Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Michael Adams playing against John Warneke.
NICK In 1988, Lloyds Bank Masters Open round eight.
So four from Adams.
See five 9396 defaults.
He takes the fall, Knight takes default.
We have E, five, Knight, B five, D six.
So here A four is played, Bishop E six Knight one two, C three, A six Knights, a free.
So White has restrained Black's counterplay for the moment with B five and D five breaks under lock
and key Knight of six and now Bishop G five.
So the battle of the D five square is evidence here.
Rook Bishop C4 trying to trade off that strategically important bishop try and further weaken the D
five square.
So Bishop e seven is played both sides castle and now giving up the dance square.
BISHOP Quite often this amplifies a light square strategy.
So in particular, Adams is trying to get that lock and key over D five.
However, Black does have dynamic compensation.
There are up and downs of this position.
This is a bishop without a counterpart and actually black, who was actually one year a Polish champion
and a very strong player, plays very dynamically as we're about to see.
And it's important as positional players, if we want to control key squares and play positionally,
we have to be able to withstand some brutal attacking potential and dynamic compensation.
And we get a scenario which is very scary coming up.
So 97 is played Queen D Free 96 Rook FD one eight, Bishop a two and now five.
So the counterplay comes with five.
So E takes Bishop takes out five, Queen E two and our Bishop H four.
This is great use of the Dart Square Bishop credit to black here.
This is a fighting game, a nitty gritty, nitty gritty game, which it's important, I believe, to
learn from and to see can the positional player withstand scary attacks.
F three is played Queen G five Bishop B one trying to secure control over E four.
But Black's playing dynamically with E for now.
So Bishop takes e for Bishop takes e four and it's a scary position indeed.
Here we have actually the possibility of being terminated already pretty soon if F takes those rook
f two and this looks very, very dangerous for being mated on G two.
So Queen takes E for rook C eight.
So Black is sacrificing pawns trying to make use of the bishop of that counterpart.
So Queen G four is good to try and get the Queen's off In general, we have Queen St's G for f tanks,
but the rooks are very dangerous here.
Still, this second rank is extremely dangerous.
There's great calmness in Adams play.
He improves his worse piece.
Hare You could say that's positional play nine C for improving the worst piece in the face of this attack
So the rooks double that's also kind of positional play as well and attacking chess D free so that's
supported by that by that knight centralizing the knights hold each other for the moment and hold G
two we have Knight for Rook takes D six is actually a mistake here by Adams.
It actually makes it worse technically.
Rook F one simplification policy would be a good idea here.
And for example D 595 This is tricky, but it seems as though the Kings put in pressure on F two if
Rook takes b2 g five and.
It seems as though, for example, h6g takes, G takes.
It seems as though why it should be okay in this position, just about if h five rook takes F to simplification
to get rid of the attacking pieces and then trying to get rid of more of them, basically get rid of
more of them.
This endgame should be about equal, but the way it's played.
Rook takes DD six puts y in grave danger after nine times g to.
We have a very scary situation indeed on the board, which is kind of instructive.
So this isn't one of those neat positional games.
This is what happens when you try and play positionally for key strategic squares.
And the opponent has got a bishop without a counterpart and trying to amplify the activity of pieces
and get to checkmate you.
But one has to keep calmness and there's a very, very calm move played in this position.
Can you see what it is for 100 points?
Which actually at least requires blacks to play with precision.
Och, it's g five.
It cuts off the bishop from the eight.
So the threat is the checkmate.
So Adams replies.
Sorry, the Adams opponent now plays a big mistake.
Bishop takes five.
It seems as though H five is really strong for black, so rook f19 takes E three, takes E three.
This possession Bishop takes G five is possible and yeah king safety.
You know this possession black is ending up with advantage.
If the knight moves, then white is getting mated with the classic rooks.
The rooks come and deliver the checkmate.
And the thing is about this position here, if Rook takes F two, this bishop takes E three, and that's
winning a piece.
So yes, Black missed the chance for a huge amount of pressure after H five.
It's difficult to see what White is actually doing here.
This is a very precarious position.
So yes, mistakes have been made, but Bishop takes G five is played, thankfully for Adams.
So the opponent was kind of panicked to parry the rook.
The checkmate frets with this and it seems tempting, but now knight g for important tempo gainer on
f two we have Rook F4 and now another great tempo gain.
All of a sudden white is unraveling.
Rook have one kind of pinning the rook because of rook f eight make friends.
So if rook takes g for rook f eight is checkmate.
So h five is played and now knight G five Another kind of threat.
White is really improving all the pieces all the time.
These knights are now absolutely great supporting each other.
Again, 96 is fraternize as well as F seven potentially 957 is actually actually the bigger threat is
Knight of seven just to win the bishop or the exchange.
So king H seven we have knight free and look at the transformation in position with tempo hitting the
bishop so it doesn't matter about rook take C for the big transformation.
The calmness of fending off this attack.
Defensive skills are needed for the positional player because if we're talking about a conversation
about different pawn structures and the dynamic attacking players coming at positional players, they're
going to maximize their dynamic compensation and go for your king.
So you need this great calmness, resourcefulness, applying simplification where appropriate, and
here improving the worst pieces and all of a sudden whites well back in the game.
Now after Rook RD two, there's a downside of the attacking pieces that they actually aren't liable
to be attacked.
We have bishops c five check to keep things simple.
Black could have played Rook takes DD to 962 Knight for 32 Rook takes F one check King takes F one knight
F4 would be about even if we followed this through a bit with a five there's knight D three so both
sides take the B pawn.
It should still be about even, but Bishop C five checkers played King H one Now rook takes DD two is
played here again.
It was possible for black to play the technical move Rook e seven believe it or not, and this technically
is equal.
If King takes G two, then Rook takes C four.
So that's about even.
And the other point is, if Rook takes G too, can you see what black would play here for equality or
actually a big advantage potentially?
And see this would be the wrong way to play it because there's rook takes a free and here there's a
back row mate issue taking then check and it's going to be back row, mate.
So yeah, there were resources in the position here.
So yeah, this, this is a great resource here.
There's rook free and black is actually with advantage here.
So Och but black played rook takes D to.
C takes dx to.
And now 94 is a mistake.
If rook g for HP Rook g six again, black should be just about OC.
This should be about even.
But we've now 93.
We actually are winning now.
Can you see what won't please.
I give you 5 seconds of video.
G five check.
So this is winning the exchange.
So King Rook takes her for winning the exchange.
Rook f seven.
So a clear blue sky now has emerged from that vicious looking attack.
So King H for Knight E four and in fact hitting the bishop.
And also there's menacing frats like Rook for coming to make the king potentially.
So Black actually resigned here.
So for example, bishop a seven we could actually just trap the bishop with rook takes B seven.
Where is the bishop going?
Yeah.
Bishop C five We're going to take the bishop.
So, yes, we don't need to try and make the king.
We just munch material here.
This is such a dominating position.
Rook takes B seven and let's say Bishop B six again, Rook takes B seven.
Whereas Bishop game, we've got b4 we can start chasing the bishop.
Rook D seven Knight takes G five and we just use our poor majority.
We break through of an outside pawn here, absolutely crushing stuff.
The Knights pretty helpless or just, you know, just take it simple and strong.
So yes, it's a hopeless position in the end of the 94.
So an interesting game.
So if we're taking a positional perspective to try and control the position and in key strategic squares,
we can expect counterplay and we have to face attacks and we have to be calm and resourceful in the
fence.
Basically.
That's the message I think, from this game that Adams is really giving.
So, yes, a very interesting game.
The positional player against an attacking player and the positional player being triumphant on this
occasion.
That's very much.