British Championships 2010 (7)
Adams starts brightly in week 2 of the British
IM Malcolm Pein - Wednesday 4th August 2010
Malcolm Pein reports on Michael Adams first win of week 2 of the British Championships.
Michael Adams moved effortlessly to 6.5/7 as week two of the British Chess Championships got underway at the University of Kent in Canterbury. Four games remain and only defending champion Stuart Conquest looks minded to try and challenge the England number one who continued on his imperious way after his opponent GM Stephen Gordon made a series of uncharacteristically rash moves from a level position.
Notes based on post mortem analysis by the players.
S Gordon - M Adams
Catalan
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Nf3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Bd6
(more active than Be7 as it facilitates Black's e6-e5 break)
6.Bg2 c6 7.Qc2 Nbd7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Rd1 Qe7 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Nbd2 e5! 13.dxe5 Bxe5 14.cxd5 Nxd5 15.Nxe5 Qxe5
(Black is about equal)
16.Nc4 Qf6 17.e4
(17.Na5 Adams to restrict the Bc8 was more testing then17...Qe7 18.e4 Nb6 19.a3 to play b4 19...Bg4 20.Rd2 Rfd8 or 17.Na5 Qe7 18.Bxd5 cxd5 19.Rxd5 Be6 20.Rd2 Rac8 with compensation
17.Na5 Qe5 idea Ne3 and White may have nothing better than 18.Nc4 Qf6= or perhaps 18.Qd2!?)
17...Nb6 18.Ne3 Be6 19.f4 Rad8 20.f5!?
(20.e5 Qe7 21.Be4 Rxd1+ 22.Rxd1 Rd8 23.a3 Rxd1+ 24.Qxd1 = was considered afterwards, this should lead to a draw)
20...Bc8 21.Ng4 Qe7 22.f6?! gxf6 23.Nxh6+ Kg7 24.Nf5+ Bxf5 25.exf5 Rfe8 26.Rxd8 Rxd8 27.Rf1 Rd4 28.b3 Nd7
(Coming to e5, Black is starting to take control but a blunder ends the game)
29.Rd1? Qc5 0-1
Michael Adams
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Stephen Gordon
Position after 29...Qc5 winning because 30.Qxc5 Rxd1+ 31.Kf2 Nxc5 wins a rook.
Leading scores: 1 Adams 6.5/7
2 Conquest 5.5
3-6 N Pert, S Williams, A Hunt, Houska 5
A strange game. Black seems to be making all the running but he is actually worse throughout and then suddenly lost.
A Jaunooby - CW Baker
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 c6 3.c3 Bf5 4.Nh4 Bxb1 5.Rxb1 e5 6.Qb3 exd4
(6...Nd7 7.g3)
7.Qxb7 Nd7 8.Qxc6 dxc3 9.bxc3 Rc8 10.Qa6 Rxc3 11.g3 Qc7
(11...Bb4!?)
12.Bf4! Bb4 13.Kd1 Qc5 14.Nf5 Ba3
(14...Ne7!? 15.Bd6 Qxf2 16.Bxb4 Qxf5 but 14...Ne7 15.Nxg7+ Kf8 16.Qh6 Kg8 17.Ne6! fxe6 18.Bh3 Qd4+ 19.Bd2 Nf8 20.Rxb4 Qxb4 21.Bxe6+ Nxe6 22.Qxe6+ Kf8 23.Qf6+ cleans up)
15.Nxg7+ Kf8 16.Nf5! Ne7 17.Qh6+ Ke8 18.Nd6+ 1-0
Chris W Baker
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A Jaunooby
Final position after 18.Nd6+
