Daily Chess Puzzle: fire on board

Today’s problem is from the current European Team Championships.

As is my custom, I only say which side is to play: and not giving an idea if the move wins or otherwise, unless on occasion I think signposting would be helpful. Instead, the problems are posed with the instruction to decide what you would play, as in a game.

White to play: a position to analyse, how far can you see?

Shirov v Westerberg, European Team Championships, Batumi, Georgia, 2ndNovember 2019

Solution

On the off chance (very off chance) I would have seen g3!! in yesterday’s position, I wouldn’t have seen further, with any confidence, than 1 Qd6+ Kf5.

Likely, I would then have rejected the sacrifice, not seeing 2 Qd3+ e4 (2…Ke6 3 0-0-0+-)  3 Qb5+ Kg6 4 Nd6 which is super-strong. Shirov played 3 Nd6+ which is just as good, and transposed after 3…Kg6 4 Qb5.

I guess you have to intuit that Black’s king is so unsafe, and Q out of play, with 0-0-0 to come, that White’s play is over powering?

FEN

r1N4r/pp3ppp/2n1kn2/4p3/1B6/P5P1/1P2PP1P/R2QKB1q w Q – 0 15