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Boris Savchenko vs Vladimir Belov
Russian Club Cup (2006), Sochi RUS, rd 4, Apr-23
Sicilian Defense: General (B20)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
May-07-06  notyetagm: Savchenko uses Zvjaginsev's anti-Sicilian 2 ♘a3!? to score a fine victory with the concluding blow 33 ♖f8+!:

33 ... ♗xf8 <pinning theme> 34 ♕h7#

33 ... ♔xf8 <decoy for tempo> 34 ♕e7+ ♔g8 35 ♕f7+ ♔h8 36 ♕h7#

Notice the awesome mating power of the White b7-rook, which controls all of the critical checking/mating focal points e7, f7, and h7 along the 7th rank.

May-07-06  notyetagm: I really like the mating line that begins 33 ♖f8+! ♔xf8 34 ♕e7+.

<White sacrifices a whole rook(!) just to be able to double his remaining two heavy pieces on the 7th rank with tempo>. That is, since Black must meet the threat of 35 ♕x♔, he has no time to meet the secondary threat of 35 ♕f7+ and 36 ♕h7# because he must get out of check.

Contrast this with the immediate 33 ♕e7, which threatens only the mate along the 7th rank. Since there is no check, Black needs to meet only this single threat, which he can do with 33 ... ♖g7. This defensive idea ... ♖g7 is not available to Black in the rook decoy line because it does not get the Black king out of check, hence the point of the decoy.

So 34 ♕e7+ forces mate because it lets White double heavy pieces along the 7th rank <with tempo (for free)> while 33 ♕e7 does not force mate because the doubling of the White heavy pieces is not free of charge.

Aug-15-11  MPU: Ironically, the simple Rb8+ seems to mate quicker.
Kg7 Qe7#
Bf8 Rfxf8 Kg7 Qh8#
Qd8 Qxd8+ Bf8 Qxf8 Kh7 Qh8#
Kh7 Rf7+ Rg7 Qe4#
Apr-26-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Korora: Well, I was right about a piece sac; I was wrong about which piece. The ♘, not the ♗.
Apr-26-25  Walter Glattke: 20.Nxf7 a) 20.-Rxf7 21.Bxg6 Rf8 22.Qh4 Bd7 23.f5 Qxc3 24.Bxh6 Qxe5 25.Rbe1 Qf6 26.Bg5 ++- Chess for the books "YTge perfect cadtle attack" b) 20.-Kxf7 21.f5 Ke8 (Ke8 exd6) Bxf5 22.Bxf5 Rxf5 24.Rxf5 gxf5 25.Qh4 Kh6 26.Qxe7 Qxc3 27.Qxd6 Qd4+ 28.Qxd4 cxd4 29.e6 -+
Apr-26-25  Walter Glattke: Sorry, not time enough to be pö-hö-hö-hör-fect (perfect)
Apr-26-25  mel gibson: I didn't know.

Stockfish 17 is calling it a draw:

20. Nxf7

(20. Nxf7 (1.Nxf7 Kxf7 2.f5 Bxf5 3.g4 e6 4.gxf5 gxf5 5.Bxh6 Bxh6 6.Qh4 Bg7 7.Bxf5 exf5 8.Qh7 dxe5 9.Rxf5+ Ke6 10.Rxf8 Rxf8 11.Qxg7 Nd7 12.Rd1 Qd8 13.Rxd7 Rg8 14.Rxd8 Rxg7+ ) 0.00/64 162)

score =0.00, a draw.

Apr-26-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Z jim its warn bucky its q its of ave its lu Nxf7 ach its latch its coffin abe its leeway its dub its chi do its a guild quid Nxf7 its ear x
Apr-26-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Yuridmi: 19. ... h6 losing error, wasting time.
Found eight alternatives for Black's 19th move that FRITZ computer evaluates as equal: Rbd8, Rbe8, Qxa2, Bd7, dxe5, Bc8, Bf5, and Na4
Apr-26-25  King.Arthur.Brazil: The king didn't see much to decide upon the complicated 20. Nxf7, but it seems so unusual. The probable line is: 21. Bxg6 Rff8 22. f5 Bxe5 23. Qh4 h5 24. Qg5 Bg7 25. h3 Be2 26. Qxh5 Rf6 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Bh6 Bxh6 29. Qxh6+ Kg8 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Qh8#.

I wold not find this entire line OTB. 20. Nxf7 Rxf7 21. Bxg6 Rff8 22. f5 Bxe5 23. Qh4 h5 24. Qg5 Bg7 25. h3 Be2 26. Qxh5 Rf6 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Bh6 Rxg6 29. fxg6+ Bxf1 30. Rxf1+ Ke8 31. Qxg7 Kd7... But, if B didn't take the ♘, what to do? E.G. 20. Nxf7 Nxc4 21. Qg3 Rxb1 22. Bxb1 Bf5 22. 23. Bxf5 gxf5 24. Nxh6+ Kh7 ...

Apr-26-25  Hercdon: Should have been drawn, but was difficult to find over the board. Chess can be very complicated

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