Sacrificing a queen for a quick checkmate is always fun, but there’s a lot to be said for sacrificing a pawn in the opening that leads to a winning endgame.
The positional sacrifice may not get as much love from kibitzers (or columnists), but there is a real beauty is giving up real material for nebulous strategic compensation. And some positional sacrifices verge on the truly inspired, seemingly coming out of the blue and not turning a profit until dozens of moves later.
Take longtime Russian-Swiss great Viktor Korchnoi’s win over Dutch GM Friso Nijboer in a 1993 team event, highlighted by Dutch IM Merijn van Delft in his new and enjoyable survey, “Mastering Positional Sacrifices: A Practical Guide to a Vital Skill in Chess” (NewInChess, $24.95, 315 pp.). In a classic King’s Indian battle, Korchnoi not only pitches a piece to get his pawn center going, but he also ups the ante to a rook to preserve his positional dominance.
White presses on the queenside and Black counters on the kingside in this opening, and Nijboer seems to have seized the high ground after 16. bxc5 bxc5 17. Rb1 g5 (see diagram), when White appears to have no obvious breaks on the queenside and the Black pawn storm is about to roll.
But Korchnoi finds the inspired 18. Nxc5!! (Qb3!? Kh7 19. Qb6 Qd7 20. Nb5 Ng6 is far less persuasive) dxc5 19. Bxc5 Ng6! 20. Bb6! (Black would love 20. Bxf8? Bxf8 21. Kh1 Bc5, when he dominates the dark squares and the White pawn center is contained) Qf6 21. c5, and the mobile pawn center is well worth the knight.
Korchnoi’s wizardry moves to a higher plane with 23. gxf3 Bh3 (Black once again seems to have his kingside assault in gear) 24. Kh1!! (Rf2 [Re1?? Qg5+ and mate next] Nh4 25. Kh1 Qg6 26. Qb3+ Kh7 27. Rg1 Qf7 is still a fight) Bxf1 25. Bxf1, when 25…Nxd6 26. cxd6 Rfd8 27. Bc7! leaves all of Black’s problems unresolved.
Despite being down a rook for two pawns, Korchnoi’s two bishops and central pawns dominate the play, winning back all the sacrificed material. After 30. Qd5! Ngf8 (Qxd5 31. exd5 Rxc5 32. Ne4! Rc8 [Rxd5? 33. Bc4] 33. d6 Ngf8 34. Rb7, Black can hardly move) 31. Be7 Nxc5 32. Bh3! Qxd5 33. Nxd5, Black will lose a piece after 33…Rc6 34. Rc1 Ng6 35. Rxc5; Nijboer resigned.
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It’s down to the wire as Norwegian world champ Magnus Carlsen won Monday’s fourth day of play to even the best-of-five finals with American GM Hikaru Nakamura in the climax of the summerlong online Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, organized after COVID-19 shut down over-the-board play.
Nakamura took Sunday’s “set” by winning a miniature Ruy Lopez Berlin in the blitz playoff. White “falls for” Black’s ill-considered trap on 11. h4 Ne6?! 12. Nxe5!, as Carlsen’s intended 12…Nd4?! allows 13. Nxf7! Kxf7? 14. Qh5+ Kg8 15. Qxc5.
Still, Black should have taken his medicine with 12…Nd4 13. Nxf7 Nxe2 14. Nxd8 Nd4 15. b4 Bb6 16. c3 Rxd8 17. cxd4 Bxd4 18. Rc1 Bxe3 19. Bxe3 Rxd3 20. Rxc6, with hopes of surviving. On the game’s 12…a5? 13. Qh5 g6 14. Qf3 f6 15. Nxc6 Qd7 16. Qxf6! Qxc6 17. Bc3, White’s control of the long diagonal proves lethal.
In the final position after 21. d4! b4 (Bxd4 22. 0-0-0) 22. dxc5, the champ resigned facing 22…bxc3 23. 0-0-0+ Ke7 24. Nxd5+ Kd8 [Kd7 25. Qh7+ Ke8 26. Qe7 mate] 25. Nb4+, and the Black queen makes an undignified exit.
Korchnoi-Nijboer, Dutch Chess League, Rotterdam, January 1993
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5 Ne7 9. Ne1 Ne8 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 c5 12. Nd3 f4 13. Bf2 h5 14. b4 b6 15. a4 a5 16. bxc5 bxc5 17. Rb1 g5 18. Nxc5 dxc5 19. Bxc5 Ng6 20. Bb6 Qf6 21. c5 g4 22. d6 gxf3 23. gxf3 Bh3 24. Kh1 Bxf1 25. Bxf1 Qe6 26. d7 Nf6 27. d8=Q Rfxd8 28. Bxd8 Nd7 29. Bg5 Rc8 30. Qd5 Ngf8 31. Be7 Nxc5 32. Bh3 Qxd5 33. Nxd5 Black resigns.
Nakamura-Carlsen, Round 3, Carlsen Chess Tour Final, August 2020
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Bxc6 dxc6 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. Qe2 Re8 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Bd2 b5 10. Ne3 Nf8 11. h4 Ne6 12. Nxe5 a5 13. Qh5 g6 14. Qf3 f6 15. Nxc6 Qd7 16. Qxf6 Qxc6 17. Bc3 Rf8 18. Qh8+ Kf7 19. Qxh7+ Ke8 20. Qxg6+ Kd7 21. d4 b4 22. dxc5 Black resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
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