<div align="justify">One bad move in a game of chess can nullify all the previously played good moves. A certain victory could well end up in a draw or even a loss and hence there is no room for complacency at any given point in a chess game.<br /><br />In the game which follows, white sacrifices an exchange and has no compensation for it. Just when victory is within striking distance, black blunders with a queen move and immediately ends on the losing side.<br /><br />White: Ladislav Salai (2440) – Black: Dejan Mozetic (2470)<br />Bratislava, 1996<br />Sicilian Defence<br />1.e4 c5<br />The Sicilian Defence<br />2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 d6 8.f3 Qb6<br />A sharp looking bur dangerous move! Black can keep it safe with 8. ..0-0 which is well studied<br />9.Nf5<br />Interesting! White can consider 9.Bb5<br />9...Qxb2 10.Nxg7+ Kf8 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Bxd5 Kxg7 13.0–0 Qc3 14.Re1 White can play 14.Qc1 h5 15.Rb1 Qa5 16.c4 e6 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.c5 d5 19.Bd4+ f6 20.f4 Rf8 21.exd5 cxd5<br />14...f6<br />Better appears 14. ..Rd8 And if 14...Qa5 15.Qc1 h5 16.Qb2+ f6 17.Rad1 Qc7 18.f4 h4<br />15.Rb1 Qa5 16.f4 Qc7 17.Qd2<br />If 17.f5 Bd7 18.Rb3 Rac8 19.Qg4 b6 20.Rc3 Qd8 21.Ra3 Qc7 22.Bxc6 Bxc6 23.h4 Bd7 was also played previously<br /> 17...h5 18.Rb3 Bd7 19.e5<br />White can think of 19.f5<br />19. ..dxe5 20.fxe5 fxe5 21.Rf1 Bf5<br />Black closes the file even as white tries to take control of this open file with his rook<br />22.Rxf5<br />White sacrifices his rook for the bishop to try and attack the vulnerable appearing Black King<br />22. ..gxf5 23.Bb6 Qd6<br />If 23...axb6 24.Rg3+ Kf8 25.Qh6+! Ke8 26.Be6! Rf8 27.Qxf8+ Kxf8 28.Rg8 checkmate<br />24.Rg3+ Kf8<br />If 24...Kh7 25.Qg5<br />25.Qg5 Ke8<br />If 25...Qxd5 26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.Qxh8+ Kd7 28.Qxa8 Qd1+ 29.Kf2 Qxc2+ 30.Kf3 Qd1+ 31.Kf2 Qd2+ 32.Kf1 Qc1+ 33.Kf2 Qb2+ 34.Ke1 Qxb6<br />26.Qg7<br />If 26.Bf7+ Kd7 (26...Kxf7 27.Qg7+ Ke6 28.Rg6+ Kd7 29.Rxd6+ Kxd6 30.Be3 Raf8 with a winning advantage for Black)<br /><br />Diagram 1<br />26...Qh6<br />This move is a mistake and black loses all the advantage he held. He could have tried to force a win with 26...Qf6 27.Bf7+ Kd7 28.Rd3+ Kc8 29.Qxf6 exf6 30.Be6+ Kb8 31.Bc5 b6 32.Ba3 Rd8 33.Rxd8+ Nxd8 34.Bd5 Nb7 35.Be7 e4 36.Bxf6 a6 37.Be6 Ka7<br />27.Qf7+<br />Now white’s attack gets going<br />27...Kd7 28.Qxf5+ e6 29.Qf7+ Ne7 30.Bxe6+ Kc6<br />If 30. ..Qxe6 31.Rd3+ and black loses the Queen<br />31.Be3<br />White can wrap up quickly with 31.Rc3+ KxBb6 32.Qf2+ Ka6 33.Ra3+<br />31. ..Qf8<br />If 31...Qh7 32.Qf6<br />32.Bd5+ Kc7 33.Qe6 Nxd5 34.Qxd5 Rd8 35.Qxe5+ Kc8<br />If 35...Qd6 36.Bf4<br />36.Bd4<br />Once again white misses a quick win with 36.Bf4 Rd1+ 37.Kf2 Rd2+ 38.Ke1<br />36...Rh7. Black would have had some chances of saving half a point after 36...Rh6 Rh6 37.Rc3+ Rc6 38.Qe6+ Kc7 39.Be5+ Kb6 40.Qb3+ (40.Rb3+ Ka5 41.Bc7+ Rxc7 42.Qe1+ Ka4 43.Qe4+ Ka5 44.Qe1+) 40...Ka5<br />37.Rc3+ and black resigned for he cannot prevent checkmate after 37. .. Qc5 38.Rxc5+ Rc7 39.Qxc7<br />1–0<br /><br />Diagram 2<br />White to play and checkmate<br />1.Qe6+ Rxe6. <br />If 1...Kh8 2.Qxe8 checkmate<br />2.Rf8 checkmate<br /></div>
<div align="justify">One bad move in a game of chess can nullify all the previously played good moves. A certain victory could well end up in a draw or even a loss and hence there is no room for complacency at any given point in a chess game.<br /><br />In the game which follows, white sacrifices an exchange and has no compensation for it. Just when victory is within striking distance, black blunders with a queen move and immediately ends on the losing side.<br /><br />White: Ladislav Salai (2440) – Black: Dejan Mozetic (2470)<br />Bratislava, 1996<br />Sicilian Defence<br />1.e4 c5<br />The Sicilian Defence<br />2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 d6 8.f3 Qb6<br />A sharp looking bur dangerous move! Black can keep it safe with 8. ..0-0 which is well studied<br />9.Nf5<br />Interesting! White can consider 9.Bb5<br />9...Qxb2 10.Nxg7+ Kf8 11.Nd5 Nxd5 12.Bxd5 Kxg7 13.0–0 Qc3 14.Re1 White can play 14.Qc1 h5 15.Rb1 Qa5 16.c4 e6 17.Bxc6 bxc6 18.c5 d5 19.Bd4+ f6 20.f4 Rf8 21.exd5 cxd5<br />14...f6<br />Better appears 14. ..Rd8 And if 14...Qa5 15.Qc1 h5 16.Qb2+ f6 17.Rad1 Qc7 18.f4 h4<br />15.Rb1 Qa5 16.f4 Qc7 17.Qd2<br />If 17.f5 Bd7 18.Rb3 Rac8 19.Qg4 b6 20.Rc3 Qd8 21.Ra3 Qc7 22.Bxc6 Bxc6 23.h4 Bd7 was also played previously<br /> 17...h5 18.Rb3 Bd7 19.e5<br />White can think of 19.f5<br />19. ..dxe5 20.fxe5 fxe5 21.Rf1 Bf5<br />Black closes the file even as white tries to take control of this open file with his rook<br />22.Rxf5<br />White sacrifices his rook for the bishop to try and attack the vulnerable appearing Black King<br />22. ..gxf5 23.Bb6 Qd6<br />If 23...axb6 24.Rg3+ Kf8 25.Qh6+! Ke8 26.Be6! Rf8 27.Qxf8+ Kxf8 28.Rg8 checkmate<br />24.Rg3+ Kf8<br />If 24...Kh7 25.Qg5<br />25.Qg5 Ke8<br />If 25...Qxd5 26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.Qxh8+ Kd7 28.Qxa8 Qd1+ 29.Kf2 Qxc2+ 30.Kf3 Qd1+ 31.Kf2 Qd2+ 32.Kf1 Qc1+ 33.Kf2 Qb2+ 34.Ke1 Qxb6<br />26.Qg7<br />If 26.Bf7+ Kd7 (26...Kxf7 27.Qg7+ Ke6 28.Rg6+ Kd7 29.Rxd6+ Kxd6 30.Be3 Raf8 with a winning advantage for Black)<br /><br />Diagram 1<br />26...Qh6<br />This move is a mistake and black loses all the advantage he held. He could have tried to force a win with 26...Qf6 27.Bf7+ Kd7 28.Rd3+ Kc8 29.Qxf6 exf6 30.Be6+ Kb8 31.Bc5 b6 32.Ba3 Rd8 33.Rxd8+ Nxd8 34.Bd5 Nb7 35.Be7 e4 36.Bxf6 a6 37.Be6 Ka7<br />27.Qf7+<br />Now white’s attack gets going<br />27...Kd7 28.Qxf5+ e6 29.Qf7+ Ne7 30.Bxe6+ Kc6<br />If 30. ..Qxe6 31.Rd3+ and black loses the Queen<br />31.Be3<br />White can wrap up quickly with 31.Rc3+ KxBb6 32.Qf2+ Ka6 33.Ra3+<br />31. ..Qf8<br />If 31...Qh7 32.Qf6<br />32.Bd5+ Kc7 33.Qe6 Nxd5 34.Qxd5 Rd8 35.Qxe5+ Kc8<br />If 35...Qd6 36.Bf4<br />36.Bd4<br />Once again white misses a quick win with 36.Bf4 Rd1+ 37.Kf2 Rd2+ 38.Ke1<br />36...Rh7. Black would have had some chances of saving half a point after 36...Rh6 Rh6 37.Rc3+ Rc6 38.Qe6+ Kc7 39.Be5+ Kb6 40.Qb3+ (40.Rb3+ Ka5 41.Bc7+ Rxc7 42.Qe1+ Ka4 43.Qe4+ Ka5 44.Qe1+) 40...Ka5<br />37.Rc3+ and black resigned for he cannot prevent checkmate after 37. .. Qc5 38.Rxc5+ Rc7 39.Qxc7<br />1–0<br /><br />Diagram 2<br />White to play and checkmate<br />1.Qe6+ Rxe6. <br />If 1...Kh8 2.Qxe8 checkmate<br />2.Rf8 checkmate<br /></div>
