Summing Up Davos

MY score of +2=1-2 lost 14.4 Fide elo.

Davos Round Five

UPFLOATED against a Pole.

Spanton (1942) - Michał Kaczmarek (1825)

Caro-Kann Two Knights/Tartakower

1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Bc4 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.d4

The game began as a Two Knights Variation but the position arises more commonly from the Tartakower, eg 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6 6.Bc4 Bd6 7.Nf3 0-0 8.0-0

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8...Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.c3 Nd7 11.Re1 Re8 12.g4!?

This thrust is nearly always controversial, and here it seems to be a novelty, but is the second choice of Stockfish16, marginally behind 12.Rxe8+.

12...Bg6 13.Nh4 Nb6 14.Bb3 Bc7!? 15.Rxe8+ Qxe8 16.Nxg6 hxg6

How would you assess the position now White has won the bishop-pair and mangled Black's kingside pawn-formation, but has a weak king's position?

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Equal chances, according to Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1.

17.Bd2 Qd7 18.Qc2

The engines reckon the queen is needed on the kingside, even though their recommended 18.Qf3!? blocks the white f pawn.

18...Nd5 19.Bxd5

Here they prefer 19.Qe4!?, the idea being to follow with Qf3.

19...Qxd5 20.Qd3 Re8 21.c4?!

This seriously weakens the d pawn. The engines suggest 21.b3, with equality according to Stockfish16, although Komodo14.1 gives Black at least a slight edge.

21...Qd6 22.f4?

Better seems to be the engines' 22.Kf1!?, although that is a horrible move to have to play.

Black to play and gain a winning material and positional advantage

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22...Rd8

This is good enough for the upper hand, but stronger is 22...Bb6, the point being 23.Be3? loses to 23...Rxe3! etc. Also very strong, according to the engines, is 22...f5!?

23.Be3 g5 24.Rf1 Bb6 25.b3?!

Better, according to the engines, is 25.Rd1 gxf4 26.Bf2.

25...Bxd4 26.Bxd4 Qxd4+ 27.Qxd4 Rxd4

How big is Black's advantage?

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Black is 'only' a pawn up but Stockfish16 reckons Black's advantage is worth about a minor piece, although Komodo14.1 is less enthusiastic.

28.fxg5 fxg5 29.Rf2 f6 30.Re2 Kf7 31.Kf2 Rd3 32.Kg2 g6 33.Rf2 Re3 34.Rd2 Ke7 35.c5!? a5!?

The engines agree Black's response to 35.c5!? is correct.

36.Rb2 Ke6 37.b4!? axb4 38.Rxb4 Re2+ 39.Kg3 Rxa2 40.Rxb7 Rc2 41.Rg7 Rxc5 42.Rxg6

White has succeeded in exchanging a lot of pawns, but Black now has a passed pawn and no longer has doubled pawns, so how should Black proceed?

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42...Kf7

Black is still much better after this - winning, according to Stockfish16 - but probably stronger is getting on with advancing the passed pawn.

43.Rh6 Kg7 44.Rh5 Re5 45.h4 Re3+ 46.Kf2 Re5

Not 46...Rh3? 47.hxg5 Rxh5 48.gxf6+.

47.hxg5?!

Black is definitely winning again after this, according to the engines, whereas they reckon 47.Kg3 leaves Black with 'only' the upper hand.

Black to play and win

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47...Rxg5?

Black is winning after 47...fxg5, according to the engines and the Syzygy endgame tablebase, but the text should result in a draw. Why capturing with the pawn makes such a difference, I am not sure.

48.Rh4 c5 49.Ke3 Rd5 50.Rh1 Kg6 51.Rc1 Kg5 52.Rc4 Kg6 53.Kf3 Kf7 54.Ke4

But not 54.Re4? Rd3+, which wins for Black.

54...Ke6 55.Ke3 Kd6 56.Rf4 Re5+ 57.Kd3 Ke6 58.Kc4 Rg5 59.Re4+ Kd6 60.Kd3

Black wins after 60.Rf4? Ke5.

60...Re5 61.Rf4 Rd5+ 62.Kc4 Ke6 63.Rxf6+! Kxf6 ½–½

Davos Round Four

Mario Steiner (1804) - Spanton (1942)

Albin Countergambit

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e5!? 3.dxe5 d4 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.a3!?

The idea of this move, which is the top choice of both Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1, is to prevent ...Bb4+, which can be a nuisance to White in some lines, eg 5.e3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 dxe3.

5...Be6!?

The mainline in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database runs 5...Bg4 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.h3 Bh5 8.g4!? Bg6 9.Bg2 0-0-0 10.0-0 with a sharp game that the engines reckon favours White.

6.Qc2!?

The commonest continuations in Mega24 are 6.Nbd2 and especially 6.e3.

6...Nge7 7.Bf4

The engines prefer 7.b4.

7...Ng6 8.Bg3 Be7

The engines much prefer 8...Qd7.

9.Nbd2 a5

Again the engines prefer ...Qd7.

10.h4 h5 11.Rd1 a4 12.Ne4

Thanks to the pin down the d file, the d pawn cannot be saved

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12...Ra5!? 13.e3 Ngxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.exd4 Ng6 16.d5 Bf5 17.Bd3 0-0 18.Nf6+?!

This throws away much of White's advantage.

18...Bxf6 19.Bxf5 Re8+ 20.Kf1

How should Black proceed?

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20...Nxh4?

Restoring material equality, but only temporarily as the move liberates the white king's rook and makes h5 undefendable. Instead 20...Ne5 leaves White with only a slight edge, according to the engines.

21.Bxh4 Bxh4 22.g3 Bf6 23.Rxh5

Can Black successfully fork the white king's rook and bishop?

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23...Qe7?

A bad move in a bad position, but 23...g6? also loses, eg 24.Bxg6 fxg6 25.Qxg6+ Bg7 26.Qh7+ Kf8 27.Rf5+ etc. Best, according to the engines, is 23...Re5, but White is winning after, for example, 24.f4.

24.d6! cxd6

Also hopeless is 24...Rxf5 25.dxe7 Rxh5 26.Rd8 Rxd8 27.exd8=Q+ Bxd8 28.Qxa4.

25.Bh7+ Kh8 26.Rxa5 g6 27.Bxg6 fxg6 28.Qxg6! Qe2+ 29.Kg2 Qe4+

Best.

30.Qxe4 Rxe4 31.Rxd6 Bxb2 32.Rxa4 b5 33.Ra7 1-0

Davos Round Three

FACED a Swiss junior (born 2009).

Spanton (1942) - Timon Trubini (1714)

Sicilian Bb5(+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.0-0 Nc6 6.c3 Nf6 7.Qe2

Considerably more popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database are 7.d4!? and 7.Re1.

7...e6 8.d4 cxd4 9.cxd4 d5 10.e5 Ne4 11.Nbd2 Nxd2 12.Bxd2 Rc8 13.Rac1 Be7 14.Qd3 0-0

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

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White has more space on the central-kingside, but Black has the better bishop. Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon the position is equal.

15.a3 f6 16.exf6 Rxf6!?

This may be a novelty. The engines marginally prefer it over the known 16...Bxf6.

17.Rce1!? Rcf8

The engines strongly dislike this, suggesting 17...h6!?

18.Re2

White gets the upper hand after 18.Ng5 and 19.f4, according to the engines.

18...Rg6 19.Ne5 Nxe5

How should White recapture?

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20.Rxe5

The engines prefer 20.dxe5!?, a possible continuation being 20...Bc5 21.Kh1 Qf7!? 22.f4 Qf5 23.Rf3, claiming a slight edge for White despite Black's protected passer.

20...Bd6 21.Rg5 Rh6 22.h3

Also possible is 22.g3!?, blunting Black's dark-square bishop, but leaving light-square weaknesses around the white king.

22...Bc7 23.Bb4 Bd6!?

An exchange of dark-square bishops eases the pressure on White's position.

24.Bxd6 Qxd6 25.Re5 Qb6

How would you assess this heavy-piece middlegame?

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The d4 pawn is weak, but the e pawn is probably even weaker as it is backward on a half-open file. The engines give White a slight edge.

26.b4 Rf4 27.Rd1 Rhf6!?

The engines prefer this over 27...Rhh4 as then, after 28.Qc3 Rxd4 29.Rxd4 Rxd4 30.Qc8+ Kf7 31.Qd7+ Kf6 32.Re3, White seems to have more than enough for a pawn, the key feature being Black's vulnerable king.

28.f3 Qc6 29.Kh2 Qc7 30.Kh1!? Qb6

TT offered a draw.

31.Qc3 Qd8 32.Rde1 Kf7 33.a4 Qb6?!

Despite appearances, Black is not really threatening the d4 pawn, so probably better are the engines' 33...a6 and 33...Qd7.

34.Rd1

The engines reckon 34.b5! is winning, the idea being to take away the c6 square from the black queen and so make Qc8 a big threat. Black cannot reply 34...Rxd4?? as that loses to 35.a5, and 34...Qxd4 allows 35.Qc7+ followed by 36.Rxe6.

34...Ke7?!

Black probably should block the c file with 34...Qc6.

35.a5

Possibly even stronger is 35.Rc1!?

35...Qc6 36.Qd3

Black is at least equal after 36.Qxc6? bxc6.

36...g6 37.b5 Qc7?!

Probably better is 37...Qc4 as 38.Qxc4 bxc4 39.Rc5 is met by 39...R6f5.

38.a6 bxa6 39.bxa6 Rf8?

Undefending e6 is a mistake, although the engines reckon their suggestions of 39...Kf8 and 39...Qd6 leave White with the upper hand.

40.Rb1 Rb8 41.Qa3+?!

Even stronger is 41.Rbe1, when Black has no answer to the threat of Rxd5.

41...Kf7 42.Rbe1?!

The engines strongly prefer 42.Rxb8 Qxb8 43.Qc5.

42...Rb6 43.Qe3 Rf6 44.g4?!

Another probably sub-par choice. After 44.Qh6 Kg8 White has 45.Rxd5!, although the weakness of a6 means Black is still in the game.

44...Qd7 45.Qd3 Qa4!? 46.Rc1 Qxa6 47.Rc7+ Kg8

How should White proceed?

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48.Qxa6!?

There is really no choice as the white king is too weak to allow queens to stay on the board.

48...Rxa6

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

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Black is a passed pawn up, but the black king is cut off on the back rank. Stockfish16 calls the position equal, although Komodo14.1 gives Black a slight edge.

49.Re3 h6!? 50.Kg2 Rf7 51.Rec3 Rxc7 52.Rxc7 Ra4 53.Re7 a5 54.Rxe6 Kf7 55.Ra6 Rxd4

The engines agree the position is now completely equal. Komodo14.1 reckons 49...h5 or 49...Rf7 would have maintained a slight edge, but Stockfish16 disagrees.

56.Rax5 Kf6

The black king has become active, but at the cost of a pawn - the position remains equal.

57.Ra6+ Kg5?

But this is too active. The king should drop back to the seventh rank.

58.Kg3 h5

White to play and win

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59.f4+

59.h4+? Kh6 is a draw.

59...Kh6

Or 59...Rxf4 60.h4+ etc, but not 60.Rxg6+? Kxg6 61.Kxf4=.

60.f5

The pin on g6 is decisive.

60...hxg4 61.hxg4 Rd1 62.Rxg6+ Kh7 63.Kf4 d4 64.Rd6 1-0

Three Certainties

TRAVELING around Europe, one gets the impression three things in life are certain: death, taxes and Irish bars.

Sure enough, Davos has the Irish-themed Sonas pub

But frequently there is a fourth certainty - an English-built or inspired public building.

Sometimes this is a hotel, often called Bristol, or a church.

In Davos the most obvious English landmark is the Englische Kirche, built in 1882.

According to the official guide: "The Church of England is all about health tourism.

"Around 1880, tuberculosis, which was still often fatal at the time, was raging in Europe.

"So many English people sought the mountain air of Davos in the hope of getting well.

"To express faith in Jesus Christ and life after death, the English Church was planned, built and consecrated in 1882 in a central location on the promenade."

Today the church is run by Switzerland's Free Evangelicals

A plaque near the main entrance is a reminder of the English connection

Davos Round Two

FACED a Ukrainian.

Kyrilo Zaitsev (2225) - Spanton (1942)

QGD Normal Position

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.e3 c5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.a3 a6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.b4 Ba7 9.Bb2 0-0 10.cxd5

More popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database are 10.Be2 and especially 10.Qc2.

10...Nxd5!?

All 70 games in Mega24 featured 10...exd5.

How should White respond?

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11.Ne4

Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1 reckon 11.Bd3 and 11.Qc2 give a slight edge.

11...Qe7 12.Qc2 Bd7 13.Rd1 Rfc8?!

Probably the wrong rook.

14.Qb1

The engines give 14.Neg5 f5 (if 14...g6 then 15.Qe4 looks strong) 15.Qb3, after which Stockfish16 awards White the upper hand, but Komodo14.1 calls the game completely equal.

14...f5!? 15.Ng3 f4!? 16.exf4 Nxf4 17.Qe4 e5?

The game is equal after 17...Rf8, according to the engines.

18.Bc4+

Even stronger, according to the engines, is 18.Rxd7!? Qxd7 19.Bc4+ Kh8 20.Ng5.

18...Be6 19.Nf5 Qf7?

Better is 19...Qf6, although the engines reckon 20.Rd7 is winning.

20.Ng5! Qg6

Not 20...Qxf5? 21.Qxf5.

21.Nxe6 Nxe6 22.Rd7 Kh8

There is nothing better.

23.Bxe6 Qxe6 24.Rxg7 Rf8 25.g4 Rxf5!?

Desperation - Black is completely lost.

26.gxf5 Qh6 27.Rxb7 Bd4

How should White proceed?

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28.Bxd4?

Several moves win, including 28.Rc7 and 28.f6.

28...Qc1+ 29.Ke2 Nxd4+ 30.Qxd4 Qc2+ 31.Qd2 Qe4+ 32.Qe3 Qg4+?

Drawing is 32...Qc2+ as White cannot escape the checks.

33.f3 Qg2+ 34.Qf2 Qxh1 35.Qg3 1-0

Davos Venue

THE tournament is being held at Davos's Mountain Plaza hotel, which reopened yesterday after its post-winter break.

The playing hall

Davos Round One

FACED a Singaporean.

Spanton (1942) - Hui Kwang Ng (1434)

Sicilian (Bb5+)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Qc7!?

This is seventh-most popular in ChessBase's 2024 Mega database, but there are 1,657 examples of the move and it has been played by grandmasters.

How should White respond?

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4.Nc3

This is second in popularity to 4.0-0.

4...e6 5.Bxc6!?

Again, castling is more popular. The idea of the text is to capture on c6 before Black is in position to recapture with the king's knight.

How should Black recapture?

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5...bxc6!?

This is almost as popular as 5...Qxc6, and is preferred by Stockfish16 and Komodo14.1. After 5...Qxc6 the mainline in Mega24 runs 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4, when the engines reckon White's lead in development gives the upper hand.

6.e5!?

Preventing 6...e5, which would allow Black to open the c8-h3 diagonal for the light-square bishop, but more popular are 6.0-0 and 6.d3. The engines also like 6.b3!?, which does not appear in Mega24.

6...h6?!

This seems to be a novelty, and probably not a good one. The engines give 6...f6, claiming at least equal chances.

7.d3 d6!?

The engines are OK with this, but after ...

8.exd6

... Black is saddled with doubled pawns, and they are weak, or at least the front one is, even though they are not on a half-open file.

8...Bxd6 9.Ne4 Bb7?!

The engines suggest 9...Be7!?, the idea being to meet 10.Be3 Nf6 11.Nxc5 with 11...Nd5, when at least some lines have been opened for the bishops.

10.Be3 Qe7

Again the engines suggest ...Be7!?, one point being 11.Bxc5?? loses to 11...Bxc5 12.Nxc5 Qa5+ etc.

11.Qd2

Sealing the fate of the c5 pawn.

11...Nf6 12.Nxd6+ Qxd6 13.Qc3 c4!?

The engines are happy enough with this as there is no way to save the pawn (without giving up the g7 pawn after 13...Nd7).

14.Qxc4

Black is a pawn down, and has the weaker pawn-structure

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14...Nd7 15.0-0 0-0 16.Rfe1 c5 17.Qg4 Nf6

The engines' 17...f5!? seems to give better chances.

18.Qg3 Qxg3 19.hxg3 Rac8 20.a4!? a6 21.Ne5 Rfd8 22.Ra3 Rd5 23.Nc4 Nd7 24.Rb3 Bc6 25.Nb6 Nxb6 26.Rxb6 Bxa4 27.b3 Rc6??

A blunder, but the engines reckon Black was already lost.

28.Rb8+ (1-0, 36 moves).

Remarkably, all 26 games in round one went to form.

Davos

THE town of Davos, which is really two villages joined together alongside the Landwasser river, lies at 1,560 metres (1,118 feet).

It is best known as a ski resort and as the host of the annual World Economic Forum.

But the settlement dates back more than 800 years, when it had the name Tavaus, ultimately deriving from a Latin word for ravine.

Now is very much the off-season, with several small businesses shutting down between the end of winter sports and the coming of summer walking.

However most of Davos's bars are open, including Mountain's Akt, which is unusual in using an English apostrophe in its name and in stocking 10 non-alcoholic beers

Getting There (Davos)

I CAUGHT British Airways' 11:45 flight from London City to Zurich.

Then I took a train to Zurich main station, switched to a train to Landquart, and finally caught one to Davos.

That is plenty of locomotives for one day, especially when the Docklands Light Railway is added, but the scenery, from lakes to snow-capped mountains, was stunning.

I reached my hotel, with its somewhat quaint entrance, at 18:05 local time

Swiss

AM making final preparations for traveling tomorrow to Davos, the Swiss town that hosts the annual World Economic Forum.

I am one of 49 entries in the Swiss Alpine Open, a five-round weekender that starts on Friday evening.

The time control is 90 minutes, with a 30-second increment, and there are players from 16 countries (15 if Guernsey does not count as a country).

Swiss Swiz

SWITZERLAND has launched an interesting money-making scam that will certainly discourage me from playing chess there in the near future.

Here is how it is explained on the UK government's travel-advice website:

Proof of vaccination, proof of recovery from a COVID-19 infection or a negative test result (up to 48 hours for a rapid antigen test or 72 hours for a PCR test) is required for entry into:
Large-scale outdoor events attended by over 1,000 people. Indoor hospitality venues including restaurants, bars, clubs and discos
Cultural, sporting and leisure activities indoors. This includes museums and libraries, leisure facilities, zoos, casinos, fitness centres and sports facilities, indoor pools and water parks
Indoor events including theatre and cinema, concerts, sporting events and private events outside the home (e.g. weddings)
Children under the age of 16 are exempt from this requirement.
[So far, so reasonable, but then comes the sting.]
Until 24 October, foreign vaccination certificates, including NHS certificates, will be valid for access to events or facilities requiring a COVID certificate until 24 October. From 25 October, you will need to have a Swiss COVID certificate or an EU Digital COVID Certificate for entry to such events or facilities.
Anyone who has been fully vaccinated outside of Switzerland with a vaccine authorised by the European Medicines Agency can obtain a Swiss COVID certificate. This includes the vaccines that are available in the UK: AstraZeneca, Pfizer - BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen. You will need to apply online to obtain this certificate. It is recommended that you submit your application 2 weeks before your arrival in Switzerland. Non-residents will have to pay a CHF 30 fee.

A Swiss swiss

I MENTIONED yesterday I have entered the Basel schachfestival, which is being held from Saturday 17 to Tuesday 20 at the Landgasthof Riehen.

I was too late to book accommodation at the venue, which is four miles from Basel's main train station, so I am staying in town at an Ibis Budget.

If it is anything like the Ibis Budget at Bradford, West Yorks, it will be good value for money, especially as my stay apparently comes with a pass for free public transport in the area.

The congress is being run as one big swiss, with a 4pm round on the Saturday, 9.30am and 3pm rounds on the Sunday and Monday, and a 9.30am round on the Tuesday (prize-giving, should it prove relevant, is 2.30pm on Tuesday).

The time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes, then a 15-minute 'windback', with a 30-second increment from move one.

So far there are 138 entries, which is fairly near the venue's maximum of 150, and there are plenty of countries represented by a lone soul.

1		AUT	Austria	4
2		BEL	Belgium	1
3		ENG	England	1
4		ESP	Spain	1
5		FID	FIDE	1
6		FRA	France	6
7		GER	Germany	32
8		HUN	Hungary	1
9		IND	India	2
10		IRL	Ireland	1
11		ITA	Italy	1
12		JPN	Japan	1
13		KGZ	Kyrgyzstan	2
14		LIE	Liechtenstein	2
15		MDA	Moldova	1
16		NED	Netherlands	8
17		POR	Portugal	1
18		SLO	Slovenia	1
19		SRB	Serbia	1
20		SUI	Switzerland	68
21		UKR	Ukraine	2

Here is a selection of interesting rules and observations:

Before going to the tournament venue, please remember to bring at least 5 (1 per round) protective masks (certified surgical masks, nowadays also available in supermarkets), or a visor, and a personal pen to fill out the Contact Tracing Form and note your moves on the game forms.

- A lateral, front and rear distance between the chessboards of at least 1,5 m will be ensured

- The tournament room will be regularly aired

- Chessboards and pieces will be disinfected after each round or completed game

- A bottle of hand disinfectant will be available at the entrance to the room

- There will be a waste container for used masks at the exit of the game room

- The tournament director will measure the body temperature of the participants before checking in. Unfortunately, people with a body temperature of over 37,4 ° C will not be admitted to participate in the tournament.

This is one of the first tournament since the Covid-19 emergency. Together, we will succeed it if everyone does his/her part. So that we can finally continue to play real tournaments and opponents "in person" in the future.

Have fun and a "virtual hug"!

Biel Looking Like A Definite Runner Again

GOOD news on the BBC News website:
"The details are still being finalised but it looks as though UK holidaymakers will be able to travel to most of Western Europe this summer without having to quarantine. The plan is for so-called 'travel corridors' from early July allowing journeys between the UK and participating countries - which could include France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Turkey and Finland - but not Portugal, because of a recent rise in cases in and around Lisbon."

Switzerland is conspicuous by its absence, but I would hope middle-class hikers will put pressure on the relevant authorities to correct that omission.

If so, then I can see myself booking Biel before the end of this month.

If Not Biel, Then Where?

BIEL'S Special Corona Amateur Tournament runs July 20-29, but at present I am seeing no hints that the UK government is trying to arrange a so-called air bridge with Switzerland.
This is somewhat disappointing in that the Swiss have already said Brits from the UK are free to come and go as they please.
The next congress after Biel on my horizon is the Summer Prague Open, which is a rearranged part of the CzechTour and runs from August 8-15.
CzechTour events are always well run, in my experience, and good value for money, so it is a definite option for me, assuming travel to and from the Czech Republic is feasible (currently the Czechs are stringently restricting who can arrive from the UK, and making most of them quarantine for 14 days).
Britain would seem to be a washout for over-the-board chess until the autumn at the earliest (I hope I am wrong, but I will be surprised if I am).
Perhaps there will be a suitable Spanish tournament before then, but I have not found one.

Biel - A Fast-Changing Story

Today's latest from the Foreign Office:
The Swiss government have now ended their “extraordinary situation” in response to coronavirus (COVID-19), but some measures remain in place. All contact with other individuals should be at a distance of at least 1.5 metres.
Wearing face masks is strongly recommended when travelling on public transport, if it is not possible to maintain a distance of 1.5 metres from other travellers. Wearing face masks is compulsory when attending demonstrations.
All shops, restaurants, markets, museums and libraries are now able to reopen with social distancing measures in place. Restaurants are able to accommodate groups of more than four people. Events of up to 1000 people are permitted.

Biel a Goer?

THE leaks ahead of Boris Johnson's lockdown-easing announcement yesterday were, to say the least, pretty comprehensive.
With hindsight I should not have been surprised there was nothing about easing foreign travel restrictions.
At present the Foreign Office is sticking to the line for Switzerland as for elsewhere: "The Foreign & Commonwealth Office currently advises British nationals against all but essential international travel. This advice is being kept under constant review."
However Switzerland, where the Biel Special Corona Amateur Tournament starts on July 20, has no restrictions on UK nationals entering the country from Britain, again according to the UK Foreign Office.
The Special Corona Amateur Tournament is nine rounds over 10 days, which means the obvious dates for travel are Sunday July 19 out, Thursday July 30 back.
There are flights on those days from, for example, London airports to Zurich, although according to the congress website other airports in Switzerland are equally convenient for getting to Biel.
The problem would be whether the UK government's 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving from abroad (Irish Republic excepted, of course) will have been lifted by the end of July.
I suspect the answer is almost certainly Yes, and I further believe the blanket advice against travelling abroad will have been lifted by then.
All in all, I am strongly leaning towards booking flights and a hotel ...
BUT then I found the following at BBC News:
The chance of having a summer break abroad in 2020 seems remote - with the Foreign Office still warning against non-essential travel, and quarantine rules making many trips impractical.
British nationals are still being urged not to take any non-essential foreign travel.
This means you are unlikely to get travel insurance, because insurers take their cue from the official advice.
What about going away in the autumn?
Again, it's impossible to say at this stage.
Travel advice will need to have been updated, but it depends on the disease's progress.

So maybe I will hold off on making a decision about Biel for a week or two ...

Biel Update

TOURNAMENT playing conditions now much less onerous:

After the last announcement of the Federal Council of 19 June 2020 and the review of our corona protection concept, we are now able to officially confirm that the 53rd Biel International Chess Festival will definitely be held.

We would like to thank all players which are already signed up. Now, they are welcome to transfer the tournament entry fee. Due to the alleviated distance rule, it is furthermore planned to organize the C-HTO with one single chessboard per game. The corresponding distance has been reduced from 2 m to 1.5 m. Possibly one needs to get up from chair in order to execute certain moves or to press the clock button. That is why the time bonus per move will be increased from the usual 30 sec to 45 sec.

Please take notice of the new corona protection concept on our homepage.
Therein you will find all special sanitary precautions that are planned for this time period, as well as its impact towards the tournaments. Every participant receives during the check-in process upon signature the mentioned document in the latest version and a badge for access to the Congress Center. Due to these administrative procedures and the social distancing rules to be met all players of the C-HTO are kindly requested to arrive on Monday 20 July early for the check-in, so that the first round can start as planned at 2:00 pm.
All information details will be published some days before the start of the festival on our website.
We thank you for taking note to this information!

To Biel Or Not To Biel?

THE Prime Minister is due to announce today the lifting of some lockdown restrictions.
Since his announcement has been much heralded, it is very likely there will be relatively major changes announced, even if they will not be implemented immediately
Relaxing the two-metre social-distancing guideline and giving pubs and restaurants reopening dates (those with outdoor areas first?) are being widely tipped.
I am hoping we will also get an idea of when foreign travel will get back to something approaching normality.
In particular I am eyeing a tournament in Switzerland due to start on July 20 as part of the Biel chess festival: https://www.bielchessfestival.ch/Homepage.html
The "Special Corona Amateur Tournament" will feature some interesting extra rules:
*Each player plays with his own board and his own set of pieces.
*Before the tournament, each player will be given a fully disinfected set of pieces by the organizer, which he will not return until the last round has been completed.
*Two boards and sets of pieces are therefore used per game. The players do not sit directly opposite each other but staggered to keep the distance of 2 meters.
*Each player must replay the moves of the opponent who makes them on his board. During this catch-up his time is running on the clock.
*Before the round, the players are obliged to place their pieces independently on the boards provided for this purpose. If they arrive late in the tournament hall, they must do so on their own time before making the first move.
*Therefore, after each round, only the empty boards and the clocks are cleaned and disinfected.
It looks like it will be many weeks before over-the-board chess is played again in Britain, so Biel may be my best chance of some OTB action this summer.