Jumping Spider

Michael Adams – Viktor Láznička
6th Chess World Cup; match game 2; Baku, September 15, 2015
Sicilian Defence B46

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. 0-0 Nf6 9. Qf3 Be7 10. Qg3 0-0 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Bf4 Bh4 13. Qf3 Be7 14. Na4! A theoretical novelty, much more to the point than the convoluted 14. Rad1 Nf6 15. h3 Nd7 16. Qg3 Bh4 17. Qh2 Ra7 which occurred in the game Nepomniachtchi – Grachev, 67th Russian Chess Championship, Kazan 2014. The text instead is “A standard ploy to facilitate the move c2–c3 or c2-c4 and giving the Bishop on d3 a retreat while containing Black’s central preponderance”, International Master Malcom Bernard Pein wrote. 14. ... Nf6 15. b3 Qa5 16. e5 Nd7 17. Qg3 Re8. “Now if 18. Bh6 Bf8, but with a Pawn on h5, this can be met by Bh6xg7 ... Bf8xg7 h5-h6 winning”, writes Pein. 18. h4! c5 19. c4 d4. “Allowing c4xd5 is also problematic. 19. ... Bb7 20. h5 Kh8 21. cxd5 exd5 (21. ... Bxd5 22. Rad1) 22. h6 g6 23. e6! fxe6 24. Bc7! Qb4 25. Nb6! Nxb6 26. Qe5+ Kg8 27. Qg7 mate”, Pein said. 20. h5 Qc7 21. Rae1 Bf8 22. Bg5. Most chess engines evaluated the position to be slightly in favour of White, but is fairly easy to foresee from a human perspective that Black will soon be mated. 22. ... g6. Both 22. ... Bb7 and 22. ... Ra7 are also met by 23. f4 with consequences similar to those in the game. 23. f4 Bg7 24. Qh4 Bb7

25. Kf2! As usual Michael makes the game look easy. With the text move White takes possession of the open h-file, preparing for the final assault. 25. ... Rf8. This leads to disaster, but also 25. ... Qc6 26. Be4 is very unpleasant for Black. 26. Rh1 f5 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Qh7+ Kf7 29. Rh6! 1 : 0. A fine attacking game by Spider-Man.

Artwork: Ry-Spirit