[Event "Manchester League"] [Site "?"] [Date "1971.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Littlewood, JE."] [Black "Adams, P."] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B23"] [Annotator "Phil Adams"] [PlyCount "27"] [EventDate "1971.??.??"] [EventType "simul"] [EventRounds "9"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2021.01.20"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,27,31,31,46,46,68,48,65,41,61,34,20,10,4,25,0,0,3,2,-23,-23,141,151, 332,302,309,307,307,319]} {Phil balances his win he gave against Norwood with this defeat from 50 years ago that was played before theory was really developed in this line and chess computers were just a pipe dream} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 ({After} 2... Nc6 {White can play a standard Closed Sicilian with 3 g3 or try a Grand Prix Attack with Bb5:} 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 $1 ({In this line the Bc4 plan does not work so well, since Black can play d7-d5 in one move, e.g.} 5. Bc4 e6 6. f5 Nge7 $1 7. fxe6 fxe6 8. d3 d5 $1 9. Bb3 b5 $1 $15) 5... Nd4 $1 6. O-O $1 $13) 3. f4 $1 {The Grand Prix Attack (as it came to be known) is much stronger after 2...d6 (compared to after 2...Nc6). In the early 1970s this was almost completely uncharted territory. Instead of being able to bang out a dozen moves of Dragon theory, I was already having to think for myself.} Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 $1 {[#]When Black has played an early d7-d6, the Grand Prix Attack with bishop development at c4 is quite appropriate, since an eventual d5 will lose a tempo. Even though Black is OK in theory, White's practical results from this position have been excellent.} Bg7 6. O-O e6 { To shorten the diagonal of the Bc4. I thought if I could manage to play Nge7 and 0-0 I would be safe.} (6... Nf6 {is playable, but White has good attacking chances then with the plan of d3, Qe1-h4, f4-f5, Bh6, Ng5 etc.}) 7. f5 $5 { [#]This move, played quickly and confidently by John Littlewood, really shocked me. I thought for ages now, only to come to the conclusion that Black's game is already under huge pressure.} ({A slower approach with} 7. d3 Nge7 8. Qe1 {is also good.}) 7... exf5 (7... gxf5 8. d3 $1 fxe4 9. dxe4 { with good attacking chances for the pawn.}) (7... Nge7 8. fxe6 (8. d3) (8. Qe1) 8... Bxe6 (8... fxe6 $2 9. Ng5 $1 $16) 9. Bxe6 fxe6 10. Ng5 $36 (10. d3 $13)) 8. d3 $1 Nge7 (8... fxe4 $2 9. Ng5 $1 $40 ({or just} 9. dxe4 {with good attacking chances.})) 9. Qe1 $1 O-O $2 {"castling into it"} (9... h6) (9... Ne5 ) 10. Qh4 $1 {Simple plan: Bh6, Ng5,. kill kill kill.[#]I could see what White's plan was, but couldn't find any satisfactory defence.} d5 {Hoping for 11 Nxd5 Nxd5 when the queens come off.} (10... fxe4 11. Ng5 {is crushing.}) ( 10... Nd4 11. Bg5 $1 Nxf3+ 12. Rxf3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Re8 14. Qh6 f4 15. Rxf4 { 1-0 Rafe Martyn-Thuerens, Brussels 1997}) (10... Bd7 11. Bh6 Nc8 12. Ng5 Qf6 13. Nd5 $1 Qd4+ 14. Kh1 Bxh6 15. Qxh6 Qg7 16. Nf6+ $1 Kh8 17. Qh4 $1 h5 (17... h6 18. Nxd7) 18. Nxd7 f6 19. Ne6 {1-0 Van Mechelen-Lavrenov, Geel 1997}) 11. exd5 $1 {Black is losing now.} Na5 12. Bg5 {It's only a teeny bit comforting to realise that, since then, many Sicilian players have lost in similar fashion against the Grand Prix Attack.} f6 (12... Re8 13. Rae1 Bf8 (13... Nxc4 14. dxc4 Bf8 15. Re2 $18) 14. d6 $1 Qxd6 15. Nb5 Qd8 16. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 17. Qxh7+ Bg7 18. Ne5+ Kf8 (18... Ke6 19. Nc6+) 19. Bh6 $1 {Rafe Martyn-Choukouhian, Brussells 1997}) 13. d6+ Nxc4 14. Qxc4+ {I'm losing a piece and my position is a wreck. A good example of the power of the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian (especially when Black doesn't know any theory and has to make it up from scratch!). My shortest ever loss!} 1-0