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ANNOTATED GAME
Shirov #3: "Two Queens beat a Full House"
Alexey Shirov (2700?) vs. Arnaud Hauchard (2500?)
Annotated by: raskerino (1841)
Chess opening: Benko gambit half accepted (A57)
Alexey Shirov (2700?) vs. Arnaud Hauchard (2500?)
Annotated by: raskerino (1841)
Chess opening: Benko gambit half accepted (A57)
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21... Qb7 |
Black offers the queen trade, which, for the moment, stops 22.Rxd7. | ||||
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22. Qh3 |
White shuttles to the h file not only threatening all sorts of combinations on h7 but also this hits e6. | ||||
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22... Qc6 |
So black defends e6, once again taking the passive role he's taken the ENTIRE game since his gambit was declined. | ||||
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23. Nd5 |
A beautiful sacrifice. While this is a wonderful move doesn't the simpler 23.Bxf6 work? Well, 23.Bxf6 Nf8 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 where 25.Rxf8 seems the natural way to continue 25... Kxf8 26.Qh8 Ke7 27.Qg7# so what about 25... Rxf8 26.Qh7 Kf6 27.Rf1 Kg5 28.h4 Kg4 29.Be2 Kg3 30.Bf3! where Ne2# is threatened. So I don't see why he didn't choose this line, except that this win is FAR nicer looking. I think 23.Rxf6 works too, but, oh well. If someone would like to enlighten me on a defense for black I'd like to see it. I think those win, but this is more enjoyable to play. | ||||
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23... exd5 24. Rxd5 |
The point of the knight sacrifice, black cannot with the knight because of Qh7# and now, with the e pawn gone Shirov's bishop is aiming right at black's king. | ||||
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24... Kf8 |
Black evacuates the a2-g8 diagonal, but the g8 square is weak and white brings another piece to bear on it. | ||||
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25. Qh7 |
Black is now forced to shut down the a2-g8 diagonal at all costs the threats revolving around rook sacrifices (to open the bishop) on g8 are too scary. | ||||
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25... Re6 |
So the rook blocks the diagonal. | ||||
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26. Bh6 |
White now wins the g7 bishop because 26... Bxh6 27.Qf7# | ||||
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26... Ke8 |
Black runs for the hills but the escape was not to be. | ||||
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27. Qxg7 |
White takes the bishop, and black's king is falling to pieces. | ||||
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27... Nxd5 |
Black's knight is no longer pinned and so he gets rid of the menacing bishop, while trying to place another piece in bishops path. | ||||
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28. Qh8+ |
White's pawn has done it's duty as a pawn, it will now rise to a new and greater life, as a queen. So white gets his queen out of the way with check to prepare pushing the g pawn to glory. Thanks to scottyad for pointing out that this is a blunder! 28.Bg5 is stronger because it locks white's king where it is. | ||||
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28... Ke7 29. g7 Rxh6 |
Black sees a free piece and he jumps at it, but white can now queen. Again, thanks to scottyad for pointing out that here, black blunders back, after 29... Bb7! black has just enough to survive, and is even better. | ||||
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30. Rf7+ |
An excellent rook sacrifice so that the pawn can queen with check. | ||||
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30... Kxf7 31. g8=Q+ Ke7 32. Qgd8+ |
And black resigns as white has forced mate, with either 32... Kf7 33.Qg8#, 32... Ke6 33.Qxh6 Nd7f6 34.Qhxf6# or 32... Kd6 33.Qxh6 Nd5f6 34.Qhxf6#. Notice how in the 32... Ke6 like the bishop pins a knight to the king, and after 32... Kd6 the queen pins the other knight to the king. I think this is a great drawn out attack on the black king, where no matter how many pieces were lost there were always more to take their place. I don't think I gave this attack full justice in my analysis, so I'd really appreciate thoughts, criticisms and variations. I hope you enjoyed this fantastic attack- and at the end white has two queens and a bishop while black has EVERY piece but his dark squared bishop. | ||||
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