WEBVTT 00:00.840 --> 00:01.610 Hi there. 00:01.620 --> 00:06.950 In this lecture, we see Michael Adams against Luke Machine in 1997, British Championship round three. 00:06.960 --> 00:10.650 We see Adams playing E4 after C five, C free. 00:10.650 --> 00:16.710 So the pin variation, which Adams actually has statistically a good percentage score with white lower 00:16.710 --> 00:18.810 game sample than with nine and three. 00:18.810 --> 00:22.150 But it seems to suit Adams positional style quite well. 00:22.170 --> 00:25.710 D six is already a kind of inaccuracy, believe it or not. 00:26.010 --> 00:29.940 Might have six here seems to be more precise. 00:29.940 --> 00:32.790 So e 595 D for D six. 00:32.790 --> 00:39.840 These positions are about equal and if you play the Smith gambit you'll know about that need to play 00:39.840 --> 00:43.020 often against the decline of the Smith Morris gambit. 00:43.020 --> 00:46.890 So we get similar positions as we would from a different move order. 00:47.340 --> 00:52.230 So okay, so here E four, C five, c3d6 though. 00:52.230 --> 00:58.320 And it allows white to get that classic pawn center duo, which is considered quite often a positional 00:58.320 --> 00:59.320 advantage. 00:59.370 --> 01:02.010 So Bishop de Fray, C tanks, C tanks. 01:02.010 --> 01:06.450 We have G 693, Bishop g7h3. 01:06.450 --> 01:09.630 So this rules out Bishop G four, which could be useful for that later. 01:10.230 --> 01:18.840 All 9g4 So e five we have D takes five here because the bishops on G seven are not a prisoner in a pawn 01:18.840 --> 01:19.320 chain. 01:19.320 --> 01:22.440 It makes more sense to play a move like D takes e five. 01:22.440 --> 01:23.880 We're not liberating the bishop. 01:23.880 --> 01:29.040 In fact, we're kind of blocking in the bishop on G seven. 01:29.040 --> 01:30.930 So D takes e five. 01:31.380 --> 01:33.210 That pawn is locking the bishop in. 01:33.210 --> 01:33.690 Potentially. 01:33.690 --> 01:37.050 We have 9693 black consuls. 01:37.050 --> 01:43.140 Bishop E three This bishop seems to be better than his counterpart with ideas of Bishop C five sometimes, 01:43.140 --> 01:49.680 or France to factor in 95 bishops C four, Knights F four and now the Queen's come off. 01:49.680 --> 01:54.450 So you might think, Oh, this is a bit dull, but black is on a back foot here. 01:54.470 --> 01:58.020 9g5 Bishop E thinks that's an example. 01:58.020 --> 02:01.710 If Rook have eight, then Bishop C five and black can resign. 02:02.640 --> 02:06.780 So 94, we're just taking out these chains and taking another pawn end of game. 02:06.780 --> 02:11.130 So Bishop e six offering the light squared, Bishop Knight takes six, Knight takes. 02:11.130 --> 02:16.410 So great outcome from the opening, but you might think hold on blacks got this great default square, 02:16.410 --> 02:17.070 right? 02:17.190 --> 02:22.950 That's true but it's not that great functionally it's good visually, but it's not brilliant functionally. 02:22.950 --> 02:28.290 What concrete things is it do Maybe 92, but that's shut down later as we'll see. 02:28.290 --> 02:34.440 Rook 51 Rook AC eight Bishop takes E six and F takes e six. 02:34.440 --> 02:39.650 The thing is, if Knight takes E six, then Bishop takes a seven, winning a pawn. 02:39.660 --> 02:42.510 So structural damage is inflicted by Adams. 02:42.510 --> 02:44.430 So he's treating it like a dynamic structure. 02:44.430 --> 02:45.960 Now reduce counterplay. 02:45.990 --> 02:50.820 Now King F one stops any 92 tricks in different variations. 02:50.820 --> 02:53.100 Rook RD 79e2. 02:53.100 --> 02:57.480 So trying to swap off Black's best piece for a less good pace. 02:57.480 --> 03:00.930 So this is positional play supported by the King. 03:00.930 --> 03:03.780 So that glamorous outpost is a target. 03:03.780 --> 03:14.040 We see Rook CD eight If rook takes C one, rook take one this position G Free Bishop f6 Rook free White 03:14.040 --> 03:19.500 does have a big advantage here overall, but it needs work. 03:19.500 --> 03:24.060 Rook D ain't Bishop G five Rook f8 rook d free. 03:24.060 --> 03:27.120 And this gives flexibility not just to pile up on D four. 03:27.120 --> 03:30.420 And that's a bit token, but it's sees the C file. 03:30.720 --> 03:35.580 This is a great way of seizing CFO authority H six Bishop e free. 03:35.580 --> 03:41.130 So this bishop remains a bit better than this guy and there are dark square targets here for endgames. 03:41.130 --> 03:45.510 Bear that in mind if you've got a dart square bishop and game transitions, look out for the dart square 03:45.510 --> 03:47.310 juicy targets. 03:47.310 --> 03:50.850 We have G five, another Dart square target potentially. 03:51.180 --> 04:00.270 We have rook DK free rook after one pair of rooks coming off King of 79c1 might five F free. 04:00.270 --> 04:09.390 We have B six King E 296 Rook C6 So this is a bit painful for black, but black's holding on rook B 04:09.390 --> 04:16.830 793 Now pressure is starting to be mounted on E five so we see some high level shuffling around. 04:16.830 --> 04:20.250 But why is not minding this end game now? 04:20.250 --> 04:26.250 This is a bit of a downside of a positional player playing like Capablanca that sometimes, especially 04:26.250 --> 04:30.120 with playing a grandmaster, sometimes it's difficult to grind, even if engines think is like clearly 04:30.120 --> 04:30.420 better. 04:30.420 --> 04:34.290 It might not be in that you can't improve the evaluation. 04:34.290 --> 04:38.220 This is a bit of a risk of positional play just getting an endgame like this. 04:38.340 --> 04:45.360 However, White's pieces are slightly superior to Black's Black has committed these Dart Square targets 04:45.360 --> 04:51.810 and E5 is one of the more exploitable ones, and we see Adams regrouping against E five here. 04:51.810 --> 04:53.340 So this is kind of instructive. 04:53.350 --> 04:56.850 Might be to Bishop DD six and now 9c4. 04:56.850 --> 04:59.550 So pressure is mounted on E five The King. 05:00.260 --> 05:03.890 Sea free so that the bishop can reroute to sea free. 05:03.890 --> 05:06.080 So this is targeting E five. 05:06.590 --> 05:10.160 And here we have an inaccuracy, a bad, bad inaccuracy. 05:10.160 --> 05:14.810 This was unnecessary, it seems Bishop F thinks. 05:14.810 --> 05:17.120 And how is Y actually making progress? 05:17.120 --> 05:22.460 For example, this position, it does seem as though black can be stubborn, and it's difficult to see 05:22.460 --> 05:24.470 how white will improve the position. 05:24.950 --> 05:30.050 It's a little bit difficult to see how this is going to work, even though engines seem to like white. 05:30.050 --> 05:31.280 But where's the plan? 05:31.280 --> 05:37.730 So Bishop de six, though, offers white tactics to further simplify and taking out the dark square, 05:37.730 --> 05:41.060 Bishop leaves a lot of juicy, dark square targets. 05:41.300 --> 05:43.100 So King text is played. 05:43.130 --> 05:45.860 If Knight takes we're just taking on E five. 05:45.890 --> 05:47.300 There's no backfire. 05:47.570 --> 05:51.290 So King takes Bishop B for checking. 05:51.290 --> 05:54.590 C six, King C four. 05:54.590 --> 05:59.170 And now, yeah, Black's getting into black's. 05:59.510 --> 06:01.820 It's a very difficult position here. 06:01.820 --> 06:04.910 And there is there are concrete plans for white. 06:04.940 --> 06:10.160 96 just goes into a lost king and pawn ending here, which is obviously great for Adams. 06:10.160 --> 06:17.210 If not hate, then the bishop could park actually on G seven targeting these guys. 06:17.360 --> 06:23.630 And let's say this position white can actually intensify things here. 06:23.630 --> 06:26.530 There is a way the king can come here. 06:26.550 --> 06:29.480 The bishop can stop this king attacking these guys. 06:29.480 --> 06:36.140 So this is an example plan and the king has light squares on the adjacent dark square pawns. 06:36.140 --> 06:39.920 Those light squares, white can walk on those light squares here. 06:40.100 --> 06:44.420 So this position gets absolutely critical and lost for black. 06:44.840 --> 06:48.950 So, yes, it is bad news already, but this is absolutely plainly lost. 06:48.950 --> 06:54.100 And I'm just takes on D six, king B five, King A six. 06:54.110 --> 07:00.320 This is an absolutely lost king and pawn ending Capablanca rule one pawn stopping to sealing up black's 07:00.320 --> 07:10.160 possibilities, creating zugzwang basically King B for King being a5b tanks King takes a five King seven 07:10.160 --> 07:11.870 king a six end of game. 07:11.870 --> 07:13.340 It's absolutely lost. 07:13.340 --> 07:15.290 So McShane resigns here. 07:15.290 --> 07:22.580 If King C six the thing is, King takes A seven, King B five, King B seven. 07:22.600 --> 07:27.170 White's much quicker here to get to Black's pawns, these double pawns. 07:28.190 --> 07:30.230 That's one of the beauty in the endgame. 07:30.230 --> 07:34.430 We see if the positional player gets an endgame where the opponent has double pawns. 07:34.430 --> 07:38.480 Who's looking after the double pawns when the pieces have left the house? 07:38.480 --> 07:42.950 No one's looking after these pawns whilst this pawn is looking after that one. 07:42.950 --> 07:44.780 And we see it in this final scenario. 07:44.780 --> 07:46.040 Fictional scenario? 07:46.070 --> 07:47.000 How? 07:47.000 --> 07:48.980 Yeah, it's great that it's free. 07:48.980 --> 07:56.090 It's like a winning advantage that every supports e that e six can be taken zugzwang. 07:56.330 --> 07:57.080 Ouch. 07:57.080 --> 08:03.530 So we see the total pain and nightmare of double pawns in an endgame here in a king and pawn end game. 08:03.830 --> 08:10.640 So that helps justify this whole static philosophy that forget the fun of dynamic structure, give the 08:10.640 --> 08:13.400 opponent double pawns at some point and the end games. 08:13.580 --> 08:20.420 You know, there are things going on with the Kings and endgames where hanging pawns or double pawns 08:20.420 --> 08:25.460 or back pawns, they can be targets to king aggressive kings and end games. 08:25.460 --> 08:28.250 If nothing else, once the pieces leave the scene. 08:29.360 --> 08:34.340 And it was also good positional play for exchanging off a worst piece for a bad piece, we say about 08:34.340 --> 08:37.280 improving our worst piece, but also for simplification. 08:37.280 --> 08:43.340 This is a good simplification policy where we're taking off a slightly worse night for a better night 08:44.330 --> 08:45.170 potentially. 08:45.230 --> 08:46.100 Potentially. 08:46.100 --> 08:48.140 And it's actually left that though, for a while. 08:48.410 --> 08:53.840 It's actually after a while the night moves anyway. 08:55.970 --> 09:03.350 So yeah, the counterplay has been managed here and it's going to be a potentially good blockade square, 09:03.350 --> 09:05.510 if nothing else, if it wasn't moved. 09:05.510 --> 09:11.540 You know, we have Bishop, let me just show you we have bishop takes are here as example. 09:13.240 --> 09:24.100 And and sometimes we'll we have if rock takes free and this could be a very good position coming up 09:24.100 --> 09:26.590 because we can use the free square. 09:26.860 --> 09:30.760 But also if there's a blockade, then 93 is going to be duty. 09:30.760 --> 09:35.770 So for whatever reason, the night moves anyway. 09:35.770 --> 09:38.050 So that night it's a bit of a target basically. 09:38.050 --> 09:43.360 And then why it's improving again and it's a bit of a target on D six funnily enough for, for exchanging 09:43.360 --> 09:44.860 off potentially. 09:45.490 --> 09:50.980 So yeah, it's just a very interesting positional game showing how simplification can simply win games 09:50.980 --> 09:56.230 like alla, capablanca capablanca, get small advantages, then simplify and just win. 09:56.230 --> 10:02.860 And they became known as a kind of machine because, you know, he put it meant less risk for him to 10:02.860 --> 10:06.790 lose any games and he was just, you know, winning most of the games through technique. 10:06.970 --> 10:12.310 And this seems to be a bit of a Capablanca style game that just through simplification, getting this 10:12.310 --> 10:15.400 winning king and pawn ending, it's wonderful stuff. 10:15.400 --> 10:17.980 It just takes out the risk of losing. 10:17.980 --> 10:18.190 Yeah. 10:18.190 --> 10:22.030 How The double pawns are not supported by anything. 10:22.030 --> 10:29.410 It's a major it kind of translates into major tempo, gaining that this E4 pawn in this fictional scenario 10:29.710 --> 10:35.290 because this is after game after the game finished, is absolutely a winning situation for Zugzwang 10:35.380 --> 10:40.330 and especially that G four that's creating a zugzwang as well that everything's being sealed up. 10:40.810 --> 10:42.550 Yeah, so great stuff. 10:42.550 --> 10:49.510 Very interesting positional game, Capablanca style from Capablanca style play. 10:49.870 --> 10:54.880 You know, Michael Adams is a Capablanca style player in my view, but it's in a modern setting. 10:54.880 --> 11:02.920 1997 so Capablanca didn't usually play such strong players as modern players because we stand on the 11:02.920 --> 11:06.550 head and shoulders of previous generations. 11:06.550 --> 11:09.850 Well, we stand on the shoulders of previous generations. 11:09.850 --> 11:16.390 So it's interesting to see how Grandmaster Luke McShane is ground down for a positional game here. 11:16.390 --> 11:18.100 Really fascinating stuff. 11:18.100 --> 11:19.720 So I hope you enjoyed this. 11:19.720 --> 11:23.590 And yeah, the C Free Sicilian is good for a positional repertoire. 11:23.590 --> 11:30.340 It seems to be good statistically for Adams, but yeah, he does like the kind of glory of attacking 11:30.340 --> 11:33.310 chess as well, attacking positional chess with 93. 11:33.310 --> 11:37.420 But he has positional systems within certain openings. 11:37.420 --> 11:45.490 So for example, he has been playing Bishop B five check sometimes or against nine, C six, Bishop 11:45.490 --> 11:45.850 B five. 11:45.850 --> 11:48.380 So there are positional choices within the nine. 11:48.840 --> 11:52.450 It's the follow up really which dictates how positional an opening is. 11:52.450 --> 11:56.320 It's the concrete variation you follow for the first like 10 to 15 moves. 11:56.320 --> 12:00.730 But anyway, the ALP on the second move indicates the more positional game. 12:00.730 --> 12:02.560 I think that's my major point here. 12:02.560 --> 12:07.360 So we get a very interesting positional game with not much going on and an end game brains. 12:07.360 --> 12:11.830 So I think this is actually a very instructive positional game in various ways. 12:11.830 --> 12:18.190 It shows actually the process of simplifying, getting rid of the opponent's bad pieces, looking forward 12:18.190 --> 12:20.050 to double pawns in an end game. 12:20.170 --> 12:21.070 Okay. 12:21.310 --> 12:22.120 And so much.