During adverse positions, it is important to maintain your cool and look at all possible moves before taking a decision in a game of chess. Many times, amateurs or beginners or for that matter even masters are intimidated by a position which looks lost. There is always some chance that the position might just look lost but with some stubborn resistance, could just be salvaged.
The game below is played by masters, players who have been consistently in the top ten in the world. However Peter Svidler, playing with white pieces, takes a rash decision to sacrifice a rook.
White: Peter Svidler (2650) – Black: Alexei Shirov (2685) Tilburg Fontys, 1996
Centre Counter Gambit
1.e4 d5. The Centre Counter Gambit where Black sacrifices a pawn on the very first move
2.exd5. Accepting the gambit
2. ..Nf6 3.d4 Bg4 Not a usual response! This is called the Portuguese variation
4.Be2
Alexei Shirov loves to set the board on fire but here the players are just intent on leaving book theory as far
away as possible
4...Bxe2 5.Qxe2 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nc3
The players have now totally drifted out of known opening theory
7...Qh5 8.Bg5
White could have tried out 8.Qb5 0–0–0 9.Qxh5 Nxh5 10.Ng5 Nxd4 11.0–0 Nxc2 12.Rb1
8...Nxd4 9.Nxd4 Qxg5 10.h4
A good move. If 10.Ncb5 Qc5 11.0–0–0 a6 looks good for black
11...0–0–0 12.0–0–0
Both were expected to castle on the queen side after opening the Kingside pawns
12. ..e6 13.g4 Qa5
Swinging to the opposite side
14.Nb3 Rxd1+ 15.Rxd1 Qa6
Inviting exchange. After all he is a pawn up!
16.Qxa6 bxa6 17.Rd4 Nd7 18.Ra4 Ne5 19.Nd2
If 19.Rxa6 Kb7 20.Ra4 Nxf3 21.Na5+ Kc8
19...Kb7 20.Kd1 Be7 21.h5
Not a good move. He could have tried 21.Re4 Nc6 22.g5
21...g6 22.Re4 Nc6 23.hxg6 hxg6 24.f4 Rh1+
Black is having a good position and there was no need to play this. He should have played 24...Rh4 25.f5 Rh1+ 26.Re1 Rxe1+ 27.Kxe1 gxf5 28.gxf5 exf5
25.Ke2 f5 26.gxf5 gxf5 27.Rc4 Rh2+ 28.Kd1 e5
Once again a mistake! He should have played 28...Bd6
29.Nd5 Rh1+ 30.Ke2 Bh4
Once again the right move was 30...Bd6 31.fxe5 Nxe5 32.Rf4 c6 33.Ne3 Rh2+ 34.Rf2 Rxf2+ 35.Kxf2
31.Nb3 A good move!
31. ..Bg3 32.Nc5+ Kc8 33.Nb3
Why? White could have simply gotten out of this difficult position with 33.Nd3 Kd7 34.Nf6+ Kd6 35.Ne8+ Kd7 36.Nf6+
33...Rh2+ 34.Kd1
White simply walks into a trap. He should have played 34.Kf3 exf4 35.Nxf4 Bxf4 36.Rxc6 Bd6
34...exf4 Sacrificing a knight
35.Rxc6
If 35.Nxf4 Ne5
35...f3
Diagram 1
36.Rf6
Another wrong move. He could have tried 36.c4 and then fought for a draw
36...Rh1+ 37.Kd2 f2 38.Rf8+ Kd7 39.Rxf5 f1Q 40.Rxf1 Rxf1 41.Nb4 Bd6
A very strong move which makes life difficult for White
Difficult for White to save the game but he could have offered better resistance with 59.Ne1 Rh3+ 60.Nd3 Bf6+ 61.Kd2 Rh2+ 62.Kd1 Bg5
59...Rh4 and White resigned.
