WEBVTT 00:01.020 --> 00:01.840 Hi there. 00:01.860 --> 00:05.730 In this lecture, we see Michael Adams playing against Zynga. 00:05.880 --> 00:10.100 So this is in 1990, the 14 Floyds Masters Open round two. 00:10.110 --> 00:11.700 So E four from Adams. 00:11.730 --> 00:13.770 E six, d4d5. 00:13.770 --> 00:17.830 So the French defense and Adams chooses 92. 00:17.850 --> 00:21.060 This is a very interesting opening choice for the positional player. 00:21.660 --> 00:26.940 Anatoly Karpov also likes 92 and they both have great results with 92. 00:27.150 --> 00:32.940 Adams is known as a real guru in this variation of the tariff variation. 00:33.480 --> 00:40.440 The thing is, with Knight C free, the winner can offer the aggressive, dynamic player compensation 00:40.440 --> 00:41.160 for double pawns. 00:41.160 --> 00:48.120 For example, this variation was a favorite of Bobby Fischer, but there are double pawns and one gets 00:48.120 --> 00:48.830 the bishop here. 00:48.840 --> 00:54.630 And Fischer's won a lot of games from this, but it seems the more pure kind of positional players like 00:54.630 --> 00:59.850 Karpov and Adams, they prefer the tariffs variation and not having structural issues, instead going 00:59.850 --> 01:03.780 for longer term pressure, longer term advantages. 01:03.780 --> 01:08.940 So 92 avoids any issues with double pawns, any bishop before the C free. 01:09.240 --> 01:13.350 So we see 96 and then this line white gets the space advantage. 01:13.830 --> 01:21.080 e59 40 7c3c54 96 and now this knight goes to free. 01:21.090 --> 01:28.710 This is the way of playing it to reinforce the key d4 square with both knights participating in reinforcing 01:28.710 --> 01:29.700 D four. 01:29.970 --> 01:36.880 So this might seem unusual for a parking space to be used up, but yeah, this is pretty solid for why 01:36.880 --> 01:39.030 in Bishop e seven the bishop gets out of the way. 01:39.030 --> 01:42.750 First C takes C tanks. 01:44.280 --> 01:54.570 Now F five is played and Adams actually is not at all tempted to get rid of this kind of form pawn in 01:54.570 --> 01:55.320 the center. 01:56.220 --> 01:57.420 This is aggressive. 01:57.420 --> 02:00.180 This is an aggressive space advantage the way it is. 02:00.180 --> 02:02.420 And this would release black's pieces. 02:02.430 --> 02:03.480 He takes f six. 02:03.480 --> 02:09.480 So 92 keeping the black pieces cramped and uncomfortable. 02:09.570 --> 02:17.730 We see knight b6h free and there's an undermining operation available in terms of G four we have a5g 02:17.730 --> 02:25.200 for Bishop D seven If F takes g four, H takes. 02:25.200 --> 02:27.390 This position is fine. 02:27.390 --> 02:29.070 One has a small edge here. 02:31.470 --> 02:35.850 So Bishop D seven we have nine C free black consuls. 02:35.850 --> 02:37.580 G takes up five E ten. 02:37.610 --> 02:38.550 So this is dangerous. 02:38.550 --> 02:52.050 Semi-Open G file here potentially h4c8 king f2a4 bishop e free like b4 and now not minding losing the 02:52.050 --> 02:52.380 bishop. 02:52.380 --> 02:59.970 This seems a very, very good option in the circumstance in fact, because if Bishop B one black has 02:59.970 --> 03:06.540 the dangerous A free undermining c free, what does white do here that loses a piece before he loses 03:06.540 --> 03:07.140 a piece? 03:07.140 --> 03:14.430 If B takes Sure, white can play like this, but black ends up being better after 9c4 and black has 03:14.430 --> 03:17.070 far too much activity and as well as gaining that pawn. 03:17.370 --> 03:21.270 So Queen RD two seems great in the circumstance. 03:21.600 --> 03:26.760 And one of the things is trying to restrict this B sex knight from the C four square. 03:27.390 --> 03:33.690 So we have knight Tasty Free Queen takes the free bishop e six and now be free. 03:33.690 --> 03:45.540 So restricting that B six knight Queen D seven knights E to eight tanks, 8x8h5. 03:45.540 --> 03:51.510 We have pair of rooks coming off rook eight rook G one keeping one rook on. 03:52.230 --> 03:55.980 Rook two We have Queen B one evicting the rook. 03:55.980 --> 04:03.960 The rook goes to a six Bishop RD two Here it seems 95 might be an option. 04:04.260 --> 04:12.240 And for example, one can consider giving up the knight to weaken F five, even though that's a kind 04:12.240 --> 04:14.460 of bad bishop in this line. 04:14.460 --> 04:18.660 Yeah, it's an interesting position overall. 04:18.660 --> 04:22.050 If Queen B five happens here, why, it's going to get a big advantage. 04:22.050 --> 04:24.690 And that's a similar pattern actually to the game. 04:25.530 --> 04:31.580 On Queen D for a rook instead of rook A if King of eight holding steady against Queen D five because 04:31.590 --> 04:32.610 there's things like Rook. 04:34.050 --> 04:35.550 B six potentially. 04:36.480 --> 04:40.200 So this position should be about even. 04:41.870 --> 04:43.850 The in-game Bishop D2 is played. 04:43.850 --> 04:47.030 We have night 89g5. 04:47.030 --> 04:50.480 So very similar idea now is cropping up. 04:50.480 --> 04:52.450 Adams actually takes on E six. 04:52.460 --> 04:56.450 Now you might find this totally counterintuitive. 04:56.750 --> 04:58.160 Isn't this a bad place? 04:58.160 --> 05:00.410 Aren't we supposed to improve our worst spaces? 05:00.410 --> 05:05.300 Aren't we supposed to exchange off our bad pieces for the opponent's good pieces? 05:05.300 --> 05:09.200 Why is Adams exchanging off a seemingly good night for a bad bishop? 05:09.830 --> 05:13.280 Well, there's bigger fish to fry The f five pawn. 05:13.730 --> 05:17.240 It adds solidity to the black position, this bishop. 05:17.240 --> 05:20.960 So it seems counterintuitive, but it does weaken F five. 05:21.950 --> 05:29.030 We have queen size e6h189g3. 05:29.030 --> 05:30.950 So scrutiny on F five. 05:30.950 --> 05:33.650 So black is coming to the fence. 05:33.680 --> 05:36.860 Black really does want to open up this rook on the h file. 05:37.100 --> 05:41.900 So we have Queen de fray and now an immediate mistake like a six. 05:41.900 --> 05:45.440 The knight was covering b five. 05:45.440 --> 05:50.450 And this is a weakness of the last move and it really is kind of dangerous for black. 05:50.450 --> 06:00.530 Now, if black had played Queen F seven, for example, this situation should be fine for black, but 06:00.530 --> 06:03.320 this actually invites Queen B five. 06:05.540 --> 06:09.680 What does Black actually do here? 06:09.680 --> 06:13.490 This is extremely annoying, to say the least. 06:15.690 --> 06:20.430 It seems a very passive position is emerging here, 06:23.460 --> 06:28.110 and there are very dangerous possibilities. 06:28.800 --> 06:34.650 If no idea is played, offering Be7 and Black's position just melts down after this. 06:34.650 --> 06:36.990 But if rugby aids, what would be the point? 06:37.620 --> 06:42.330 Well, Bishop F5 to start off with is interesting. 06:42.840 --> 06:47.190 So Black's tied down to B seven and it's not just F five, which is weak. 06:47.190 --> 06:54.710 You know that Bishop was kind of reinforcing both D five and F five. 06:54.720 --> 07:00.690 And the thing is, White can play here like F one and torture both pawns with 9e3. 07:00.930 --> 07:05.790 And black's really strained here to defend these weaknesses. 07:06.240 --> 07:10.500 So for example, Knight once going to take out B seven and just win material. 07:10.500 --> 07:16.470 But yeah, this is to the breaking point, this position of the F one to put pressure on these these 07:16.470 --> 07:22.470 targets, especially with pawn on H five ready to there's no support for these, these targets. 07:22.470 --> 07:26.790 So yeah, it's like an intensification of positional pressure here. 07:27.120 --> 07:30.570 What is black doing in this position given 93 is coming. 07:32.180 --> 07:35.760 The bishops covering 97, that it's really restricted. 07:35.780 --> 07:40.340 It's an absolutely beautiful position where whites built up pressure. 07:40.700 --> 07:46.970 In the absence of that bishop, it just makes things so much easier for White to target and pressurize 07:46.970 --> 07:49.340 and amplify the pressure on these weaknesses. 07:49.340 --> 07:52.250 So black ends up losing material here. 07:52.430 --> 07:54.980 So in the game, it's a total meltdown of the night. 07:55.190 --> 07:58.130 Eight Though White takes on B seven winning key squares. 07:58.130 --> 07:59.240 It's not just a pawn. 07:59.240 --> 08:00.080 There's a pass pawn. 08:00.080 --> 08:02.450 Here we have 9c6. 08:02.450 --> 08:05.810 And now an absolutely beautiful move here. 08:07.920 --> 08:12.690 See one plex in gigantic trouble and makes things even worse. 08:12.690 --> 08:21.690 With 1964, if 98 Queen B five, this possession might can exchange off the dark square bishops and 08:21.690 --> 08:24.270 is very very comfortable here with that pos pawn. 08:25.470 --> 08:30.480 So Knight takes the fall leaves the night stranded bishop if he wears the night going. 08:30.780 --> 08:37.500 We have Queen H six just trying for cheap tactics are here basically that if bishop takes sure there's 08:37.500 --> 08:44.250 queen takes a full check and other stuff happens but Adams just takes the bishop on E seven. 08:44.520 --> 08:46.260 That's the slight snag here. 08:46.620 --> 08:48.450 Where are the tactics now? 08:48.450 --> 08:54.720 9/10 B four is played and now this game is kind of finished quite rapidly. 08:55.170 --> 08:58.170 So OC Black might be frightening if Black had on the move. 08:58.170 --> 08:59.190 Black might be frightening. 08:59.200 --> 09:01.770 D to be annoying as the Knights covering RD two. 09:01.770 --> 09:07.680 But Adams plays a really crunching tactic here, which kind of just ends the game immediately. 09:07.830 --> 09:09.810 Can you spot it for 100 points? 09:12.680 --> 09:14.090 Game ending tactic. 09:14.540 --> 09:16.160 Check all the forcing moves. 09:16.820 --> 09:18.560 Yeah, nine takes a five. 09:18.590 --> 09:19.010 Well done. 09:19.010 --> 09:23.540 If you found this end of game, if Queen takes H five, we just might. 09:23.930 --> 09:25.610 If Rook takes her five. 09:26.030 --> 09:27.140 The back row is weak. 09:27.140 --> 09:28.230 Roxy, Check. 09:28.460 --> 09:30.890 And Rook takes F eight is made. 09:31.610 --> 09:39.890 Well, this was a vivid game example for actually getting rid of the bad bishop of the French defense, 09:39.890 --> 09:42.710 recognizing it does have an upside. 09:42.740 --> 09:50.280 The bad bishop of the French defense was adding solidity to these two guys D five and F five. 09:50.300 --> 09:53.720 So we see that bad bishop here on E six. 09:54.020 --> 09:59.570 And yeah, Adams casually gives up his line square bishop which was putting pressure on F five. 10:00.080 --> 10:02.150 But these knights. 10:02.150 --> 10:04.010 Yeah, the knight is restricted as well. 10:04.010 --> 10:09.830 It's restricting a pace, making sure that black cannot use the positional recipe of improving the worst 10:09.830 --> 10:10.460 space. 10:10.500 --> 10:12.110 Try and improve this one. 10:12.500 --> 10:15.860 It's difficult when c four is taken away. 10:15.980 --> 10:16.910 So here. 10:16.910 --> 10:17.420 Yeah. 10:17.420 --> 10:22.880 It seems as though white strolling here to get rid of the bad bishop. 10:23.000 --> 10:28.980 And then later D five and five as pressure points are remarkable. 10:29.000 --> 10:31.060 So yes, taking out E six. 10:31.070 --> 10:38.270 It's absolutely remarkable here how black's kind of pacified and one wrong move is just one more weakness, 10:38.270 --> 10:43.010 which proves basically to be kind of fatal. 10:43.250 --> 10:50.390 Allowing Queen B five black had to play very, very carefully not to introduce another weakness, another 10:50.390 --> 10:50.870 target. 10:50.870 --> 10:55.040 There's already enough targets here without B seven being a problem. 10:55.040 --> 10:56.870 So this is a huge problem. 10:56.960 --> 10:58.760 And this is just a losing position. 10:58.760 --> 11:05.990 Now, after C one, it's basically a very, very bad position made even worse with 1964. 11:06.800 --> 11:09.620 So, yes, a beautiful tactical finish, though. 11:09.640 --> 11:15.620 Knight takes F five, not messing around here, forcing moves, finish it absolutely swiftly. 11:15.620 --> 11:16.970 9/10 and five. 11:17.540 --> 11:18.500 Wonderful stuff. 11:18.500 --> 11:20.300 I hope you enjoyed this game as much as me. 11:21.300 --> 11:21.920 So much.