Promotions part 2

After my game against Giovanni Callebaut played in the rapidtournament of Aalter see the memory I was exuberant. Obviously winning from a 1600 player is not very special if you are rated 2300. However it was how I won with a double rook sacrifice which pleased me enormously. This double rook sacrifice was on my wish-list for quite some time already (see e.g. game publications). The American grandmaster Gregory Serper even wrote an article about it see "typical patterns everyone should know double rook sacrifice" but he also admits that he never got the opportunity to play it.

His brother is of course the double bishop-sacrifice which destroys the king-side. Some examples of this famous theme can be found in chesscollection Double Bischop Sacrifices and in an article of the strong American grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky see "the double bishop sacrifice".  Beginning of this year I got the chance for the first time to execute it in a game. I am rather proud about that game although it just concerns an online one of 3 minutes each.

[Event "Rated game, 3 min"] [Site "Main Playing Hall"] [Date "2018.01.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Brabo"] [Black "Pasdarr"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C10"] [WhiteElo "2238"] [BlackElo "2137"] [PlyCount "49"] [EventDate "2018.01.13"] [Sourcetitle "playchess.com"] [CurrentPosition "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1"] 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bd7 5.Nf3 Bc6 6.Bd3 Nd7 7.Qe2 Ngf6 8.Ng3 Be7 9.O-O O-O 10.Bd2 b6 11.c4 Bb7 12.Rfe1 c5 13.d5 e5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Bd6 16.Qe2 b5 17.b3 bxc4 18.bxc4 Re8 19.Qf3 Qc7 20.Bc3 Nd7 21.Bxh7+ Kxh7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.Bxg7 { (The famous and rare double-bishop-sacrifice.) } 23...Kxg7 24.Nf5+ Kg8 ( 24...Kf6 25.Nxd6 Qxd6 26.Qh6+ { (I already saw this idea when I sacrificed the first bishop which obviously gives this game more brilliance.) } ) 25.Qg5+ 1-0

Other challenges on my wish-list are/ were e.g. a royal fork, a self-fork, excelsior,... These are all one by one exceptional themes. A less ambitious list can also be made as in the article "chess moves to play before you die". Besides it is also perfectly possible to add conditions when a goal is achieved. I guess probably all of us have once done an under-promotion if only to have some fun (be careful for the Nakamura-scenario see his game against Mamedyarov which I mentioned in my article jokes). Much harder is to find under-promotions which can be considered obligatory. Such example can be found in my article promotions. Very exceptional are the type of under-promotions which are not only mandatory but also unique. I mean with unique that the position does't resemble to anything earlier seen in practice.

On the site of Tim Krabbe there is an article "Practical underpromotion" which demonstrates how few examples comply to all above conditions. Well last I was astonished that 2 of such unique and mandatory under-promotions could've popped up in 1 of my most recent games. I write "could've" as the game was agreed drawn prematurely. Pity of course but understandable as I had just blundered a piece which spoiled the win. By using the computer I found the well-hidden pearls. I start with the most easy one.

[Event "Interclub Hoboken - Deurne"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dardha, A."] [Black "Brabo"] [Result "*"] [ECO "C45"] [WhiteElo "2310"] [BlackElo "2309"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "3rr1k1/p4ppp/8/q7/2N1p3/PPb4P/1B2QPP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 28"] [PlyCount "17"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [CurrentPosition "3rr1k1/p4ppp/8/q7/2N1p3/PPb4P/1B2QPP1/4R1K1 b - - 0 28"] 28...Bxe1 { (I proposed a draw with this move which Arben accepted after some hesitation. Probably we missed due to this a lot of fun.) } 29.Nxa5 Bxa5 30.Qg4?! { (We looked at this move during the game and in the postmortem but stronger are Bc1 and Qb5.) } ( 30.Bc1!? Rd3 31.b4 Bb6 32.a4 Rd4! 33.a5 Bc7 34.Qc2 Rc8 35.g3 Rxb4 $15 ) 30...g6 31.Qg5 e3 ( 31...Rd1+ { (Likely I would've chosen this move in the game if this position would've occurred on the board.) } 32.Kh2 Bc7+ 33.g3 Be5 { (We both missed this finesse. The planned Rd6 only gives an equal position.) } 34.Bxe5 Rd5 $17 ) 32.Qxa5?! { (The best is fxe3 but the resulting endgame is not comfortable.) } ( 32.fxe3! Rd1+ 33.Kf2 Be1+ 34.Ke2 Rd2+ 35.Kxe1 Rxb2 $17 ) 32...Rd1+ 33.Kh2 exf2 34.Qc3 Rh1+ 35.Kg3 ( 35.Kxh1 f1=Q+ 36.Kh2 Qf4+ 37.Kh1 f6 $19 ) 35...Re3+ 36.Qxe3 f1=N+ $19 *

Black sacrifices a bishop, 2 rooks and executes an under-promotion. Still it can go even crazier when white chooses for the critical move 32. Qf6.
 

[Event "Interclub Hoboken - Deurne"] [Site "?"] [Date "2018.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Dardha, A."] [Black "Brabo"] [Result "*"] [ECO "C45"] [WhiteElo "2310"] [BlackElo "2309"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "3rr1k1/p4p1p/6p1/b5Q1/8/PP2p2P/1B3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 32"] [PlyCount "24"] [EventDate "2018.??.??"] [CurrentPosition "3rr1k1/p4p1p/6p1/b5Q1/8/PP2p2P/1B3PP1/6K1 w - - 0 32"] 32.Qf6?! { (Of course this is the critical test.) } 32...exf2+! 33.Kh2 Bc7+! 34.g3 f1=N+! { (A fantastic knight-promotion of which the complications continue quite some moves.) } 35.Kg2 ( 35.Kg1 Bb6+! 36.Kh1 Nxg3+! 37.Kh2 Rd2+ 38.Kxg3 Re3+ 39.Kh4 Bd8 $19 ) 35...Ne3+! 36.Kf3 Kf8! 37.Qg7+ Ke7! 38.Bf6+ ( 38.Kxe3 Rd5! 39.Kf3 Kd8! 40.Qf6+ Re7! 41.Kg2 Rd2+! 42.Kf1 Bb6 $19 ) 38...Ke6! 39.Bxd8 Be5! 40.Qh6 Nf5! 41.Qg5 h6 { (This is the only black move for which exists an alternative. However h6 is clearly inferior to f6.) } 42.Qd2 Nd4+! 43.Kg2 Rxd8! $19 { (3 pieces are too much for the queen. It is a spectacular line which is impossible to calculate correctly at the board.) } *

Doubtless +3000 elo chess. The number of forced moves to keep the winning advantage in the different lines, seems too much as a human to calculate in a game. Besides it are almost all silent moves so without checks.

So a wish-list or bucket-list in chess can be something very different than winning ratings or titles. By the way except playing special moves it can also be just participating to some chess-activities. Personally I am looking forward to play together some competitions with my son. That can be in 1 team or in big international tournaments or maybe our first official mutual game.

Brabo