The Spider King

Gawain Christopher B. Jones – Michael Adams
103rd British Chess Championship; Bournemouth, August 3, 2016
English Opening A14

1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. 0-0 0-0 6. b3 c5 7. e3 Nc6 8. Bb2 d4 9. exd4 cxd4 10. Re1 Re8 11. d3 Bc5 12. Ne5 Nxe5 13. Rxe5 Bd6 14. Re1 e5 15. Qc2. Jones is playing by ear and with no originality. Here 15. Ba3 appears to be sounder, e.g. 15. ... Bg4 16. Qd2 Rb8 17. Bxd6 Qxd6 18. Qc2 Nd7 19. Nd2 f5 20. a3 ½ : ½ Székely – Makropoulos, Plovdiv 1981. 15. ... Qc7 16. Nd2 Bf5 17. Re2 Re7 18. Rae1 Rae8 19. a3 a5! Siegbert Tarrasch would greatly appreciate Black’s dynamic crescendo. 20. Qb1. “One badly placed piece – the whole game is bad”, as Tarrasch put it. 20. ... Bc5 21. h3 h6 22. Nf3 Bh7 23. Qd1. East or west, home is best. 23. ... Qd6 24. Bc1

24. ... e4! To say it with David Ionovich Bronstein, the Spider finally crosses the middle line – the “chess equator” – and launches his grand attack. 25. dxe4. 25. Nd2 e3 is no better. 25. ... Nxe4 26. Bf4 Qd8 27. Nd2. 27. Bd2 prevents ... Ne4-c3, but after 27. ... d3 does not save the Exchange anyway. 27. ... Nc3 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Rxe7. A desperate Queen sacrifice. If, however, 29. Qa1 then 29. ... Ne2+ and White must give up the Exchange for less than nothing, in order to avoid worse injuries. 29. ... Nxd1 30. Rxb7 Bd6 31. Bxd6 Qxd6 32. c5 Qe5 33. c6 Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Bf5 35. Ne4. Jones does not still have the courage to resign. 35. ... Bxe4 36. Rb8+. Or 36. Re7 Qxf2! 37. Rxe4 Ne3 winning immediately. 36. ... Kh7 37. Bxe4+ Qxe4 38. c7 Nxf2 39. Kg1 Nxh3+ 40. Kh2 Qc2+ 0 : 1. A lectio magistralis by Michael Adams.

Michael Adams. Photo: Brendan O’Gorman.