Chess

A genuine sacrifice of anything more than a pawn is quite rare. By contrast, pseudo-sacrifices, where material is temporarily given up for sure profit later, are common.

Today's game, from the European Championship in Pula, sees White investing a whole rook for unclear reward. In the diagram position, Bareyev played 16.Rxg7! After 16...Kxg7 17.Qg6+ Kh8 18.Qxg6 Qe7, he has no forced win: the natural 19.Be4+ Kg8 20.Bxd5+ Be6 21.Ke2 Bxd5 leaves him with no mate. White therefore had to play (as he must have intended when giving up the rook) 19.Bg6+ (to stop the king running to f7) Kg8 20.Ke2. Despite the time White takes to get his rook to g1, then to move it to a defended square on g3, Black cannot properly organise his defences.

After 24...Qf7, he looked safe, but Bareyev kept the attack alive with 25.Bxf6+! pseudo-sacrificing another bishop. Black had to give up his queen, after which White's pawns were too strong.

White: Yevgeny Bareyev

Black: Edouard Rozentalis

1 c4 e6 26 Qh7+ Qf7

2 Nc3 Bb4 27 Rg7 Be8

3 Qb3 Nc6 28 Bg6 Qxg7

4 Nf3 Nf6 29 Qxg7+ Ke6

5 a3 Bxc3 30 Bh7 Ne7

6 Qxc3 d5 31 f4 Bb5+

7 e3 0-0 32 d3 Rf8

8 b4 Ne4 33 Qe5+ Kd7

9 Qc2 Ng5 34 f5 Rae8

10 Bb2 Bd7 35 f6 Nc8

11 cxd5 Nxf3+ 36 Qxd5+ Nd6

12 gxf3 exd5 37 Bg6 Re6

13 Rg1 f6 38 Bf5 Rxf6

14 Bd3 h6 39 Bxe6+ Rxe6

15 Bh7+ Kh8 40 h4 Ke7

16 Rxg7 Kxg7 41 Qc5 a6

17 Qg6+ Kh8 42 Qxc7+ Kf6

18 Qxh6 Qe7 43 Qd8+ Kf7

19 Bg6+ Kg8 44 Kd2 Nf5

20 Ke2 Qg7 45 Qc7+ Re7

21 Qh5 Rfd8 46 Qf4 Ke6

22 Rg1 Kf8 47 e4 Nd4

23 Rg3 Ke7 48 Qh6+ Kd7

24 Bf5 Qf7 49 Qf6 resigns

25 Bxf6+ Qxf6