5 Great, Subtle, Chess Sacrifices, Moves, And Ideas.
As Gata Kamsky said, ‘I’m a famous f******legend, and some prick is flagging me!’. Some famous life advice.
Chess is a game of extremely weird and interesting proportions, semi-positional, pattern-filled, and with weird, interesting, and beautiful things, like sacrifices… Ideas that appear nonsensical on the outside, but filled with a secret brilliancy. Through five games, here are some interesting, odd, sacrifices and moves that I’ve found online.
5 McDonnell vs Bourdannais(0–1)
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/zrVDM1Ldc
One of the more interesting chess games from the 18th century showed the power of pawns, showing a mobile block of connect-three, and with the final position being a mate in 2–3.
Arising from the Open Sicilian, one of the earliest master games to employ the defense, the three pawns ran down the board after the f-pawn pushed down the board.
f5 itself is a blunder, but fxe4, the 23rd move in the game is a powerful, brilliant move, as Black unleashes a pawn tsunami with his massive center. and starts them rolling down the board.
La Bourdonnais played 25. Qe3+, which is an inaccuracy, 26. Rf2! forces a draw, although McDonnell played Kh1, and the position is completely lost for white, as the pawns will rush down the board, and it is extremely hard to stop all three pawns from going at once.
In the end, La Bourdonnais pushed (black)f2 with a lethal pawn bind, (although d3 first was better), then with (black)d3 afterward from (white)Rf1, (black)e4, then Qe1 after Qc8(a last-ditch effort to save the game), and the game was won after Rc1, d2, Qc5, attacking the rook, Rg8, Rd1, e3, Qd3 Qxd1, Rxf1, and e2. Their white resigned, as there is nothing more to do, other than being mated of course.
4. Zuketort vs Blackburne(1–0)
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1001854
Zuketort played an English Opening against Blackburne, and had a powerful initiative after Zuketort won the all-important bishop pair, with his two pieces placed along perfect diagonals, Zuketort placed a powerful space barrier of pawns, Black had a very strongly weakened position with g6, and a missing f-pawn after f6.
The final position appears completely winning, with white up two pawns, after gxh7. After c5+ and e5 from black, Zuketort saw the brilliant move Qb4!!, if the queen is taken, there is a complex mate in seven, with the king shuffling down the h-file, trying to avoid getting mated.
White To Move:
Fortunately in the game, Blackburne played Rc5, but there were more brilliancies to come. After Zuketort played Rf8!!, a brilliant move, sacrificing the rook for another mate, this time in 8 moves!
White To Move:
Although Blackburne played Kxh7, only move, denying the sacrifice, then Qxe4+, Kg7, Bxe5, Kxf8, and Bg7!! by Zuketort, the game-ending brilliant move, that wins the queen. Since if the queen takes, there is a mate in one on e8, so thus, Blackburne took the bishop with his king, Zuketort took the queen and Blackburne resigned in the position on move 33.
3. Tarrasch vs Allies(1–0)
https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1378821
Here Tarrasch played an excellent game with the Bird’s Opening, starting with f4, and Nf3, and stormed the Queenside with a strong attack and a good center-push with d5. Eventually, the position looked something like this:
Here Tarrasch found a simple yet brilliant move, a blank square sacrifice, and another brilliant move: Try to find it below:
White To Move:
White To Move:
White To Move:
Then, Tarrasch found Bc7!!, a brilliant, profound, simple, and god-like move, the basic idea is if rook takes, then their is Qb7!!, deflecting the rook away, from the mating square, if rook takes, but if Kxa5, only move, then their is a mate in 2 from both rooks. If queen takes, then Rxc5, with a mate in 3, after Queen takes, then Qb7+, Kxa5, and Ra1#.
2.Alekhine vs Hoelscher(1–0) https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012997
A very quick, yet interesting and instructive game, and arising from the Ruy Lopez. Alekhine got a strong attack after sacrificing his bishop on h5, (which was a blunder), but on the 16th move, Alekhine found a game-changing move. Ne5!!, with a very simple idea. To cover the f7 square from escape, and if the knight is taken, then g6 can be played.
(Ne5 is then played after the unfortunate f5)If the knight is not taken or is taken with either Queen or Pawn, then their is a mate in 5 inevitably:
White To Move:
White To Move:
After the Ne5, g6 was the game-ending and game-changing move.
1. Nigel Short’s King Walk Game: Nigel Short vs Jan Timman(1–0).
https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/pgn/5QMpvLD7GA
This game is already infamous among many people. It’s an immortal game that shows the power of bringing pieces into the attack, even if it means the king. And a king walk became devastating for Jan Timman, who resigned in an extremely lost position.
The game arises from an Alekhines Defense, with white gaining a strong attack in the middle game, but with seemingly not enough pieces to convert this winning attack. Then Nigel Short plays Kh2! Bringing a piece into the attack, although, being a blunder for White by engine, due to Bc8, forcing a draw, but which was fortunately missed in the game.
Instead Rc8 was played, costing the game for black, due to one less tempo move. Kg3 is now a great move, and after Re8, and Bc8 again, Black is not their in time to stop White’s king from moving to f4, g5, and perhaps h6. Kg5 is now a brilliant move due to a mate in 5:
Hope you liked these brilliant moves and these insightful games, and thank you for reading!
