GM AndySoltis’ Missed Win

In his always enjoyable column “Chess to Enjoy” in the most recent issue of Chess Life, Soltis discussed the idea that “beautiful moves are often the case of only existing in the thought.”  As GM Alexi Shirov wrote, “Very pretty moves which are objectively not the best have a great practical purpose.”  That’s because it’s their appearance that’s startling and that can make them very effective.  Not to mention that they can be very pleasing. Soltis then went on to give some examples, but the one I found most amusing was his last one where he resigned in a won position when his opponent surprised him with an unexpected move.