Daily puzzle: my pick of wonderful moves from 2016
I am starting the New Year with a fairly random selection of moves seen during 2016: skewed to the last few months, since I only thought of making such a selection in December, and then had to try to recall some of my favourite moments.
Black to play and draw
Position after 29 Kg1-f2
Anand v Adams, London Chess Classic 12/12/16
Solution
Mickey had been struggling for some while defending a worse position. I had watched it live, and suffered with him after he gave up his e5 pawn for what turned out to be insufficient compensation.
I had settled into expecting Vishy to eventually convert his pawn advantage.
Vishy had, as anyone would, just improved his king by 29 Kg1-f2. In fact, that enabled Mickey to escape, because he spotted a hidden tactic.
1 …Nc3!!
For the game continuation, see my Cloud Database (which I think, but am not sure, was pasted from Chessbase.com, my main source of chess news): but briefly: 2 bc Rd4 3 cd Bd4+
A great save, particularly since Black’s previous move, Kf8-e7 was essential to make the tactical sequence work: a move earlier, Nc3? would have failed because at the end of the line, a Bb4+ wins the rook.
FEN
3rr3/pp2kp2/1bp5/3nP3/3N1PR1/2P5/PP1B1K2/R7 b – – 0 29
ChessBase Cloud
The game can be found here:
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