Hi all, we're going to look at another instructive game today. This time featuring a spectacular
positional queen sacrifice. Mind-boggling complications arise in this game. I can't
possibly explore all the variations, but if you have any questions please leave them in
the YouTube commentary and I’ll try and answer them. Whites position Nezhmetdinov
and black was Chernikov. The year was 1962, played in Rostov. So Nezhmetdinov played e4
and then we have here the Sicilian defense was played, the open Sicilian and now we see
the accelerated dragon variation. So black with g6 is though weakening the dart squares
around the king. Let's make a mental note of this for the main strategic theme of the
game, which is the positional queen sacrifice. Nc3, bg7, be3, theory so far. Nf6, bc4. So
the bishop is quite comfortable in that diagonal eyeing the sensitive f7 pawn. After castles
bb3, ng4 was played and now we see the trade of knights and qh4. So white has got a kind
of attacking looking position. After qa5 castles was played. The queen by the way I couldn't
have taken the pawn, because of nxc2++. I'll explain that in the YouTube commentary if
you want. So here black played bf6. Now here is the start of this amazing positional queen
sacrifice. Instead of just routinely moving the queen away and maybe even accepting a
draw by free fold repetition, like qh6, bg7, qh4, bf6, white was very bold. White by the
way was Tals’ trainer and a good friend of a Tal. He had a plus record of 4-1 against
how this guy Nezhmetdinov and he helped Tal win and the world championship match against
Botvinnik. The first time he faced Mikhail Botvinnik. So Tal and Nezhmetdinov have a
kind of similar attacking combinative style and in this position Nezhmetdinov came up
with this crazy idea of just sacking the queen for two minor pieces and a bit of central
control apparently. So qxf6 was played. Now instead of black routinely recapturing with
exf6 and bxd4, where this knight is going to be immediately useful coming to d5, he
plays actually ne2 to deflect the knight away to make it lose time at least. So here after
exf6 would you say that white is lost here? After all white has sacrificed a queen worth
10 units by the standard of chess skills for two pieces worth 6 units. But let's start
to look at the positional compensation and blacks king safety. After nc3 we're going
to see an octopus knight. Have a look at the knight on d5, earlier video. So the octopus
knight comes in now to d5. So black can't take on e4, because already the octopus knight
is taking care of things. Nf6 and winning the rook. So black defends. Defends the pawn
on f6 and now white starts intensifying all the pressure on this measly poor f6 pawn.
Because if that f6 pawn goes then the gates are open for black’s king side weaknesses.
So white now played bd4 and also now as well as these two pieces ganging up on f6, white
also made way now for this rd1 to d3 to f3 maneuver making use of this semi open
d-file. And the fact he hasn't got a d pawn. So white is really ganging up now on f6. Kg7
was played and now rad1 and now here I left it in Rybka believe it or not. This position and
it's starting to become equal at depth 16. At depth 19 it was definitely equal. Rybka
assessing the position now as equal believe it or not. D6 was played with the idea now
of bd7 to b5. So blacks trying to activate this bishop and fort whites attack. So rd3,
bd7, rf3. So the ganging up continues on the f6 pawn and now bb5 is played. So white has
this choice, does he want to move that rook? He told what to do. No he plays bc3 actually
first. He attacks blacks queen. After qd8, he still doesn't move the rook. He plays nxf6.
So there's all sorts of menacing threat now. Black actually played be2 in the game and
here white now has a clear advantage according to rivka. Can you see the next move that white
played? I'll give you five seconds starting from now.
Right, black played nxh7++. Wow! So this bishop is checking the king right and after the king
takes the knight, we see um if the king taken the knight, we see kind of a pack of cards
effect. Because rxf7++ and all of a sudden, this rooks completely free. So see the king
move to h6. Then bxe6 is strong and whites winning this believe it or not. White's got
ample compensation now. The rook and two bishops are starting to be more than enough for rook
and queen after bishop takes rook. So for example bishop takes rook and bg7 and white's
much better according to rivka. So nxh7++, black actually played kg8 and now white played
rh3 and all of a sudden, we see this coordination of the rook and bishop on this sensitive h8
square. So white's still offering this exchange for yet another move. Black now wanted desperately
to try and block this diagonal. He played actually re5 and now white's continuing his
ferocious now attack, played f4. So that rook is being evicted off that a five square. Black
now played bxf1 refusing to move the rook and now Nezhmetdinov instead of even just
taking the rook, he played actually just kxf1, saying to black what are you going to play
now? Because this diagonal and this rook are really coordinating very well. Blacks king
is in real trouble here and look at this rook on a8, it's still not doing anything much.
It can't sacrifice itself yet for that this bishop. It is not on c8 yet. So he does actually
play rc8 and white wants to avoid any rxc3. He is blunting this powerful diagonal. So
he plays actually here bd4, a quite move, bd4. So white's keeping all these positional
trumps. Black's not going anywhere anytime quick. So b5 was played and now Nezhmetdinov
of instead of taking the rook actually just plays ng5. So he's exerting now pressure on
f7. So looking at bishop and knight coordinating as well as this bishop and this rook. So it's
a great amazing team here of four minor pieces going absolutely wild around black’s king.
Rc7 was played trying to defend that f7 point and now we see a spectacular idea. I'll give
you five seconds to see if you can spot it starting from now. Okay white played bxf7
believe it or not. Though this is getting a bit ridiculous. What is going on here? In
the game, let's just look at the game continuation. Rxf7 was played and now look at the material
situation. Black 10,15, 20, white 3, 6 and 11 in total. So a deficit of 9, however can
you see a very nice move here for white? I'll give you 5 seconds starting from now. White
played rh8++. So this is reminiscent of Petrosian Spassky kind of rh8++ where blacks position
comes down like a pack of cards. Because after kxh8, nxf7 winning a whole rook and also forking
queen and king leaving white up on material believe it or not after all that. After nxd8
white is now clearly up a material. Rxe4 was played and now white plays nc6 just protecting
that bishop and after rxf4, ke2. Black has had enough. Black resigned, a pawn down and
knight and bishop are more than enough for the rook. So whites got a clear material advantage
and black left it there.