Vahe A. Sukiasyan vs Vache Hovakimyan: game review

26…Rd1+! The only good move here: every alternative is clearly worse.

• The rook forks the king and the queen: both can't be saved at once.
• The rook joins the attack: it now hits 2 squares around the White king.
• The next best move, 26…Bxh3, would drop Black's winning chances from 51% to 15% (+4.71).
• 26…Rd1+ wins the queen for a rook, picking it up with 27…Rxd1+.
• Sets up a sequence and wins the queen for a rook once the captures settle, picking it up with 27…Rxd1+.
• White answers 27.Qxd1, taking the rook on d1.

27…Rd5 is a blunder: Black's winning chances go from 50% to 0%.

• White answers 28.cxd5, which takes the rook on d5.
• The rook on d5 can be taken by the queen on d1 or the c4 pawn.
• After cxd5, White wins 5 points of material within 2 moves.
• Better was 27…Rxd1+ (−0.01), which takes the queen on d1.

Better: 27…Rxd1+ wins the queen. After 28.Kh2 Rd7 29.Rxd7 Nxd7 30.Nf5 Kf8, the rooks are traded and Black comes out a queen's worth up (−0.01).

28.Qd3 is a blunder: White's winning chances go from 100% to 62%.

• Black answers 28…Rxd3, which takes the queen on d3.
• The queen on d3 can be taken by the rook on d5.
• After Rxd3, Black wins 9 points of material within 6 moves.
• Better was 28.cxd5 (+24.58), which takes the rook on d5.

Better: 28.cxd5 wins a rook and stops …Rxd1+. After 28…h5 29.Rc7 Bd7 30.Ne5 h4 31.Nxd7 hxg3 32.Rc8+, White comes out the exchange plus a pawn up (+24.58).

29.Kh2 is a mistake: White's winning chances go from 63% to 50%.

• Black answers 29…Rd7, which protects the a7 pawn, which was hanging.
• Better was 29.Rxa7 (+1.40), which takes the pawn on a7.

Better: 29.Rxa7 takes the a7 pawn. After 29…Bxh3 30.gxh3 Rxf3 31.Rb7 h5 32.Rxb6 h4, White comes out a pawn up (+1.40).

• Both sides followed opening theory up to 5…c6: 10 moves in all, 5 by White and 5 by Black.
• Theory runs out after 5…c6: too few games between strong players reached this position to go further.