Everybody Loves a Queen Sacrifice

     The following game played in the Hoogovens Open in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands on January 19,1995 is known as The Pearl of Wijk aan Zee. 

     GM Roberto Cifuentes was born on December 21, 1957 in Santiago, Chile and he won the Chilean Championship five times,1982-1986. In th elate 1980s he left Chile and settled in The Netherlands, where he took 2nd place in the Dutch Championship in 1993. Next, he moved to Spain. 

     The winner, Russian GM Vadim Zvjaginsev, was born August 18, 1976 in Moscow and played for the gold medal-winning Russian team in the 1997 World Team Championship and in the 1998 Olympiad. He graduated from Moscow State University (Faculty of Economics) in 1996. 

     Zvjaginsev is a very aggressive, tactical player. Viktor Korchnoi in an interview described him as a very original player, with an unusual view on life, which is reflected in his chess. He has been known to unleash an occasional outlandish opening novelty in order to catch his opponent off guard and avoid established theory and home preparation. For example, occasionally against the Sicilian Defense he plays 1.e4 c5 2.Na3!? which he has used to defeat the likes of Khalifman and Ponomariov. 

     In the following game Cifuentes started out with a quiet opening, but then in the early middlegame he began to play very aggressively and launched a K-side attack. The plan backfired because it was Zvjaginsev who took over the initiative on the K-side, sacrificed a piece, then the exchange and finally ended the game with a King hunt that was initiated by a Queen sacrifice!

Roberto Cifuentes Parada - Vadim Zvjaginsev

Result: 0-1

Site: Hoogovens Open, Wijk aan Zee

Date: 1995.01.16

QGD, Semi-Slav

[...] 1.d4 e6 2.♘f3 d5 3.c4 ♘f6 4.♘c3 c6 5.e3 ♘bd7 6.♕c2 b6 Normal is 6...Bd6, but here black adapts an unusual plan in which he aims for quiet development and and avoid the early central exchanges that often come about after 6...Bd6 7.♗e2 Instead of this slow, super-solid move white usually plays 7.Bd3 7...♗b7 8.O-O ♗e7 9.♖d1 It's common practice to place a R opposite the Q in situations like this, but it might be more useful to play 9. b3 and 10.Bb2 (9.b3 O-O 10.♗b2 ♖c8 and now white can play either R to d1.) 9...O-O 10.e4 Eschewing the usual plan of developing the B on b2, white decides to open the center immediately. 10...dxe4 11.♘xe4 ♕c7 A routine precaution...removing the Q from the line of the R.

11...c5 Opening up the d-file with his Q on d8 is too dangerous 12.♘xf6+ ♗xf6 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.♗e3 and black's weakened Q-side P-formation gives white the advantage.

12.♘c3

12.♘xf6+ ♘xf6 13.c5 ♖fd8 14.♗g5 a5 15.♖ac1 bxc5 16.dxc5 with equality. Potkin,V (2647)-Dreev,A (2668)/Khanty-Mansiysk RUS 2013

12...c5

12...h6 13.h3 ♖fd8 14.♗e3 a6 15.♖ac1 c5 16.b3 cxd4 17.♘xd4 ♖ac8 is completely equal. Florescu,C (2239)-Dragomirescu,C (2213)/Slanic Moldova ROM 2011

13.d5 An ambitious idea that will depend on white's maintaining the P on d5. If it becomes weak then black will have the advantage. 13.Bg5 would be quite solid. 13...exd5 14.cxd5 (Weaker is 14.♘xd5 ♘xd5 15.cxd5 ♖ad8 and black is slightly better.) 14...a6 The idea is to advance the b-Pawn and drive away a defender of the d-Pawn. 15.♘h4 Risky play. It forces a slight weakening of black's K-side after he plays 15...g6, but if white cannot successfully attack on the K-side then his N will have to retreat with a loss of time. 15.Bg5 was a solid alternative. 15...g6 Black plays it safe and prevents the N from going to f5. 16.♗h6 ♖fe8 17.♕d2 The purpose of this move is to give the N the possibility of going to f5 anyway. i.e. Nf5 and the ...gxf5 is not possible because of the reply Qg5+. As white plays the N never reaches f5 and black gains time to advance his Q-side Ps. A safe move was 17.a4 17...♗d6 Blocks the pawn on d5 and attacks h2. 18.g3 This creates a weakness on his K-side which he will come to regret.

18.♘f5 sacrificing a P is his best bet, but it is hard to make such a decision OTB. 18...♗xh2+ 19.♔h1 ♗d6

19...♗e5 results in some very dynamic play. For example... 20.d6 ♕b8 21.♘e7+ ♔h8 22.♗g5 b5 23.♗f3 ♗xf3 24.gxf3 a5 25.a4 bxa4 26.♔g2 ♖a6 27.♗xf6+ ♗xf6 28.♖xa4 ♗xe7 29.dxe7 ♖xe7 30.♖e4 ♖xe4 31.♘xe4 ♘f6 32.♘xc5 ♖c6 33.♕xa5

20.♘xd6 ♕xd6 21.♗f4 ♘e5 with equal chances.

18...b5 19.♗f3 Now it's too late to continue with Nf5.

19.♘f5 ♖xe2 20.♘xe2 ♘e5 21.♘h4 He can't allow ...gxf5 because the N can now go to g6 in case of a Q check on g5. 21...♘eg4 22.♗e3 ♖e8 and white is in trouble.

19...b4 20.♘e2 ♘e4 More exact would have been 20. ..Ne5 because it prevents the N on h4 from returning via h2 (white has to play Bg2) and he could play ...Nc4-b6 adding pressure to the d-Pawn. 21.♕c2 ♘df6 22.♘g2 A good move that brings the N back into play. 22...♕d7

22...♗f8 was even better. 23.♗xe4

23.♗xf8 ♘g5 24.♘e1 ♘xf3+ 25.♘xf3 ♔xf8 leaves white weak on the white squares around his K.

23...♗xh6 24.♗f3 ♕d6 White's attack is at a standstill and his d-Pawn is under pressure.

23.♘e3

23.♗f4 illustrates the point of black's last move. 23...♗f8 This is probably the clearest move because white must tend to holding on to his d-Pawn.

23...♗xf4 24.♘gxf4 ♕f5 25.♗xe4 ♘xe4 26.♖ac1 g5 27.f3 ♘d6 28.♕xc5 gxf4 29.♘xf4 ♕f6 30.♕xb4 ♖ad8 and black is much better.

24.g4 (24.♘e3 g5 and the B is trapped.) 24...h6 25.♘e3 ♘g5 26.♗xg5 hxg5 27.♘g3 a5

23...♖ad8 24.♗g2 This leads to disaster because it leaves the g4 square undefended. Better would have been either 24.Rac1 or even 24.h4. 24...♘xf2 Alert play! After this black has a won game because the position of white's K is completely destroyed. ..but only if he follows it up correctly! 25.♔xf2 ♖xe3 ...which he does. Any other move would simply leaves white the exchange ahead. 26.♗xe3

26.♔xe3 does not change his destiny. 26...♘g4+ 27.♔d2 ♘xh6 leaves white down material.

26...♘g4+ 27.♔f3

27.♔g1 was somewhat better. 27...♘xe3 28.♕d2 ♘xd1 29.♖xd1 Black is only a P ahead, but he has a strategically won position. In Shootouts white scored +0 -7 =0. Here is a possible continuation. 29...a5 30.♔h1 ♖e8 31.♘f4 ♕g4 32.♗h3 ♕g5 33.♗g2 h5 34.♕d3 h4 35.♘h3 ♕e7 36.♘f2 ♗c8 37.♕e4 ♗f5 38.♕xe7 ♖xe7 39.♗f1 hxg3 40.hxg3 ♗xg3 41.♔g2 ♗d6 and black wins easily.

27...♘xh2+ 28.♔f2 ♘g4+ 29.♔f3 ♕e6 This allows black to utilize his B on b7 and, also guards th eN on g4. Now black's pieces begin converging on white's K. 30.♗f4 ♖e8 Black has a mate in 7. 31.♕c4 Allowing a very nice Q-sacrifice to finish the game. (31.♕d2 allows a nifty finish. 31...♗xd5+ 32.♕xd5 ♕xe2#)

31.♗h1 This holds out the longest. 31...♗xd5+ 32.♖xd5 ♕xd5+ 33.♕e4 ♖xe4 34.♔g2 ♖xe2+ 35.♔f1 ♖f2+ 36.♔g1 ♕h5 37.♗xd6 ♕h2#

31...♕e3+ 32.♗xe3 ♖xe3+ 33.♔xg4 ♗c8+ 34.♔g5 h6+ 35.♔xh6 ♖e5 It's mate next move so white resigned. A fantastic game.

Powered by Aquarium