Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Adams Wins

At 41 minutes past noon yesterday Loek van Wely pushed a knight to c5 and offered Michael Adams a draw. At 41 minutes and not many seconds past noon Adams accepted and thereby secured the half point he needed to finish clear first in the strongest chess tournament held in Britain in the last two decades (according to the Staunton website at least).

I'll be coming back to the Staunton on Thursday but for today since Adams-van Wely wasn't much of a final game ...





... take a look at a position Morgan acquired during a casual encounter played in the bar the day before.


Black to play



Black's managed to get just about everything en prise but was still able to find a very pleasing combination to win the game.

11 comments:

  1. Alekhinest

    Richard

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  2. It's not a mate but is the answer: 1... Ng3+ 2 hg Qxf1+ 3 Rxf1 Rxf1+ 4 Kh2 Rcc1 5 g4 Rh1+ 6 Kg3 Rxh4, leaving Black with a rook and White with a knight?

    Angus

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  3. How about 1..Ne3, 2 Re1 Rxc1 3Rxc1 Qf1+?

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  4. Well Angus has what Morgan actually played. I'm not sure about Chris' suggestion of ... Ne3. I'll have a look at it.

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  5. That should have been "Alekhinesque" of course!

    richard

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  6. 1... Ne3 fails to Nxf8

    Richard

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  7. Chris,

    your line certainly works so I started looking at alternative White responses to 1. ... Ne3.

    To be honest I was started to be convinced by it but then I put it on Fritz who pointed out that after 1. ... Ne3 Black wins in all lines bar one. Unfortunately White has one move that knocks Black out.

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  8. Qxf1! followed by Ng3!, Rxf1 and Rcc1 mates

    :-)

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  9. ...which is 2. Nxf8 (threat 3. Qxh7++)

    David

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  10. Wasn't the king on g8, the h7 pawn on h6? I reckon with Morgan playing, the black a-pawn would definitely have moved as well!

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  11. Qxf1! followed by Ng3!, Rxf1 and Rcc1 mates

    Not quite my anonymous friend ... White can play g3-g4 and the king escape. Your line does transpose into the winning line given by Angus earlier.

    *Tom*
    Wasn't the king on g8, the h7 pawn on h6

    Possibly - I scribbled the position down pretty quickly.

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