British 65+ Round Three

Spanton (1940 ECF/2003 Fide) - Hassan Erdogan (1889 ECF/1839 Fide)

Přibyl

1.Nc3 d6 2.d4 Nd7!? 3.e4 Ngf6 4.f4 e5 5.Nf3 exd4 6.Qxd4 c6

Via an unusual move-order, the game has reached a position that occurs 1,338 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, and is probably best classified as the Přibyl System within the Pirc

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7.a4!?

Stockfish18 and Dragon1 much prefer the mainline 7.Be3. Note that the tempting 7.e5!? can be met by 7...dxe5 8.fxe5 Bc5, although the engines reckon White has a slight edge.

7...a5

The engines do not like this either, preferring the thematic 7...d5!?, when 8.exd5?! Bc5, followed by 9...0-0, gives Black good compensation for a pawn. White should probably play 8.e5, although again ...Bc5, either immediately, or after 8...Ng4!?, seems fine for Black.

8.Be3!?

Apparently a novelty. The engines agree it is better than the known 8.Bc4?!, when, again, ...d5 gives Black good play, eg 8...d5!? 9.exd5 Bc5 10.Qd3 0-0.

8...d5!? 9.exd5

The engines more-or-less agree this is best, but Stockfish18 also likes 9.0-0-0!?

9...Bc5 10.Qd3!?

And here they agree this is better than 10.Qd2.

10...Qe7 11.Kd2

The engines suggest 11.Nd4!?, the idea being to meet 11...Ng4 with 12.Nf5!? But not 11.dxc6? Bxe3 13.cxd7+ Bxd7 14.Be2 Rd8, when Black has much more than enough for a pawn.

11...Bxe3+

Here they like 11...0-0!? or 11...Bb4!?

12.Qxe3 Qxe3+ 13.Kxe3 Nxd5+

Stockfish18 likes the text; Dragon1 prefers 13...cxd5.

14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Kd4!?

How should Black proceed?

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15...0-0!

The engines agree this is better than trying to hang on to the d pawn with 15...Nf6.

16.Bb5

Probably not 16.Kxd5?!, eg 16...Nf6+ 17.Kd4, after which both 17...Bf5 and 17...Rd8+ seem to give Black good play for a pawn.

16...Nf6 17.Rhe1 Bf5 18.c3

Probably even better is 18.Re7!?

18...Be4 19.Re2 Nh5 20.Ke3 Nf6 21.Ne5 Rfd8 22.Rd1 Bf5!? 23.h3 h5 24.Red2 Rdc8?!

Almost certainly the wrong rook.

25.Be2 h4 26.Bg4!? Nxg4+ 27.hxg4 Be4

How would you assess this late-middlegame?

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Black's bishop is technically bad in that the black central pawn is fixed on a light square, but the bishop is active, and is doing a good job preserving d5, while the d pawn in turn is preforming a useful task in giving the bishop a protected outpost. The bishop is also a better piece than the knight for cooperating with rooks. However, h4 is very weak, and that may be the major reason why the engines reckon White has at least a slight edge.
28.g5

The engines suggest 28.c4!?, eg 28...f6!? 29.cxd5 Bc2!? 30.Rc1 Bxa4 31.Rxc8+ Rxc8 32.Ng6 Rc1 33.Nxh4, awarding White at least a slight edge.

28...f6 29.gxf6 gxf6 30.Nf3 Re8 31.Kf2 h3!?

Stockfish18 likes this pawn sac; Dragon1 is less sure.

32.gxh3

Black is a pawn down, but White's extra pawn (h3) is weak, and the black bishop is much the better minor piece

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32...Kf7 33.Rg1 Rh8 34.Rg3 Rh7 35.Ke3 Re8 36.Kd4 Ke6?!

Black seems to be fine after 36...Rh5.

37.Rf2

Probably better is 37.Re2!?, when both 38.c4 and 38...Nd2 are threats.

37...Rc8 38.Nd2 Bf5 39.Re2+ Kf7!?

The engines marginally prefer this over 39...Kd6.

40.Kxd5 Bxh3 41.Rge3?!

White should perhaps have played 41.c4, 41.Kd4 or 41.Nc4.

41...Rh5+ 42.Kd4 Rc7?!

Black is at least equal after 42...Bg4, according to the engines.

43.Ke4

The engines reckon White is at least slightly better after 43.c4!?

43...Bg4 44.Rf2

The engines prefer 44.Rg2.

44...Re7+ 45.Kd4 Rd7+ 46.Ke4??

White is equal (Stockfish18), or only slightly worse (Dragon1), after 46.Kc4!? Be6+ 47.Rxe6 Kxe6 48.Nf3.

Black to play and win

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46...Bf5+?
Black mates with 46...f5+ 47.Ke5 Rh6 (or 47...Rh8) and 48...Re6# (or 48...Re8#). Also winning comfortably are 46...Rhd5 and 46...Rc5.
47.Kf3 Rh3+ 48.Ke2 Bd3+ 49.Rxd3 Rhxd3

How would you assess this ending?

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A pawn and knight are rarely enough for a rook in an ending, and this position is no exception, but the engines are not sure White is lost.

50.Nc4 R3d5 51.Kf3 Rd3+?!

Probably better is 51...Re7.

52.Ke4 Rd1 53.Nxa5 f5+?

Black is still much better after 53...Re7+ 54.Kf3 Rd3+. according to the engines.

54.Kf3 Ra1 55.Nc4 Rdd1 56.a5 Kf6

The engines reckon the game is completely equal

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57.Ke3 Ra4 58.b4 Raa1 59.Nb2 Rd8 60.c4??

But now White is lost, whereas 60.Nd3 holds.

60...Ra3+ 61.Ke2 Rb3 62.Ke1 Rxb4

Not only is White back to having only a pawn for the exchange, but all the surviving white pawns are weak 

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63.Rh2 Rg8 64.Kd1

What is the one critical factor in the position that Black must beware?

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64...Ra8?

Missing that the other rook is in mortal danger. Bearing this in mind, Black should have played something like 64...Rg3.

65.Kc2! b6!?

Or 65...Rxa5 66.Kc3, when Black has to give back the exchange as 66...Rb6?? loses to 67.Rh6+ etc.

66.axb6 Kg6 67.c5 Rb5 68.Kd3 Rxc5 69.Kd4?

69.Nc4 draws, as White's extra pawn is close to queening, and White's pieces are better coordinated than Black's.

69...Rb5

The engines show that 69...Rc1! wins, eg 70.Ke5 (70.Nc4? Ra4) Ra5+ 71.Kd6 Rb5 etc.

70.Nc4 Rd8+ 71.Kc3 Rc8 72.Kd4 Rb4 73.Rc2 Kf6 74.Kd5?

Both 74.Rc3 and 74.Kd3 hold.

74...Rxb6!

Black's advantage is the equivalent of being about a rook up, according to the engines

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75.Rh2 Rb5+ 76.Kd4 Rb4 77.Rc2 Rb5 78.Ra2 Rb4 79.Rc2 Kg6 80.Kd5 Kh5 81.Rh2+ Kg4 82.Nd6 Rd8 83.Ke5 Rxd6!

Returning the exchange to enter a winning rook-and-pawn ending.

84.Kxd6 Rxf4 85.Rg2+ Kf3 86.Rg5 Ke4

An only-move, but obvious enough.

87.Rg8 Rg4 88.Re8+ Kf3 89.Kd5 Re4 90.Rf8 f4 91.Rh8 Re1 92.Rg8 Kf2 93.Kd4 f3 94.Rf8 Kg2 95.Rg8+ Kf1 96.Rf8 f2 97.Rg8 Re7 98.Ra8 Ke2 99.Ra2+ Kf3 100.Ra3+ Kg2 101.Ra2 Kg1 0-1

Bischofsgrün Round Seven

Manfred Herbold (2075) - Spanton (1951)

Sicilian Grand Prix Attack

1.Nc3 c5 2.e4 Nc6 3.f4 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bb5 Nd4 6.d3?!

This fairly common continuation - there are 100 examples of the position after 6.d3?! in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database - may be a mistake.

How should Black proceed?

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6...Nxb5

Winning the bishop-pair. However, after the little-played 6...Qa5!? 7.Bc4 (forced) Nxf3+ 8.gxf3 (8.Qxf3?? Bxc3+ 9.bxc3 Qxc3+ sees Black winning rook and pawn) b5!? 9.Bd5 Rb8, Stockfish18 and Dragon1 give Black the upper hand.

7.Nxb5 a6

The commonest continuation in Mega26 runs 7...Qa5 8.Nc3 Bxc3+!? 9.bxc3 Qxc3+, but after 10.Bd2 White has a slight edge, according to the engines.

8.Nc3 d6

The engines suggest 8...b5!? or 8...b6.

9.a4 b6 10.0-0 e6!?

The engines suggest getting on with development with 10...Bb7 or 10...Nf6.

11.Qe1 Ne7

How should White proceed?

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12.g4?!

The engines strongly dislike this, suggesting two apparent-novelties in 12.e5 and 12.a5, but they also prefer, over the text, the known moves 12.Ne2 and 12.Bd2.

12...h5!?

Even stronger may be 12...f5.

13.g5 d5 14.Bd2 0-0

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

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White is more developed, and has more space on the kingside, but it is not easy for White to open lines there. Meanwhile, Black has the bishop-pair and the safer-looking king, although the former factor is hardly a big issue in the present position. The engines award Black the upper hand.

15.Ne2?!

A positional pawn sacrifice that the engines do not like.

15...Nc6?!

After 15...Bxb2 the engines reckon both 16.Rb1 and 16.Bc3!? leave Black with at least the upper hand.

16.Bc3 d4 17.Bd2 f5?

Black has a slight edge after 17...Bb7, according to the engines.

18.gxf6 Rxf6!?

How should White continue?

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19.Qg3!

White can win the exchange with 19.f5 exf5 20.Bg5, but 20...fxe4 gives decent compensation, eg 21.Bxf6?! Qxf6 22.dxe4 Bh3. Better is 21.dxe4, but Black is fine, according to the engines, after, for example, 21...Qd6 22.Bxf6 Bxf6.

19...Qe8 20.Rf2 Bh6?!

The engines suggest 20...e5!? or 20...Ra7, one point being 20...e5!? should probably not be met by 21.fxe5?! as 21...Nxe5 22.Nxe5 Rxf2 23.Kxf2 Bxe5 gives Black decent counterplay, although the position is unclear (equal - Stockfish18; White has the upper hand - Dragon1).

21.Rg2 Ra7!?

This loses a pawn, but may be Black's best continuation.

22.e5

Possibly even stronger is 22.Qh4!?, but the text is good enough for a winning advantage.

22...Rf8 23.Qxg6+ Qxg6 24.Rxg6+ Rg7 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 26.Kf2 Ne7?!

The engines much prefer 26...Bd7 or 26...Kh8!?

27.Rg1+ Kh7 28.Ng5+ Bxg5 29.Rxg5 Rf5

What should White play?

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30.Rxf5

30.h4?! lets Black equalise with 30...Rxg5 and 31...a5!, according to the engines;

30.Rg3?! can be met by 30...Ng6; and 30...Rg2?! loses a tempo to 30...Bb7.

But best may be 30.Rg1!? MH rejected it because of the line 30...Ng6? 31.Ng3 Nxf4? 32.Nxf5 Nh3+, missing that after 33.Kg2 Nxg1 White wins a piece with 34.Nd6. I intended 30...h4, but 31.Rg4 Ng6 32.a5!? is winning, according to the engines.

30...Nxf5

How would you assess this minor-piece ending?

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Black has a strong knight, but a pawn is a pawn, and the engines reckon 31.a5! wins, eg 32...b5 33.Nc1!, or 32...bxa5 33.Bxa5 Ne3 34.Ng3 Nxc2 35.Ne4, although the play is tricky.

31.b4?! cxb4 32.Bxb4 Bd7 33.a5 ½–½

Bad Neuenahr Round Nine

I WAS upfloated against the top seed, a Fide master, on board one.

Stephan Buchal (2202) - Spanton (1911)

King's Indian Attack/English Symmetrical/Réti

1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c5 4.0-0 g6 5.c4

What's in a name? At various points in the opening, ChessBase classifies it as "A08: King's Indian Attack," "A34: Symmetrical English: 2 Nc3, lines with ...d5" and "A38: Symmetrical English vs ...g6 4 Bg2 Bg7 5 Nf3 Nf6," and I suspect some people would regard it as a Réti

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5...Bg7 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Nc3 0-0

With both sides castling early, how would you assess the game?

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The position occurs 2,330 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, with White scoring a below-par 51%. Stockfish18 calls the game completely equal, but Dragon1 gives White at least the better part of equality.

8.Nxd5!? Qxd5 8.d3 Nc6

This is the point at which, according to ChessBase, the opening switches from A34 to A38.

9.d3 Nc6 10.Be3!?

How should Black proceed?

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10...Qd6

This is the commonest continuation in Mega26, followed by 10...Bd7, but the engines reckon Black should grab the proffered pawn with 10...Bxb2!? After 11.Rb1 Bf6!?, White has various moves, including offering a second pawn, temporarily, with 12.Nd4!?, when 12...Qxa2!? 13.Ra1!? Qb2 14.Nxc6 bxc6 15.Rb1!? Qa2 16.Bxc6 Bh3!? 17.Bxa8 Bxf1 18.Bf3 Bh3 19.Bxc5 is completely equal, according to the engines. But there are lots of alternatives along the way, including 14.Rb1 Qxb1!? 15.Qxb1 Nxd4, when Black has rook, knight and two pawns for a queen - imbalanced, but equal, according to the engines. Give the engines enough time, and Stockfish18, at least, rates 10...Bd7 on a par with 10...Bxb2!?, and it is not as though they reckon the text, which has been played by many grandmasters, is a mistake.

11.Rc1 Nd4

Grischuk and others have tried 11...b6?!, but 12.d4 is a strong answer.

How should White proceed?

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12.Bxd4!?

The engines prefer the main move, 12.Nxd4, when 12...cxd4 13.Bd2 is slightly better for White, according to the engines, which value White's pressure against Black's queenside more highly than Black's central space.

12...cxd4 13.Nd2

What should Black play?

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13...Be6!?

This is the main move in Mega26, albeit from a small sample, but the engines come to more-or-less plump for another known move, 13...Qb4!? (the choice of an 1831, the lowest-rated player to reach the position in Mega26), but they also suggest apparent-novelties in 13...a5!? and 13...Bh6!?

Now White has the chance to capture the opponent's QNP, but should he?

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14.Qa4!?

After 14.Bxb7 (there are no examples of this move in Mega26) Rab8 15.Bf3!? Rxb2 16.Nc4 Bxc4 17.Rxc4 Rxa2, White has enough for a pawn, but no more, according to the engines. They reckon the text is best.

14...Bd7

The engines prefer two apparent-novelties in 14...Bh6!? and 14...Rfb8!?

15.Qb3 Be6?!

The engines suggest another apparent-novelty in 15...Rab8.

Now can White grab the b pawn?

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Yes, according to the engines, which give best-play as 16.Qxb7 Rab8 17.Qxa7 Rxb2 18.Ne4! Qb8 19.Qxe7, all of which occurred in Vlastimil Sejkora (2221) - Daniel Koval (2093), Tatranské Zruby (Slovakia) 2011, after which the engines reckon White had the upper hand (1-0, 36 moves).

My game went ...

16.Qa4 Bd7 17.Qb3 Be6?!

... at which point SB wrote down the move 18.Qa4 and announced he was claiming a draw by repetition.

½–½

My third draw in my last 30 games.

Lessons From Bregenz

IN round one of the Bodensee Seniors I was White against Kurt Vogel (1643).

The game began as a Scandinavian, 1.e4 d5, but I mixed things up by switching into the Blackmar-Diemer Gambit with 2.d4!?

There are 2,034 examples of this transpositional trick in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, although, on the face of it, the trick rebounds on White as 2.d4!? scores 48%, seven percentage points lower than the mainline 2.exd5.

Then again, of all the moves after 1.e4 d5 that appear at least 100 times in Mega26, 2.d4!? records the second-highest score, so it has something going for it.

Not only that, but it has been played by grandmasters, although German GM Matthias Wahls, in a 1997 article for ChessBase, wrote: "The vast majority of Scandinavian Defence supporters are aware of the possibility of becoming involved in the BDG."

He furthered this by giving d4 a question mark, explaining that he had been taught a pawn is worth "roughly two to three tempi," whereas in the BDG White "only receives a single tempo for the sacrifice."

With all due respect, I am not sure Wahls is right about this.

After 2...dxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.f3 exf3 5.Nxf3, the following position is reached 3,407 times in Mega26.

It is Black to move, but I am showing the board from White's viewpoint

Black has accepted the sacrifice by taking on f3 - until then it was still possible to decline the gambit, for example by 4...e3 (585 examples in Mega26).

After Nxf3, White has developed two pieces, against Black's one, and has opened diagonals for both white bishops, whereas Black has yet to open a diagonal for the f8 bishop.

I make that an advantage of two development tempi, and it will be three once White castles kingside, as the king's rook will land on the half-open f file.

True, it is Black to move, but even so, by my reckoning, White has the "roughly two to three tempi" that Wahls was taught is necessary for a positional pawn sacrifice.

Then again, show the diagram position to Stockfish18 and Dragon1, and they reckon Black has the upper hand, which rather supports Wahls' opinion.

Black should continue, according to the engines, with 5...c6, 5...Bf5 or 5...g6!? The last move is interesting as it was Diemer's choice when Bogoljubow played the gambit against him in 1952 at Baden-Baden. ChessBase gives the game as a White win, but Black made the last move, the final position is dead drawn, and no explanation is given as to what happened, so it is anyone's guess as to how the game ended.

Be that as it may, the main line in Mega26 runs 5...Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 (6...Bxf3 is also popular) 7.g4!? Bg6 8.Ne5 e6 9.Bg2 c6, reaching the following position.

White has developed three pieces, including a knight to the fifth rank, which, according to Tarrasch, counts as two development tempi

Black has developed two pieces, but it is White to move, and White can still castle kingside, developing the king's rook to a half-open file. Alternatively, White might castle long, in which case the queen's rook
will be developed to a half-closed file - one on which the black queen currently resides.

Again White seems to be getting "roughly two to three tempi" for a pawn.

Naturally, counting tempi is far from being the only way to evaluate opening play, and, in the diagram, after 6...c6, White has more space in the centre and on the kingside, but also a lot of holes.

This time the engines have a higher regard for White's play, rating the position as giving equal chances (Stockfish18) or at best giving Black a slight edge (Dragon1).

LESSON: as is often the case in chess, there is plenty of room for divergence of opinion, and the objective merits of a move, especially if it involves a gambit, may be very different from the practical results.

4NCL Round 10

PLAYED on board one (of six) for Wessex B against a junior (born 2009) for Ashfield 2 this afternoon.

Sebastian Griffin-Young (1901 ECF/1841 Fide) - Spanton (1940 ECF/1911 Fide)

King's Indian Attack

1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.0-0 e5 5.d3 Nf6 6.e4!?

Contrary to first impressions, 6.e4!? does not lose a pawn

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6...dxe4 7.dxe4 Qxd1 8.Rxd1 Bg4

If 6...Nxe4?!, then 7.Nxe5! is good for White as 7...Nxf2?? (this has been played) loses to 8.Bxc6+ bxc6 9.Kxf2.

9.Re1 Rd8

Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 prefer getting the queen's rook to d8 via 9...0-0-0.

10.Na3!?

This is not in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, which has 10.h3, 10.c3 and 10.Nbd2? (10...Nb4).

10...Be7

The engines suggest 10...Be6!?, 10...h6 or 10...Bd6.

11.Nc4 Bxf3?!

Breaking the well-established rule that when you have a bad bishop (in this case the king's bishop, hemmed in by black pawns), you should not swop your good bishop.

12.Bxf3 0-0

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

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Black's light-square weaknesses are probably the main reason why the engines award White the upper hand.

13.Ne3 g6 14.c3 Kg7 15.Nd5 Rd7 16.Be3

The engines like 16.Nxf6!?, or starting to advance on the kingside with 16.h4 or 16.g4!?

16...b6

Black equalises (Stockfish17.1), or comes close to it (Dragon1), with 16...Nxd5!? 17.exd5 Na5.

17.Rad1

Again the engines like swopping on f6.

17...Rfd8

And here they again like swopping on d5.

18.Rd2

I will not repeat the obvious, but at this point the engines also like 18.Bc1!?, eg 18...h5 19.h4 Rd6 20.Kf1!?, claiming Black has nothing more constructive than 20...R6d7!?, but then they seem to run short of ideas, one line given being 21.Kg2!? Rd6 22.Kf1!?, nevertheless agreeing White has the upper hand.

18...Na5!?

Stockfish17.1 reckons this is even better, albeit marginally, than 18...Nxd5. Dragon1 is not so sure.

19.b3 Nxd5 20.exd5 Nb7

The engines suggest 20...c4!?, eg 21.b4 Nb7. However, Stockfish17.1 recommends sacrificing a pawn with 21.d6!? Rxd6 22.Rxd6 Rxd6 23.b4 Nc6, claiming the bishop-pair gives enough compensation.

21.c4 Nd6

How would you assess this queenless middlegame?

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White has the bishop-pair and a protected passed pawn, but the latter is well-blockaded, and only likely to become dangerous in an ending. Meanwhile, the bishops do not have open diagonals on which to work. The engines call the game equal.

22.Rde2 f5 23.Bg2 Bf6 24.h3 h5 25.h4 Re7 26.f3!? Rde8 27.Bf2 g5!?

The engines prefer 27...e4 or 27...a5.

28.hxg5 Bxg5 29.Be3?!

Unnecessarily giving up the bishop-pair. The engines suggest getting White's queenside going with 29.b4!?, eg 29...cxb4? 30.c5. Better is 29...Nxc4, but 30.bxc5 bxc5 31.Bh3!? gives White plenty for a pawn, with the position opening up for the bishops.

29...Bxe3+ 30.Rxe3 Kf6 31.Kf2

How should Black proceed?

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31...f4

This is reasonable, but best may be the engines' 31...h4!?, eg 32.gxh4 f4 33.R3e2 Rh7, when Black will regain the pawn, with a position the engines disagree about. Dragon1 reckons Black is winning, but Stockfish17.1 gives Black only the better part of equality. Allow the engines more time, and they start to see more resources for White, with Dragon1 downgrading Black's advantage to the upper hand, and Stockfish17.1 giving Black a tiny edge worth about a tenth of a pawn. A possibly better response is 32.f4!?, when 32...hxg3+ 33.Kxg3 again brings disagreement, except both engines reckon Black is at least equal.

32.Rd3!?

Possibly better is 32.R3e2, or 32.gxf4 exf4 33.Rxe7 Rxe7 34.Rh1.

32...fxg3+ 33.Kxg3 Rg8+ 34.Kf2 Reg7 35.Bf1 Nf5

How should White proceed?

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36.f4!?

The engines like this pawn sacrifice to activate the e1 rook, although they reckon other moves also give complete equality.

36...exf4 37.Re6+ Kg5 38.Bh3 Nd4 39.Re5+ Kh4 40.a3!?

40.Re4 and 40.d6!? maintain equality, according to the engines. They strongly dislike the text at first, but, given time, Stockfish17.1 reckons White is still holding, although Dragon1 gives Black the upper hand.

40...Rg3

Dragon1's idea at first is 40...f3, but 41.Bf1 seems to hold, It switches to 40...Rg5, but White seems fine after 41.Rxg5, followed, whichever way Black recaptures, by 42.d6!? Dragon1 later likes the text for a while, and the move comes to be Stockfish17.1's top choice, again for a short time.

41.Bf1?

But the engines agree this is wrong, preferring 41.Rxg3 Rxg3 42.Bg2, with what they reckon is enough compensation for a pawn.

Black to play and win

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41...Rxd3?

Simplification helps White. The engines reckon both ...Kg4 and ...a5 win, eg 41...Kg4 42.d6!? Rd8 43.Rd5, and now 43...Rxd3 44.Bxd3 h4, with a large advantage for Black.

42.Bxd3 Rg3 43.Be2!?

The text threatens mate in one, but White completely equalises with 43.Be4, according to the engines.

43...Nxe2 44.Kxe2

Black has one move that wins (Dragon1) or draws (Stockfish17.1), but plenty of continuations that lose

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44...Rg7?

Correct is 44...Rg5!, when 45.Rxg5?! Kxg5 gives a pawn ending that, despite White's protected passed pawn, is won for Black (Dragon1) or at least gives Black the upper hand (Stockfish17.1), eg 46.Kf3 h4 47.Kg2 Kf5 48.Kf3 h3 49.a4 Ke5 50.Kf2 Kf5 51.Kf3, after which it is hard to see how Black makes progress, even though Dragon1 reckons Black's advantage is equivalent to more than four pawns. However, note that 46.d6? definitely loses to 46...Kf6 47.Kf3 Ke6 48.Kxf4 Kxd6 49.Kg5 Ke5 etc.

Instead of trading rooks, White can play 45.Re7, when 45...Kg3 is completely equal (Stockfish17.1) or leaves Black with the upper hand (Dragon1). This time, however, giving the engines more time leads Stockfish17.1 to backtrack a little and award Black a slight edge. Play might continue 46.d6 f3+ 47.Kf1 Rg6 48.d7 Rd6 49.Rg7+ Kf4 50.Kf2 Rd2+ 51.Ke1!? Rd3 52.Kf2 h4 53.Rh7 Kg5 54.b4!?, after which the engines agree the position is completely equal.

45.Kf3

White is winning easily

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45...Rf7 46.d6 Rg7 47.Rd5 Rg3+ 48.Kxf4 Rg4+ 49.Ke5 Rg8 50.d7 Rd8 51.Kd6 Kg4 52.Kc7 1-0

After 52...Rxd7 53.Rxd7 h4, White sacrifices the rook for the h pawn, leaving White's king to mop up the black queenside pawns.

Final standings in the triangular match:
Wessex B 3.5-2.5 Iceni2
Ashfield 2 4-2 Wessex B
Iceni 2 1-5 Ashfield 2

World Team 65+ Round Five

Bo.	46	England - 5	Rtg	-	32	Germany (W)	Rtg	0 : 0
16.1		Freeman, Richard C P	1897	-	WFM	Malachowski, Margrit	1953
16.2	CM	Stokes, Michael	1861	-	WIM	Wagner-Michel, Annett	1982
16.3		Spanton, Tim R	1908	-	WFM	Skibbe, Diana	1930
16.4		Marshall, Michael	1859	-	WFM	Kierzek, Mira	1958

Spanton (1908) - Diana Skibbe (1930)

English Botvinnik v Dutch Leningrad

1.c4 f5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.g3 g6

Setting up the Leningrad Variation of the Dutch Defence.

4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.e4

This, combined with the king's knight going to e2, constitutes the Botvinnik Setup in the English.

6...c6!?

This is second in popularity in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database to 6...Nc6. Both moves prepare ...e5, while leaving open the opportunity of recapturing on f5 with the light-square bishop if White plays exf5. However, very interesting is 6...e5 7.exf5 Bxf5!? 8.Bxb7 Nbd7 9.Bxa8 Qxa8, when, for the exchange and a pawn, Black has the bishop-pair, a lead in development, and light-square targets. Indeed, Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1 reckon White should play 9.Nf3!?, 9.Qc2 or 9.Be4.

7.Nge2 e5 8.0-0 0-0

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

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White has a little more space on the queenside, Black on the kingside, while the white king has arguably more pawn cover than its black counterpart, although perhaps this is not important, bearing in mind Black's kingside space edge. The engines give White a slight advantage, but dependent on a specific continuation.

9.h3

Best, according to the engines, is 9.exf5!?, meeting both 9...Bxf5 and 9...gxf5 with 10.d4. The text is marginally more common in Mega26, but the engines have a sharp response in mind.

How should Black respond?

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9...h6

The engines suggest 9...f4!? 10.gxf4 Nh5, when they reckon 11.fxe5 dxe5 gives Black at least a slight edge, eg 11.f3!? (apparently a novelty, but best, according to the engines) Be6 12.Be3 Rf7, with a steady build-up, relying on the weakness of White's kingside as long-term compensation for a pawn. So they suggest offering the pawn back immediately with 11.f5!?, claiming equal chances.

10.Be3

This allows 10...f4!?, with similar ideas to 9...f4!?, so the engines suggest an apparent-novelty in 10.exf5!?, meeting 10...Bxf5 with 11.d4, and 10...gxf5 with 11.f4 or 11.Be3, in each case claiming White is better.

10...Be6 11.exf5!?

This may also be a novelty. The engines fluctuate in their preference between it and the known-move 11.Qd2.

11...Bxf5

This loses a tempo over those lines in which White plays exf5 before the bishop moves. However, Dragon1 rates the text and 11...gxf5 as of roughly equal strength; Stockfish17.1 prefers the pawn recapture.

12.d4 Qe7

The engines suggest 12...h5!?, 12...Na6 or 12...Nbd7.

13.Qd2

Even stronger, according to the engines, are 13.Qb3 and 13.g4!?

13...Kh7 14.Rad1 Na6 15.Kh2

The engines still like g4.

15...Rad8

How should White proceed?

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16.d5

This comes to be the engines' top choice, at least for a while, but they also like 16.g4!? and 16.Kg1!?

16...cxd5 17.cxd5

The engines prefer 17.Nxd5, only playing cxd5 in the event of ...Nxd5.

17...b6

The engines give 17...Nc5!?, the idea being 18.b4 can be met by 18...Nce4 19.Nxe4 Nxe4, when 20.Bxe4!? Bxe4 21.Bxa7 is possibly too much of a price to pay for a pawn.

18.f4 e4?

Perhaps played to try to keep lines closed, but it allows the white king's knight to occupy the plum d4 square. The engines prefer 18...h5!? or 18...Nc5.

19.Nd4

The engines suggest 19...Rde8, but both 20.g4 and 20.Nc6 are very good for White.

19...Bd7 20.f5 gxf5 21.Rxf5!?

The engines agree sacrificing the exchange is marginally stronger than 21.Nxf5.

21...Bxf5 22.Nxf5 Qf7

The engines are unsure whether f7 or e5 is the best square for the queen.

23.Bxh6 Bxh6

The engines give 23...e3!?, but agree that, after 24.Bxe3, White's advantage is the equivalent of being more than a piece up.

24.Qxh6+ Kg8 25.Nxe4 Nxe4 26.Bxe4 Qf6 27.Qh5 Nc5!?

This may be Black's best try. The main alternative seems to be 27...Rd7, but 28.Nh6+ Kg7 29.Ng4! Qxb2+ 30.Kg1 is crushing, eg 30...Rff7 (30...Rdf7? 31.Qh7#) 31.Qh6+ Kg8 32.Bh7+! Rxh7 33.Nf6+ Qxf6 (forced) 34.Qxf6 leaves White with queen, pawn and a continuing attack for rook and knight.

White to play and win

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28.Nh6+

Not the winning move, but this spoils nothing as, after ....

28...Kg7 29.Nf5+ Kg8

... the same position is reached, without Black having a chance to vary.

30.Bc2!

Preserving the bishop, and ensuring Black cannot capture on b2 with check.

30...Rde8

All moves lose.

31.Rd4

Not the only winning continuation.

31...Rf7 32.Nh6+ Kf8

Worth a try is 32...Qxh6!? as 33.Qxh6? concedes a draw to 33...Re2+ 34.Kg1 Re1+ 35.Kg2 Re2+ etc. However, 33.Rg4+ Qg7 (33...Rg7? 34.Qxe8#) 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.h4! leaves White with queen, bishop and two pawns against two rooks and a knight, and with much the safer king, adding up to an advantage worth more than a rook (much more than a rook, according to Dragon1).

33.Rf4 1-0

Team Result

Freeman = Malachowski

Stokes 1-0 Wagner-Michel

Spanton 1-0 Skibbe

Marshall 0-1 Kierzek

England 5 2.5-1.5 Germany Women

World Team 65+ Round Three

Bo.	31	Denmark - 2	Rtg	-	46	England - 5	Rtg	0 : 0
19.1		Thuesen, Mogens	2070	-		Freeman, Richard C P	1897
19.2		Sonderstrup, Bjarne	1967	-	CM	Stokes, Michael	1861
19.3		Cordes, Steffen	1982	-		Spanton, Tim R	1908
19.4		Mortensen, John	1945	-		Marshall, Michael	1859

Steffen Cordes (1982) - Spanton (1908)

Sicilian Accelerated Dragon

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3

Via a minor transposition at the start, the game has reached what is probably the main tabiya of the Accelerated Dragon in the Sicilian, with 15,502 examples of the position in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

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8...d5!?

The main move is 8...d6, transposing into a more-regular Dragon, with a position occurring 7,079 times in Mega26. For many years the main try to keep the game in independent Accelerated lines was 8...a5. Other tries include 8...Re8, 8...Ng4!? and 8...Qa5. The text is Black's thematic move in the Accelerated Dragon, but it was thought to be impossible here as it appears to just lose a pawn. However, the move goes back to at least 1960, and Alexei Shirov gave it a spin in 2013, but it perhaps only started being taken seriously when Boris Gelfand started playing it with regularity 10 years ago.

9.exd5 Na5 10.Qf3

SC said afterwards that 8...d5!? had been played against him in a blitz game, and his opponent told him the best continuation, after 9.exd5 Na5, was 10.Qf3. Stockfish17.1 agrees, but Dragon1 prefers 10.Qd2.

10...Nxb3 11.axb3 Bg4 12.Qg3 Bh5!?

This frees the knight to pressurise d5.

How should White proceed?

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13.d6!?

This is the main move in Mega26, and it is also liked by the engines. The point is to give back the pawn, while saddling Black with an isolani on a half-open file.

13...Ng4!?

Offering to make the pawn-sacrifice permanent.

14.0-0!?

After 14.dxe7 Qxe7 the engines give an apparent-novelty in 15.Nd5!?, which could lead to a quick draw after 15...Qe4 16.Nc3 Qe7 17.Nd5 etc.

14...Be5 15.dxe7

Perhaps 15.f4 is better, and then 15...Bxd6 gives equal chances, according to the engines.

After the game's 15.dxe7, how should Black proceed?

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15...Qxe7?!

Almost certainly better is 15...Bxg3 16.exd8=Q Bxh2+ 17.Kh1 Rfxd8, when Black has won back the sacrificed pawn, while retaining the bishop-pair.

16.f4

The engines reckon 16.Nd5 gives White a slight edge.

16...Bg7

White has only one move that avoids a lost position

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17.Rfe1??

The first new move of the game, whereas the known 17.Bf2 is equal, according to the engines, after, for example, 17...Nxf2 18.Qxf2 Rad8 19.Nf3 Bxf3!? 20.Qxf3 Qc5+ 21.Kh1 b5!?, with Black enjoying enough activity to make up for still being a pawn down.

17...Nxe3 0-1

There is no salvation for White, eg 18.Nd5 can be met by 18...Qc5, or the even stronger18...Nxd5!? 19.Rxe7 Bxd4+ etc.

Team Result

Thuesen 1-0 Freeman

Sonderstrup = Stokes

Cordes 0-1 Spanton

Mortensen 0-1 Marshall

Denmark 2 1.5-2.5 England 5

Thoughts On Daventry V

IN round seven, after taking a halfpoint bye in the morning, I was Black against David Flynn (1867 ECF/1816 Fide).

The game featured a sharp line from the Hyper-Accelerated Dragon in the Sicilian, and I think the line is worth a closer look.

It began 1.e4 c5 2.Nc3.

This usually means a Closed Sicilian, but as has been pointed out by many chess instructors, White is not committed to keeping the position closed (although White has ruled out a Maróczy Bind).

I played 2...g6, partly because I had seen in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database that after 2...Nc6 DF 'always' (seven games out of seven) plays 3.Bb5.

Now 3.Bb5 is not something Black should fear, although my record against it is a disappointing +1=0-3, including two losses to much lower-rated opposition.

But it seemed to make sense to deprive my opponent of the ability to play his 'favourite' variation.

He could have stayed in another type of Closed Sicilian with 3.g3, but instead opened the game with 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4.

After the further moves 4...Nf6 5.Nf3 we reached a position occurring 2,722 times in Mega26.

The usual Hyper-Accelerated move-order is 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 g6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3

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Following 5...Nc6 6.Qa4 the threat of 7.e5, forcing the black king's knight to move, more-or-less obliges Black to play 6...d6.

But 7.e5 comes anyway, and after 7...dxe5 8.Nxe5 the game remains sharp.

The position after 8.Nxe5 occurs 1,784 times in Mega26

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On three occasions reaching this position I have continued 8...Bd7, which is easily the main move in Mega26.

The drawback is White can immediately win the bishop-pair with 9.Nxd7, and, although I have drawn this position in correspondence play, I lost with it both times over-the-board, albeit against much stronger opposition.

This time I played the gambit move 8...Bg7!?, expecting 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qxc6+ Bd7, which occurred in Hanna Kyrjebo (1831) - Spanton (2002), Hastings 2014-5.

That game continued 11.Qf3 0-0 12.Bd3 Qb6 13.0-0 Bc6 14.Qe3 Qb7 15.f3 Rad8, with Black enjoying full compensation for a pawn, according to the engines (0-1, 44 moves).

However DF surprised me with 9.Bb5.

Of course this should not have been a surprise, especially as it is the most popular continuation in Mega26.

One of its points is that unless Black reverts to giving up the bishop-pair with 9...Bd7, Black will either have to give up a second pawn or allow some simplification.

The game continued 9...0-0 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Bxc6

How should Black proceed?

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I chose 11...Rb8!?, offering a second pawn, and the continuation can be seen here.

It is the main move in Mega26, but the engines marginally prefer the alternative, 11...Bd7.

After 12.Bxd7 they reckon Black should avoid further simplification, which would occur with 12...Qxd7?! 13.Qxd7, and instead play 12...Nxd7, which looks a little retrograde, but the knight will gain a tempo on the white queen with ...Nb6 or ...Nc5, and Black's dark-square bishop has been unmasked.

The engines continue 13.0-0 Bxc3!? 14.bxc3 Nb6, claiming Black has full compensation (Stockfish17.1) or is no more than slightly worse (Dragon1).

Indeed the engines reckon White should meet 11...Bd7 with 12.0-0, when, to avoid serious disadvantage, the engines agree Black has to play 12...Rc8.

Now 13.Bxd7 should be met, they reckon, with 13...Qxd7!?, not fearing the simplification that occurs with 14.Qxd7 Nxd7.

How should White proceed?

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15.Bd2 might seem natural, but is perhaps too passive. After 15...Nb6 (threatening ...Nc4) 16.Rfd1 Rfe8 17.Be1!? Nc4, the engines give Black full equality.

Instead they suggest 15.Nd5!?, when 15...Rfe8?! 16.c3 is good for White.

However 15...Rxc2 16.Nxe7+ Kh8 leaves Black with great activity. A plausible continuation runs 17.Rd1 Ne5!? 18.Nd5!? Rd8 19.Rb1 h6!? 20.h3!? Nc4 21.Ne3 Rxd1+ 22.Nxd1, after which Black remains a pawn down, but has enough compensation (Stockfish17.1) or is only slightly worse (Dragon1).

The conclusion seems to be that the pawn-sacrifice 8...Bg7!? is a dynamic and fully viable alternative to giving up the bishop-pair with 8...Bd7, even though White retains a slight edge in many lines.

There is certainly much left to explore in the resulting positions.