Life on Earth

Michael Adams – Vincent Keymer

53rd Biel International Chess Festival; Grandmaster Triathlon — Classical; Biel/Bienne, July 22, 2020

Sicilian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. a4 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 Be6 9. Qe2 Qc8 10. Bb3 Nbd7 11. Bg5 Bd8 12. a5 Bxb3 13. cxb3 Qc5 14. Be3 Qc6 15. Qc4 Rc8 16. Nd2 Ng4 17. Qe2 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 b6? Since Black won’t be able to obtain enough compensation for the weakening and subsequent fall of the a-Pawn, he’d have done better to consider something like 18. ... 0-0 19. 0-0 Nc5 with reasonable play. 19. axb6 Bxb6 20. Qe2 a5 21. 0-0 Nf6 22. Nc4 0-0 23. Nxa5 Bxa5 24. Rxa5 Rb8 25. Ra6 Rb6?! Perhaps Keymer wasn’t too enthusiastic about 25. ... Qc5 26. Rd1 Rfd8 27. Qd3 Kf8 28. Rxd6 Rxd6 29. Qxd6+ Qxd6 30. Rxd6 Rxb3 31. Rd2± which would have brought Black into a Rook and Knight ending a Pawn down — but, as they say, “Out of the frying pan into the fire”.

26. Rfa1. Also very strong is 26. b4! (26. ... Rxa6 27. b5+−). 26. ... Qb7 27. Rxb6 Qxb6 28. Ra6 Qb8 29. g3 h5 30. h4 Qb4. Other moves may be better (perhaps), but probably not enough to change the outcome of the game; for instance: 30. ... Rd8 31. Qc4 Qb7 32. Qa4 Rb8 33. Rxd6 Qxb3? 34. Rd8+! Kh7 35. Rxb8 Qxb8 36. b4 with a won ending. 31. Qc4 Rb8 32. Ra8 Qb7 33. Rxb8+ Qxb8 34. b4 Qa7 35. Kg2 g6 36. b5 Ng4 37. Qe2 Nf6 38. Qd3 Ng4 39. Qd2 Kg7 40. Nd5. Adams’ display of technique is elegant as usual. 40. ... Qc5 41. b6 Qc4 42. f3 Nf6 43. Nxf6 Kxf6 44. Qxd6+ Kg7 45. Qxe5+ Kh7 46. Qc3 Qb5 47. Qd4 Qe2+ 48. Qf2 Qd3 49. e5 Qb5 50. f4 Kg8 51. Kg1 Qb3 52. Kf1 Qd3+ 53. Kg2 Qb5 54. g4 hxg4 55. Kg3 Qb3+ 56. Kxg4 Qd1+ 57. Kg3 Qb3+ 58. Kh2 Qb4 59. Kg2 Kf8 60. Kf3 Ke8 61. Kg4 Kf8 62. h5 gxh5+ 63. Kxh5 Qb3 64. Kg5 Kg7 65. f5 Qb4 66. f6+ Kf8 67. Qg2 Qa4 68. b7 Qb5 69. Kh6 1 : 0. For if 69. ... Qxe5 then 70. Qg7+ Ke8 71. b8=Q+! and finis.

A superb positional game by Adams and a setback for Keymer. Photo: Simon Bohnenblust.