gurelediz vs Jacoobsen: game review

20.Nc3!! A real sacrifice: White gives up material and the engine still rates it best.

• Leaves the knight on d4 where it can be taken.
• Black can take, but after 20…Bxd4 21.Nxd5 Bxf2+ 22.Qxf2 the engine rates it 0.00.
• Attacks the d5 pawn, which is undefended.
• 20.Nc3 threatens Nxd5, winning a rook and a pawn, and stops …Rae8.
• It threatens Nxd5, winning a rook and a pawn, so Black has to spend the next move on it.
• Black was threatening …Rae8, winning a knight for a pawn, picking it up with 21…Bxb5. Nc3 takes care of it.

• The idea: 20.Nc3!! leaves the knight on d4 hanging. Taking it gives White the material back and more.
• What White gives up: 20.Nc3 leaves the knight on d4 hanging to the bishop on c5. That's a knight on offer.
• What it does instead: It threatens Nxd5, winning the queen and a pawn.
• If Black takes the knight: 20…Bxd4 is met by 21.Nxd5, taking the d5 pawn and threatening Nxb6, winning the queen for a knight. Then 22.Qxf2 takes the bishop on f2, and 23.Kxf2 takes the queen on f2. White ends up a piece ahead: White holds the balance (−0.03). This is Black's best try.

21.Bxe5! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Takes the knight on e5.
• Shores up the knight on d4, which was under as much attack as it had defence (1 against 1).
• The next best move, 21.Red1, would drop White's winning chances from 55% to 40% (−1.13).
• 21.Bxe5 stops …Bxd4.
• Black was threatening …Bxd4, winning a knight. Bxe5 takes care of it.
• Trades bishop for knight.

26.b4! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Protects the knight on c5, which was hanging.
• Takes c5 and a5 away from the Black queen on b6.
• The next best move, 26.Nxd7, would drop White's winning chances from 59% to 28% (−2.54).
• 26.b4 protects the knight on c5 and takes c5 and a5 away from the queen.
• Black answers 26…Qc7, aiming at the h2 pawn, a weak point next to the king, leaving White with a king with pawns missing from its shelter.
• After 26…Qc7 27.f4 Re8 28.Qxc1 b6 29.Nxd7 d4, White comes out 6 points of material up (+0.59).

26…a5 is a blunder: Black's winning chances go from 45% to 16%.

• White answers 27.Nxd7, which takes the bishop on d7.
• After Nxd7, White wins 6 points of material within 4 moves.
• Better was 26…Qc7 (+0.59), which protects the bishop on d7, which was hanging.

Better: 26…Qc7 stops Nxd7. After 27.f4 Re8 28.Qxc1 b6 29.Nxd7 d4, Black is 6 points of material down (+0.59).

34.Ng3! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• The next best move, 34.f3, would drop White's winning chances from 70% to 56% (+0.66).
• 34.Ng3 gets the knight out of the way of …Rxe4.
• Black was threatening …Rxe4, winning a knight for a rook. The knight steps away.
• The engine's plan continues with Nd3 and Qd1: this move is the first step.
• Black answers 34…b6, attacking the knight on c5.
• Engine line: 34…b6 35.Nd3 Re7 36.Qd1 Ra7 37.Qg4 (+2.42).

35.Nd3! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Moves the attacked knight to safety.
• Attacks the rook on e5.
• The next best move, 35.Nce4, would drop White's winning chances from 68% to 24% (−3.13).
• 35.Nd3 gets the knight out of the way of …bxc5 and threatens Nxe5, winning the exchange.
• Black was threatening …bxc5, winning a knight. The knight steps away.
• It threatens Nxe5, winning the exchange, so Black has to spend the next move on it.

36.Nf4 is a blunder: White's winning chances go from 74% to 10%.

• Black answers 36…Qc1+: the queen forks the king and the knight: both can't be saved at once.
• After Qc1+, Black wins 3 points of material within 4 moves.
• Better was 36.Qf7 (+2.89).

Better: 36.Qf7 prepares Qh5 and Ne2. Engine line: 36…Qe6 37.Qh5 Rd8 38.Ne2 Kg8 39.Nef4 (+2.89).

36…Qc1+! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• The queen forks the king and the knight: both can't be saved at once.
• The next best move, 36…Qd7, would drop Black's winning chances from 90% to 31% (+2.17).
• 36…Qc1+ wins a knight, picking it up with 37…Qxf4, and forks the king and the knight.
• Sets up a sequence and wins a knight once the captures settle, picking it up with 37…Qxf4.
• White answers 37.Kh2.
• After 37.Kh2 Qxf4 38.Qf7 Rg8 39.Qd7 d3 40.Qxd3 Qxf2 41.Nh5, Black comes out a piece up (−5.70).

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 5.Qc2: 9 moves in all, 5 by White and 4 by Black.
• Theory runs out after 5.Qc2: too few games between strong players reached this position to go further.