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Adams - Wojtkiewicz [B22]
Intel Grand Prix Qualifier NY, NY, 06.1995
[Rohde]
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 Black has a multiplicity of alternatives here. Aside from the "normal" 2 ... d5, 2... e6 and 2... Nf6, he can try 2 ... g6!? 3 d4 cxd4 4 cxd4 d5 and after 5 exd5 (better than 5 e5 Nc6 with the best elements of the French and the Caro) Nf6 we have transposed to a permutation of the Panov Attack against the Caro. Also popular is 2 ... d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Bd3 (4 dxc5, hoping for 4 ... Nxe4?? 5 Qa4+, is not very effective against 4 ... Nc6!) and now in Har-Zvi - Rohde, PCA NY Qualifier 1995 I tried 4 ... Nc6 (not good is 4 ... g6 5 dxc5! dc5 6 e5; better was 4 ... Nbd7) and after 5 Nf3 g6 6 d5! (more accurate than 6 O-O Bg7 7 d5 Na5!) Nb8 7 c4 White was a tempo up on a similar line from the King's Indian. 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nf3 Bg4 A critical decision is whether to play the active text or to look for isolated queen pawn positions after 5 ... e6 6 Bd3 cxd4, etc. White can try a different approach with 6 Na3 (toying with the idea of Na3-b5 in conjunction with an exchange of center pawns) but Kudrin has demonstrated that 6 ... Qd8! 7 Nc2 Qc7!, denying f4 to White's bishop, followed by adopting a hedhehog formation, is a good system. 6.Be2 e6 7.Na3 Nc6 8.h3 Bh5 9.Nb5 Impressed by this game, I tried the text against Atalik at the World Open Action, Philadelphia 1995, although after the simple reply 9 ... O-O-O, I could not figure out Adams' idea. The game continued 10 Be3 a6 11 Na3 cxd4 12 Nc4 (the same silly threat!) Bc5 13 cd Bb4+?! (13 ... Ba7 was possible, but I expected 13 ... Bxf3 14 dxc5 with equality) 14 Kf1 Ba5 15 Ne5; Black lost after 15 ... Bxe2+? (much better was 15 ... Nxe5) 16 Qxe2 Nxe5 17 dxe5 Ne8 18 Bb6! 9...Rc8 A key difference between this and Atalik's move is the lack of pressure on the d-file, which Adams takes neat advantage of. 10.c4 Qd8 11.g4 Bg6 12.g5! He wants to play d4-d5 after driving away the Black knight. 12...a6 13.d5!! It is a strange concept in chess that, if you attack an opponent's piece and he counterattacks a piece of yours, it is often effective to simply attack a third piece! Here the justification is that if 13 ... axb5 14 dxc6, White maintains multiple threats. Meanwhile, if 13 ... exd5 14 gxf6 axb5 then White has given himself the opportunity to play 15 cxd5 and b5 may hang. Had White simply played 13 gxf6 instead, then after 13 ... axb5 14 d5 would be pointless after 14 ... Nb4. 13...Nb4 14.Na3 Nd7 15.0-0 e5 Black is too ill-developed for an oepn king-file, and he wants to use the e-pawn to help rescue the wayward knight on b4 later. 16.Re1 Bd6 17.Nh4 0-0 It would be bad to look for activity with 17 ... f5 Nb1 or 17 ... f6 18 Bh5 Nf8 19 Nb1. 18.Nxg6 hxg6 19.Nb1 e4 White would have a dominating position on the cowardly 19 ... a5? 20 Nc3. 20.Nc3 Re8 21.Bg4! The right way to snare the e-pawn, without allowing Black the counterplay of 21 a3 Nd3. 21...Nd3 22.Rxe4 N3e5 23.f4 Nxg4 24.hxg4!! Still playing sharply, Adams realizes that he needs fresh targets, as his extra pawn is securely blockaded. The text presages an attack down the h-file. 24...b5! Wojtkiewicz has been putting up maximum resistance since the blow on move 13. Here he borrows a Benko Gambit-like concept to obtain activity for his pieces. 25.Rxe8+ Qxe8 26.cxb5 c4 27.bxa6 Nc5 28.Bd2 Qd7? This wait and see approach looks practical, but Black had the opportunity for 28 ... Ne4! as White's minor pieces are holding his position together. Then it's unclear after 29 Qe2 Nxd2 30 Qxd2 Qd7 or 29 Kg2 Nxc3 30 bxc3 Qe4+ 31 Qf3 Qc2. 29.Kg2 Nxa6 30.Qf3 Nc5 31.Rh1 Nd3 32.Qh3 Better was 32 Rh4, envisioning 33 Qh3 Kf8 34 Rh8+ Ke7 35 Qe3+. It seems Black would be forced to respond with 32 ... f6. 32...Kf8 33.f5 To cut off the annoying counterplay against g4, but giving Blck the very useful e5 square. However, 33 Kg3? would achieve nothing against 33 ... Qa7! The other possibility was to try to recycle with 33 Qf3. 33...Be5 34.Qf3 Ke7! He couldn't go back: 34 ... Kg8 35 Ne4! prepares the devastating Qf3-h3. 35.f6+ gxf6 36.gxf6+ Kd6 Not 36 ... Bxf6 37 Rf1. 37.b3! There is no mating attack, so Adams liquidates the strong c-pawn. 37...cxb3 38.Ne4+ Kc7 39.d6+?! Now was the right time for 39 Qxd3 Qxg4+ 40 Kf2 because 40 ... Qf5+ 41 Qf3 Qxf3+ 42 Kxf3 bxa2 loses to 43 Bc3; if instead 40 ... bxa2 White starts his own vicious attack with 41 Rc1+. 39...Kb8 40.axb3 Qb5 Wojtkiewicz has stabilized, although he is still 2 pawns down. 41.Rd1 Rc2 42.Kh3 Qd5 Suddenly Black has threats, but Adams is about to embark on a brutal king march. 43.Kh4!! 43...g5+ 44.Kh5 Nf4+!? Black is stymied after 44 ... Rc8 45 Kh6! 45.Bxf4 Bxf4 46.Qxf4! Lifting the mate motif. 46...Qxd1 47.Kxg5 Kb7 48.Kh6! Rc8 49.Kg7 With remarkable persistence, the king goes after the f-pawn. Now 49 ... Qxb3?? loses to 50 d7, and after 49 ... Qh1 50 Kxf7 the White king can wander away. 49...Qd5 The rest of the moves were played at breakneck pace in this Game/30 event. Suffice it to say that Adams picked off the f-pawn while pitching the b- and d-pawns, exchanged queens and won with the knight and two connectors against the rook. 1-0 |
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