Michael Adams described his victory at last month’s London Chess Classic as ‘probably my best ever result’. Rated fourth in the world in his prime, Adams has won countless tournaments, but was delighted that, at the age of 52, he could still triumph against a much younger field. The top seed was the Indian teenager Gukesh, who reached the world top ten earlier this year.
Adams scored two early wins in his trademark positional style against Amin Tabatabaei from Iran and Mateusz Bartel from Poland. But he got a lucky break in the sixth round, where the French grandmaster Jules Moussard’s exemplary play unravelled after a moment of carelessness. White’s bishop outshines its counterpart on f6, and Moussard decided it was time to strike.
Jules Moussard-Michael Adams
London Chess Classic, December 2023
(See left diagram)
31 Bxf7+! Rxf7 Ruefully, Moussard told me the next day that 32 f4 was his original intention here. That move wins, and for a player of his calibre, the following calculation is straightforward: 32…Qg4 33 Rb8+ Rf8 34 Qd5+ Kh7 35 Rxf8 and White easily escapes the checks, e.g. 35…Qe2+ 36 Kh3 Qg4+ 37 Kh2 Qe2+ 38 Qg2. But then he spotted 32 Qe6?? Moussard played it on impulse, since it appears to win far more simply, e.g. 32…Qg6 33 Qe8+ Rf8 34 Qxg6. Be7! Now 33 Rb8+ Bf8 leads nowhere, and the extra bishop promises an easy win. White resigns
Such a ‘full point swing’ where a single careless move turns a win into a loss, is perhaps the ultimate agony for a chess player.
Hans Moke Niemann-Mateusz Bartel
London Chess Classic 2023, December 2023
(See right diagram)
In this turbulent game, Bartel has relentlessly annihilated White’s kingside. His original queen was sacrificed, and the one on g1 is a promoted piece! Niemann’s king has run from h1 to d1, and Bartel has just chopped off a bishop on c2.
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