Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting | CHESS AT THE BAG OF CATS

When I was younger I was pretty much like everybody else, in that I focused my effort and admiration on the the attacking aspect of chess. Then, with time, I have come to appreciate a cool defence. The “Sparkassen Chess Meeting” that finished earlier this week was won by a really cool defender, Michael Adams. His 6:th round encounter with Arkady Naiditsch ended abruptly, but featured a very ambitious defence from Adams:

   [Event "41st GM Dortmund GER"]  [Site "Dortmund"]  [Date "2013.08.01"]  [Round "6"]  [White "Naiditsch, A."]  [Black "Adams, Mi"]  [Result "0-1"]  [ECO "D53"]  [WhiteElo "2710"]  [BlackElo "2740"]  [PlyCount "52"]  [EventDate "2013.??.??"]   1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 ({It is interesting to compare} 4. Nf3 Be7  5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. c5 Nh5 8. Bd3 Nxf4 9. exf4 b6 10. c6 Nb8 11. Ne5 Bd6  $1 12. Qa4 f6 $1 {with the lines - given below - where Black has played h7-h6.}  ) 4... Be7 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. e3 h6 $5 {This is a somewhat uncommon move.} (6... O-O  7. Rc1 c6 {is the main line.}) 7. Bh4 ({It is quite interesting for White to  play} 7. Bf4 {, in effect transposing to the Bf4-variation, a tempo down. This  loss of tempo has some interesting consequences:} O-O 8. c5 Nh5 (8... c6 9. h3 {  and again, h6 might turn out to be a bad move if White, for instance, chooses a  plan involving g2-g4.}) 9. Bd3 Nxf4 10. exf4 b6 11. c6 Nb8 {is nothing for  White when the h-pawn is still on h7. Here, however, play becomes quite  interesting.} 12. Ne5 f6 (12... Bd6 13. Qa4 a5 14. Bb5) 13. Ng6 Re8 14. Qa4 Qd6  15. Rc1 Nxc6 16. Bb5 Bd7 17. Ne2 Qb4+ 18. Qxb4 Bxb4+ 19. Kd1 Ne5 20. Bxd7 Nxd7  21. Rxc7 Nf8 {with approximate equality. This is just one line, but you can be  sure that there are many a line like this, where h6 makes a World's difference.})  7... O-O 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 a6 10. a4 c5 11. O-O cxd4 12. exd4 Nb6 13. Bd3 $5  ({This is less common than} 13. Bb3 {; a move that aims at controlling d5 for  a bit longer time. In Kempinski,R (2600)-Jakubowski,K (2502)/Warsaw POL 2011,  play continued:} Bd7 14. Ne5 Bc6 15. Re1 Nbd5 16. Rc1 Rc8 (16... Re8) 17. Bc2  Re8 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. Qd3 Nb4 ({Black should play} 19... g6 $1 {since} 20. Nxg6  Nb4 $1 21. Qg3 fxg6 22. Qxg6+ Bg7 23. Qh7+ Kf8 24. Be4 Qg5 25. Re3 Re7 {is a  dead end for White.}) 20. Qh7+ Kf8 21. Be4 Qxd4 22. Rcd1 Qxe5 23. Bxc6 Nxc6 24.  Rxe5 Bxe5 25. Rd7 Ne7 26. Qd3 {with some advantage for White.}) 13... Nbd5 14.  Ne5 Nb4 {If we compare the alternatives on move 13, we now come to the real  difference. Here White has to either part with the bishop pair (bad), or block  Ra1 from reaching c1. Still, Ra1-c1 is not the only possible way to activate the  rook...} 15. Bb1 Bd7 16. Ra3 $5 Bc6 ({Black can also consider} 16... Be8 17.  Bxf6 (17. Rb3 a5 18. Nb5 Nfd5) 17... Bxf6 18. Ne4 Be7 {which seems fine for  Black. Now} 19. Rg3 f5 $1 20. Nc3 Rf6 {even leaves the initiative with Black.})  17. Ne2 Nd7 18. Bxe7 ({The engine likes} 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Bg3 {which would  not have been such a bad idea if White already had played a4-a5. However here  it is too late:} a5 $1 {and the black forces are well coordinated.}) 18... Qxe7  19. Rg3 Rfd8 $1 {Now we come to the part of the game that made me decide to  comment on it. Michael Adams is a really cool defender. He does not waste  energy on unimportant moves and is not afraid of "ghosts" (moves that seem  dangerous, but that really aren't).} 20. Qc1 Kf8 $5 {This is an ambitious move,  a real challenge. From now on it is important for Black to correctly assess  the consequences of B-g6 on every move. The simple solution seems to be} (20...  Nxe5 21. dxe5 Kh8 {, but then} 22. Qf4 Rd7 $6 23. Qg4 $1 Qf8 24. Nf4 Rad8 25.  Nh5 g5 26. h4 {is really dangerous for Black. There might be a better defence  on move 22, but it still seems cooperative to take on e5, removing the  weakness on d4, right? Adams's move refuses to simplify matters and leaves White  with some difficult choices to make.}) 21. Bh7 $2 {Naiditsch must have seen a  ghost and loses the plot immediately.} ({The critical line starts with} 21. f4  $1 {and now Black has to tread carefully:} {After} Rac8 $1 (21... a5 $6 22. Bg6  f5 23. Bxf5 Nxe5 24. fxe5 exf5 25. Rxf5+ Ke8 26. e6 Be4 27. Rf7 Qxe6 28. Rfxg7  Nd5 29. Nc3 Rac8 30. Qd2 {and Black is walking on a tight rope.}) (21... Nd5 $6  {bringing a defender closer to the action} 22. Qc2 $1 {...but leaving White  with a route to h7...} (22. f5 $6 Nxe5 $1 23. dxe5 exf5 24. Rxf5 Bd7 25. Rf2  Rac8 $15) 22... N7f6 23. f5 $1 exf5 24. Qxf5 Bxa4 25. Nc3 Bc6 26. Ba2 {with  huge pressure.}) 22. Qd2 Nd5 23. Nc3 (23. Bg6 f5 24. Bxf5 Nxe5 25. fxe5 exf5  26. Rxf5+ Ke8 {is just good for Black.}) 23... Qb4 $1 {A wonderfully logical  move that takes aim at the main weakness in the White position; d4.} 24. Qf2 (  24. Ba2 f5) 24... f5 {and the position is highly unclear.}) 21... Nf6 22. Nf4 (  {White has nothing to gain from} 22. Bg6 Be8 $1) 22... Be8 $1 23. Rf3 $6 {  White has lost the momentum and is desperately looking for a way to contain  the damage. Not an easy thing to achieve when the forces are in complete  disarray.} ({After} 23. Bg6 Qd6 $1 {Black removes the queen from the  Ng6+-tricks and can look to the future with optimism. A possible continuation  is} 24. Bb1 Nc6 25. Nc4 Qxd4 {and White has nothing to show for the pawn.}) ({  White's best chance - according to the engine - is} 23. Qc4 Nxh7 24. Neg6+ fxg6  25. Nxe6+ Kg8 26. Nxd8+ Kh8 27. Ne6 Bf7 28. Qc5 Qxc5 29. Nxc5 {although Black  is much better here.}) 23... Nc6 24. Rd1 (24. Nxc6 Bxc6 25. d5 Rxd5 $5 26. Nxd5  Bxd5 {and Black wins.}) 24... Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Nxd4 26. Rd3 Nc6 {White is a pawn  down and has no way to save the bishop on h7. 0-1}

In this game Adams acted as the chess equivalent of a master of Aikido; using the opponents momentum against him.