Gainful sacrifice pleasing to eyes

Chess Checks

Some sacrifices are also instinctive or simply based on judging the position and the results can be seen much later, after a few moves.

However there are also sacrifices which are made more in desperation than in calculation.

The general tendency of amateurs or sometimes even Master’s is to try and bluff in a position which is not going your way.

In the game which follows, the players fight more or less on equal terms, till the 21st move when Black suddenly decides to sacrifice his rook for the knight, more in speculation than calculation.

The resulting loss is immediate as this sacrifice backfires and Black achieves nothing from it.

White: Christopher Ward (2473) – Alexander Shneider (2551)
Monarch Assurance, Port Erin, 1999
Trompowsky Opening
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5
The Trompowsky Opening
2. ..d5 3.Bxf6
Deciding to exchange rather than retreat
3. ..exf6 4.e3 f5
If 4...Bd6 5.c4 dxc4 6.Bxc4 0–0 7.Nc3 c6 8.Qf3 f5
5.Bd3
If 5.Nf3 Qd6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.Bd3 Nd7 8.0–0 g6 9.c4 Bg7
5...Bd6 6.Nf3 0–0 7.0–0
Both have opted to castle early
7. ..g6 8.Nbd2
If 8.c4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 c5
8...Nd7 9.c4 c6
If 9...dxc4 10.Nxc4 Be7 11.Qc2
10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Qb3 Nf6 12.Ne5
A strong central square to anchor, If 12.Nb1 Ne4 13.Rc1 Re8 14.Nc3 Nxc3 15.Rxc3 f4 16.exf4 Bxf4 17.g3 Bh6 with a balanced position
12...Qe7
If 12...Bxe5 13.dxe5 Ne4 14.Rad1 (14.Bxe4 dxe4 15.Rfd1) 14...Nc5 15.Qc2 is better for White
13.Ndf3 Be6 14.Rfc1
Moving onto the open file
14. ..Ne4
Black too wants to stay on the central square. If 14...Nd7 15.Rc2 (15.Qxb7 Nxe5 16.Qxe7 Nxf3+) 15...Bxe5 16.dxe5 Nc5 17.Qa3 b6 18.Nd4 is better for White
15.Bf1 g5
Black could have also tried to contest for the open file with 15. ..Rac8
16.Rc2 f4
Black wants to open up proceedings on the King side but this move weakens his King side.
He could have tried  16...g4
17.Ne1 Bxe5
18.dxe5 d4
19.Qd3 dxe3 20.Qxe3 f6
17.exf4 gxf4 18.Ne1 f6 19.N5d3 Rac8 20.f3
He wants to dislodge the knight
20. ..Ng5 21.Nc5 Rxc5

Diagram 1

Black decides to sacrifice the exchange which is difficult to understand.
The position was not to his liking and he tries to bluff his way out, hoping for some respite but he now remains simply material down.
If  21...Bxc5 22.dxc5 Rxc5 23.Qa3 Rc7 (23...b6 24.Nd3 Rc7 25.Rxc7 Qxc7 26.Rc1) 24.Qxa7 Rxc2 25.Nxc2 also result in a better position for White
22.dxc5 Bxc5+ 23.Kh1 Be3 24.Rd1 Nf7
If 24...d4 25.Bc4
25.Nd3 d4 26.Qb5 b6 27.Nb4
A good move!
27. ..Nd6 28.Qh5
Suddenly swinging to the King side
28. ..Nf5 29.Bc4 Bxc4 30.Rxc4
Things are totally in White’s favour now
30...Qe5 31.Qg4+ Kh8
32.Nd3 Qb5 33.b3
Playing solidly
33. ..Rg8 34.Qh3 Qd5 35.Rc2 Rg6 36.Nf2
If 36.Rc8+ Rg8 (36...Kg7 37.Rc7+ Kf8 38.Qxh7)
37.Rxg8+ Kxg8 38.Qg4+ Kh8 39.Nxf4 also win for White
36...Rh6 37.Qg4 Ng3+ 38.Kg1 f5 39.Qg5
More accurate is 39.Rc8+
39...Rg6 40.Qh4 d3 41.Rxd3 Ne2+ and Black resigned as the King simply moves to 42.Kf1 or 42.Kh1and there is nothing he can do to hang on.

Diagram 2

White to play and win
New game
1.Re6+ Kf7
If 1...Kd8 2.Ra5 Qf3+ 3.Rd5+ and White wins
 2.Rf5+ Kxe6 3.Rxf8 and Black is lost.