Miniature losses don't happen only to inexperienced players or in games in which one player is vastly outrated. Even world class players can make mistakes and lose a miniature.
In a 1993 game, Anatoly Karpov, the former world champion, blundered a piece on Move 12 against Larry Christiansen and promptly resigned. GAME
Then there was the game in the 1984 US Championship between IM Kamran Shirazi and IM John Peters in which Shirazi resigned on move 5 because he was going to lose a Rook. GAME
Kamran Shirazi (born November 21, 1952) won the Iranian Chess Championship in 1972. He moved to the US in the late 1970s and quickly became one of the most active players in the country. Known for playing strange and unorthodox openings, he quickly became one of the highest rated players in the US.
In the '84 championship, aside from losing the shortest game in the history of the US Championship, he also managed only one draw and suffered 16 losses.
He subsequently appeared in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer and was introduced as "Grandmaster Shirazi."
After his poor performances in the 1984 Championship he did score some decent results, but in the 1992 US Championship he reverted to his '84 form and scored two draws and 13 losses. The result was the joke that he wanted to prove that his 1984 performance wasn't a fluke! Sometime in the early 2000's Shirazi moved to France.
The 1984 US Championship held in Berkeley, California, was also a Zonal tournament. Ironically, in this tournament John Peters found himself on the wrong side of a miniature when he lost a game to Boris Kogan.
John Peters (born 1951) teaches at University of Southern California and was known for his weekly Los Angeles Times chess column which ran from 1982 to 2010.
His opponent, IM Boris Kogan (1940-1993) was the Soviet Junior Champion in 1956 and 1957. He was a full-time chess teacher in the Soviet Union before coming to the United States in 1980. He was Georgia state champion seven years in a row (1980–1986) and won it a total of nine times (additional wins in 1988 and 1992). He died of colon cancer in 1993.
John Peters (2500) - Boris Kogan (2470)
Result: 0-1
Site: US Champ/Zonal, Berkeley
Date: 1984
French Tarrasch
[...] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.♘d2 This movre is a nuance that probably only GMs are really interested in. Like 3.Nc3 the move protects e4, but is different in several key respects: 1) it doesn't block the c-Pawn so white can play c3 to support d5 and 2) it avoids the Winawer Variation (3... Bb4). However, on d2 the N less active and the B is hemmed in so white will typically have to spend an extra move in order to develop the B. The move became particularly popular during the 1970s and early 1980s when Anatoly Karpov used it. 3...a6 This rare move, also probably of interest only to GMs, gained some popularity in the 1970s. The idea is to play a waiting move to make white declare his intentions before black commits to a plan. The move also controls b5 which is often useful for black in most French lines because white no longer has the option of playing Bb5. 4.e5 c5 5.♘gf3 Most usual is 5.c3
5.c3 ♘c6 6.♘gf3 cxd4 7.cxd4 and black can play either 7...Nge7 or 7...Qb6 which is probably his best move.
5...♘c6 6.dxc5 ♕c7 7.♕e2
7.♗d3 ♘xe5 8.O-O ♗xc5 9.♘xe5 ♕xe5 10.c4 ♘f6 11.♘f3 ♕d6 12.cxd5 ♕xd5 13.♗g5 is good for black. Mahdi,K-Herzog,A (2375)/Austria 1989
7.♘b3 ♘xe5 8.♘xe5
8.♗f4 is less effective. After 8...♘d3+ 9.♗xd3 ♕xf4 10.O-O black is slightly better. Krylov,I (2441)-Siniauski,A (2182)/Orsha BLR 2019
8...♕xe5+ 9.♗e2 ♘h6 10.O-O White is better. Horspool,P (2008)-Walton,A (2155)/ Coventry 2013 7.b4 This move is worth consideration. 7...♘xb4 8.♘b3 ♘e7 9.♗b2 ♘g6 10.h4 with interesting play. Black can't take the b-Pawn. 10...♗xc5 11.c3 wins material.
7...♗xc5 8.♘b3 ♗b6 9.g3
9.♗e3 was safer. 9...♗xe3 10.♕xe3 f6 11.exf6 ♘xf6 12.♘bd4 with equal chances.
9...♘ge7 10.♗d2 (10.♗g2 ♘g6 wins the e-Pawn.) 10...♗d7 (10...♘g6 11.♗c3 and the e-Pawn is sufficiently defended.) 11.h4 White, it turns out, does not have time for this because his plan for a K-side attack never comes to fruition. (11.♗c3 a5 12.a4 O-O 13.♗h3 ♘f5 14.O-O d4 15.♗d2 is about equal.) 11...h5 Making way to play ...Ng6
11...f6 was probably better though because after 12.exf6 gxf6−+13.♗h3 e5 black has an excellent position thanks to his center formation which white will find difficult to undermine.
12.♗h3 ♘g6 (12...♖c8!?∓) 13.♗c3 O-O-O By not playing 11...f6 black has allowed white the opportunity to equalize. Castling Q-side is a lot safer that 13...O-O which places the K on the side where white has amassed his pieces. 14.♘g5 He should have also castled Q-side after which the chances would be about even. This move threatening to fork the Rs is practically a losing move because black has a tactical shot. 14...d4 Surprise!
14...♖hf8 allows white equality after 15.O-O-O ♘gxe5 16.f4 ♘c4 17.♗xg7
14...♘gxe5 is OK as black would be better after 15.f4 ♘c4 16.♘xf7 ♘e3 17.♘xh8 ♖xh8
15.♗d2
15.♘xf7 dxc3 16.♘xh8 cxb2 17.♖b1 ♖xh8 White has two pieces for the R, but black has a winning position. 18.O-O ♘cxe5 19.♖fd1 ♖f8 20.♖xb2 ♖xf2 etc.
15...♘cxe5 16.a4 Not that it matters now, but 16.O-O was somewhat better., but then black has 16...Bb5 16...♗c6 17.O-O d3 18.♕d1
18.cxd3 offers no hope as after 18...♖xd3 19.♘e4 (19.♗e3 ♗xe3 20.fxe3 ♖xb3) 19...♗xe4 20.♕xe4 ♖xg3+ it's curtain time.
18...♘g4 In this hopeless position (Stockfish favors black by over -20.00) Kogan gave up.
18...♘g4 19.♕f3 (19.cxd3 ♕xg3+ mates next move.) 19...♗xf3 20.♗f4 ♘xf4 21.♘xf3 ♘e2+ 22.♔h1 ♘xf2+ it's mate in 9 moves.
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