Thoughts On Bad Wörishofen IV

MY round-seven game in the Bad Wörishofen seniors was an Old Indian that began 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3!? e5 4.d5 c6 5.c4 Qb6 6.Qb3 Be7 7.Be3 Qxb3 8.axb3, reaching the following position.

Spanton (1919) - Dieter Bauer (1798) after 8.axb3 - notice anything unusual?

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The unusual feature is that queens have come off the board before anything else.

There are 11.7million games in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database - have a go at guessing how many feature the same phenomenon of queens-off first.

A) 35,222 (0.3%)

B) 58,715 (0.5%)

C) 82,202 (0.7%)

D) 105,688 (0.9%)

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The answer is 35,222 games, which is 0.3% of the games in Mega26.

I have a database with 5,028 of my games, and, since this was the sixth time queens have come off first in those games, my percentage is the even tinier 0.1.

The openings in my games varied: two Rétis and one each of the King's Indian Attack, Slav, Liberated Bishop and Old Indian.

But they have in common that, with the arguable exception of the King's Indian Attack, they were all closed systems.

Bad Wörishofen Senioren Round Seven

Spanton (1919) - Dieter Bauer (1798)

Old Indian

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.f3!?

This is third in popularity, behind 3.Bd3 and especially 3.Nc3, but has been played by Carlsen, Kasparov and Anand.

3...e5 4.d5 c6 5.c4

ChessBase calls this a Pirc, but, to me, Old Indian Defence is more appropriate 

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5...Qb6 6.Qb3 Be7

This may be a novelty. Viktor Korchnoi (2606) - Jörg Hickl (2617), Swiss Team Championship 2007, went 6...Qxb3 7.axb3 Na6 8.Be3 c5?!, which is probably the wrong idea as it leaves White with an unchallengeable centre (1-0, 32 moves). Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 suggest 8...Nd7!?, 8...Nb4 or 8...Be7, the last of which would transpose to the game.

7.Be3 Qxb3 8.axb3 Na6!

The engines agree this is much better than 8...a6, when play might continue 9.b4 0-0 10.Nc3 cxd5 11.cxd5 Nbd7 12.Bd3, with what they reckon is the upper hand for White, although the line is by no means forced.

9.Nc3 0-0 10.Bd3 Nb4 11.Kd2!? cxd5 12.cxd5 Nxd3 13.Kxd3

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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Black has the bishop-pair, but White has more space and queenside pressure, giving White a slight edge, according to the engines.

13...a6 14.Nge2 Bd7

DB offered a draw.

15.Ng3!?

The knight is headed for c4.

15...g6 16.Nf1 Ne8 17.Nd2 f5 18.Nc4 Nf6 19.h3

White has to be careful, eg the plausible 19.Ne2? loses to 19...fxe4+ 20.fxe4 Nxe4! 21.Kxe4 Bf5+ 22.Kf3 Bd3+ 23.Kg3 Bxe2.

19...fxe4+ 20.fxe4 Nh5 21.Nb6 Rad8 22.Nxd7 Rxd7 23.Ne2 Rc7 24.Rhf1 Rcc8 25.g4 Ng7 26.Nc3 Rf8?!

The engines strongly dislike this, suggesting 26...h5!?, albeit much preferring White.

How should White proceed?

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27.Na4

This gives the upper hand, according to the engines, but they reckon White is positionally winning after 27.Rxf8+ and 28.b4, eg 27.Rxf8+ Kxf8 28.b4 Rd7!? 29.b5 axb5 30.Nxb5 Kf7 31.Rc1!? Ne8 32.g5!? Rd8 33.Nc7 Rc8 34.Nxe8 Rxe8 35.Rc7, after which Black's b pawn must surely fall.

27...Rxf1 28.Rxf1 Rc8

The engines prefer 28...h5, 28...Ne8 or 28...Bh4.

29.Nb6 Rf8

DB pressed the clock and almost immediately offered a draw.

30.Rxf8+ Kxf8

White to play and gain a winning advantage

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31.Bh6
Heading for an ending of good knight versus bad bishop, but it is not enough for a win, whereas the engines 31.Nc4! probably is, eg 31...b5 32.Na5 Ne8 33.Nc6 Bh4 34.Nb8 Nc7 35.Bb6 Na8 36.Ba5 snaffles the black a pawn.

31...Kf7 32.Bxg7 Kxg7 33.Nc4 Kh6

Black's active king makes up for having the inferior minor piece

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34.Ke2 Kg5 35.Kf3 Kh4 36.Kg2 b5 37.Na5 h5 38.Nc6 Bg5 39.gxh5 gxh5

The position is completely equal, according to the engines, but White has a try that might well have worked over the board

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40.b4

The try is 40.Nb8!?

Analysis diagram - after 40.Nb8!?, can you see how Black saves the game?

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The obvious 40...a5 loses to 41.Nc6 a4 42.Na7! (but not 42.axb4?, when 42...axb4 wins for Black) axb3 43.Nxb5 Bc1 44.Nxd6 Bxb2 45.Nc4 Bc1 46.d6 Bg5 47.Nxe5! with unstoppable mate.

The engines show Black has to find 40...Bd2!!, eg 41.Nxa6 Kg5!, when White's extra pawn is useless, and the position remains completely equal.

Back to the game, where the idea of 40.b4 was to pin the a pawn.

40...Bd2 41.Nb8 Bxb4 42.Nxa6 Ba5!?

An only-move, but not difficult to find.

43.Nb8 Kg5 44.Nc6 Be1 45.Kf3 Kh4

Has White a (sensible) alternative to playing 46.Kg2 and acquiescing to a draw?

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46.Na7!?

This is certainly an alternative; whether it is sensible is a matter of opinion.

46...Kxh3

Forced, as Black's d pawn drops after 46...b4?, eg 47.Nb5 b3 48.Nxd6 Bc3!? 49.Nc4 Bb4 50.d6 Kg5 51.d7 Be7 52.Nxe5, when White is two pawns up.

47.Nxb5 Bb4 48.Na3 Bc5 49.Nc2 h4 50.b4 Bb6 51.Ne1 Kh2 52.Kg4 Kh1?

Setting a 'trap', but it is a 'trap' that is only good enough for a draw, even if White falls for it. Black had to play 52...h3, when 53.Nf3+ Kg2 54.Nh4+ Kh2 etc is a draw.

53.Nf3

After 53.Kxh4? Bf2+ (springing the 'trap') 54.Kg5 Bxe1 55.b5 Bf2 56.Kf6 Kg2 57.Ke6 Bc5 58.b6 Bxb6 59.Kxd6 Bd4 60.Ke6 Kf3 61.Kf5, the engines show neither side can make progress.

53...Kg2 54.Nxh4+ Kf2 55.Kf5 Ke3 56.Ng6 Kd4 57.Ne7 Bc7 58.Nc6+ Ke3 59.Na7 Bb6 60.Nc8 Bc7 61.b5 Kd4 62.b6 Bb8 63.Ne7 Bc7!? 64.bxc7 1-0

A water-treading hydroptherapy facility known as a Kneippanlage, operating only in the warmer months - Wikipedia lists 24 such 'troughs' in the immediate Bad Wörishofen area, but I suspect that is an underestimate

Cracovia 60+ Round Two

FACED a Lithuanian.

Spanton (1913) - Rimandas Šakinis (1757)

Old Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 c6!?

This is fifth-most popular in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, behind ...Bf5, ...e5, and especially ...g6 and ...Nbd7.

4.e4 Qa5!?

More popular are ...Qc7 (marginally), ...g6, ...Nbd7 and ...e5.

5.Bd3 e5 6.Ne2 Nbd7 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3!? Qc7 9.b4 exd4 10.Nxd4 Ne5 11.Be2!?

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 agree it is worth spending a tempo to save White's bad bishop.

11...0-0

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

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Whites' extra space gives the upper hand, according to the engines.

12.Bb2 Be6!?

This is Stockfish17.1's second choice, but both engines prefer 12...a5.

13.Nxe6

Stockfish17.1 suggests 13.Qb3!?, but Dragon1 likes the text.

13...fxe6

White has gained the bishop-pair, but has strengthened Black's centre and given Black a half-open f file

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14.Rc1 Nfd7!?

The engines suggest 14...a5 or 14...Kh8!?

15.Qd2 Nb6 16.Nd1 Nbd7!?

The engines agree this is best, albeit reckoning White is still better.

17.f4 Nf7

This is almost certainly better than 17...Ng6?! 18.Bg4 e5 19.Be6+ Kh8, and either 20.f5 or 20.Bxd7 Qxd7 21.f5.

18.Bg4 e5 19.Bxd7!?

This comes to be Stockfish17.1's top choice, but Dragon1 marginally prefers 19.g3!?

19...Qxd7

How should White proceed?

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20.fxe5?

This throws away White's advantage. White is still better after 20.Ne3 or 20.Qc3.

20...Qg4

Also equal is 20...Bg5 21.Ne3.

21.Nf2 Qg5 22.Qxg5 Bxg5 23.Rcd1 Nxe5 24.Bxe5!?

Otherwise Black is better, according to the engines.

24...dxe5 25.Ng4 Rf4!? 26.Rxf4 exf4

How would you assess this rook-and-minor-piece ending?

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White has the open file, and a passed pawn, but Black has fewer pawn islands, and the better piece for cooperating with a rook. Equal chances, according to the engines.

27.Kf2

27.Rd7 Rd8?! 28.Rxb7 is good for White, but the engines reckon Black is fine after 27...a5!?, eg 28.Rxb7 axb4 29.axb4 Bh4!? 30.Kf1 Re8, and if 31.e5, then 31...Ra8!?

27...Rd8?!

The engines suggest 27...a5, or 27...h5!? 28.Ne5 and then 28...a5.

28.Rxd8+ Bxd8

How would you assess this bishop-v-knight ending?

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White's more-active king and the vulnerability of f4 give White at least a slight edge, according to the engines, despite the bishop being better than the knight when there is play on both wings.

29.Kf3 h5?!

Probably the wrong idea. Black should be activating the king, either immediately with 29...Kf7!?, or after first protecting f4 with 29...Bc7. The point, after 29...Kf7!?, is that 30.Kxf4 Bc7+ 31.Kf3 can be met by 31...h5 and 32...Bxh2. However, the engines give 30.Ne5+!? Ke6 31.Nd3 b5! (White threatened 32.Nc5+ as well as 32.Nxf4+), eg 32.Nxf4+ Ke5 33.cxb5 cxb5, after which Black's king is very active.

30.Ne5 g5 31.h3?!

The engines reckon White is winning after 31.Nd7 or 31.Nd3.

31...Bf6?

Again Black should be activating the king, this time with 31...Kg7.

32.Nd7 Bd4 33.h4! Bb2 34.a4 Kf7 35.hxg5 Bc1 36.Ne5+ Kg7 37.b5!?

This may be marginally better than 37.Nd3 Bd2.

37...cxb5 38.axb5!?

This is fine, but White has to take care against Black creating a passed a pawn.

38...Bd2 39.Nd3 Kg6 40.Nxf4+ Kxg5 41.Ne6+ Kf6 42.Nd8 a5!?

How should White respond?

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43.Nxb7?

Black also gets drawing chances after 43.bxa6? bxa6. Correct is gaining a tempo with 43.Ke2, bringing White's king within the queening box of the a pawn (the a pawn is four squares from a1, so the queening box runs from a5-a1-e1-e5-a5).

43...Bb4?

Black had to play 43...a4.

44.c5?

Again White wins by bringing the king within the queening box.

44...a4

White to play and draw

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45.e5+!

The engines reckon 45.b6 also draws, but only if, after 45...a3, White finds the same idea and plays 46.e5+! However, 45.c6? loses trivially to 45...Ke7 etc. Probably also losing is 45.Nd6?! a3 46.b6 a2 47.b7 a1=Q 48.b8=Q, although this may be one of those positions where the engines have one side winning (Black is almost +5.00, according to Stockfish17.1; almost +6.00, according to Dragon1), but they cannot finish it off, eg 48...Qd1+ 49.Kg3 Qg4+ 50.Kf2 Bxc5+ 51.Ke1 Qh4+ 52.Kd2 Qf4+ 53.Kc2 Bxd6 (Black now has queen, bishop and pawn versus queen and two pawns) 54.Qd8+ Kg6 55.Qg8+ Kh6 56.Qd5!? Be5 57.Kb3 Kg5 58.Kc4 Kh4 59.Qd3 Qg4 60.Qd5 Bf4 61.Qd3 Qxg2, finally reaching a position that the Syzygy endgame tablebase can give a definitive verdict on: Black is winning. Naturally, there were lots of plausible alternatives along the way, so 45.Nd6?! may draw, with best play, but it would in practice be very hard for White to do so.

45...Ke7

Or 45...Kxe5 46.c6 Ke6 47.Nd8+ Ke7 48.c7 Kd7 49.b6 Ba5 (not 49...a3? 50.Nc6! a2 51.b7 Kxc7 52.b8=Q+ Kxc6 53.Qa8+ and 54.Qxa2) 50.c8=Q+! Kxc8 51.b7+ Kc7 52.Nc6! Kxb7 53.Nxa5+ Kb6, with a tablebase draw.

46.Nd6 a3 47.Nf5+ Kd8!?

47...Ke6 also draws.

48.Nd4 Bxc5??

48...a2 draws.

49.Nb3??

Winning is 49.Ne6+ followed by 50.Nxc5(+).

49...a2 50.Ke4 Kc7 51.Kd5 Kb6 52.Kc4 h4 53.e6 Be7 54.Na1 Bf6 55.Nc2 Kc7 56.Kd5 Be7 57.Kc4 Kd6 58.Kb3 Kxd6 59.Kxa2 Bc5 60.Ne1 Kf5 61.Kb3 Kg4 62.Kc4 Bf2 63.Nd3 Bb6 64.Ne5+ Kg3 65.Ng6 Bf2 66.Kd5 Kxg2 67.Nxh4 ½–½

Bad Bertrich Round One

Spanton (1946) - Cordula Hinrichs (1683)

English

1.e4 d6 2.c4!? Nf6 3.Nc3 e5!?

Most popular in ChessBase's 2025 Mega database is 3...g6, which is arguably more in keeping with Black's apparent original intent of playing a Pirc. But it is possible Black was aiming for a variation of the Philidor, and anyway after 3...g6 4.d4 Black has to be happy with playing a King's Indian. Also, 3...g6 is not liked by Stockfish 17 and Dragon1, for what that is worth at such an early stage of the opening. By choosing the text, Black has switched into lines of the English in which White, by following up with g3, Bg2 and Nge2 - not necessarily in that order - has a Botvinnik setup in what are generally considered favourable circumstances, ie with a black pawn on e5.

4.g3 Nbd7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nge2 c6 7.0-0 0-0

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

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White has more queenside space, and the better king's bishop. Dragon1 gives White the upper hand, but Stockfish17 awards just a slight edge.

8.d4

ChessBase classifies the opening as "A53: Old Indian Defence without Nf3." There are 239 examples of the position in Mega25.

8...Qc7 9.f4!?

Is there a Four Pawns Attack against the Old Indian? Korchnoi in a 1961 game preferred the more-restrained 9.Be3.

9...Re8 10.h3

Tartakower in a 1924 game played 10.Kh1.

10...Bf8 11.g4!?

And now it is a Five Pawns Attack, which the engines are OK with.

11...exd4

This is best, according to the engines, but after ...

12.Nxd4

... White can be happy at the improved position of the white king's knight.

12...Nc5 13.Qc2 Ne6

An apparently more logical follow-up is 13...a5, but the engines reckon White has a good game anyway.

14.Be3 Nxd4 15.Bxd4 Be6!?

The bishop becomes a target here for White's pawn-advance.

16.b3

This seems better than 16.Bxf6?! gxf6, after which White is not well-placed to attack Black's smashed kingside.

16...Qe7

The engines suggest 16...h6, even though it gives White a kingside target.

17.Rae1 c5?!

This weakens the d5 square, as well as making the d pawn backward.

18.Bf2 a6?

There is no time for this. The engines suggest 18...h6!? or 18...Kh8!?, but have White well on top.

19.Bh4 Qc7 20.f5 Bc8

Forced, as 20...Bd7? 21.g5 Nh5 21.Nd5 is horrendous for Black, eg 21...Qd8 22.Bf3 g6 23.Bxh5 gxh5 24.Nf6+ Kh8 25.Qd1 leaves Black hopelessly busted.

After 20...Bc8, how should White continue?

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21.Bxf6!?

This may make Black's defence easier. The engines like 21.e5!? dxe5 22.g5.

21...gxf6 22.Nd5 Qd8 23.Qc3 Bg7 24.Kh1!?

The engines reckon this is slow, preferring 24.Qg3.
24...b5?!

Loosening. White 'only' has the upper hand after 24...Bd7 or 24...Re5, according to the engines.

How should White exploit Black's last move?

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25.Nf4

This is not bad, but the engines' 25.e5! lands Black in all sorts of trouble, despite there being three ways to capture the white pawn.

A) 25...fxe5? is worst as 26.f6 Bf8 27.Ne7+ wins the black queen's rook.

B) 25...Rxe5?! allows 26.Rxe5 dxe5 (26...fxe5? 27.f6) 27.Nxf6+ Bxf6 28.Bxa8, winning the exchange. Black can get a pawn for it with 28...bxc4 29.bxc4 Bxf5 30.gxf5 Qxa8+, but 31.Qf3 is strong.

C) 25...dxe5 is relatively best, but White has several good replies, including 26.Rd1 and 26.g5!?, eg 26.g5!? Ra7 27.Rd1 Rd7 28.gxf6 Bxf6 29.Be4!?, when White is a pawn down but winning, according to the engines.

25...Bb7 26.Nh5 Re5 27.Qd2 Qf8?!

Probably better is 27...Rb8, albeit White's pressure continues, eg 28.h4 h6 29.Re3 bxc4 30.bxc4 Bc6 31.Qe2 Bf8 32.Rg3 Qe7 33.Re1, with White retaining the upper hand, according to the engines.

28.Rg1 Rae8?!

The engines give 28...Qe7 or 28...h6.

How should White meet the threat to e4?

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29.Qf4?

The threat to e4 is illusory. Even if it were Black to move in the diagram, capturing on e4 would be bad, ie  29...Bxe4? 30.Bxe4 Rxe4 31.Rxe4 Rxe4 32.g5 Kh8 (there is nothing better) 33.gxf6 Bh6 34.Qg2 Re5 35.Qg7+! Bxg7 36.fxg7+ etc.

Therefore, rather than the text, the engines give 29.g5 as winning, one line running 29...fxg5 30.Qxg5 f6 31.Qh4 with a strong attack. Probably better is 29...Kh8!?, but 30.gxf6 Bh6 31.Qf2 is also winning, according to the engines.

29...Bh6??
A horrible blunder, especially when 29...h6 and 29...Qe7 give equality, according to the engines.

30.Nxf6+ Kh8 31.g5 Bxg5?!

31...Bg7 is not a great deal better.

32.Qxg5 Qe7 33.Qh6 1-0