Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Michael Adams against international Master Jack Rudd in the 2010 British championship,
Round 4e4 from Adams.
We have D six from D, 4g69c3, Bishop G seven Bishop E, 3a6f4 now is played by Adams e six.
This is actually an inaccuracy.
It does weaken the dark squares a bit and quite often it seems b five would be the more mainstream move
here of the bishop D free Bishop B seven might have 3b4 90 2969g3.
Okay, White has a small edge, but Black's position is relatively oc but with E six.
Yeah, things are a bit kind of vulnerable for black on the dark squares.
It doesn't seem consistent basically with these pawn moves a bit too many pawn moves.
So we see 910 397 Bishop D 397 is black trying for a hippopotamus against Michael Adams.
So a kind of hippo is nice in the sense of the Bishop Finn cat cathode both of them.
But yeah it's it's got some dangerous positional downsides E five is played now D five notes
e2b6c3c5a4, Bishop B seven.
So is a kind of hippo in a way.
The Double Finn cat in the ninth and center we see White Castling 96, Queen E one, Queen E seven,
Bishop F2.
This is a great move.
It gives the option of Bishop H four now, which is a tempo gainer.
We have C takes DD four and our Bishop H four is used.
So where is the black queen going here?
The queen doesn't really want to go to C five.
It doesn't seem right on C five.
It will be a big target.
In fact, we can just play B four here.
Just B for not money.
This cupboard chap.
We're taking the Queen.
So the queen would go back and here, for example, this is just devastating, the king being stranded
in the center.
So to take this a little bit further, we can take on C six and here we can even start to just break
through the censor first.
King H one is good and then F five.
And this with the king in the center is absolutely devastating.
If G takes Bishop takes F five.
And yeah, this is just exploiting a king in the center now 96.
This is frightening.
Rook takes F seven and nine, takes B seven.
It's going to be a massive advantage.
So in a nutshell, there's absolutely no point, it seems, in playing Queen C five because of B four.
It just pushes the queen back to fight.
Ouch.
Okay, so it actually goes back to F eight.
If Adams had played C takes D four, then here Knight before.
This is still going to be better for white.
This position is still better for white.
So Bishop H four is nice though.
We have Queen fe if f six knight e times d for this position is uncomfortable for black Bishop takes
f six as example.
And here Bishop thinks he takes let's say Queen takes Bishop C to one.
It's just got a definite advantage here in terms of targets and opportunities.
Okay, so Queen F eight, E takes D four, Knight takes the four, and now C takes the four.
This keeps the knight out of C five, knight be eight and now rook free.
This is a great plan to pile up on that C file potentially.
King D seven.
Yeah, this looks like kind of resignation move King D seven.
It just looks as though yeah, this isn't ideal for black at all this position.
So, Rook, be free.
King C seven, Queen C free check gets a piece penned Rook c1h6, Bishop f6g8.
And it's a bit like Alekhine's Immortal Pen Game against Nimzowitsch here getting into a near Zugzwang
with this C four pin we have H four and in fact Jack Rod doesn't really like his position to the extent
he resigns here.
Move 23 So what is happening here?
Well, let's see if Rook seven Queen two is dual purpose.
Actually it facilitates travelling on the C file, but it also sometimes there are variations where
black can also be in trouble in other ways.
H five This is a very, very funny variation.
Let's say black doesn't play h five here if.
Bishop aids when it can pull the pressure up with Roxie Frey.
And sometimes when the queen is not looking at before, well, like here, we can consider soon before
we can first take on G seven, that weakens black on the dark squares.
And this would be useful as well.
H five.
And there are big problems for black before is also shown.
I mean there's there's many strong moves beef or is also very strong that pin on the C file.
It is creating a kind of variation of the classic coin nimzowitsch game where it's crashing through
on C potentially, but first rook C seven and the torture levels here are quite high.
So let's say let's carry on just to see what would happen here.
Nice.
H two could be a very dangerous positional threat for G four to F six.
So let's play that black, let's play H five to stop that and let's see what happens here.
No, it's free now.
The Knights got the G five square and there's an F seven target.
So this is this is on the brink of collapse now because of G five essentially.
So for example, here, this will be desperate when it's just winning material soon with F seven collapsing,
C eight it's going to be hanging as well.
So yeah, it is kind of collapsing here.
If h five is allowed as well, that's also dangerous.
So B falls dangerous.
H five is also dangerous because if G five there's actually this situation of a very strong past pawn,
but let's say G tanks, then we can actually play F five.
And this is also very nice because we have before and then what is black doing about B four here?
It's pretty diabolical.
That's just losing seats.
But otherwise, yeah, there's no real ways around it.
Okay.
A five, B five.
Yes.
Just hopeless this situation as well.
So, yeah, this does look pretty diabolical here in this relation.
And also Bishop eight that's also funny.
Bishop 8c3 basically, and we're just snapping off.
C six but if H five this is funny because Bishop takes G seven and here 9g5 and is actually even on
the other side of the board, there's a tactic we can play.
Bishop takes G six here.
Funny enough, because of this forceable configuration within Black's position as a full square.
So Rook takes queen, takes F takes nine, takes E six check.
Yeah.
So let alone the pin pressure way to achieve things here.
We don't even need to do this.
We can just put the pin pressure up and Queen eight say Bishop takes Rook takes 95, and here Black's
getting overloaded.
Now, let's say King B ain't.
We're just taking on C six.
What is black actually doing here?
If Rook G eight, then there's a weakness of the last move hand.
We can play nine, seven, and now nine and six.
And yeah, black's going to be run out of moves soon.
So for example here, five.
And Black's position is creaking.
If we've got 9065 G takes, we've got Bishop takes H five and whites making inroads like this, for
example, on both sides of the board.
So this is absolutely passive for black where the structure is being totally undermined.
So yeah, this is an interesting kind of continuation, to say the least.
But yeah, it looks as though this is just diabolical with H seven happens.
And if King B eight happens, Yeah, we're just taking on C six.
So what is black actually doing here?
Yeah, it's getting very nasty.
So yeah, it seems as though a disaster from the opening.
Really.
So h four Convince Black to resign.
White has such a wealth of plans.
If ever any bishop takes he takes then 95 is going to amplify the pin pressure as well.
It's a really hopeless looking position essentially.
So OC very, very interesting.
Adams against round 2010 British Championship, Round four.
I hope you got something out of this.
Yeah.
Positional play taking to the extreme can almost like zugzwang the opponent.
Even if it's not technically zugzwang, it gives the impression of being a zugzwang that there's no
decent moves left.
Och, so much.