 Grandmaster Mickey Adams scores a critical win against Mikhail Antipov going into around 10 Mickey has six and a half points He joins us in our studio Mickey a very interesting win today a good result but a very up-and-down game. Yeah, I was just incredibly lucky really I didn't know this night G4 at all and Well, okay, it's not such a strong move But I sort of played this rookie to and it just got more and more awkward I somehow I was never some good moment to play h3. I thought he's gonna play h5 and Then he came up with this very strong move Queen h5 was a very good move actually after Bishop c2 I didn't think things were so bad and then Queen h5 and he's trying to take on d4 and take on h2 and H3 Knight f6 he's throwing Bishop h3 Bishop g2. It's it's really okay Bishop e3. I was already desperate and probably not a very good idea It looks like things have already gone wrong well Bishop e3 I thought okay here would take it, but of course he didn't take immediately and played g5 and then I Was thinking the game is not gonna last very long But somehow the only thing that the only hope that I sort of had was somehow around here That's when he was going f5. I mean I can see I was gonna lose a piece But I thought if I can kind of get this wall of pawns at least then my king is safe I don't know if e4 was the best move. Maybe it was maybe there were other possibilities But after this kind of rook f2 d5 Knight d2 then I thought okay at least At least I straightened out my structure and the bishop on a7 is not playing For a very long time. Yeah, let's just show you know here's that there is this kind of weak pawn on h7 So right so you lose a piece by force because Bishop e4 runs into d5. You don't want that I mean, it's it's difficult because as I have to be a bit careful He doesn't go with d6 to h6 and just made me that was the other he can drive d6 then I go knight e4 But I still get quite a lot of pawns and it's not mate immediately So I mean, okay, I'm black. We're still doing very well, but okay I don't think it was so straightforward to win and then somehow I tricked him around the time control with this With this f4 idea because you're gonna ask you to come a little forward Yes, thank you. Yeah, because I mean, I think the problem is Rook takes h4 Rook takes g4 I know this Rook takes h5 and If he takes I can take on g4. He has to play rook f5 and I think I can play rook h6 and the bishop on b6 is hanging and he's still pinned So yeah, I mean it's just a kind of tactical thing. So I mean he then he went for this Then he went for this knight takes h4, but then I'm getting these two pass pawns I mean, it's clear he could have defended better. I think Rook h6 was a mistake for sure But okay, I mean it's I mean this of course black should be doing well here But it's not so easy because it's easy for me to play king f2 queen d3 Rook h1 and I'm pushing pressing the h-pawn and he has to He's in his awkward pin and he has to try and decide how to untangle I mean make if you made it's amazing to hear that because here you are you're down a piece your king looks relatively Not very safe. You know, you've got these pawns, but they look weak and then you just start your king march to the But my king is not so so weak because okay, I have like seven pawns to protect it now I mean I have a lot of pawns. So it's you know an f2. I mean there I came to d1 It's not you know in d1. It's quite safe. The knight on d2 is protecting Almost all the checking squares around king on d1 queen on d3. So it's not I think my king is quite safe But of course, it's practical chances. I mean, yeah, normally normally I would be very You know very happy to save a draw and you know, sometimes I would lose I mean to win the game is totally unexpected also in in the kind of tournament situation that you're in you Have to take a little bit. Well, I think both of you have to both of us probably wanted to win So yeah, obviously that was that was maybe a factor, but I think by the time control We just got very random. Yes lots of things lots of things happen. I had a bit more time. So maybe that helped right and Really at this moment you said that you know, even though you knew you're probably slightly worse Your evaluation was that practically you still have chances here. Well, okay I mean, I just knew that I had a kind of clear plan and that's I know what I was doing I can make quick moves and that's always important in a practical in a practical game It's a different You know, the theoretical assessment is not so important when you're playing right and where do you think he made the final mistake? Because suddenly just like well, I wasn't sure I thought rook h7 instead of rook h6 because Well, I don't know that was that was his 40th move. I don't know. It seemed more logical to me Just because okay. Well, he's at least attacking the pawn on g7 Just to play rook h6 where he doesn't even attack the pawn which seemed a bit Strange. I mean, I wasn't sure. I thought maybe queen f3 was good queen f3 to f8 looked quite Because rook g7 queen f8 changed the rook and you know, it's not so easy for him to dislodge I mean, maybe it's just maybe it's just very good in this G7. Yes. I wasn't really sure what was happening. I knew I was doing Yeah, I mean, I knew I was doing really well So that one got G3 to g7 night g8. Well, I don't know. I mean night g8 Well, I guess he could try king d7. I mean, I don't know I was thinking maybe knight f3 to come knight e5 check looked quite Yeah, I mean he could play rook h5 knight e5 take take but I think that's probably lost for him I don't know. It looks Bishop c7 knight g5. It looks pretty bad But it doesn't it doesn't really look like somehow I had the feeling what was probably winning and obviously I don't have to play knight f3 immediately. I couldn't look for some other move. So queen f3 Maybe my possibility and at what moment did you realize that you actually had winning chances in the game? Well, okay. No, no once I once I got the three pawns and these two past pawns There's also practically now, I mean, he's obviously very unhappy that he messed up and Psychologically and also he didn't have much time for his he was down to three seconds on a couple of moves So it's not such an easy position to to hold when the with the with the pawns coming down and some checks Yes, there's lots of tactic tactical ideas. So it's not an easy position to defend short of time I have to say that this game is Very fascinating, but also not a very usual Mickey Adams win Yeah, I don't know. I mean I had a lot of games. I was just better Doing very well and I just didn't win I think three or three or four games I was just you know grinding some endings and very nice positions and just not not winning and making a mess of them So I mean this game maybe this is I didn't really deserve to win But you know, maybe maybe I got some of the points I dropped there back in this game Going into the last round feelings approach about approach for tomorrow. Are you thinking about it? I probably have blacks or I mean, I just have to play not so easy to have but I don't know I'm completely certain of course, but it's very difficult to do much with black in the last round. So I don't know What the pairings are right? Well, that was a fascinating game a very interesting one for the audience Thank you for your time and good luck for tomorrow. Thank you