Editing Michael Adams (chess player)

{{Short description|English chess grandmaster (born 1971)}}
{{for|other people called Michael Adams|Michael Adams (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox chess player
|name                = Michael Adams
|image               = Michael Adams Dortmunder Schachtage 2023.jpg
|caption             = Adams at the Dortmunder Schachtage in 2023
|country             = England
|birth_date          = {{nowrap|{{Birth date and age|1971|11|17|df=y}}}}
|birth_place         = [[Truro, Cornwall]], England
|death_date          = 
|death_place         = 
|title               = [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grandmaster]] (1989)
|worldchampion       = [[World Senior Chess Championship|WC (Seniors over-50)]] 2023
|peakrating          = 2761 (September 2013)
|peakranking         = No. 4 (October 2000)
|FideID              = 400041
}}

'''Michael Adams''' (born 17 November 1971) is an English chess [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] and is an eight-time [[British Chess Champion]]. His highest ranking is world No. 4, achieved several times from October 2000 to October 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/top_files.phtml?id=400041 |title=Adams, Michael (ENG) FIDE Top Chess Player |publisher=Ratings.fide.com |access-date=2011-12-17}}</ref> His peak [[Elo rating]] is 2761, the highest achieved by an English chess player.<ref>{{cite web |title=Records |url=https://2700chess.com/records |website=2700chess.com |access-date=7 November 2021}}</ref>

Several times a [[Candidates Tournament|World Championship Candidate]], he reached the semifinals in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He reached the final at the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2004|2004 FIDE Championship]], narrowly losing out to [[Rustam Kasimdzhanov]] in the tie-break games.

Adams won the [[World Senior Chess Championship]] (Over-50 category) in 2023.

==Early career==
Adams was born on 17 November 1971 in [[Truro, Cornwall]], UK. By 1980, his chess talent had been recognised by the [[British Chess Federation]], and he received high-level coaching from former [[European Junior Chess Championship|European Junior Champion]] [[Shaun Taulbut]] and coaching from local chess champion Michael Prettejohn.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessdevon.co.uk/HTML/Pioneers/kjb/base.htm |title=Chessdevon |publisher=Chessdevon |access-date=2011-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004143018/http://www.chessdevon.co.uk/HTML/Pioneers/kjb/base.htm |archive-date=4 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1981, aged nine, Adams entered the Cornwall (County) Under-9 Championship and won it. He won the Under-13, Under-15 and Under-18 Championships at the same event. The last two contests clashed for one day, and he had to play them simultaneously, commuting cautiously between different rooms, some thirty metres apart.<ref>[[CHESS magazine]] – Vol.52, December 1987, p.263</ref>

In 1987, he took the silver medal at the [[World Youth Chess Championship|World Under-16 Championship]], held in [[Innsbruck]], behind the Icelandic player [[Hannes Stefánsson]].<ref>''[[CHESS magazine]]'' – Vol.52, June 1987, p.52</ref> Later that year, at the age of fifteen, he became the world's youngest [[International Master]] (IM).<ref>''[[CHESS magazine]]'' – Vol.52, December 1987, p.261</ref>

Two books co-written with his father, Bill Adams, ''Development of a Grandmaster'' (1991) and ''Chess in the Fast Lane'' (1996), discuss his early chess career.
In 1988 a television documentary was screened nationwide featuring Adams and [[Gary Lane (chess player)|Gary Lane]]. It is now regularly screened at chess film festivals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://filmmoon.com/festival/hell-chess-festival|title=Hell Chess Festival }}</ref>

==National success==
Adams' early endeavours were already beginning to pay dividends at the [[British Chess Championship|British Championship]] of 1987, where he gained his final IM norm and took the best junior prize. He proceeded to win the full Championship title in 1989, at just seventeen years old. He won again in 1997, jointly with [[Matthew Sadler]]. Then, after a lengthy break from the event, he returned to claim further titles in 2010, 2011, 2016,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.englishchess.org.uk/british-champions-1904-present/|title=British Champions 1904 – present|website=www.englishchess.org.uk|access-date=30 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626111649/https://www.englishchess.org.uk/british-champions-1904-present/|archive-date=26 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> 2018, <ref>[https://www.chess.com/news/view/adams-wins-british-championship-after-epic-final-day Adams Wins British Championship After Epic Final Day] Chess.com</ref> 2019 and 2023.

His win at the British Chess Championship 2016 with 10/11 tied the record score set by [[Julian Hodgson]] in 1992.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk/michael-adams-is-british-champion-jovanka-houska-takes-the-womens-title/|title=Michael Adams is British Champion; Jovanka Houska takes the women's title|website=www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk|date=5 August 2016 }}</ref>

Adams also won the [[British Rapidplay Chess Championships|British Rapidplay Championship]] in 1995, 1996 and 1999.

== World Championship candidate ==
Adams has performed strongly in several [[World Chess Championship]] tournaments.

In 1993 he finished equal first (with [[Viswanathan Anand]]) in the [[Groningen]] [[Interzonal]] tournament to determine challengers for the [[PCA World Chess Championship 1995]]. This took him to the [[Candidates Tournament]] matches, where he beat [[Sergei Tiviakov]] in the quarter-finals but lost to Anand in the semifinals.

He also qualified for the Candidates Tournament for the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 1996]], losing to [[Boris Gelfand]] in the first round of matches.

In 1997, he took part in the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 1998|1997–1998 FIDE World Championship]], which, for the first time, was a large knockout event, the winner of which would play a match against reigning champion [[Anatoly Karpov]]. This tournament included most of the world's top players ([[Garry Kasparov]], [[Vladimir Kramnik]], and [[Gata Kamsky]] were the only notable absentees), and Adams won short matches against Tamaz Giorgadze, [[Sergei Tiviakov]], [[Peter Svidler]], [[Loek van Wely]] and [[Nigel Short]], before coming up against Anand in the final round. Their four games at normal time controls were all [[draw (chess)|drawn]], as were four rapidplay games at quicker time limits before Anand won the sudden-death game, thereby eliminating Adams from the competition.

The [[FIDE World Chess Championship 1999|1999 FIDE World Championship]] resulted in another semifinal finish for Adams before losing to [[Vladimir Akopian]].<ref>[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/9899$wix.htm World Chess Championship 1999 FIDE Knockout Matches], Mark Weeks' Chess Pages</ref> Nevertheless, he reached the semifinals of the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2000|2000 FIDE World Championship]] before losing to eventual winner Anand.<ref>[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/a0a1$wix.htm World Chess Championship 2000 FIDE Knockout Matches], Mark Weeks' Chess Pages</ref> In the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2002|2002 FIDE World Championship]] he won his first three rounds before being knocked out in the 'round of 16' by [[Peter Svidler]].<ref>[http://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/a1a2$wix.htm World Chess Championship 2001–02 FIDE Knockout Matches], Mark Weeks' Chess Pages</ref>

Adams came closest to claiming a world title at the 2004 FIDE Championship when he reached the final, winning matches against Hussein Asabri, [[Karen Asrian]], [[Hichem Hamdouchi]], [[Hikaru Nakamura]], [[Vladimir Akopian]] and [[Teimour Radjabov]]. However, he lost to [[Rustam Kasimdzhanov]] in the final (3½–4½ after rapidplay tie-breaks, the match having been tied 3–3 after the six standard games).

As runner-up in the 2004 event, Adams was one of eight players invited to the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2005]]. He finished in equal sixth–seventh place, with a score of 5½ out of 14.

In May–June 2007, Adams participated in the Candidates Tournament to qualify for the [[FIDE World Chess Championship 2007]]. He drew 3–3 with [[Alexey Shirov]] in the first round and was beaten 2½–½ in the rapidplay playoff.

==Other results==

[[File:Adams rd6 4thEUIO.JPG|left|thumb|250px|GM Adams at the EU championship, Liverpool 2008]]
Among his other notable results were first place at [[Terrassa]] in 1991, joint first at [[Dos Hermanas]] in 1995 (with Kamsky and Karpov), joint first at [[Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting]] in 1998 (with Kramnik and Svidler) and clear first at Dos Hermanas in 1999, ahead of Kramnik, Anand, Svidler, Karpov, [[Veselin Topalov]], [[Judit Polgár]] and others.

In more recent times, he won the fifth [[Howard Staunton Memorial Tournament]]<ref>{{citation
 | last=Giddins | first=Steve
 | title=Michael Adams wins the Staunton Memorial
 | url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4063
 | date=21 August 2007 | periodical=ChessBase News
 | access-date=2007-08-21}}</ref> in August 2007, achieving a score of 8½/11 (six wins, five draws), picking up the top purse of £1000. The highest-seeded player in the tournament by 45 [[Elo rating system|Elo]] points, Adams finished a full point ahead of Dutch [[Grandmaster (chess)|Grand Masters]] [[Ivan Sokolov (chess player)|Ivan Sokolov]] and Loek van Wely. The tournament, one of a series held in London, commemorated the life of the nineteenth-century English chess master [[Howard Staunton]].<ref name="cbn20070721">{{citation
 | title=Top-class chess returns to England
 | url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4000
 | date=21 July 2007 | periodical=Chessbase News
 | access-date=2007-08-21}}</ref> Prior to the start of the tournament, on 4 August, Adams married his longtime girlfriend, the actress Tara MacGowran, at a ceremony in [[Taunton]], close to where they live.<ref>{{citation
 | last=Giddins | first=Steve
 | title=Top Dutch and British GMs lead in Staunton Memorial
 | url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4045
 | date=13 August 2007 | periodical=Chessbase News
 | access-date=2007-03-13}}</ref>

In September 2007, Adams took part in a match between the United Kingdom and China, held in [[Liverpool]], England. Playing alongside Adams was former World Championship challenger [[Nigel Short|GM Nigel Short]]. This chess event was the first time in almost 15 years that the two GMs had played chess together on British soil.<ref name="cbn20070721"/> Overall, he scored 3½/6, conceding one loss to GM [[Zhang Pengxiang]] (ELO 2649, at the match) in round four. The UK team lost the match to China, who had also defeated a Russian chess team a few weeks before, 20–28.<ref>{{citation
 | last=Giddins | first=Steve
 | title=China beats the UK by 28-20 points
 | url=http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4104
 | date=10 September 2007 | periodical=Chessbase News
 | access-date=2007-09-26}}</ref>

Adams won the 2nd Ruy Lopez Masters tournament held in [[Mérida, Spain]], 4–13 April 2008, scoring 5½/7 to finish a half-point ahead of Zhang Pengxiang.  The tournament was an eight-player [[round-robin tournament|round-robin]] with an average rating of 2616 (FIDE category 15).<ref>{{citation
 | title=Michael Adams wins Second Ruy López International in Mérida
 | url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=4566
 | date=13 April 2008 | periodical=ChessBase News
 | access-date=2008-04-14}}</ref><ref>{{citation
 | last=Crowther | first=Mark
 | title=THE WEEK IN CHESS 701
 | url=https://theweekinchess.com/html/twic701.html
 | date=14 March 2008 | publisher=London Chess Center
 | access-date=2008-04-14}}</ref> In August 2008, there was a second successive victory in the Staunton Memorial. Adams finished on 8/11, ahead of Loek van Wely (7½/11) and [[Jan Smeets]] (7/11).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/tournament_report.phtml?event16=15560|title=Staunton Memorial 6th October 2008 England|date=7 August 2008|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> He followed this with a share of second place at the 4th [[EU Individual Open Chess Championship]] in Liverpool, joining [[Viktor Láznička]] and [[Nigel Short]] on 7½/10 (after winner [[Jan Werle]], 8/10).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ratings.fide.com/tournament_report.phtml?event16=15499|title=European Union Individual Championship January 2009 England|publisher=FIDE|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref>

After topping a strong open tournament in [[Gibraltar Chess Festival|Gibraltar]] in 2010, he won the 2010 British Chess Championship, held in [[Canterbury]], with an undefeated score of 9.5/11<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6587|title=2010 British Chess Championships|date=9 August 2010|publisher=ChessBase.com|access-date=8 April 2011}}</ref> and shared second place at the Chicago Open.

Further successes followed in 2011, with a share of first place at the Philadelphia [[World Open chess tournament|World Open]] and a clear win at the British Championship in [[Sheffield]]. Adams finished outright first at the Los Angeles Metropolitan International and the [[European Team Chess Championship|European Team Championship]] and was awarded the gold medal for his performance on board one.

In 2012, he shared first place with Nigel Short at the [[Bunratty]] International and finished with a share of third place at the [[London Chess Classic]], equal with [[Hikaru Nakamura]] and ahead of the world champion [[Viswanathan Anand]] and world number two ranked player [[Levon Aronian]].

In the 2013 [[Alekhine Memorial]] tournament, held from 20 April to 1 May, Adams finished fourth, with +2−2=5.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/PostId/4009694/aronian-and-gelfand-win-alekhine-memorial-2013-020513.aspx |title=Aronian and Gelfand win Alekhine Memorial 2013 |publisher=ChessBase News |date=1 May 2013 |access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref> In March 2013, he came first in the 20th [[Bunratty]] Masters tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theweekinchess.com/chessnews/events/bunratty-chess-festival-2013|title=20th Bunratty Chess Festival 2013|date=2013-03-03|publisher=The Week in Chess|access-date=24 June 2013}}</ref>

At the Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting in July–August 2013, Adams scored possibly the best result of his career, with a [[Glossary of chess#Performance rating|rating performance]] of 2925. He won the tournament with five wins and four draws (7/9), ahead of a field of 9 other grandmasters whose ratings averaged over 2705, including [[Fabiano Caruana]] (2796) and Vladimir Kramnik (2784).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessvibes.com/adams-draws-quickly-with-kramnik-wins-41st-dortmund|title=Adams draws quickly with Kramnik, wins 41st Dortmund|website=www.chessvibes.com|access-date=4 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327214623/http://www.chessvibes.com/adams-draws-quickly-with-kramnik-wins-41st-dortmund|archive-date=27 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In October of that year, the sixth [[Bilbao Chess Masters Final|Grand Slam Chess Masters]] final was held in Bilbao as a double round-robin with four players. Adams' opponents were [[Levon Aronian]], [[Maxime Vachier-Lagrave]] and [[Shakhriyar Mamedyarov]]. Adams finished second behind Aronian, scoring +2−1=3 or 9 points according to the "football scoring system" traditionally used in the Grand Slam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/Home/TabId/211/PostId/4011502/bilbao-final-aronian-is-the-victor-131013.aspx|title=Bilbao Final Aronian is the victor|date=2013-10-12|publisher=ChessBase|access-date=17 October 2013}}</ref>

2014 included two notable results; a silver medal for his performance on board 1 at the [[Tromsø]] Olympiad and a share of first place at the London Chess Classic Blitz tournament (with Nakamura and Kramnik). 

In 2023, Adams played his first [[World Senior Chess Championship]] and was the winner in the Over-50 category at [[Terrasini]] in Italy.

Now in his 50's, Adams remains one of the top English chess-players and is rated among the top 100 chess players of the world.

== Hydra match ==

In June 2005, Adams took on the chess [[supercomputer]] [[Hydra (chess)|Hydra]] in a six-game match in London, England, with a prize of $10,000 for each draw and $25,000 for each win.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2476 |title=Adams 0.5 – Hydra 5.5 |date=28 June 2005 |publisher=Chessbase.com |access-date=2011-12-17}}</ref> Hydra, housed in [[Abu Dhabi]] at the time of the match, consisted of 64 PCs, each running 3.06 [[Hertz|GHz]] [[Intel]] [[Xeon]] processors. Its designers said that it could, under optimal conditions, analyse up to 200&nbsp;million positions a second and, in the [[chess endgame|endgame]], calculate up to 40 moves ahead.<ref>[http://news.zdnet.co.uk/emergingtech/0,1000000183,39199948,00.htm?r=1 ZD Online News Article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207025337/http://news.zdnet.co.uk/emergingtech/0,1000000183,39199948,00.htm?r=1 |date=7 February 2009 }} retrieved 26 September 2007</ref> Adams lost the match, drawing only the second game. The final score was Hydra 5½, Adams ½, with Adams only receiving $10,000 of the $145,000 prize fund.

== Personal life ==
Adams lives in [[Somerset]] with his wife, actress Tara MacGowran.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/tara-macgowran/bio/3000088830/ | title=Tara MacGowran }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=7725 |title=Chess News – London Classic Rd1: Carlsen wins, McShane escapes Aronian |date=3 December 2011 |publisher=ChessBase.com |access-date=2011-12-17}}</ref> His nickname is "Mickey".<ref>[http://www.kingpinchess.net/2015/12/mickey-adams/ ''Mickey Adams: 20 Questions''], [[Kingpin (chess magazine)|Kingpin]], 9 December 2015</ref>

He was educated at [[Truro School]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
{{Commons category|Michael Adams}}
* {{Official website|http://www.michaeladamschess.co.uk}}
* {{FIDE}}
* {{Chess.com player|michael-adams}}
* {{Chessgames.com player|10900}}

{{English GMs}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Michael}}
[[Category:1971 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Chess Grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess Olympiad competitors]]
[[Category:English chess players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Truro]]
[[Category:People educated at Truro School]]
[[Category:English male writers]]
[[Category:English chess writers]]