stronger opponent can lead to timidity and a failure to properly look for opportunities.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně II

GRANDMASTER John Nunn tells an amusing, and instructive, anecdote in Secrets Of Practical Chess (Gambit 1998) about a blitz match he played against an opponent rated around 2300.

Nunn won the series 88-12, despite having a time handicap, but the interesting thing is his opponent's comment about halfway through: "I thought I would see lots of advanced strategic concepts in these games, but actually all I have learnt is LPDO."

Or, to put it another way, loose pieces drop off.

Nunn comments: "During the remaining games I saw what he meant. Most of the games were decided by relatively simple tactics involving undefended pieces, when the LP would duly DO."

I was reminded of the story during my round-two game at Mariánské Lázně, where I had black against Poland's Ewa Balcerczak (1537).

This position arose after White played 21.Nb1-c3

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A peculiarity of the position is that both white rooks are loose - neither is protected by a fellow piece or pawn.

The looseness of the king's rook might seem unimportant, but look what happens over the next few moves.

I began with 21...Qe7, taking advantage of the undefended queen's rook to reposition my queen with tempo.

EB had to do something about the rook, and chose to play 22.Qb3?! (Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 prefer 22.Qc1 or 22.Ra1).

The problem with the game's choice is it allows 22...Nc5! (better than the tempting 22...Nxf2+ 23.Bxf2 Bxf2, when 24.Nd5 keeps White in the game).

EB counterattacked with 23.Nd5? (23.Qd1!? is better), but that allowed me to take advantage of White's other undefended rook by playing 23...Qe2!, when my opponent could have resigned on the spot, and did so anyway after a further three moves.

LESSON: loose pieces drop off.

Lessons From Mariánské Lázně

DAVID Bronstein warned in his book on the 1953 Zurich candidates' tournament that "to lose one's objectivity is almost invariably to lose the game as well."

Unfortunately, the reality at club level is that players tend to view positions with the help of either a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty.

This was starkly illustrated in my round-one game, where I had white against Radek Zálešák (1611).

The following position was reached after I played 37.Ne6-g5!

I gave the move an exclamation mark because it is far from obvious, but is the best  available

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Nevertheless it does not change the fact that Black's exchange is worth far more than White's two extra pawns, one of which is about to fall.

Naturally my opponent avoided 37...Kxg5?? 38.Qf4#, and instead played the winning 37...Qc7+, when it is easy to see the only reply to keep the game going is Kh4, after which Black has ...Rxe7.

However, after playing ...Qc7+, my opponent offered a draw - definitely a case of glass-half-empty thinking.

It should have been obvious to me that I had to take the draw as the next two moves are forced, after which White has only one pawn for the exchange, and, with the seventh-rank pawn gone, Black's pieces are well-placed to protect the black king.

Instead, in a clear case of glass-half-full thinking by me, the game continued 38.Kh4 Rxe7, and now I could find nothing better than 39.Ne4+, planning to meet 39...Kg7 with 40.Nd6, after which at least the knight has an outpost.

But White has several moves that maintain the win, including 40...h6 and 40...Re5.

Instead my opponent apparently went into glass-half-empty mode again and played 39...Rxe4??, after which the game concluded 40.Qxe4 g5+ 41.Kh5 Qf7+ 42.Kh6 Qf8+ 43.Kh5 Qf7+ ½–½

I write "apparently went into glass-half-empty mode" because it is possible he played ...Rxe4, not out of undue pessimism, but as a result of a miscalculation, thinking ...g5+ would be followed by mate.

Either way, it leads to the same LESSON: if you do not keep a clear head, and instead analyse with your personality to the fore, rather than objectively, you risk going horribly wrong.

Quite An Adventure

I MANAGED to make rather a meal out of getting back to London.

After breakfast at 07:30, I left my hotel at around 08:00 to walk to the station, which, despite a little ice on the pavements, took no more than 30 minutes.

I bought a train ticket, sat down in the foyer, and thought about reading a book, as the train was not due until 08:54.

Reaching round for my backpack, I discovered it was not there - I had left it in my room!

I could not possibly walk back to my hotel and return to the station in time for my train, and the next one was not until 10:54 - way too late to catch my flight.

Fortunately, in the time I spent in the waiting room, a taxi pulled up to the stand outside of the station.

There ensued a dash back to my hotel, where I collected the missing backpack, and got back to the station with a minute or so to spare.

More stupidity was to follow at Prague airport.

I passed through passport control, but somehow took a wrong turn and, before I knew it, I had re-entered the country.

I was not allowed to simply slip back out, but instead had to start again, making sure I got in the same queue as the first time, so I would be dealt with by the same border guard.

After a brief consultation with a colleague, and a failed telephone call to ask someone in higher authority for advice (no answer on a Sunday!), he stamped my passport with a second exit visa.

My worry is: will the Schengen computers understand what happened, or  when I next enter Europe, will I be accused of having overstayed on my previous visit (if the computers do not understand, I am in serious danger of being thought to have breached the 90-days-in-180 rule)?

The bottom page shows me entering Czechia on Jan 16,  then the top page shows me leaving on Jan 25, re-entering on Jan 25, and then, on the bottom page, leaving again

Summing Up Mariánské Lázně

MY score in the seniors (50+) of +3=4-2 gained 8.8 Fide elo.

I did not win a cash prize, but everyone - apart from the main prize winners - who attends the closing ceremony gets what is called a "material" prize, which means selecting from a table of (modest) goodies.

I chose a combined package of some sort of sponge snack and a ballpoint pen.

I gave the snack to one of the juniors, who played in the open, but, on inspecting the wording on the pen, it seems I should have given that away too

Here is the CzechTour's photogallery.

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Nine

Spanton (1915) - Pavel Vodička (1967)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5

This is only sixth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, but has been tried by Carlsen, Caruana, Nakamura and other strong grandmasters.

4.0-0

This is far more popular than the second commonest move, 4.Bxc6.

4...Nge7!?

The main line in Mega26 runs 4...Bd6!? 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2 Nge7 8.d4 (8.a4 is also popular) cxd4 9.cxd4 Nxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 exd4Qxd4, when Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 come to agree White is a tad better.

5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2 Ng6 8.d4 d6!?

The engines prefer double-capturing on d4.

9.d5!?

This appears to be a novelty - Mega26 has only 9.a4 and 9.h3.

9...Na5 10.a4 Bd7 11.Nbd2 Be7 12.b4 Nb7 13.Rb1 0-0

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

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White has more space in the centre, but the white pieces do not appear particularly well-placed to exploit this. However the engines give White a slight edge.

14.Ne1!? Qc8 15.g3!?

This is the engines' second choice, behind 15.a5!?

15...f5 16.exf5 Bxf5 17.Ne4 cxb4 18.Rxb4

The engines prefer 18.cxb4, and if 18...Qc4, then 19.f3.

18...Nc5 19.Nxc5 dxc5 20.Rb2 Rb8 21.Qe2 c4 22.axb5 axb5 23.Be3

The engines much prefer 23.Bxf5.

23...Rd8 24.Bxf5 Qxf5 25.Rd2 h5

The engines reckon Black has a slight edge after 25...h6, and if, as in the game 26.Qf3, then 26...Qxf3 27.Nxf3 Bf6, when ...e4 is a threat.

26.Qf3 Qh3

Now 26...Qxf3 27.Nxf3 Bf6 can be met by 28.Ng5.

27.Qe4 Kh7?!

Self-pinning usually requires exact calculation. Almost certainly better is 27...Qg4, when 28.Qxg4 hxg4 29.Nc2 is equal, according to the engines.

White to play and gain what the engines reckon is a winning advantage

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28.Nf3?!

Black does not seem to have a good answer to 28.d6!, eg 28...Bxd6 29.Nf3 Be7 (even worse is 29...Qg4? 30.Ng5+ etc) 30.Rxd8 Rxd8 31.Nxe5 Qe6 32.f4 Rd5 33.Ra1! Bd6 34.Ra6, or 28...Rxd6?! 29.Rxd6 Bxd6 30.Nf3, with a slightly worse-for-Black line than the previous one, or 28...Bf6 29.Ba7! Ra8 30.Bb6 Rf8 31.d7 Qg4 32.Qxg4 hxg4 33.Nc2, when Black has not lost material, but the pawn on d7 is a monster that will win material in the long run.

The engines reckon other 28th moves also give White an edge, including 28.Nc2 and 28.Ng2, eg 28.Ng2 Qg4 29.f4.

28...Qg4

But now this is good enough for equality.

29.Qxg4 hxg4 30.Ng5+ Bxg5 31.Bxg5 Rd7!?

The engines reckon this is slightly better than 31...Rd6.

32.d6 b4 33.cxb4 Rxb4 34.Rc1 Kg8 35.Rdc2

Dragon1 reckons 35.Be3 gives a slight edge, but Stockfish17.1 disagrees.

35...Rxd6 36.Rxc4 Rxc4 37.Rxc4 Rd4 38.Rc6

38.Rxd4!? may be playable, although Dragon1 at first calls it a blunder, but comes to agree with Stockfish17.1, which quickly assesses the position as still equal.

38...Kf7 39.Be3 Ra4 40.h3!? gxh3 41.Kh2 Ne7 42.Rc7 Kf6 43.Kxh3 Ra6 44.Bg5+!? ½–½

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Eight

FACED a German.

Guido Schott (2016) - Spanton (1915)

Réti

1.Nf3 d5 2.e3!?

This is fifth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 2.b3, 2.c4, 2.d4 and especially 2.g3, but has been played by Carlsen, Kramnik, Nakamura and So. It is also liked by Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1, ahead of the quintessential Réti move 2.c4, albeit we are talking fine margins.

2...Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.b3!? c5 5.Bb2 Nc6 6.cxd5

How should Black recapture?

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6...Nxd5

The engines prefer 6...exd5 and 6...Qxd5!? over the text.

7.Nc3!?

This is the engines' top choice.

7...Nxc3

The engines suggest 7...Nf6.

8.Bxc3 Qd6!?

This appears to be a novelty, the idea being to get in ...e5 to allow ...Be7. Known moves are 8...f6, 8...Qc7 and 8...Bd7.

How should White respond?

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9.d4

The engines reckon White has the upper hand after 9.a3!? (Stockfish17.1) or 9.Qc2 (Dragon1).

9...cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.exd4?!

The isolani gives White more space, but, with all the knights off the board, it is more of a weakness than a strength.

11...Bd7 12.Be2?!

Leaving the dark-square bishop loose on an open file is probably unwise.

How should Black proceed?

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12...Rc8

Black gets at least a slight edge, according to the engines, after 12...Qc6, eg 13.Qd3 Rc8!? 14.Bd2 (worse is 14.Rc1? Ba3 15.Rc2 Qxg2 16.Bf3 Qh3) Qxg2 15.Bf3 Qh3, or 13.Bd2 Qxg2 14.Bf3 Qg6 15.Bxb7 Rd8, or 13.Rc1?! Qxg2 14.Bf3 Qg6 15.Bxb7 Rb8 16.Qf3!? Ba3 17.Rd1 0-0.

13.Rc1 Be7

Not 13...Qa3 14.0-0! Qxa2?? 15.Ra1.

14.0-0 0-0

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

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The key feature is the IQP, which gives Black a slight edge, according to Dragon1, although Stockfish17.1 is less sure.

15.Qd2

DS pressed his clock and offered a draw.

15...Rfd8 16.Bf3 Bc6 17.Bxc6 Rxc6

What would have been wrong with recapturing with the queen, giving the above position?

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Full marks if you plumped for 18.Ba5!, but go to the bottom of the class (do teachers still use that as a sanction?) if you chose 18.Bb4?, as White is lost after 18...Bxb4!

Back to the game.

18.Bb2 Rdc8 19.Rxc6 Rxc6 20.Rc1 h6 21.Rxc6 Qxc6

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

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The isolated queen's pawn remains the key feature, but with rooks off the board, and with White having no other weakness, it is not decisive. Indeed Stockfish17.1 reckons the position is equal, although Dragon1 gives Black a slight edge.

22.g3

GS offered a draw in my time.

22...Qd5 23.Qc3 Bf6 24.a3

The engines do not like this, preferring 24.Qc2!?, when they reckon 24...Bxd4 25.Bxd4 Qxd4 26.Qc8+ Kh7 27.Qxb7 is equal.

24...h5 25.h4 g6 26.Kh2 Kf8 27.Kg1 Kg7 28.Kh2 b5 29.Kg1 a5!? 30.Kh2?!

This may be a mistake. The engines give 30.Qxa5 Qxb2 31.Qd2, when they reckon White is only slightly worse.

30...Qf5 31.Kg2 Qe4+ 32.Qf3?

This is definitely a mistake. Instead 32.Kf1!? Qb1+ 33.Bc1 (33.Kg2? b4! 34.axb4 axb4 35.Qd2 Qa2 36.Qc2 Kh7 leaves White unable to defend both b3 and d4) g5!? 34.Qe3!? gxh4 35.Qh6+ Kg8 36.Qxf6 Qxc1+ 37.Kg2 hxg3 38.Kxg3 is a sharp line, with several major alternatives along the way, that ends with a position that Dragon1 at first reckons only slightly favours Black, but it comes to agree with Stockfish17.1 that Black is winning.

32...Qc2

32...Qb1! is very strong, in a similar way to the previous note, eg 33.Qc3 b4! 34.axb4 axb4 35.Qd2 Qa2, which is a direct transposition to the line in brackets.

33.Qc3 Qe4+ 34.Qf3?

34.Kf1!? gives the same position as in the note to White's 32nd move. After the text, 34...Qb1! almost certainly wins, as explained above.

½–½

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Seven

FACED a Pole.

Spanton (1915) - Michał Nisztuk (1696)

Spanish Berlin

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.Qe2!?

This is fourth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind 4.Nc3, 4.d3 and especially 4.0-0.

How should Black respond?

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4...Bc5!?

It is Black's ability to develop the king's bishop actively, without worrying about a quick d4 (after c3), that has been cited as the drawback to White's fourth move. The point is that with the queen having left the d file, a d4 thrust requires extra preparation. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 also like 4...Bd6!?, when the main line in Mega26 runs 5.c3 0-0 6.d3 (the point here being that 6.d4?! runs into 6...exd4 7.cxd4 Nxe4!) Re8, with an equal game, according to the engines.

5.Bxc6!?

How should Black recapture?

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5...dxc6?!

Recapturing with the d pawn in the Spanish is so common that it can become 'automatic', but here it is probably a mistake. After 5...bxc6 6.Nxe5 Qe7, Judit Polgár (2630) - Jan Smejkal (2510), Olympiad (Moscow) 1994, went 7.Nd3 Ba6!? 8.Nc3 0-0 9.b3!? Rfe8 10.f3 Nd5! 11.Nxd5 cxd5 12.Bb2 dxe4 13.fxe4 Qxe4 14.Qxe4 Rxe4+, with the upper hand for Black, according to the engines (but ½–½, 41 moves).

6.Nxe5 Qd4

The engines prefer the less-popular, albeit from a small sample size, 6...Qe7, but again the answer is 7.Nd3, when there is no ...Ba6 available.

7.Nd3 Bb6

The blunder 7...Nxe4?? has been played, but loses to 8.Nxc5.

8.Nc3 0-0 9.0-0?!

The engines suggest 9.f3, when Francisco Vallejo Pons (2707) - Yuriy Kryvoruchko (2689), World Blitz Championship (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) 2017, continued 9...Re8 10.b3 c5 11.Bb2 c4!? 12.Nf2!? Nd5!? 13.Na4, with a winning advantage for White, according to the engines, although the game was drawn. The engines also like an apparent-novelty in 9.a4!?, the idea being to play 10.f3 after 9...a5.

9...Bg4

The engines reckon 9...Re8!?, which has been played in two games between unrateds, gives equality.

10.Qe3 Qd7

The engines prefer 10...Rfe8!?, which was played in Nitai Leve (2128) - Ivan Ivanišević (2606), Chess.com Blitz 2021, although they reckon 11.Rfe1 would have given White the upper hand. Instead the game went 11.Qf4? Nxe4! 12.Qxg4 Nxc3 13.Qxd4 Ne2+, leaving Black with what the engines reckon is a winning advantage (but 1-0, 86 moves).

11.Qg3 Nh5!? 12.Qh4 Nf6

Black has nothing better, but the engines reckon the waste of time with the knight has not harmed Black much (Black was already in a bad way).

13.Ne5 Qe6 14.Nxg4 Nxg4 15.d3 Bd4?!

But this achieves nothing. Much better is 15...f5.

16.h3 Ne5 17.Ne2 Bc5

How should White proceed?

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18.Nf4

The engines like 18.Qg3, but not 18.d4?! Qc4.

18...Qd7 19.Be3 Be7 20.Qg3 Bd6 21.d4 Ng6 22.e5 Be7 23.Nxg6!?

The engines are OK with this, but it offers Black practical chances, so 23.Rad1 was more prudent.

23...fxg6!?

Taking with the h pawn is marginally preferred by the engines, but half-opening the f file is a very human thing to do when a pawn down.

24.Rad1 Rf5 25.Rd2 Raf8 26.Rfd1 Rh5!? 27.Qg4 Qd5 28.b3

Preparing c4.

28...b5 29.Qe2 Bb4 30.Rd3

There is nothing wrong with 30.c4.

30...Be7 31.Rc1 Rhf5 32.c4 bxc4 33.bxc4 Qe4

What should White play?

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34.Rf1

This stops Black's threatened 34...Rxf2! But even stronger is 34.f3! as 34...Rxf3!? 35.gxf3 Rxf3 is not as dangerous as it looks at first sight, eg 36...Rg3+ is not much of a threat as it can be met by 37.Kg2.

34...c5 35.f3 Qb7!?

This is best, according to the engines, even though it allows ...

36.Rb3

... after which Black's attacking chances are negligible.

36....Qa6 37.g4 R5f7

The engines prefer 37...cxd4!?, but after 38.gxf5 dxe3 39.Qxe3 gxf5 40.Rb2 White is the exchange up and has a powerful passed pawn.

38.d5 Rd8

Threatening 39...Rxd5!

39.Re1 h5 40.Kg2 Qa5!?

The engines do not mind this, even though it allows ...

41.Rb5 Qa6 42.Bxc5 
... which only goes to show how bad Black's position was anyway.

42...Bg5?!

It is objectively better to swop bishops as Black has no satisfactory answer to White's next.

43.e6

The attacked rook does not have a good square available.

43...Rf4 44.Be3 Bh4!? 45.Bxf4 Bxe1 46.Bxc7!? Re8 47.d6 Bh4 48.g5 Kh7!? 49.e7 Qc6 50.Qe4 Qa6!? 51.Qxh4 Qxa2+ 52.Qf2 Qxc4 53.Rb8 1-0

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Six

FACED a Czech Fide master.

Jan Bartoš (2124) - Spanton (1915)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nxc6!?

The main continuation is 7.Bc4, but the text has been played by many strong grandmasters, including Garry Kasparov.

7...bxc6 8.Bc4!?

Usual is 8.e5, but Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 are happy enough with developing the bishop.

How should Black respond?

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8...Ne4?!

A well-known idea in such positions, but here White has a strong reply. Black should probably castle; 8...d6 is also good.

9.Nxe4

As usual, this is better than Bxf7+.

9...d5

White to play and gain a large advantage

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10.Bd3

Interesting is 10.Bb3!? dxe4 11.Qxd8+ Kxd8 12.0-0-0+, but may not be enough for an edge (the engines give different evaluations). However 10.Bd4! 0-0 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Qd4+ f6 13.0-0-0 is strong, eg 13...Qb6 14.Rhe1 Qxd4 15.Rxd4 e5! 16.Rd2 dxc4 17.Rd6, when White gets back the pawn with much the better position.

10...dxe4 11.Bxe4 Qa5+!?

This may be new. Known are 11...Qc7 and 11...Bb7, while Stockfish17.1 suggests sacrificing c6 with 11...0-0!? Both engines also like 11...Bxb2!?, eg 12.Bxc6+ Bd7 13.Bxa8 Qxa8 14.0-0!? (this is better than 14.Rb1 Qxg2 15.Rf1 Be5, according to the engines) Bxa1 15.Qxa1 f6 (15...0-0?? 16.Bh6) with what they reckon is complete equality.

12.Qd2

12.c3!? is a tad better, according to the engines.

12...Qxd2+ 13.Bxd2 0-0?

The engines give 13...Bxb2!?, eg 14.Bxc6+ Bd7 15.Bxa8 Bxa1, or 14.Rb1 Rb8 15.Bxc6+ Bd7 16.Bxd7+ Kxd7, in each case with equality.

14.0-0-0!

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

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Black's queenside pawn weaknesses give White the upper hand, according to the engines.

14...Rb8!?

This is Stockfish17.1's top choice; Dragon1 prefers 14...Be6!?

15.b3 Bd7?!

Probably not a good way to defend c6. Almost certainly better is 15...Rb6, but the engines come to like best of all 15...a5!?, although both 16.Bxa5 Ra8 17.b4, and 16.Bxc6 Bf5 17.Rhe1! (17.c4? Rfc8), are strong for White.

16.Rhe1 Rb7!?

This seems best. Certainly not 16...Rfd8?? 17.Ba5.

17.Bg5

How should Black proceed?

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17...Re8?

Best is 17...f6, but White has at least the upper hand, and is probably winning, after 18.Be3 or 18.Bd2, according to the engines.

How should White proceed?

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18.Rxd7! Rxd7 19.Bxc6 Red8 20.Bxd7 Rxd7 21.Rxe7 Rxe7 22.Bxe7

White's advantage is worth more than a rook, according to the engines

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22...Bd4 23.f3 f5 24.Kd2 Kf7 25.Bg5 Be5 26.h3 Ke6 27.Be3 a6 28.Kd3 Kd5 29.c4+ Kc6 30.b4 Bd6 31.c5 Be7 32.Kc4 1-0

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Five

FACED a Russian.

Spanton (1915) - Sergei V Ivanov (2029)

Spanish Classical Deferred

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Bc5!?

There are 5,384 examples of this move in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database.

How should White respond?

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5.c3

This is second in popularity in Mega26 to 5.0-0, which scores two percentage points better.

5...Nge7!?

This is the main continuation.

6.d4 exd4 7.cxd4 Bb4+ 8.Nc3 d5!?

Immediate castling allows 9.d5.

9.e5 0-0 10.h3!?

This time it is White who has cause not to castle 'automatically'. After 10.0-0 Bg4 Black  is building pressure on White's centre, eg Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2758) - Rudik Makarian (2502), Chess.com Blitz 2022, went 11.Be3?! (this is the main move in Mega26, albeit from a small sample size) f6 12.e6!? Bxe6, when White had nowhere near enough for the sacrificed pawn (0-1, 56 moves). Vachier-Lagrave avoided the natural-looking 12.exf6?! as White cannot avoid having his kingside smashed after 12...Rxf6. Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White should play the known 11.Qd3, or an apparent-novelty in 11.Bg5!?

10...h6 11.0-0

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

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White has more space in the centre, and a kingside pawn-majority, which could give attacking chances. The half-open c file might also prove useful. Black may be able to generate pressure against d4, and has no major weaknesses. The engines give White a slight edge.

11...Bf5 12.Be3

This is the engines' second choice, behind 12.Ne2!?

12...f6 13.exf6 Rxf6 14.Rc1

The engines much prefer 14.Ne5 or 14.Bb3.

14...Qc8!?

White's central space advantage has been dissolved, and suddenly it is Black who has the better kingside chances, thanks to having more-active pieces on that wing. Note that the same idea with 14...Qd7?! runs into 15.Ne5.

15.Bxc6!?

This is probably best.

15...bxc6 16.Ne5?!

The engines slightly prefer 16.Kh2, meeting 16...Bd6+ with 17.Ne5.

How should Black proceed?

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16...Rb8

The sacrifice 16...Bxh3! is already on as 17.gxh3? Qxh3 gives Black a winning position, according to the engines, eg 18.Qd3 (18.Qg4? Rg6) Bd6 19.Bf4 Qxd3 20.Nxd3 Bxf4 21.Nxf4 Rxf4 leaves Black up two pawns. White should probably play 17.Ne2, but Black has won a good pawn, although Black's queenside weaknesses give White some compensation.

17.Ne2

This rules out ...Bxh3, at least for now.

17...Bd6 18.Qd2 c5 19.Ng3?!

The engines reckon White should gain kingside space with 19.f4 or 19.g4.

How should Black proceed?

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19...Bh7?

This turns a large Black advantage into a large White one. Both 19...c4 and 19...Rb5!? give equal chances, according to the engines, but again it was good to capture on h3. After 19...Bxh3! 20.gxh3?! Qxh3 Black has a huge threat in 21...Nf5. White's best, according to the engines, is 21.Rfe1, but Black can still play 21...Nf5, meeting 22.Nxf5 with 22...Qxf5!? (22...Rxf5 is also good), eg 23.Qd3 Qh5 24.Qd1!? Qh3 25.Qg4 Qxg4+ 26.Nxg4 Rg6 27.f3 cxd4! 28.Bxd4 h5. Once again it is better for White not to accept the sacrifice at h3, but then Black is clearly better.

What should White play?

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20.Nh5?

After 20.Ng4 White is winning a pawn, eg 21...Re6 (this is better than 21...Rf8, according to the engines) 22.dxc5 Bxg3 23.fxg3.

20...Rf5 21.g4?

The sacrificial combination 21.Nxg7!? Kxg7 22.Bxh6+ gains two pawns and an attack, for a bishop, with equal chances, according to Dragon1, although Stockfish17.1 reckons 22...Kh8 gives Black an edge.

21...Rxh5!

Instead it is Black who successfully sacrifices.

22.gxh5 Qxh3

How would you assess this imbalanced middlegame?

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Black has a pawn and the bishop-pair for the exchange. Materially, that is about equal, but Black also has an attack, and much the safer king, and so is the equivalent of more than a minor piece ahead, according to the engines.

23.Bf4!?

The engines agree this is the best defence.

23...cxd4 24.Qxd4

Perhaps 24.f3 is a little better, but Black can build up with 24...Rf8, or snaffle another pawn with 24...Qxh5.

24...c5

Even stronger is getting the black rook more into play, with either 24...Rb4 or 24...Rf8.

25.Rxc5?!

Offering back the exchange, but the queen should probably just retreat.

25...Be4 26.f3 Rxb2!?

Spectacular, but unnecessary. The engines prefer 26...Nf5, and 26...Bxc5 27.Qxc5 Rxb2.

27.Qxb2 Bxc5+ 28.Rf2 Bxf3 29.Nxf3 Qxf3 30.Kf1 Qxf2+ 31.Qxf2 Bxf2 32.Kxf2

How would you assess this minor-piece ending?

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Black's two-pawn advantage is the equivalent of being up more than a rook, according to the engines.

32...Kf7 33.Ke3 Nc6 34.a3 Kf6 35.Kd3 Kf5 36.Bd6 g6!? 37.hxg6 Kxg6 38.Ke3 Kf5 39.Bf8 h5 40.Bh6 Kg4 41.Kf2 h4 42.Bf8 Ne5 43.Bd6 Nc4 44.Be7 d4 45.a4 d3 46.Bb4 h3 47.a5 d2 0-1

Defeat ended an 11-game unbeaten streak in which I scored +5=6-0, performing about 150 elo above my average rating in those games of 1919.

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Four

FACED a German.

Achim Heller (2038) - Spanton (1915)

QGD

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3!?

This somewhat innocuous-looking move could be said to be the continuation of champions in that it has been tried by Steinitz, Alekhine, Tal, Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, Carlsen and other very strong players.

The position occurs 20,770 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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4...b6!?

This is fifth-most popular, behind 4...Nbd7, 4...c5, 4...c6 and especially 4...Be7.

5.b3 Bb7

Possible is 5...Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Bc3!?, but the minor inconvenience caused to White is probably not worth it.

6.Bd3!?

Holding back on developing the queen's bishop, for a reason that will soon become clear.

6...Nbd7 7.0-0 Be7 8.Ba3!?

This is the point. White wants to swop his bad bishop (hemmed in by the white centre pawns) for Black's good bishop, but only after Black has spent a tempo developing the dark-square bishop.

8...0-0

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

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White has two pawns on the fourth rank against Black's one, but Black has a slight lead in development, a lead that will grow after an exchange on e7. After that exchange, White will be left with the technically better bishop, but the pawn-structure is by no means fixed, so it is not possible to say whether that will be a significant factor. Chances are equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

9.Bxe7

Dragon1, but not Stockfish17.1, prefers 9.Bb2!?

9...Qxe7 10.Ne5

The engines do not like this, preferring development with 10.Nc3 or 10.Nbd2.

10...Nxe5 11.dxe5 Nd7 12.f4 f6 13.exf6 Rxf6

The engines prefer 13...Nxf6.

14.Nd2 Raf8 15.g3?!

This is slow, and weakens the long light-square diagonal. The engines suggest developing the queen to c2, or to e2, either immediately or after 15.Qh5 g6.

15...e5 16.Re1?!

The engines suggest 16.cxd5 exf4 17.Ne4, but reckon Black gets an advantage by sacrificing the exchange: 17...fxg3! 18.Nxf6+ Rxf6, after which the white king is very exposed, eg 19.Qe2 (19.hxg3?? Qxe3+)  gxh2+ 20.Kh1 (forced) Bxd5+ 21.e4 Bb7, when Black has three pawns for the exchange.

16...exf4 17.exf4

Even worse is 17.gxf4?, eg 17...dxc4 18.Bxc4+ Kh8 19.Bd3 (covering g6) Rxf4! (other moves also win) 20.exf4 Qc5+ 21.Kf1 Rxf4+.

17...Qc5+ 18.Kg2!?

Now 18...dxc4+ can be answered by 19.Be4.

How should Black proceed?

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18...Rh6?

Black has a large advantage after 18...Rd6, eg 19.Qc2 (this is best, according to the engines) dxc4+ 20.Be4 c3! 21.Nf3 Bxe4 22.Rxe4 Nf6.

19.Qf3?

The engines reckon the game is equal after 19.cxd5.

How can Black exploit White's last move?

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19...Qd4!

A relatively quiet move, but it introduces the threat of 20...Ne5, and the even stronger 20...Nc5.

20.Qe3

Probably best is 20.Rad1, but 20...Nc5 simultaneously attacks d3 and protects b7.

20...dxc4+

Even stronger is 20...Qxe3! 21.Rxe3 d4+ 22.Rf3 Re8, when the engines point out that threats include 23...Re3 and 23...Nc5, as well as simply taking the exchange.

21.Be4 Bxe4+?!

This loses much of Black's advantage. Instead the engines give 21...Qxe3! 22.Rxe3 Re8 23.Rae1 Rhe6 24.bxc4 Nf6 25.Kf3 Nxe4 26.Nxe4, when material is equal, but they reckon Black is winning, eg 26...h6 27.f5!? Rc6! 28.Ke2 Rf8 (28...Rxc4?? 28.Nf6+) 29.Nd2 Rxf5 gains a pawn. White could try 27.h4, but then 27...Rxe4! 28.Rxe4 h5 leaves White hopeless, eg 29.R1e3 Kf7 30.a4 Kf6 with ...Kf5 to come. Another try is 27.g4, covering the f5 square, but the engines give 27...g5!, when there comes 28.f5 Re5 29.a3 Kf7 30.R1e2 (30.a4 Bc6 31.R1e2 a5 32.Re1 R5e7 33.R1e2 Bxa4 wins an important pawn) Bc6 31.Re1 a6 32.R1e2 b5 33.cxb5 axb5 34.h3 Bd5 35.Re1 Rxe4!? 36.Rxe4 c5 37.Re2 c4 38.Re1 Rxe4!? 39.Rxe4 c3 etc.

22.Nxe4 Qxe3 23.Rxe3 cxb3 24.axb3

How would you assess this late-middlegame position?

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Black is a pawn up, and has a 3-1 farside majority, but White's pieces are better coordinated, and it is hard to mobilise the black majority. The engines for quite some time give Black a slight edge, but Stockfish17.1 comes to view the game as equal.

24...a5 25.Rd1 Nf6

Threatening 26...Rxh2+!

26.Nf2?!

The engines prefer exchanging on f6, or allowing Black to exchange on e4 after, for example, 26.h4.

26...Re8 27.Rxe8+ Nxe8 28.Ng4?!

The engines prefer 27.Ne4, preventing 27...Rd6.

28...Rd6 29.Re1

Exchanging rooks makes Black's task easier.

29...Kf8 30.Ne5 Rd2+ 31.Kf3!? Nf6

31...Rxh2? lets White force a draw with 32.Nd7+ Kf7 33.Ne5+ Kf8 34.Nd7+ etc, as 33...Kg8?? loses to 34.Ng4.

32.h3 Nd7!?

Going for a rook-and-pawn ending seems the best way to make progress, despite the well-known drawing potential of such endings.

33.Ke4?!

This is almost certainly the wrong way to enter the ending.

33...Nxe5!?

Also strong is 33...Nc5+ 34.Ke3 Rb2.

34.fxe5

Or 34.Kxe5 Rd3.

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

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White's passed pawn is probably more of a weakness than an asset, and meanwhile Black has 3-1 on the queenside. The engines reckon Black is roughly the equivalent of a rook up.

34...Ke7 35.h4 Ke6 36.Re3 Rd5 37.Kf4 b5 38.h5 b4 39.g4 Rc5 40.Re1 Rc3 41.Ra1 Rxb3 42.Rxa5 Rc3 43.Ra6+ Ke7 44.Ra7 Ke6 45.Ra6+

AH offered a draw.

45...Kd7 46.h6 Rc4+?

Much better is 46...g6, or even, according to the engines, 46...g5+!? After the latter, play might continue 47.Kxg5 b3 48.Ra7 Rc6, when the only way to stop the b pawn is with 49.Ra1, but then comes 49...Ke6 etc.

White to play and draw

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47.Kg5?

After 47.Kf5 the position is completely equal, according to the engines, eg 47...g6+ 48.Kf6 Rf4+ (only move as White threatens 49.e6+) 49.Kg7 b3 50.Ra1 (not 50.Kxh7?? b2) Rxg4 51.Kxh7 c5 52.Kg7 Rh4 53.h7 c4 54.Kf6! (54.h8=Q? Rxh8 55.Kxh8 c3 wins for Black) b2 55.e6+ Kc7 56.Rb1 c3 57.e7 c2 58.e8=Q cxb1=Q, after which Black is a rook up, but the black king cannot escape checks from the white queen. Black could try 47...gxh6, but 48.Rxh6 draws easily enough, eg 48...b3 49.Rxh7+ Kc6 50.Rh1 b2 51.Rb1 Rb4 52.Kf6 Kd7 53.e6+ Ke8 54.g5 Rf4+ 55.Ke5 Rb4 56.g6 Ke7 57.g7 Rg4 58.Rxb2.

Black to play and win

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47...gxh6+!

The only winning move, whereas 47...g6 transposes to the previous note after 48.Kf6.

48.Rxh6 b3 49.Rxh7+ Ke6

If the white king were on f5 instead of g5, 49...Ke6 would not be possible, and the game would be drawn.

50.Rh3 Rb4 51.Rh1 b2 52.Rb1 c5 53.Kh5

I cannot read my writing here - it is possible 53.Kh6 was played.

53...c4 54.g5 c3 55.g6 Rb7 0-1

Mariánské Lázně 50+ Round Three

FACED a 49-year-old.

Spanton (1915) - Martin Taus (2052)

Přibyl

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 c6

This is the Přibyl, or Czech, Defence, which is sometimes classified as an offshoot of the Pirc, but is really a system in its own right, although lines can transpose.

4.f4 Qa5 5.Bd2!?

Offering a pawn. The main line in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database runs 5.Bd3 e5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.0-0, with the upper hand for White, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1.

How should Black respond?

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5...e5

This is the main move in Mega26. Grabbing a pawn with 5...Qb6 6.Nf3 Qxb2?! is very risky, although it has been played by grandmaster Michał Krasenkow (2531). After 7.Rb1 (Krasenkow's opponent played 7.Bd3!?, which is marginally preferred by Dragon1, but not by Stockfish17.1) Qa3 8.Bd3, White has much more than enough for a pawn, according to the engines.

6.Nf3

The engines suggest 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.fxe5 Ng4!?, claiming at least a slight edge for White after 8.Nf3 or 8.Qf3!?

6...exd4 7.Nxd4

Also possible is 7.Nd5!? Qd8 8.Nxf6+ Qxf6 and 9.Bc4 (Stockfish17.1) or 9.Bd3 (Dragon1).

7...Qb6

Black is lost after 7...Qb4? 8.Ncb5!

8.Nb3

The engines like 8.Nf3!?, when capturing on b2 is again very risky.

8...Bg4?!

The engines reckon 8...a5!? equalises (Stockfish17.1) or leaves White with no more than a slight edge (Dragon1). The text seems to help White more than Black.

9.Be2 Bxe2?!

The engines much prefer 9...Be6!?, which is probably a novelty.

10.Qxe2 Qa6!? 11.Qf3!? Nbd7 12.0-0-0

Stockfish17.1 reckons this is an improvement over the aggressive known-move, 12.g4!?, but Dragon1 is less sure. John Leake - Paul de Rooi, Guernsey 1991, went 12.g4!? Nb6 13.0-0-0 0-0-0 14.Kb1 d5 15.e5, with a positionally won game for White, according to the engines (1-0, 32 moves, although in the final position in Mega26 Black is winning, but the last few moves for both sides look very strange).

12...0-0-0

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

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White has more space, a lead in development and the slightly safer king, which add up to a winning advantage, according to the engines.

13.Kb1 Nb6 14.Rhe1 h5?!

This seems rather irrelevant to the coming battle in the centre.

15.e5 Nfd5 16.Ne4 Nc4?!

Black should probably be mobilising with 16...Be7. The engines also suggest 16...Kb8.

17.exd6?!

This is almost certainly not the strongest. The engines like 17.Ng5 and 17.Qh3+.

17...Bxd6 18.Nxd6?!

White still has at least the upper hand after 18.Bc1 or 18.Bc3, according to the engines.

18...Rxd6 19.Re4?!

And now the game is equal, whereas 19.Qh3+ or 19.g4 give at least a slight edge, according to the engines.

19...Rhd8 20.Qe2?

Not 20.Qxh5? Nf6 21.Qf5+ Kb8 22.Re2 (22.Ree1 Nxd2+ 23.Nxd2 Rxd2) Nxd2+ 23.Rexd2 Rxd2 24.Nxd2 Rxd2!, but White should probably play 20.Rd4, or 20.Qh3+ and then Rd4.

Black to play and gain what the engines reckon is a winning advantage

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20...Ndb6?!

Almost certainly better is 20...Nxd2+ 21.Rxd2 Qxe2, when 22.Rexe2 allows 22...Nxf4. That leaves 22.Rdxe2, but 22...Nf6 is very strong, eg 23.Re7 Rd1+ 24.Nc1 Rh1 25.c4 Rdd1 26.Rc2 Rd7!? 27.Rxd7 Kxd7, when all of Black's pieces are more active.

21.a3?

Relatively best seems to be 21.Re8, but 21...Qb5!, pinning the white knight is good, eg 22.Rxd8+ Rxd8 23.Kc1 Na4 24.Be1 (there appears to be nothing better) Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Ncxb2, when Black is a pawn up and has the safer king.

Black to play and win

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21...Nxd2+?

This allows complete equality. Several moves preserve the upper hand for Black, but the engines' 21...Qb5! wins by threatening to double-capture on d2 with the rooks, at a moment when the white knight is pinned, thanks to the new threat of ...Qxb2#. The engines reckon White has nothing better than the distracting 22.a4!?, but after 22...Qxa4 Black is a pawn up and still attacking, eg 23.Re8 Nxd2+ 24.Rxd2 Rxd2 25.Nxd2 Qxf4, winning a second pawn.

22.Rxd2 Rxd2 23.Nxd2 Qxe2 24.Rxe2 Nd5 25.g3 h4!? ½–½