The Patience of the Spider

Michael Adams – Daniel W. Gormally
103rd British Chess Championship; Bournemouth, August 4, 2016
English Opening A20

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Bc5 4. Nc3 0-0 5. Nf3 d6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 Re8 8. 0-0 Nbd7 9. b3 a6 10. Bb2 Ne5 11. Qd2 Rb8 12. Nd5 c6 13. Nxf6+ Qxf6 14. Rac1 Qg6 15. b4 Ba7 16. Rfe1 Be6 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Bd4 Bxd4 19. Qxd4 Rbd8 20. Red1 h6 21. a4 Qc8 22. h3 Qc7 23. e3 Rd7 24. b5 Rc8 25. Qb2 Rdd8 26. Qd2 Qb6 27. bxc6 bxc6 28. Qd4 Qc7 29. Qc3 a5 30. c5 d5 31. e4 dxe4 32. Bxe4 Re8 33. Rd6 Rb8 34. Rcd1 Rb4 35. R1d4 Qb8 36. Kg2. Clearly not 36. Bxc6?? on account of 36. ... Nxc6 37. Rxc6 Rb3 38. Qd2 (38. Qxa5? Rxg3+!) 38. ... Rxg3+! turning tables. 36. ... Nc4 37. Rxc4 Rxe4 38. Rxe4 Rxe4 39. Qf3. Rather than hurrying to take the a-Pawn, Adams cleverly sets a pretty little trap for his opponent, in Lasker’s best style.

39. ... Rxa4?? This is an awful blunder by Gormally, losing on the spot. Here 39. ... Re5 40. Qxc6 (on 40. Rxc6 Qb7 41. Rb6 Qxf3+ 42. Kxf3 Rxc5 43. Rb5 Rc3+ Black should easily draw) 40. ... Qb4 still leaves the situation rather unclear, in spite of Black’s Pawn deficit. The refutation of the text is easy but pretty: 40. Qd3! 1 : 0.

Gentlemen’s agreement

Simon Kim Williams – Daniel W. Gormally
91st Hastings International Chess Congress; Hastings, January 4, 2016
King’s Indian Defence E90

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 c5 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. d5 0-0 6. e4 d6 7. Bf4 Re8 8. Be2 Qb6!? Playable, although probably not useful. Another try is 8. ... e6 9. dxe6 Bxe6 10. Bxd6 Nc6 11. 0-0 Nd4 12. e5 Nd7 13. Nxd4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 Nxe5 15. Bxe5 Qxd4 16. Bxd4 Bxd4 17. Rac1 Rad8 18. b3 Bxc3 19. Rxc3 Rd2 20. Bf3 Rxa2 21. Bxb7 Rb8 22. Bc6 Ra3 23. Ba4 Rb4 24. Rfc1 Bxc4 25. Rxc4 Rxc4 26. bxc4 ½ : ½ Ornstein – Bilek, 21st Chess Olympiad, Nice 1974. 9. Qd2 e6 10. 0-0 exd5 11. exd5 Bg4 12. h3 Bxf3 13. Bxf3 Nbd7 14. Rfe1 a6 15. Qc2 Ne5 16. Bxe5 Rxe5 17. Rxe5 dxe5 18. Qb3 Qc7 19. d6!? Qxd6 20. Rd1. If 20. Qxb7 then 20. ... Rb8 21. Rd1 Rxb7 22. Rxd6 Rxb2 23. Rxa6 h5 with roughly equal chances. 20. ... Qf8 21. Qxb7 Rb8 22. Qc7. After 22. Qxa6 Rxb2 Black is very close to equality. 22. ... Re8 23. Bc6 Rc8 24. Qd6 Nh5 25. Bb7 Qxd6 26. Rxd6 Rb8 27. Rb6 Nf4 28. Rb3 Nd3 29. Ne4 Rd8 30. Bd5 Nf4 31. Nxc5 Nxd5 32. Rd3 Bf8 33. Nb3 Rc8 34. cxd5 e4 35. Rd4 f5 36. d6 Kf7 37. Na5 Ke6 38. Nb7 Kd7 39. b4. Intending Nb7-c5+. 1 : 0.

“I’m such a gentleman that today I resigned in a drawn position!”, Gormally eventually said. Indeed, he was so scared about the threat – as Aron Nimzowitsch once said, “The threat is stronger than the execution” – to resign immediately, without analyzing deeper. It would seem, however, that 39. ... Rc1+! 40. Kh2 Bg7! 41. Rd2 Bc3! 42. Nc5+ Kd8 43. Rd5 Bxb4 44. Ne6+ Kd7 45. Nf8+ Kd8 46. Ne6+ forces White to take the perpetual check.