Letsplaychess.com Instructive game:Positional Queen Sac - Sicilian Defence

[90blacknight]

The position before the sac was known, and it was thought to lead to a draw. Chernikov fancied he would secure the draw against a tired Nezmehtinov, and go about drinking his vodka. However, apparently some 40 minutes went by before Nezmeht unleashed the shocker!! The rest is history.

[MrMusicWillYouPlay]

I really think the sac may be sound and gives much better chances to white. Incredible!!!

[pikachu832]

aren't queens worth 9 units?

[MrMusicWillYouPlay]

@pikachu832 9 points to you or me.

In the hands of an expert it seems closer to 10. There are certainly situations in a middle game without immediate tactics where three minor pieces can dominate a queen if they have good outposts and relatively unimpeded access to the enemy camp, but in my experience a queen is mega strong in the right hands.

I'd personally balance the fact that 2 end game rooks are often superior to the queen by saying that in many middle game situations the lady is stronger

[pikachu832]

@MrMusicWillYouPlay queens are very powerful no doubt. i'd only sac for 2 rooks tbh.

[MrMusicWillYouPlay]

@pikachu832 Me too.

[KevinByrne2]

I would NEVER have had the courage to sacrifice my Queen like that -- especially so early in the game. Amazing.

[magiccards05]

black should of rushed white b4 he had time to recover from the queen sac

[aditya2004]

@kingscrusher :just after the queen sac, I wd like to know if black could have still won? if yes how?

[kingscrusher]

Please also consider subscribing to the channel - it is free and easy, and you will be notified of any new videos.

[gunuffimoo]

Very good..

[rohit07017169]

Fantastic vid

[kingscrusher]

Please like this video if you got something out of it, or even better add it to your favourites. Cheers, K.

[A1B2C3D4E5m]

Tal's trainer! That explains it

[TheMrLandon]

Dear KC,

Applause. While standing.

Sincerely...

[vijaysuri]

lol..not a pack of cards effect.....

its mate in 2

[countrychess]

Q x f6 !!

Wonderful !

Nezh a réfléchit presque une heure sur ce coups; je préfère cette partie à celle gagnée contre Polugayevski, si souventt montrée... 

[jaysonatyler]

If Kg7 @ 9:32, black does not need to take the queen right away. Black can play Bxe5+. The king can't move and blocking would make things worse, so black plays dxe5 and now white can take the queen. Either way, black is losing a rook and the queen. Rybka however does prefer Rxd8 right away after Kg7 and gives an advantage for white in both variations.

[xEric1993]

why would black take on h8 at 9:32?

why not play King to g7??

White would obviously follow up with RxD8 .

Black still loses the queen but it's better than losing a queen and rook!

[GFXReal]

@xEric1993 He would still lose a queen and rook because both rooks are attacked, and one rook would be pinned to the king.

[fLowKnows]

@xEric1993 It still loses a rook because both black's rooks are under attack. Not only that but the position is lost anyway because of the weakness of Blacks' pawns. They can be easily picked off. In the Kg7 line White has a rook and a piece vs a rook. Black went for the probably better line of rook vs knight and bishop.

[ojb500]

awesome, awesome, awesome

[vil64]

Absolutely brilliant! I can't understand how he could see the whole theme at the point of queen sacrifice. A lot of things could've gone wrong. I'm just a casual internet chess player but always have admiration for people who can think this deep. Can you teach that?? ....:))

[BlindfoldedPoet]

Hey kingscrusher,

I want to thank you for your effort on this youtube channel I have been learning chess since 7 months and you have been a great help! I just saw the very nice combination at 8:22 to the end and when my brain got to the Rh8+ I got so excited. Its just pure brilliance. I am kind of proud that i saw it too :)

Thanks kingscrusher.

[godnamedpa]

believe it or not ;)

[gabadiel]

isn't the queen worth 9 not 10?

[KBoogs719]

@gabadiel i think so, i heard that too.

[KBoogs719]

lmfao@7:21, "black's king is in real trouble here" i love this guy!

[Immortalassassin1]

Oh wow I never seen this game b4 and I am astounded at the depth of that queen sac. Obviously it has to be followed with correct and aggressive play but wow. I sometimes play crazy moves like this just to see if it will work but even if I manage to win you feel like your brain wants to go on vacation for a week xD That was an amazing game.

[MENGKESHI]

Seriously though, great game and nice analysis video - thanks! :)

[MENGKESHI]

Maybe it was a blunder lol

[2royplayer]

Another similar though not as famous game is Vladas Mikenas vs Viktor Kupreichik played in the USSR in 1973. Black (Kupreichik) gives up his queen for two minor pieces for purely positional means and eventually wins the game.

[rkjmd]

Wow! Just wow!

[KBoogs719]

yeah i gotta agree, you are a very good commentator, makes it almost like a boxing or mma fight! i have been studying attackers as of late tal, spassky, nezhmetdinov, morphy, i am interested in wild attacks and crazy sacrifices and suggestions?

[LarryRickenbacker]

Enjoyed it. Thanks for posting!

[MOSHEPOLL]

One of my all time favorite games!

[Vikkyk7]

The interesting thing is, that white (Nezhmetinedov) was just an IM, and never reached his GM title !

[UKmarkj]

What an absolutely fantastic game! If only my mad sacrifices would work out like this ;-)

[doublerook]

One of my all time favorite games! Totally into the commentry as well. Great job as always.

[123mcmikey]

outstanding play,very brave and clever, certainly would'nt have gone that way, but then i would probably have lost after losing the queen, great vid though certainly shows how deep these guys think.

[MrXurmomX]

im done at Rh8 + !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

first a queen then the exchange then a whole rook. no one in the right mind can ever find such a combo

Did he know at move 12 at the queen sac that he'll win like this?

Proves that teamwork and bishops can overpower almost anything

[Robotman42]

Would have been nice to have tactical analysis after Bxf7+!!

Well, it's pretty simple. ...Kf8 loses to the rook skewer, ...Kg7 loses to the knight fork.

[lvecsey]

I guess as a trainer you learn to cast a wide net ;)

[iRegulateX63]

never seen a triple fork like that before in a game

[QuakePhil]

=8-[======]

[Seananananan]

wow. I have never seen such a brilliant attacking game

[SamGoldfisher]

This is one of the most amazing games I have ever seen! Playing Qxf6 shows excellent understanding of the game.

[IndyJoner]

luv it

[ttylga]

That's why i love chess!!!

[fezzjr]

just was wondering, is the queen worth 10 pawns or 9... i've always been told 9 so id thought id ask

[Ruxistico]

well... There is no final answer to that question. Just like gold isn't worth anything when you are thirsty in the desert - the queen isn't worth anything if you are facing a mate. Modern computer programs use fluctuating piece values - as do all serious or semi-serious human players. It all depends on the position. To say that the queen is worth 9 or 10 units is merely a guideline.

[dragonheadofthewest]

@Ruxistico definetly nezmetdinov was a genius

[bajen3]

05:42

Its not a option for king to take the nigjt beacuse RH3 (not Rxf7)  follow RH8

[bajen3]

Forgott what i wrote :)

[frodonet]

can anyone explain why black resigns after that?

sorry i didn't understand...

[hmsrenown]

In the end game, white acquired an overwhelming lead in material with knight+bishop against black's sole rook, so there's no point between masters to play out this clearly losing end game for black.

[Ruxistico]

I did some analysis on this game, trying to find out if the queen sac was really sound. My computer thinks that black is better on move 12 and that white is better after move 18 - so I tried to find decent alternatives for black between 12 and 18 - without finding anything that was really convincing - so my current assement is that yes - it is sound :) - but there is still a lot of ground I haven't looked at yet.

Damn I love this game, it's SO beautiful!

[Ruxistico]

brilliant, a real crowdpleaser. Comes as no surprise that he worked with Tal. Awesome playing style.

[rolfch1p]

after Nxh7, if Kxh7 can't white force mate with Rh3 Kg8 Rh8#

[Mrius86]

Awesome vid, man!

[barcdl]

insane...

[Gruntti]

wow! what a game!

[hayeder]

haha that was unbelievable!!!

[MrFedel]

After the "queen sac" i think that black is better and fritz agrees with me. black is better, but the person playing with the pieces was probably a little surprised, throwing his brain off track, playing phsycologically in chess =) heehe

[Syncdev]

That was astonishing how much material he was down and still won.

[greatsauces]

Incredible game!!

[dtsdyloot]

That was a really fun game!

[DaKrazedKyubizt]

i mean Chernikov

not Rostov. Rostov's a place.

[DaKrazedKyubizt]

when it got to Rh8+ near the end, I thought, "oooooo... that's a bitchy move."

and at that point, Rostov was probably like, "sigh.... bitch..."

[LennoxLewis86]

Who would've thought that this could be achieved right after the queen sacrifice! Only because of the g6 pawn like you said.. Better watch it when you Fianchetto ^^'

[jepita22]

what would of happened if immediatly after the queen sac black played b6 to get his bishop in position to trade with the knight or white's bishop

[DaKrazedKyubizt]

wow, that was absolutely murderous.

[mcpartridgeboy]

@MerrIoI go to nyc and try and beat one of the many black players there, if they are so stupid im sure you wouldnt mind puttingg money on it, i bet you dont though hhahaha

[chessviewer]

love all your chess tube videos, keep up the good work

[leratluci]

very nice game according to rybka

[ytmndman]

That was not positional, it was to get a very strong attack

[djcripsalot]

ive d ownvoted ur comment since it doesnt make sense. u are now at -1.

[VietTeaBoyz]

One of the best games I've seen.

[dtsdyloot]

Lovely! So that's where Tal gets his flare :D

[firedwired]

i wish my brain worked like this!

[sshuck]

Rook to H8+ was brutal!

[Nimzomyth68]

Can I ask a question - After Whites Queen sac, is Nxb3 any good for Black. I havn't analysed this on a computer, its just a quick idea to remove White's powerful Bishop on b3.

[italotunisiano]

N takes white bishop allows white to end the game faster [queen takes e 7 then bishop h6  the black king is locked in his cell :) imparable mating ..eventually ]

[Nimzomyth68]

Interesting, thank you.

[jedi0424]

nothing short of brilliant!!! :D

This is a truly inspiring game :D

[Nimzomyth68]

My last was a reply to Edmalikin.

[Nimzomyth68]

Astounding! I had never seen this game before. Thank you for posting.

[ex0duzz]

Nez games are very very nice. So are Tal's.

[99tractorboy]

Very good, are you able to publish the pgn?

[Robotman42]

What would've happened if Black tried to return an exchange with 17. ... Re5, do you think? Accepting would've fixed the doubled pawns either after ...dxe5 and ... f5, or after ... fxe5 (although ...fxe5 leaves a backward pawn)

[Lovuschka]

Robotman42, you probably meant 18. ... Re5, I guess. Well, after 19.Sxf6!! Kxf6 20.f4 white has a devastating attack. Instead, 19...Be6 20.Bc3 Qa6 21.Bxe6!! Rxe6 22.Sd5+ Kf8 23.Sc7 Qc6! 24.Sxa8 b6 25.e5! Qxa8 26.exd6 Ke8 27.d7+ Kd8 leads to an endgame where white should not stand worse (although it will be very hard to win).

[cosbyshow3]

i knew that fork was comin'

[furrer08]

Queenis 9 units as far as i know. But good commentary.

[Raynor35]

He was referring to both the queen and the pawn as 10 units together.

[minorityattack]

nice game, nice commentary.

if you've never heard of nezhmetnidov, you're missing out. take a look at some of his games. if you like tactical chess, nezhmetnidov will entertain you just as much as tal, alekhine, or kasparov.

well maybe not tal :)

[adeadlysniper]

Wow, I'm completely amazed. Nezhmetdinov totally pwned black.

[Newbeeses]

love the ending

[DirtyGhettoKidnumba1]

Nice video. Really nice game. Thanks you for finding it and making the video.

[PartisanRanger]

Brilliant stuff. Thanks for the videos kingscrusher, I think they've really helped my chess. Keep 'em coming! :)

[junkyjuice21]

that was bloody incredible

[jungenbum]

wow amazing

[GregPruden]

This is my favorite chess game of all time. Thanks so much for doing commentary on it!

[xXxWilliExXx]

Mikhail Tal vs NN, Chicago, 1988

A classic ;)

[olimpicsa]

what a game! thanks for that

[erlico82]

beautiful game!

kingscrusher you provide my daily chess 10 minutes of joy

[moonlitekid]

brilliant and scintillating, hands down, you have the best chess videos in you tube. excellent commentary and brilliant games. look forward to the next videos. A series of Anand vids please? Perhaps from his younger and formative years....just a request and I would be honored if u could please oblige.

[kingscrusher]

Thanks - I have added an Anand Playlist now to my youtube profile page.

[roostah7]

i thought a queen was 9 points?

[dontwheynoeko]

kingscrusher you definetely have the best chess games. the last video with the king walk mate and now this one just amazing!!!!!

[Carabin33fr]

Forgot to say awesome video^^ thanks

[Carabin33fr]

king taking knight on H7 just leads to mate doesn't it? After KxH7, RH3 then RH8.

[kingscrusher]

Good idea, but the implementation misses a detail - black has Be2-h5 here, and black seems to have a clear advantage according to Rybka:

r2q4/pp3p1k/3pr1p1/7b/4P3/1BB4­R/PPP2PPP/5RK1 w - - 0 1

1. -/+ (-0.80): 24.Bxe6 fxe6 25.g4 Qg5 26.Rg3 Bxg4 27.h3 Qc5 28.hxg4 e5 29.b4 Qc6

2. -/+ (-1.36): 24.f3 Re8 25.g4 Qd7 26.Rg3 Rg8 27.Rd1 Rac8 28.Bd5

3. -+ (-1.45): 24.g4 Rxe4 25.gxh5 Rg4+ 26.Kh1 Qd7 27.hxg6+ Kxg6 28.Bd5 Re8 29.Rd3 Qc7 30.Bf3

[Carabin33fr]

I see! thanks for replying!

[woodyeckerslyke]

What a game. Thanks.

[edmalikin]

I think queen sarcrifice should be done with a caution and only expierenced players should be doing so.I myself don't sarcrifice pieces unless I am sure it will bring good results few things:

1)Why black king couldn't escape to the queenside? There I didn't see an immediate pressure.

2) Though black has been left with rook and white with knight and bishop how black is winning? Black can try to force a draw with one rook.

Thanks, anyway, for your video. Eduard.

[Nimzomyth68]

I can't see how it would be easy for the black King to escape to the queenside at any time, and also the ending is winning for White for an experienced Grandmaster, which is why Black resigned at this point.

[Attlanttizz]

Unbelievable, the way he valuates position. He understood chess allright!

[FlorianTB]

Quite Tal-like in nature, which brings a thought to mind. How come you dont have any Tal games in your video selection? i dont think you have even one, and how joyous they are to watch too

request: a few Tal games plz

[kingscrusher]

I have done some Tal games. I have created a "play list" for you to check out. If you have any favourite Tal games that are missing from that list, then please let me know and I might video-annotate them.

[Newbeeses]

these queen sack scares me. Scare me to play against it, Scares me to play with it