Lessons From Bad Bertrich IX

MY round-nine game, in which I was White against international master Dieter Pirrot (2321), featured a classic example of how not to prepare for a game.

My opponent has 831 games in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database, of which 407 have him with the black pieces.

I fairly quickly decided I wanted to play 1.e4, which reduced the field to a still-healthy 156 games, of which 96 saw him continue 1...e5.

A Spanish would suit me, I felt, and it seemed he had 'only' two replies 3...a6 and 3...f5.

Against the former I would be happy with my normal Exchange Variation, but I had to do some work before deciding how I would meet the latter.

But my preparation could not end there, as in Mega26 he also has 21 games with 1...e6, 20 games with 1...d5, 10 games with 1...c5, and also games with 1...Nf6, 1...c6 and 1...Nc6.

I was not overly inclined to look at everything, especially as with some of those moves there was very little to go on, but on examining a list of my opponent's games by date, I noticed the French was very much his modern fancy, and I even found a game where he answered 1.d4 with 1...e6.

I have played many games with the Exchange Variation of the French, trying to emulate Morphy, but I decided this would be a too-insipid choice against an IM, and I ruled out the King's Indian Attack, a favourite of mine some years ago, on the ground of rustiness.

That left 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3, of which there were six games of DP's in Mega26 - four continued 3...Bb4, and two saw 3...Nf6.

I fairly quickly decided what I would play against the Winawer, and then looked at the two games with 3...Nf6.

I used to continue exclusively with 4.e5, but more recently I have mixed in 4.Bg5, and with this latter continuation the one game in Mega26 showed DP replying with the fashionable 4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7.

Position after 5...Be7

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That game continued 6.Bd3?! Nxe4 7.Bxe7 Nxf2!? 8.Bxd8 Nxd1 9.Bxc7 Nxb2, which the engines reckon is level, although DP went on to win.

I knew the main move is 6.Bxf6, when 6...gxf6!? gives Black the sort of imbalanced game - pawn-structure v bishop-pair - that the superior player should be happy to get.

Accordingly I settled on 6.Nxf6+ Bxf6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nf3, when I noticed the engines suggested meeting the main move, 8...0-0, with the little-played 9.Qd3, the idea being to follow up with queenside castling, the quicker the better.

And that was the extent of my preparation - it never occurred to me to look a few moves further ahead, to see how Black might react to White's queen move.

Over the board there came 9...c5 10.0-0-0 Rd8, and suddenly I realised White has difficulties.

Position after 10...Rd8

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Black has three men attacking d4, and is about to bring in a fourth attacker with ...Nc6.

White has three defenders, but adding a fourth defender with 11.c3? sees White's king exposed after 11...cxd4 12.cxd4, when the simple 12...Bd7, with ...Nc6 and Rac8 to come, gives Black a winning attack, according to Stockfish18 and Dragon1.

White therefore has to move the queen to unpin the d pawn, but my 11.Qe3?! showed my inexperience with the position (Qe4 is probably best, as I detail in my notes to the game).

After my move, Black played 11...Nc6, when 12.dxc5? Rxd1+ 13.Kxd1 Qxb2 is terrible.

Instead I played 12.d5!? (I had planned this when playing Qe3), but I was on the back-foot for almost the whole of the rest of the game - it felt as if I was playing with the black pieces, and my opponent with the white ones.

LESSON: half-baked preparation can be more dangerous than no preparation.

Chess Tip Of The Day 536

Winning chess has a lot to do with playing good moves, but it has more to do with not playing bad ones. If you play 10 excellent moves, 10 average ones and then a lulu, there is every likelihood that your opponent may still win without having played as well as you for 90% of the game.

Ian Mullen, Master Chess: A Course In 21 Lessons

Lessons From Bad Bertrich VIII

MY round-eight game, in which I was White against Horst Prüsse (2006), began as an O'Kelly Variation in the Sicilian: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 a6.

I did not know my opponent played 2...a6, and I had nothing prepared

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All I could recall was that 3.d4!? was considered a mistake, and that White should play a line in which ...a6 would not prove useful, eg going into an Alapin setup with 3.c3.

I cannot recall where this advice came from, but in the end I rather went against it by playing 3.c4, intending to play a Maróczy Bind, even though ...a6 in the Maróczy is a common move as, among other things, it helps prepare the break ...b5.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered, after the game, 3.d4!? is easily the commonest continuation in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database (I also found that I had played 3.d4!? last year, albeit with the special intention of switching into a Morra Gambit).

So, was the advice in my mind simply wrong, or had I misremembered altogether? Maybe not, on both counts.

For starters, the top two recommendations of Stockfish18 and Dragon1 are 3.c4 and 3.c3, although the former engine comes to like 3.g3!? the more time it is given to consider the position.

And then there are the stats to consider. 3.c4 scores 56% in Mega26, 3.c3 scores 54% and even 3.g3!? scores 52%, whereas 3.d4!? turns in a miserable 40%.

The main line in Mega26, after 3.d4!?, runs 3...cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3, and now Black gets to play what is effectively an Accelerated Najdorf, ie 5...e5!?

Position after 5...e5!?

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The engines agree Black has already at least equalised, eg after the main move in Mega26, 6.Nf3, they reckon 6...Bb4!? starts to tip the balance in Black's favour.

So it seems the half-remembered advice I had at the back of my mind was sound after all. But it would have been nice if I had originally spent some time learning the reasons behind the advice, rather than just noting it.

LESSON: as usual in chess, knowing something is good, but knowing why it is good is much better.

Chess Tip Of The Day 535

One good way to exploit a strong central advantage is to use the extra space [it gives] your pieces to launch a flank attack.

Richard Palliser, Starting Out: Closed Sicilian

To Hull And Back

AM making final preparations for traveling to Hull tomorrow for a 4NCL weekend congress, which starts on Friday evening.

The 150 entries over five sections include two grandmasters, an international master and two Fide masters, with a time limit in the top three tournaments of 90 minutes, and a 30-second increment throughout.

I have entered the U2000, which has five rounds over three days, but I will be staying on an extra night, returning to London on Monday.

Hull's South African war memorial

Lessons From Bad Bertrich VII

THE progress of players is in some ways mirrored by their relationship with the chessboard's back rank, and in particular with the danger of falling victim to a back-rank mate.

Novices often succumb to such a mate, until in time they learn it can be worthwhile playing h3/...h6, or similar, to give the castled king an escape square.

But as players get stronger, they realise playing h3/...h6 - a "bookend move," as it has been called - can be a serious waste of time, and even make the king's position less safe.

Eventually players develop a feel for when a back-rank mate is on, or, more precisely, for when it is useful to take precautions against the possibility of such a mate.

My round-seven game at the Bad Bertrich 50+ tournament, in which I was Black against Michael Hillenbrand (2113), featured an interesting back-rank scenario, arising after I played 22...Rfd8.

All four black pieces (five if you include the king) are either on the back rank or are defending it - even the bishop covers f8

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In the game, White saved his queen by playing 23.Qf3?, but after  23...Rxd1 24.Qxd1 Qe4+ 25.Kg1 h6 White was lost, thanks to the pin on the c file.

The move 25...h6 was necessary because, although the peril is not immediately obvious, Black's back-rank is weak.

So much so, that in the diagram position White has three moves that maintain at least equality, Qe5, Ba1 and Be1, and it is worth looking at each in turn.

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23.Qe5 threatens mate on g7, so Black's best is 23...Qxe5, and after 24.Bxe5 Black cannot capture either white rook, eg 24...Rxc2?? loses to 25.Rxd8+ Bf8 26.Bd6.

Black should probably play 24...f6, when Dragon1 gives White a slight edge, but Stockfish18 calls the position equal.

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23.Ba1!? gives an even stranger impression at first sight, but 23...Rxd5?? loses to 24.Rxc8 Qf8 25.Rxf8+ and 26.Rxd5.

Not so bad is 23...Rxc2?!, although 24.Qxd8+ Qf8 25.Rd7!? is promising for White, eg 25...Rxa2 26.Be5 Rc2 (preventing Qc7) 27.Qg5 h6! (only move) 28.Qxf5 Rc5 29.Qe4, after which White's greater activity gives the upper hand, according to the engines.

The engines reckon Black's best is 23...Bc5!?, after which White should play 24.Qe5 or 24.Qf3, both with equality.

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23.Be1?! also looks odd, but the engines agree it leaves the game completely equal.

However, unlike Qe5 and Ba1, it sets Black no problems, and several moves maintain the balance, including 23...Bc5, 23...g6 and 23...Rb8.

LESSON: the threat of back-rank mate creates possibilities that otherwise would not exist, and this is especially so when most minor pieces (bishops and knights) have been exchanged, but heavy pieces (queens and rooks) remain.

Chess Tip Of The Day 534

Activity is vital in endgames. If you are defending, don't defend absolutely passively unless either the draw is cast-iron or you are absolutely forced to.

Jon Speelman, Endgame Preparation

Lessons From Bad Bertrich VI

MY round-six game, in which I was White against Martin Schopf (1909), was decided in a rook-and-pawn ending.

A critical position arose after I played 48.Rg3-g5

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My opponent replied 48...Rxg5?, which, as I commented in my post, "makes White's task easier."

The evaluations of my main engines jump from around +3.00 for White to more than +5.00 (Stockfish18) or almost +9.00 (Dragon1).

But it occurred to me afterwards that it would be instructive to see how White wins after a more sensible move, such as 48...Ke7, assuming the engines are right, and there is a way for White to break through.

Position after 48...Ke7

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Material is level, but White's advantage is based on the fact that Black's 4-3 queenside majority is blockaded, while White's 4-3 kingside majority still has some flexibility.

The moves that follow are the engines' consensus on how to best play the position. Where they disagree, and it is not obvious which is correct, I will choose what seems to me the more-human continuation.

49.Rf1!? Rg7 50,g4 hxg4 51.Rxg4 Rh5 52.Kf3 Rh6 53.Rc1 Kd7 54.Rh1 Rh5 55.Rg5 Ke8!? 56.Kg4 Rh8 57.h5 Rgg8 58.h6 Kf7.

White has created a passed pawn, but how does White make progress?

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59.Kf3 Rh7 60.Rg2 Rgh8 61.Rc2!? Rxh6 (61...Rc8?! 62.Kg4) 62.Rxh6 Rxh6 63.Rxc6 Rh3+ 64.Kg4 Rb3 65.Rxa6 Rxb4 66.Ra7+ Ke8 67.a6 Kd8 68.Kg5 Rxd4

Black is a pawn up, but White's more-active king and advanced passer add up to an advantage worth well more than a rook, according to the engines

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69.Rh7 Ra4 70.a7 Kc8 71.Kxg6 Ra6 72.f5!? exf5+ 73.Kxf5 b4 74.Rh8+ Kc7!? (74...Kb7 75.e6) 75.a8=Q Rxa8 76.Rxa8, and even the most-stubborn Black can resign.

LESSON: engines can make endgame technique seem simple, but watching such technique is instructive.

Chess Tip Of The Day 533

If you face a choice between equally good continuations, there is no need to contemplate for long. Quite the opposite: you can choose one without making a big mistake.
Ján Markoš, The Secret Ingredient To Winning At Chess

Opening Conundrum

THE game from the British Championship I highlighted yesterday featured an interesting point in the opening, which was a Réti, albeit one that began as an English.

This position has occurred 29 times in my games, with me being on both sides of the board, and it appears 49,965 times in ChessBase's 2026 Mega database

In Syvatoslav Bazakutsa (IM 2579 ECF/2488 Fide) - Kenneth Hobson (FM 2349 ECF/2244 Fide) the move-order was 1.c4 e6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.Nf3.

Black continued 4...d4!?, with Andrew Ledger commenting in Chess that "White will get decent dynamic chances, given that he has the extra move and Black is committed to ...e6."

In my post I pointed out that 4...d4!? is the top choice of Stockfish18 and Dragon1, whereas the engines reckon the most popular continuation, 4...Be7, allows White to gain a slight edge with 5.d4 or 5.0-0.

So the question arises as to the soundness of ...d4, and I think it will be interesting to investigate this.

Note that a purer Réti move-order to reach the diagram would be 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2.

In that sequence, Black has the option of 2...d4!?, which, while playing through Bazakutsa-Hobson, I seemed to remember used to be frowned on in old opening books.

My memory was not faulty, eg Reuben Fine in The Ideas Behind The Chess Openings claims pushing ...d4 on move two "is somewhat dubious," because it is "uncertain whether Black can maintain his powerful wedge at d4 under favourable circumstances."

However, Fine adds that "it is essential for White to hammer at the Black d pawn early, or secure compensation in some other way."

He reckons both e3 and b4 are necessary, and argues that 3.e3 is the best continuation.

A more modern, and more specialist, book, Easy Guide To The Réti Opening, sees Angus Dunnington recommend 3.b4.

He admits "theoretically Black should be OK," but argues that the complicated lines arising will not be easy for Black to handle psychologically.

However, it is again interesting to note that after 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4, the engines agree 2...d4!? is Black's best continuation.

The possibility of 3.b4 has persuaded some players to delay ...d4 in favour of 2...e6, when 3.g3 continues the "purer Réti move-order" mentioned above.

Position after 1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 e6 3.g3

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Here Stockfish18 changes tack by recommending 3...dxc4!?, narrowly ahead of what is overwhlemingly the most popular continuation, 3...Nf6. Dragon1 also comes to prefer 3...dxc4!?, but by a tiny margin over 3...d4!?
After the commonest move, 3...Nf6, White usually plays 4.Bg2, reaching the position in the first diagram, where, as we know, the engines like 4...d4!?, albeit with 4...dxc4 close behind, and with some fluctuation in the evaluations.

The bottom line seems to be that ...d4 is certainly playable, and may even be best, at moves two, three and four.

However, be warned that after 4...Be7 5.0-0, reaching a position occurring 27,651 times in Mega26, ...d4 loses some of its charm, at least for Stockfish18, which reckons both 6.e3 and 6.b4!? are promising for White.

And be especially warned that 6.b4!?, apart from facilitating Bb2, sets a trap, which has been fallen into by a 2206, namely 6...Bxb4? 7.Qa4+ Nc6 8.Ne5, when best seems to be 8...Rb8.

At first glance Black looks fine, but Gulruhbegim Tokhirjonova (2350) - Rui Yang Yan (2206), US Women's Championship (St Louis) 2023, continued 9.c5!, when Black's best may be 9...0-0!? (the game saw 9...Nd7?!) 10.Nd3! Ba5 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Qa5 e5!?, but Black does not have enough compensation for being a piece down.