Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Michael Adams playing against Alexander Vukovic.
This is in the 1994 Teen Masters Open Round six.
So a strong grandmaster with the black pieces.
E-4 from Adams, We have a Sicilian defence.
Might have free descents.
Adams does not shy away from the main line.
Sicilian defense.
We have 96, 93, a six for E, six queens.
This is a very interesting line.
Queen B sex.
And now a nice, interesting move.
A free.
So 96 is played because if Queen Tang's D for the queen is actually trapped of the bishop e free a very
cute opening trap here.
So if the queen has to give herself up, that's hopeless.
So 96 might be free, Queen seven and now G four, B five.
And now space gaining G 597.
Bishop E three.
Bishop B seven.
Bishop D three.
Black doesn't have to try and Castle kingside given these pawns are ready to kind of break through.
We have instead g6h4 Bishop g7h5 and now 97 is played.
There is a slight weakness of the last move here, which can be leveraged for positional means.
And it is now, before we get into that, if Black had castled, then h six might be an idea.
Now, if Black wants to give up the bishop this resulting position white can castle kingside and there's
enough compensation here if Queen tanks C free Bishop D two is interesting here.
How about the knight and skewing the queen and knight and there's no check.
The knight stops the check.
So it's an interesting tactics here.
And Knight takes before he just straightens out the pawns.
You know, what is black doing here?
So let's say Rook, he ain't.
This position should be in White's favor here.
So this position overall with the king over there, one could start to open up things.
So anyway, 97 is tonight.
We have bishop divorced so a strategic kind of bishop exchange safeguarding C free as well from the
possibility of the pawns being doubled.
Bishop takes DD for Knight takes the four black consoles queenside.
White castles queenside.
One thing to bear in mind here, contrasting the two positions, this first rank is more likely to be
clearer than this phone rank.
There's a lot of pawns on this further and getting in the way so white potentially can use resources
from one side of the board to the other, from the kingside to the queenside.
Just bear that in mind.
Here we have Queen B six and Bishop E two protecting the on D for King B eight and our rook h free.
This is demonstrating that use of the third rank rook see ain't and we have Queen h1a very cute looking
move dual purpose so this angle and also this angle batteries like that rook hf8 if king eight H thinks
g why it doesn't have to win a pawn or anything.
This position I can play like this and with advantage with a small edge.
That's possible if one takes the pawn.
The knights holding the rook is one or the other.
Rook black could play 95 and it's a bit messier than the game than it needs to be.
Black is potentially getting some counterplay on the B file.
So anyway, Rook h f a is played.
We have king b19, C five.
Bishop f3b 4/18 Queen Tanks B14 and Bishop G two.
So clearing out that photo rank again and it's good prophylaxis for C free.
It's been secured.
We have 96.
If a four we can actually make use of that rook on H Free Knight takes queen tanks, there's rook free
and this position gets very comfortable after C Free Bishop If one black is on the scrutiny here, white's
pretty solid.
So we have 96 knights, A two queen B six knights.
Be free.
So that whole phone rank is clear.
Now, even the -- on a free we have 97 Queen E one now looking to play for a five.
Rook 58 rookie frame like B five and here -85 is played and it temps black for a combination in this
position which is unsound black should play bishop eight in which case 90 C for Quincy seven.
This position with nine C phrase should be in White's favor.
For example, if we look at this resigning position, which it's really made great use of that third
ranked rook and stands better by here Bishop takes e four is played and there's a slight problem here
with this combination Bishop takes E four, nine takes E four.
So tricky Mickey is activated here.
One thing not to fall into is basically, you know, one has to play the right move here.
If Rook takes E four, this would be a disaster.
Can you see how it's a disaster?
You know, a positional player playing a14 opening.
And these kind of open Sicilians needs to be tactically alert.
And here Knights, a free check would be a crusher.
So one point emphatically made is Rook, take two is checkmate there.
The other point emphatically made as well is if King E one, there's no take C to check and then taking
out the queen.
And you might think, Well, hold on, it's not the end of the story, Rook before it kind of is King
E seven and after Rook takes B six, King takes B six.
Yeah, one.
It's just totally material down.
Just this, this well, significantly material tone at this level.
The exchange black is the exchange up and look at White's pawn the kind of weak So yes there is an alternate
move here.
Which seems to be based on strengthening the position during the opponent's combination.
It's a really great strengthening move.
Can you see what it is?
Well potentially strengthening C for.
Yeah.
See for.
So what does Blake do here?
We have actually nice to have, too.
And now another strengthening move in the in the middle of blacks combination is going wrong.
Blacks combination because whites not taking any bait.
Why is playing this currently a pawn down?
And just please calmly rook c one.
Strengthening C for strengthening C two.
And asking questions.
You know, both lines were attacked.
If Queen takes F2 had been played here, then might a free check.
And yeah this is still kind of.
Potentially problematic if King A1 Black has a tactic.
Can you see what that is?
Yet.
Queen size E three will be vicious
because, you know, if if it's ignored, then D five.
But if it's not ignored, you know black's better than that.
If it's not ignored.
If Queen takes ea frelund 90 to check.
And again, blacks are naughty.
But the thing is, in this line, actually King C one is possible for advantage for white, so it might
take for just taking on C form is a piece up here, but Adams does better with Rook C one.
He avoids that stuff.
He's actually taking out the counterplay from Black's position.
We have 94 and now another strengthening move, which kind of takes out the counterplay of Black's position.
Rook free, just holding the knight with both pieces now.
So one is really frightening.
Queen size F2.
So Knight G4 is played, but now Queen G won.
And there's a big, big tactical problem here.
It's not just that the knight is attacked.
This knight is pinned to the queen, which means Rook be free is actually friends to kind of win the
queen, you know, because if Knight takes then there's Queen takes B six.
So it's chill Frats queen, G4 and rock be free here.
So look at this transformation through a series of strengthening moves during the opponent's combination,
just not taking the material, instead strengthening the position.
And this shows a deeper backfire of the whole combination.
We have King seven So if G takes H five, let's put this on the board.
That would protect the knight.
But then there's rook be free.
So this queen says, Be free.
Otherwise you're a nine times we're just taking the queen will check and this is just hopeless nine
times be free and and we're picking up the knight on B free after first we can take that pawn out and
then take the knight as example.
And that's winning.
So King, a seven is tried, but now it's very safe to take the knight.
Look at these circumstances.
There's no there's no fireworks.
The fireworks have all been taken out.
So Rook C five is played, Queen RD one.
So that's indirectly defending the B Free Knight by looking at the form rook means.
And this threatens mate.
But Adams just takes on D for defending the main France rook takes a five and yeah, white's just the
piece up so the queen's come off check Rook takes B end of game Black resigned so on King takes b8h
takes h takes rook at one White has a big advantage and you might think hold on Kings Russia Why Why
are you showing this kind of tactical game?
Well, Adams plays one E4 positionally and it shows even during what seems to be a promising combination.
How does the positional player shut down a tactical combination?
This is surely a key skill for a positional player to be able to shut down potentially dangerous looking
combinations as well as, you know, amazing use of that third rank, which is a positional advantage
you could consider in the position that it has this flexibility to use resources from one side of the
board to the other to get involved in essentially what looks like tactical prophylaxis, you know,
reinforcing strong, potentially vulnerable points, rather making them strong.
And yeah, the combination it's it's just funny how it's bypassed that one is carrying some potentially
unattended under protected pieces but it's an illusion here.
This just doesn't work.
Bishop thinks E4 just does not work.
It's fun stuff.
So yes, taking here and then this tricky Mikki move C4.
Yeah that's tricky Making is sometimes nicknames as well.
Yeah, it's a tricky move.
It's it's just leading black into a position where there's a material loss with, with white holding
all the counterplay.
So rook fraying.
It's leading to material loss because of subtle reasons here that this knight on a five is actually
supporting be free.
Great stuff.
I hope you enjoyed this one.
Amazing.
I hope.
Yeah.
Inspirational and showing that we can play fun one E4 openings with positional ideas and making use
of extra space and mobility from one side or the other to the other.
And so much.