British Championships 2010 (6)
Adams concedes his first draw
IM Malcolm Pein - Tuesday 3rd August 2010
Malcolm Pein reports on Michael Adams' one point lead after 6 of 11 rounds in the British Championships in Canterbury.
Michael Adams remained a point clear of the field at the end of the first week of the British Chess Championships being played at the University of Kent in Canterbury. After five straight wins Adams was content with a quiet draw against England international Nick Pert. Adams faces a tough test in the seventh round when he plays black against another England international Stephen Gordon.
Leading scores: 1 Adams 5.5/6
2-8 Gordon, N Pert, Gormally, S Williams, Conquest, A Hunt, Houska 4.5
Defending champion Stuart Conquest moved back into contention by outmanouvering Alexey Slavin. Conquest managed to play on both wings of this King's Indian and White is soon tied down
A Slavin - S Conquest
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 d6 4.h3 Bg7 5.Nc3 Nbd7 6.e4 e5 7.d5 Nc5 8.Qc2 a5 9.Bg5 Bd7
(A move Black might play sooner or later but not usually now, 9...h6 or 9...0-0 are standard but Conquest likes to go his own way in the opening)
10.Nd2 0-0 11.Be2 c6 12.Nb3
(Black is happy to exchange a pair of knights, White could consider 12.g4 cxd5 13.cxd5 Rc8 14.a4)
12...Nxb3 13.Qxb3 Qc7 14.a3?! Kh8
Conquest figures White has lost the thread and asks him to make another move
15.Be3
(15.0-0)
15...a4!
Stuart Conquest
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Alexei Slavin
Position after 15...a4!
16.Qc2
(16.Nxa4 cxd5!) 16...
b5 17.Rc1
(The pin on the 'c' file was annoying, if 17.dxc6 Bxc6 18.cxb5 Bxe4!)
17...bxc4 18.Bxc4 c5 19.Bb5 Bxb5 20.Nxb5 Qa5+ 21.Nc3 Nd7
Black can play on the 'b' file or attack in the traditional way with f7-f5
22.0-0 Qa6 23.Nb1!
Heading for the excellent square c4
23...f5 24.f3 Rab8 25.Nd2 f4 26.Bf2 Bf6 27.Nc4 Be7 28.Be1 Rb5 29.Rb1 Rfb8
(White must have been in time trouble here because he blunders. After 30.Bc3 he would be safe enough
30.Qd2 Bd8 31.Qc2 Rb3 32.Bc3?? Qxc4 33.Rbc1
(White had overlooked 33.Bxe5+ Nxe5! defending the queen)
33...Kg8 34.g3 Bg5 35.Qd2 Qa6 36.Rc2 Bh6 37.Qe1 Rf8 38.Rg2 Qd3 39.Qb1 0-1
A typical Dutch Defence kingside attack. Black arranges his pieces perfectly but 24.Bd5? accelerates White's demise. 24.Nf3 was the best move to counter the impending onslaught with fxg3 and Ng4.
P Cumbers - J Hawkins
1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.c4 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nc3 a5 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Nxc3 10.Bxc3 Qe8 11.Qc2 Nd7 12.a3 Qh5 13.b4 a4 14.b5 f4 15.e3 e5 16.exf4 exf4 17.Qe4 Rf7 18.Nd2 Nf6 19.Qf3 Qh6 20.Rae1 d5 21.cxd5 Bd7 22.d6 Bxd6 23.Qxb7 Raf8 24.Bd5 Nxd5 25.Qxd5 Bh3 26.Nc4 Bxf1 27.Rxf1 Qh3 28.Qg2 Qf5 29.f3 Qxb5 30.Ne5 Bxe5 31.dxe5 Qc5+ 0-1
J Hawkins
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Paul Cumbers
Final position after 31...Qc5+
