Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Michael Adams playing against Zynga.
So this is in 1990, the 14 Floyds Masters Open round two.
So E four from Adams.
E six, d4d5.
So the French defense and Adams chooses 92.
This is a very interesting opening choice for the positional player.
Anatoly Karpov also likes 92 and they both have great results with 92.
Adams is known as a real guru in this variation of the tariff variation.
The thing is, with Knight C free, the winner can offer the aggressive, dynamic player compensation
for double pawns.
For example, this variation was a favorite of Bobby Fischer, but there are double pawns and one gets
the bishop here.
And Fischer's won a lot of games from this, but it seems the more pure kind of positional players like
Karpov and Adams, they prefer the tariffs variation and not having structural issues, instead going
for longer term pressure, longer term advantages.
So 92 avoids any issues with double pawns, any bishop before the C free.
So we see 96 and then this line white gets the space advantage.
e59 40 7c3c54 96 and now this knight goes to free.
This is the way of playing it to reinforce the key d4 square with both knights participating in reinforcing
D four.
So this might seem unusual for a parking space to be used up, but yeah, this is pretty solid for why
in Bishop e seven the bishop gets out of the way.
First C takes C tanks.
Now F five is played and Adams actually is not at all tempted to get rid of this kind of form pawn in
the center.
This is aggressive.
This is an aggressive space advantage the way it is.
And this would release black's pieces.
He takes f six.
So 92 keeping the black pieces cramped and uncomfortable.
We see knight b6h free and there's an undermining operation available in terms of G four we have a5g
for Bishop D seven If F takes g four, H takes.
This position is fine.
One has a small edge here.
So Bishop D seven we have nine C free black consuls.
G takes up five E ten.
So this is dangerous.
Semi-Open G file here potentially h4c8 king f2a4 bishop e free like b4 and now not minding losing the
bishop.
This seems a very, very good option in the circumstance in fact, because if Bishop B one black has
the dangerous A free undermining c free, what does white do here that loses a piece before he loses
a piece?
If B takes Sure, white can play like this, but black ends up being better after 9c4 and black has
far too much activity and as well as gaining that pawn.
So Queen RD two seems great in the circumstance.
And one of the things is trying to restrict this B sex knight from the C four square.
So we have knight Tasty Free Queen takes the free bishop e six and now be free.
So restricting that B six knight Queen D seven knights E to eight tanks, 8x8h5.
We have pair of rooks coming off rook eight rook G one keeping one rook on.
Rook two We have Queen B one evicting the rook.
The rook goes to a six Bishop RD two Here it seems 95 might be an option.
And for example, one can consider giving up the knight to weaken F five, even though that's a kind
of bad bishop in this line.
Yeah, it's an interesting position overall.
If Queen B five happens here, why, it's going to get a big advantage.
And that's a similar pattern actually to the game.
On Queen D for a rook instead of rook A if King of eight holding steady against Queen D five because
there's things like Rook.
B six potentially.
So this position should be about even.
The in-game Bishop D2 is played.
We have night 89g5.
So very similar idea now is cropping up.
Adams actually takes on E six.
Now you might find this totally counterintuitive.
Isn't this a bad place?
Aren't we supposed to improve our worst spaces?
Aren't we supposed to exchange off our bad pieces for the opponent's good pieces?
Why is Adams exchanging off a seemingly good night for a bad bishop?
Well, there's bigger fish to fry The f five pawn.
It adds solidity to the black position, this bishop.
So it seems counterintuitive, but it does weaken F five.
We have queen size e6h189g3.
So scrutiny on F five.
So black is coming to the fence.
Black really does want to open up this rook on the h file.
So we have Queen de fray and now an immediate mistake like a six.
The knight was covering b five.
And this is a weakness of the last move and it really is kind of dangerous for black.
Now, if black had played Queen F seven, for example, this situation should be fine for black, but
this actually invites Queen B five.
What does Black actually do here?
This is extremely annoying, to say the least.
It seems a very passive position is emerging here,
and there are very dangerous possibilities.
If no idea is played, offering Be7 and Black's position just melts down after this.
But if rugby aids, what would be the point?
Well, Bishop F5 to start off with is interesting.
So Black's tied down to B seven and it's not just F five, which is weak.
You know that Bishop was kind of reinforcing both D five and F five.
And the thing is, White can play here like F one and torture both pawns with 9e3.
And black's really strained here to defend these weaknesses.
So for example, Knight once going to take out B seven and just win material.
But yeah, this is to the breaking point, this position of the F one to put pressure on these these
targets, especially with pawn on H five ready to there's no support for these, these targets.
So yeah, it's like an intensification of positional pressure here.
What is black doing in this position given 93 is coming.
The bishops covering 97, that it's really restricted.
It's an absolutely beautiful position where whites built up pressure.
In the absence of that bishop, it just makes things so much easier for White to target and pressurize
and amplify the pressure on these weaknesses.
So black ends up losing material here.
So in the game, it's a total meltdown of the night.
Eight Though White takes on B seven winning key squares.
It's not just a pawn.
There's a pass pawn.
Here we have 9c6.
And now an absolutely beautiful move here.
See one plex in gigantic trouble and makes things even worse.
With 1964, if 98 Queen B five, this possession might can exchange off the dark square bishops and
is very very comfortable here with that pos pawn.
So Knight takes the fall leaves the night stranded bishop if he wears the night going.
We have Queen H six just trying for cheap tactics are here basically that if bishop takes sure there's
queen takes a full check and other stuff happens but Adams just takes the bishop on E seven.
That's the slight snag here.
Where are the tactics now?
9/10 B four is played and now this game is kind of finished quite rapidly.
So OC Black might be frightening if Black had on the move.
Black might be frightening.
D to be annoying as the Knights covering RD two.
But Adams plays a really crunching tactic here, which kind of just ends the game immediately.
Can you spot it for 100 points?
Game ending tactic.
Check all the forcing moves.
Yeah, nine takes a five.
Well done.
If you found this end of game, if Queen takes H five, we just might.
If Rook takes her five.
The back row is weak.
Roxy, Check.
And Rook takes F eight is made.
Well, this was a vivid game example for actually getting rid of the bad bishop of the French defense,
recognizing it does have an upside.
The bad bishop of the French defense was adding solidity to these two guys D five and F five.
So we see that bad bishop here on E six.
And yeah, Adams casually gives up his line square bishop which was putting pressure on F five.
But these knights.
Yeah, the knight is restricted as well.
It's restricting a pace, making sure that black cannot use the positional recipe of improving the worst
space.
Try and improve this one.
It's difficult when c four is taken away.
So here.
Yeah.
It seems as though white strolling here to get rid of the bad bishop.
And then later D five and five as pressure points are remarkable.
So yes, taking out E six.
It's absolutely remarkable here how black's kind of pacified and one wrong move is just one more weakness,
which proves basically to be kind of fatal.
Allowing Queen B five black had to play very, very carefully not to introduce another weakness, another
target.
There's already enough targets here without B seven being a problem.
So this is a huge problem.
And this is just a losing position.
Now, after C one, it's basically a very, very bad position made even worse with 1964.
So, yes, a beautiful tactical finish, though.
Knight takes F five, not messing around here, forcing moves, finish it absolutely swiftly.
9/10 and five.
Wonderful stuff.
I hope you enjoyed this game as much as me.
So much.