Arizonan tops large field for US junior title. Fast-paced final game shows a high standard
Robby Adamson, a 15-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., scored a perfect 8-0 to win the National Junior High Championship. The event, which was held recently in Spokane, Wash., attracted 430 participants. Adamson's eight points were largely responsible for leading his team (University High ninth grade) to victory in the team competition, where they scored 22 points out of a possible 32. This also marked the second national title for Adamson, who won the eighth-grade-and-under section in 1984. Young Robby, who was ranked second in the field, downed the first and third seeds, James Levine and Kyle Miller, en route to his victory. They finished tied for second with Craig Wilcox, a full point-and-a-half behind the victor.
Today's game, a crucial encounter between the first- and second-ranked players, decided the championship. Though there were inaccuracies, on balance it was a very commendable performance. What the reader must also bear in mind is that to play eight games in two days, a rather fast time control is an absolute necessity. Here the players were allowed only an hour each for the first 40 moves and 15 minutes for the next 15. Despite this pace, the game stands muster as being on a par with much that is produced in master chess today. And, of course, a real bonus was the excitement and the action, which must have delighted the spectators. Sicilian Defense Levine Adamson 1. P-K4 P-QB4 2. N-QB3 N-QB3 3. P-B4 (a) P-KN3 4. N-B3 B-N2 5. B-B4 (b) P-K3 (c) 6. O-O KN-K2 7. P-Q3 P-Q4 8. B-N3 O-O 9. Q-K1 N-Q5 10. NxN PxN 11. N-K2 PxP 12. PxP N-B3 13. B-B4 (d) Q-N3 14. K-R1 Q-B4 15. B-Q3 P-B4 (e) 16. P-QR3 P-N3 17. P-QN4 Q-Q3 18. P-K5 Q-Q4 19. B-N2 B-N2 20. Q-B2 KR-Q1 (f) 21. P-KR4 P-QR3 22. N-B1 P-R3 23. K-R2 K-B2 24. N-N3 P-KN4 25. P-N3 R-Q2 26. B-K2 PxRP 27. PxP R-KN1 28. N-Q2 (g) NxKP! 29. QR-K1 B-KB3 30. B-R5 ch K-B1 31. R-KN1 N-N5 ch 32. BxN PxB 33. N-K4 B-K2 34. R-K2 P-KR4 35. R-Q1? QxN! (h) 36. RxQ P-N6 ch 37. QxP RxQ 38. RxKP R-N5 39. BxP RxP ch 40. K-N3 R-N5 ch 41. K-R3 R-R5 ch 42. K-N3 R-N5 ch 43. K-R3 RxP 44. B-N7 ch K-K1 45. RxR KxR 46. RxP R-R5 ch 47. K-N3 R-N5 ch 48. K-R2 B-Q3 ch 49. K-R3 B-N7 mate
A. This variation of the Closed Sicilian strategy was much favored by Bent Larsen and Boris Spassky in recently bygone days. It is now fashionable in Great Britain, where it goes by the name of Grand Prix Attack.
B. Spassky used to play P-KN3 at this point. Other possibilities are 5. B-K2 or 5. B-N5.
C. Black rightly blunts the mobility of White's king bishop while preparing to play P-Q4.
D. White is redeploying his bishop with a view toward blocking the queen pawn, and he prepares the fianchetto of his queen bishop with the P-QN3, B-N2 maneuver.
E. This logical move safeguards the kingside while preventing a possible White thrust of 16. P-B5.
F. Hindsight shows this to be the wrong rook. Since Black intends to play on the kingside, it would have been more efficient to play the other rook to this square.
G. As time pressure begins to rear its ugly head, the position grows more complicated. Here White errs, enabling Black to win a pawn with his reply, since 29. PxN, BxP ch; 30. K-R3, Q-N7 ch; 31. QxQ, BxQ mates. Another possible variation that would favor Black was 28. B-KB3, Q-B5; 29. NxP, NxKP (29. . . . NxN, 30. BxB is good for White); 30. PxN, BxP ch; 31. K-R3, BxN; 32. QBxB, BxB.
H. A neat combination, one that nets Black a piece and secures the victory for him. All that remains now is for him to keep a cool head and successfully negotiate his way through the hectic time scramble that ensued. This he does admirably.
International Grandmaster Arthur Bisguier is a former US champion and has won or shared the US Open title five times.
