1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 (When in Spain...)
3...a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 (The Anti-Marshall - Chucky doesn't want a theoretical duel with Adams with the main-line Marshall.)
8...Bb7 9.d3 Re8 10.Na3!? (Not a novelty - but very rare. There are many moves been played here, such as 10 Nc3, 10 Nbd2, 10 c3, 10 axb5, 10 Bd2 and 10 Bg5 - however, only two games with 10 Na3. It must have come as something of a shock to Adams, who reacts with the most direct move.)
10...Bxa3 [ 10...Bc5 11.Bg5 Nd4 ( 11...Na5 12.Ba2 b4 13.Nc4 Nc6 14.c3 h6 15.Bh4 g5 16.Bg3 bxc3 17.bxc3 d6 18.Na3 Ne7 19.Qb3 d5 20.Qxb7 Rb8 21.Qxa6 Rb6 22.Qa5 Nd7 23.exd5 1-0 Hechtlinger,J-Olson,D/Philadelphia 1995/EXT 2000.) 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.c3 Bb6 14.Qf3 Bc6 15.Nc2 bxa4 16.Bxa4 Bxa4 17.Rxa4 Re6 18.d4 h6 19.Bh4 Qe8 20.d5 Rd6 21.Na3 Nh7 22.Nc4 Rg6 23.d6 Ng5 24.Qd3 Ne6 25.Qd1 Nf4 26.Bg3 Qe6 27.Bxf4 exf4 28.Qf3 Re8 29.b3 a5 30.Rd1 Bc5 31.dxc7 Qc6 32.Rxa5 Qxc7 33.e5 Ree6 34.Qd5 d6 35.b4 f3 36.g3 Ba7 37.exd6 Bxf2+ 38.Kxf2 Qd7 39.Qf5 Qc6 40.Rc5 Re2+ 41.Kf1 Qa4 42.Rcd5 Qa2 43.Nd2 Qa7 44.Qxf3 Rf6 45.Kxe2 Rxf3 46.Nxf3 1-0 Kupreichik,V-Dueball,J/Germany 1993/GER-chT2.]
11.bxa3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Bb2? [ 13.Ng5! gives white a small advantage and would have avoided all the coming complications - thank goodness Chucky didn't play it!]
13...Nf4! 14.Bc1 (A sure sign that his previous move was bad.)
14...Nxg2! 15.Ng5 [ 15.Kxg2? Nd4 was an easy win.]
15...Nxe1 16.Qh5 Qd7! [ At least Adams is willing to make a fight of it. He could have bailed out immediately with 16...h6 17.Nxf7 Qf6 18.Ng5+ ( 18.Nxh6+! Kf8 19.Nf5 Re6! 20.Bxe6 Qxe6 21.Bh6 gxh6 22.Rxe1 Qg8+ 23.Kf1 Qg5 and white has lost a lot of wood.)) 18...Kh8 19.Nf7+ Kh7 20.Ng5+= ]
17.Bxf7+ Kf8 18.Be3 [ We were all hoping in the press room for the rather adventurous - and serious - king-hunt option of 18.Nxh7+!? Ke7 19.Bg5+ Kd6 20.Rxe1 Nd4 21.Re3 Nxc2 22.Nf8! Qf5 ( 22...Rxf8? 23.Qg6+ Kc5 24.d4+ exd4 25.Re5+ Bd5 26.Be7+! ; 22...Qc6 23.Qg6+ Kc5 24.Nd7+! Qxd7 25.d4+ exd4 ( 25...Nxd4? 26.Rc3# ; 25...Qxd4? 26.Qxc2+ Kb6 27.Rd3! ; 25...Kxd4? 26.Rd3+ Kc5 27.Rc3+ Kd4 28.Qd3# ) 26.Qxc2+ Kb6 27.a5+ Kxa5 ( 27...Ka7? 28.Qc5+ Kb8 29.Rxe8+! ) 28.Bxe8 Qd5 29.Qxc7+ Ka4 30.Qc2+ Ka5 31.Qc7+ Ka4 32.Qc2+= ) 23.Be7+ Rxe7 24.Qxf5 Rxf8 25.Qg6+ Kd7 26.Be6+! Rxe6 27.Qxg7+ Ke8 28.Rxe5! Rxe5 29.Qxe5+ Kd8 30.Qc5 ( 30.axb5? Rg8+! 31.Kf1 Bg2+ 32.Ke2 Re8 wins.) 30...Re8! 31.f4 ( 31.h4 Ne1! 32.f4 Re2 33.Kf1 ( 33.h5 Bg2! 34.Kh2 Be4+ 35.Kh3 Nxd3 36.Qf8+ Kd7 37.Qf7+ Kc6 38.axb5+ axb5 and the black pieces are much better - the white king is in extreme danger.) 33...Bf3 ) 31...Re2 32.axb5 axb5 33.Qg5+ Kd7 ( 33...Kc8? 34.Qg4+! ) 34.Qxb5+ Bc6 35.Qf5+ Kd6 36.Qg6+ Re6 37.Qg7 Re2= ]
18...Nd4 19.Rxe1 [ White can also punt (or should that be a euro these days?) the idea of 19.Nxh7+!? Ke7 20.Rxe1 Nf3+ 21.Kf1 Nxh2+! ( 21...Kd6? 22.Ng5 Qg4 23.Qxg4 Nxh2+ 24.Ke2 Nxg4 25.Bxe8 Rxe8 26.Rb1 and it's white with the advantage.) 22.Qxh2 Kxf7 23.Ng5+ Kf6 ( 23...Kg6 24.Qg3 ; 23...Ke7 24.Bf4! Kd8 25.Rxe5 Rxe5 26.Bxe5 Kc8 27.Qh8+ Qd8 28.Qxg7 Bd5 29.Ne4 with an unclear position - I don't think white is any worse.) 24.Nh7+ Kg6 25.Ke2! with another unclear position - despite the extra material, black may not be able to find a safe haven for his king.]
19...Nf3+ 20.Kf1 Nxg5 21.Bc5+ Re7 22.Rxe5! (Unbelievable - just how much wood is Chucky going to chuck?)
22...Nxf7 23.Rxe7 Qxe7 24.Bxe7+ Kxe7 25.Qc5+ Kd7 26.Qd4+ Ke7 27.Qxg7 (The dust has cleared somewhat with black having a material advantage. However, his pieces (and king) are not in ideal squares to work together - the defence is going to be very tough.)
27...bxa4 28.Qc3 Kd7 [ 28...Rc8 29.Qb4+ Nd6 30.Qxa4 and h7 or c7 will fall next.]
29.Qd4+ Nd6 30.Qxa4+ Ke6 31.Qg4+ Nf5 32.Qc4+ Bd5? [ Perhaps black should try and dig in with 32...Kd7 33.Qc5 Nd6 34.Qh5 Rf8 35.Qxh7+ Rf7 36.Qh3+ Rf5 37.f4 Bd5 38.Qg4 Be6 39.c4 Ne8 with the idea of trying to build a fortress with Nf6 - I'm not saying it saves the day, but it looks a better try. However, after all the complications that went on before, Mickey had less than a couple of minutes to work out a plan.]
33.Qxc7 h5 34.c4 Bh1 [ Another seriously misplaced piece - but black had no option: 34...Bf3 35.Qf4! Bb7 36.d4 Rf8 37.Qe5+ Kd7 38.d5 and c5-c6 is unstoppable.]
35.f4 Rf8 36.Qb6+ Kf7 37.Qa7+ Ne7 38.Qxa6 Rb8 39.d4 (Black can't stop the pawns - the only way to do so requires serious material loss.)
39...Rb1+ 40.Ke2 Rb2+ 41.Kd3 Rb3+ 42.Kd2 Rh3 43.d5 Rxh2+ 44.Kd3 Nxd5 45.cxd5 Bxd5 46.f5 Ra2 47.Qa7+ Kf6 48.Qd4+ Kg5 49.Qxd5 Rxa3+ 50.Ke4 A fantastic game. And like most fantastic games, it takes two players to produce one - Well done Chucky and Mickey! 1-0