Leonardo Costa vs Roven Vogel: game review

14…Bc4! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• Skewers the queen: when it moves, the bishop on e2 behind it falls.
• Attacks the queen.
• The next best move, 14…Bxb3, would drop Black's winning chances from 48% to 31% (+2.21).
• 14…Bc4 threatens …Bxd3, winning the queen for a bishop, and gets the bishop out of the way of fxe6.
• It threatens …Bxd3, winning the queen for a bishop, so White has to spend the next move on it.
• White was threatening fxe6, winning a bishop for a pawn. The bishop steps away.

19…Rxc3!! A real sacrifice: Black gives up material and the engine still rates it best.

• Puts the rook on c3 where it can be taken.
• White can take, but after 20.bxc3 Nc5 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 the engine rates it 0.00.
• Takes the knight on c3.
• 19…Rxc3 stops Ned5.
• White was threatening Ned5, winning the exchange, picking it up with 20.Nxc7. Rxc3 takes care of it.
• White answers 20.bxc3, winning the exchange.

• The idea: 19…Rxc3!! offers the rook on c3. Taking it still leaves Black level.
• What Black gives up: 19…Rxc3 puts the rook on c3 where it can be taken by the b2 pawn. That's a whole rook on offer.
• What it does instead: It takes the knight on c3.
• If White takes the rook: 20.bxc3 is met by 20…Nc5, threatening …Ncxe4, winning a pawn. Then 21…Bxf6 takes the bishop on f6, and 22…Nxe4 takes the e4 pawn. Black is two pawns down: Black holds the balance (0.00). This is White's best try.

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 5…a6: 10 moves in all, 5 by White and 5 by Black.
• White left the book with 6.h4. In 48,946 games from this position, strong players played 6.Be3 (33%), 6.Bg5 (20%), 6.Bc4 (9%) or 6.h3 (9%).
• The main line goes on 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 h5 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Nd5 Bxd5.
• From here White scored 56% in those games, with 22% drawn.