Hi there.
In this lecture, we see Michael Adams against Richard Burton in 1988, the 12th Lloyd's back Masters.
So we have ey four, Richard Britton, C five, play, C five.
This is an and we go into a nine off variation.
So nine f6 90 3a6 The Sicilian Najdorf.
We have Bishop e3e6 Queen dd two.
Bishop e7f3 90 6g4 97.
So this is the English attack system, popular with English grandmasters.
So, yes, the the set up has the same as what you use against a Sicilian dragon in the main line.
So we have Queen C seven, King B one, D, E five, Bishop two, B five.
Now, this is a really interesting situation.
There's actually a phenomenal resource available, which we know now with modern engine technology.
In this position, Adams plays a move which seems actually to give a lot of passport potential.
So a lot of passport potential already.
We can see that in the possession.
Forget about attacking Kings for a moment.
There's a free to pull majority and it's kind of amplified with Adams's move.
Knight takes B five and David Bronstein has played similar such sacrifices to just try and get a lot
of pawns for a knight.
It turns out here, there's an incredible resource in 95.
You might wonder, what on earth is this about if castling just rule out castling?
Knight takes E seven check and Queen 66 is great for white.
So the critical test E tanks Knight RD five big tempo gain one pawn.
But it's really a vicious position here.
This knight is super dangerous.
If we look at, say, Bishop Fe rook hg1 and let's say black tries the castle on the queenside f4 we
can allow Knight C for just take and hear Queen C free.
So at the moment the trend is going up and up here.
We've got one pawn for the piece now.
Bishop Be6 Rook, two pawns for the piece.
And look at the first rank here.
Compared to Black's fold rank, compare third ranks.
White can do rook cliffs here.
So for example G six, rook D three bishop e seven rook be free Queen eight, Bishop a five.
And this position is just going downhill essentially because of this pressure on the black position.
This is actually going downhill.
For example, here, Queen f six, check another pawn and you can see Black's pacified.
It's a remarkable resource.
Nine and five.
But yeah, Adams play is an interesting move.
Anyway, he takes b5a takes nine, takes B five.
Now Queen A five is technically an inaccuracy.
Queen B eight seems more stubborn, but Black is faced with free pass pawns.
Over here it seems potentially black could get enough to hold it with G five to lock these pawns.
So say this position h five to try and cause trouble.
And here it's about even as example.
But yeah, it's easier to play for white with the pawns in general.
We have Queen.
A five queen takes a five, rook takes a five, Bishop B six.
This wins essentially an exchange and makes things worse for Black Rook takes B five.
If rook A for B free.
Where is this rook going?
So if it goes back to eight, nine, C seven, Shaq picking up the rook.
So the rook really has to give itself up.
Bishop takes B5, Bishop B seven, Bishop e2g5 Rook d2 f6.
Now to Richard Britton's credit, and I played Richard Bryn Actually I played some games.
I beat him once actually in one of the the London classics.
Very, very interesting player.
But to his credit, he does play extremely well here.
Each five would also be interesting for f five this position to technically be about equal.
But f six we have a four king d7b free.
So that keeps the light out of c49, G six.
We have Rook HD one.
King eight.
Bishop C four.
So probing here might have four.
Bishop B 595.
A number of F one.
H five.
So black's really doing quite well considering here.
G takes rook takes.
We have a five rook h free blacks trying to create their own past pawn potential with this, this pawn
and this pawn potentially.
We have a six bishop 8fd1 which threatens rook takes d six.
Yeah.
The king's safety is also an issue here D five is played very, very good move D five.
I mean it's logical looking as well.
If Knight takes a free this is a disaster for Black Rook takes D six.
How does black stop rook d eight if rook eight rook d seven.
And the thing is here, black's in big trouble because let's, let's say this ignoring the knight for
a moment, there's rook D eight check.
Make that.
So what does black do here?
95 Because the front here is rook c seven check.
And if King ba7 is checkmate if knight.
So if 95 here he takes let's just put this on the board.
A seven would be strong in this position
and here Brooks C seven Shaq rook B seven check and then mating so it's very difficult So D five very
good E tanks, E tanks.
C four.
So trying to blast through the D file.
But Black is getting now a past g pawn.
So this is a game about pass pawns.
Both both sides have passed pawn potential rook c two rook takes d five technically better for just
an even possession.
This possession 92 check is an important trick for rook to be free.
So this position and here it should be about even.
But rook c two we have d4c5 95 that D five squares is good to use.
King a15a7 Bishop F six and now rook D three is play, but actually black's doing rather well.
But please g for rook eight would actually be prophylaxis in effect against this pawn queening.
So for example here let's imagine g four rookie to like g five let's follow through rook f to 94 let's
imagine rook takes f five Check, check.
Taking out the bishop.
We reach scenarios like this that are better for black.
Yeah, it's difficult for one here, but g four is a mistake.
When bishop a six checking d7c6 check and now King E six is a mistake.
Technically, there's better things to do, but C seven is played.
Bishop a five was interesting here for a big advantage instead of C seven.
So why is that different if Bishop E five, C seven and then we're taking out a piece?
Yeah.
It's safeguards the position to play bishop a five hair.
And it's difficult to see what.
Black is doing for a moments.
White is also practicing Bishop B seven.
So the night is not hitting the bishop and it gives time for this bishop be seven for.
So that's like one of the key points.
So anyway, see seven immediately.
And also the bishop's hanging here, it's taken C eight, nine, six, eight.
Rook takes the eight and now rook H eight, B four king D seven, rook C five and now pass pawn is created.
The G pawn passport is created.
Bishop Check King E seven.
Bishop B seven.
Now here is an absolutely critical point in the game.
Black is wanting to get a queen and plays g free.
Big mistake.
Rook, age eight, is actually really quite good for black hair.
So as example, King Bee won just to get out of the firing line with Bishop 95 and play Rook free.
So it looks as though, hold on, this is big trouble, right?
Because isn't white queening the pawn?
The thing is this position black can get ready to take off White's pawn potential and two exchanges
down.
But this is a winning position for black.
So this position is absolutely it's a win for black because of the two connected pass pawns.
So for example here g three and winning.
So this is a great demonstration for black to win with the past pawns.
But G4 a huge mistake because after Bishop takes eight g Rook H one check King B to g two Adams just
can't just just takes on free and off to G one sorts out King safety issues just taking on H one and
here rook C eight and there's no key checks which help black hair.
Black's going to be the exchange down.
So Queen G to check is try King A free doesn't even matter if King B free is used.
So say this position queening taking on D free.
White's got a big advantage here.
But King a free is chosen queen F one and white lets that rook go queening Queen takes the free king
a four queen rd one check King B five Queen E to check King B six.
King of seven and now Rook F.
And the Queen of the Rook G centralizes nicely with Queen D five, Queen H five and Rook G one.
So that big central queen on D five is supporting Rook H one King h61, Bishop H four.
And now Queen takes DD four Vicious.
We have Bishop D eight check.
And has Adams messed up here with the rook?
Not really.
The point was Queen takes a and black has to resign.
If queen takes h one queen h h check and then queen takes h one.
So an intense game about past pawn potential.
It's fascinating.
You know, this is a very, very popular opening for British grandmasters against the Sicilian knight
off as if same set up against the Sicilian dragon.
So it's interesting the richness of the position here.
So off the B five, this is an incredibly for size excited engine move 95.
To be fair, it seems you have to be treating this as a positional knight sacrifice to just dominate
position and eventually see that the third rank is really good for attacking the opponent's king.
Yeah, that's kind of a sci fi move, like a five, but details B five is a theme which has been seen
in many human games before, particularly David Bronstein.
So this winning exchange, it was very, very dangerous situation.
Richard Brennan, to his credit, created some significant counterplay and on a better day, might have
beaten Adams if he had a bit more luck here.
But yeah, it's about being very, very careful about the opponent's resources and sometimes letting
the opponent queen before you.
Is important not to rush the queen like the opponent, sometimes queen before you.
But yeah, it's, it's a very, very intense struggle this game but shows that past pawn potential and
the fun of trying to unlock unlock the passport potential and combine it with King's safety issues.
It's very, very interesting conceptually of the game, so I hope you're inspired by it.
That's very much.