CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

At 51, the evergreen Michael Adams is almost twice as old as triple Serb national Champ Aleksandar Indjic, but bogeymen come in all shapes and sizes … and ages! At the Chennai Olympiad last year, Mickey had dispatched Indjic systematically.

Indjic, Aleksandar (2620) – Adams, Michael (2696): 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 exd5 5 Bg5 c6 6 e3 h6 7 Bh4 Be7 8 Bd3 O-O 9 Bg3 Bd6 10 Nf3 Bxg3 11 hxg3 Nbd7 12 Rh4 Re8 13 Qc2 c5 14 Bf5 cxd4 15 Rxd4 Nf8 16 g4 g6 17 Bxc8 Rxc8 18 g5 hxg5 19 Nxg5 Re5 20 Nf3 Rh5 21 O-O-O Ne6 22 R4d2 b5 23 Qb3 a6 24 Kb1 Rc4 25 a3 Nc5 26 Qc2 Nfe4 27 Rd4 Nxc3+ 28 bxc3 Qa5 29 Rxc4 dxc4 30 g4 Rh3 31 Ng5 Rh2 32 Ne4 Nxe4 33 Qxe4 Qxc3 34 Qf4 Qb3+ 35 Kc1 Qc3+ 36 Kb1 Qb3+ 37 Kc1 Qxa3+ 38 Kb1 Qb3+ 39 Kc1 Qc3+ 40 Kb1 Rh3 41 g5 Qb3+ 42 Kc1 c3 0-1

Indjic’s hope for revenge when they met in the 2023 Bundesliga was resoundingly destroyed.

Indjic, Aleksandar – Adams, Michael: 1 c4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 g3 Nf6 4 Bg2 Bc5 5 O-O d6 6 e3 O-O 7 Nc3 a6 8 d4 Ba7 9 h3 Rb8 10 a4 Bf5 11 Nh4 Bd7 12 d5 Ne7 13 Kh2 Bc5 14

Rb1 a5 15 e4 c6 16 f4 (Natural, but although 16 Be3!? Bxe3 17 fxe3 acquires ugly doubled Pawns, the open f-file and guarding d4 against cavalry invasion compensates adequately) 16 ... Ng6 17 fxe5 Nxe5 18 b3 h6 19 Ne2 Re8 20 Bb2 cxd5 21 exd5 Nh5 (After 21 … Bg4!? White would ignore the Bishop and play 22 Nf3 since 22 hxg4? Nexg4+ 23 Kh3 Qd7 (or 23 Kh1 Nh5) loses) 22 Nxf3+ 23 Rxf3 Qg5 24 Qf1? (24 g4 Nf6 25 Bxf6 was better) 24 Re7 25 g4 (What now? 25 … Nf6? allows 26 Rxf6 Rxe2 27 Qxe2 gxf6 with approximate equality) 25 … Rbe8! 26 gxh5 (He is of course eyeing the soft g7 target but what else is there? 26 Re1? autopins horribly and 26 Ng1 26 Bxg4! 27 hxg4 Qxg4 looks bleak) 26 Rxe2 27 Rg3 (Indjic was banking on this, but now comes a nasty shock) 27 … R8e3!! (Offering his Queen for the larger reward of 28 Rxh3 mate) 28 Rxe3 Qxe3 29 Kh1 Rf2 and Indjic had seen enough 0-1.