With the effects of the pandemic still being felt, the year 2021 saw many people worldwide either discover or rediscover the joys of chess. Billions of moves were played online to go with the millions that were played “offline”. Among all those moves, there were a handful of truly stunning ones that simply wow-ed the chess community. Today we treat ourselves to the cream of the crop.
Here are five of the best:
GM Zeng Chongsheng - GM Aman Hambleton
Blitz game (3 min) on chess.com
[caption id="attachment_182200" align="alignnone" width="300"]
After 20.Kxf2[/caption]
Black has just sacrificed a knight on f2 in typical Modern Benoni fashion. The white king did not heed the warning signs and bravely (or stupidly?) took on f2, only to be stunned by the brilliant 20…Qe3+!! 21.Kxe3 (Kf1 Bd4 and mates) Bd4+ followed by 22…Ne5#.
For a student of chess history, this combination brings on a bout of nostalgia since the great Mikhail Tal once made a famous Nxf2 sacrifice while playing the Modern Benoni.
[caption id="attachment_182202" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Gurgenidze - Tal (1957) - After 14.h3[/caption]
Tal played 14…Nxf2 15.Kxf2 Qh4+ 16.Kf1 Bd4 17.Nd1 Qxh3! (18.gxh3 Bxh3#) and went on to win in 10 more moves.
GM Alexandr Predke - IM Ahmad Ahmadzada
European Club Cup 2021
[caption id="attachment_182201" align="alignnone" width="300"]
After 35…Rf7-c7[/caption]
In this tense position (the white rook on e5 is pinned), Alexandr Predke uncorked à la Petrosian with 36. Qc8+!!. The knight fork works in two ways, 36…Rxc8 37.Nf7+ Kg7 38.Nxd6 (attacking the black rook) and 36…Kg7 37.Qxc7+ Qxc7 38.Ne6+.
This is how ‘Iron’ Tigran Petrosian did it in a World Championship match.
[caption id="attachment_182203" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Petrosian - Spassky (1966 World Championship) - White to move[/caption]
29.Bxf7+ Rxf7 30.Qh8+!! It is considered an all time classic.
GM Maxime Lagarde - GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen
European Individual Championship 2021
[caption id="attachment_182204" align="alignnone" width="300"]
After 24.f7-f5[/caption]
All the white pieces are active but it is not clear how to do anything dramatic other than 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 26.Qe5+ Kh6 27.Qf4+ when it ends with a perpetual check.
Lagarde’s brilliant 25.Qh6!! forced instant resignation from his opponent. (25…Bxh6 26.Nf6+ Kh8 27.Rh7#)
GM Anderson Mads - GM Pablo Salinas Herrera
FIDE World Cup 2021
[caption id="attachment_182205" align="alignnone" width="300"]
After 23.Bb2-c1[/caption]
One can feel a combination in the air with all those black pieces invading the personal space of the white king and also with the possibility of d5-d4 to unlock the black bishop on b7. But for now, white is attacking the black queen with his bishop on c1. What can black do?
23…Ng4!! Now 24.Nxe3 Nxe3# is a delightful checkmate. So white played 24.Rd3. What can black do now?
24…d4!! Now black is threatening 25…Nxh2#.
White played 25.Red1 to create a flight square for his king, but black still had one more stunning checkmate pattern up his sleeve, making it the undisputed “combination of the year”.
25…Qg1+!! 26.Nxg1 27.Nxh2#
Alexandra Kosteniuk - Irina Krush
Finals (Russia vs USA) - Online Olympiad 2021
[caption id="attachment_182206" align="alignnone" width="300"]
After 21…f5[/caption]
Kosteniuk, a former women’s World Champion, sealed the gold for Russia in the best possible manner with three stunning blows.
22.Ng5 (threatening 23.Rxh7#) Qc7 23.Qe5+!! Rg7 (again 23…Qxe5 24.Rh7#) 24.Rd8+ Qxd8 25.Rxh7+ Kg8 26.Qxg7#.
Considering the circumstances and the player (Kosteniuk is known for her glamorous nature and is often called the “Chess Queen”), this combination should be a shoo-in for the sequel of “The Queen’s Gambit” if they ever produce it.
After 20.Kxf2[/caption]
Black has just sacrificed a knight on f2 in typical Modern Benoni fashion. The white king did not heed the warning signs and bravely (or stupidly?) took on f2, only to be stunned by the brilliant 20…Qe3+!! 21.Kxe3 (Kf1 Bd4 and mates) Bd4+ followed by 22…Ne5#.
For a student of chess history, this combination brings on a bout of nostalgia since the great Mikhail Tal once made a famous Nxf2 sacrifice while playing the Modern Benoni.
[caption id="attachment_182202" align="alignnone" width="300"] Gurgenidze - Tal (1957) - After 14.h3[/caption]
Tal played 14…Nxf2 15.Kxf2 Qh4+ 16.Kf1 Bd4 17.Nd1 Qxh3! (18.gxh3 Bxh3#) and went on to win in 10 more moves.
GM Alexandr Predke - IM Ahmad Ahmadzada
European Club Cup 2021
[caption id="attachment_182201" align="alignnone" width="300"] After 35…Rf7-c7[/caption]
In this tense position (the white rook on e5 is pinned), Alexandr Predke uncorked à la Petrosian with 36. Qc8+!!. The knight fork works in two ways, 36…Rxc8 37.Nf7+ Kg7 38.Nxd6 (attacking the black rook) and 36…Kg7 37.Qxc7+ Qxc7 38.Ne6+.
This is how ‘Iron’ Tigran Petrosian did it in a World Championship match.
[caption id="attachment_182203" align="alignnone" width="300"] Petrosian - Spassky (1966 World Championship) - White to move[/caption]
29.Bxf7+ Rxf7 30.Qh8+!! It is considered an all time classic.
GM Maxime Lagarde - GM Thai Dai Van Nguyen
European Individual Championship 2021
[caption id="attachment_182204" align="alignnone" width="300"] After 24.f7-f5[/caption]
All the white pieces are active but it is not clear how to do anything dramatic other than 25.Rxg7+ Kxg7 26.Qe5+ Kh6 27.Qf4+ when it ends with a perpetual check.
Lagarde’s brilliant 25.Qh6!! forced instant resignation from his opponent. (25…Bxh6 26.Nf6+ Kh8 27.Rh7#)
GM Anderson Mads - GM Pablo Salinas Herrera
FIDE World Cup 2021
[caption id="attachment_182205" align="alignnone" width="300"] After 23.Bb2-c1[/caption]
One can feel a combination in the air with all those black pieces invading the personal space of the white king and also with the possibility of d5-d4 to unlock the black bishop on b7. But for now, white is attacking the black queen with his bishop on c1. What can black do?
23…Ng4!! Now 24.Nxe3 Nxe3# is a delightful checkmate. So white played 24.Rd3. What can black do now?
24…d4!! Now black is threatening 25…Nxh2#.
White played 25.Red1 to create a flight square for his king, but black still had one more stunning checkmate pattern up his sleeve, making it the undisputed “combination of the year”.
25…Qg1+!! 26.Nxg1 27.Nxh2#
Alexandra Kosteniuk - Irina Krush
Finals (Russia vs USA) - Online Olympiad 2021
[caption id="attachment_182206" align="alignnone" width="300"] After 21…f5[/caption]
Kosteniuk, a former women’s World Champion, sealed the gold for Russia in the best possible manner with three stunning blows.
22.Ng5 (threatening 23.Rxh7#) Qc7 23.Qe5+!! Rg7 (again 23…Qxe5 24.Rh7#) 24.Rd8+ Qxd8 25.Rxh7+ Kg8 26.Qxg7#.
Considering the circumstances and the player (Kosteniuk is known for her glamorous nature and is often called the “Chess Queen”), this combination should be a shoo-in for the sequel of “The Queen’s Gambit” if they ever produce it.