This week's GOTW will be of great interest to our more agressive players (not to say barbaric!). White took a gamble and it paid off. But does this mean the sacrifice was sound? Not according to the computer. But over the board, anything can happen!
[Event "Judith Polgar"]
[Site "Gatineau CAN"]
[Date "2015.02.10"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gagnon, Fabien"]
[Black "Morel, Joseph"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D05"]
[WhiteElo "1958"]
[BlackElo "1685"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "2015.01.13"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. Bd3 c5 5. c3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Bd6 {White played
what is known as the Colle System, a solid system that can often lead to
unexpected attacks, although most stronger players tend to only use it in
Blitz or to surprise their opponent.} 7. O-O O-O 8. e4 dxe4 ({One of the
reasons this system is not extremely popular at high level is that Black has
many ways to equalize :} 8... cxd4 9. cxd4 dxe4 (9... Nb4 10. Bb1 dxe4 11. Nxe4
Nxe4 12. Bxe4 {Is also interesting}) (9... e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Bxe5 12.
exd5 Qxd5) 10. Nxe4 {Is often seen and gives Black a decent position. White's
pawn in d4 could be both a weakness or a strength in the middlegame, but if
Black manages to exchange pieces, his endgame could very promising.}) 9. Nxe4
Nxe4 10. Bxe4 Qc7 $5 {Black makes it very tempting for White to sacrifice, but
will it work?} ({It would have probably been more precise for Black to play
this first :} 10... cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc7) 11. Bxh7+ {Evaluating whether a
sacrifice in h7 works can be one of the hardest things in an attack. The
critical variation is usually when Black tries to escape via g6. White will
usually be fine if he can bring an extra piece, preferably a rook, before
Black manages to activates all his pieces.} Kxh7 12. Ng5+ Kg6 $1 13. Qg4 f5 14.
Qh4 Bd7 $5 (14... cxd4 {In such a position, Black should always look for
counterplay, especially in the center :} 15. cxd4 $1 Nxd4 $1 (15... f4 16. Qg4
Qe7 17. Nxe6+ Kf6 {Is probably winning for Black, but there are so many lines
to calculate that one could hardly blame Black for not taking the risk.}) 16.
Qxd4 Bxh2+ 17. Kh1 Rh8 18. Nh3 Bd7 {Black had to give back the piece, but is
still up a pawn and has very strong pieces, which should be enough for a win
with precise play.}) {It is not easy to see how White should continue. It
unfortunately seems that the sacrifice was not working in this case, as White
does not have the time to bring another piece in the attack and Black will
very soon seize the center.} 15. dxc5 {A good move, as it releases the
pressure on d4 and h2 at the same time.} Bxc5 16. Qh7+ Kf6 17. Qh5 g6 $2 (17...
Ke7 $1 {Black had to run away} 18. Qg6 Rae8 19. Qxg7+ (19. Rd1 Bd6) 19... Kd8 {
And Black is now clearly better thanks to his extra piece, although there are
still some traps to avoid.}) 18. Nh7+ Kf7 19. Ng5+ Ke7 20. Qxg6 {This position
is clearly worse than the one we just showed, as after Rae8 we obtain the same
position, except that Black does not have his g7 pawn anymore!} Rf6 $4 {Loses
right away... Yet, Black had a few options :} (20... Rae8 $6 21. Ne4 $3 fxe4
22. Bg5+ Kd6 23. Rad1+ Bd4 24. cxd4 {And now White is better}) ({Black had to
create new complications at this point and has possibly nothing better than a
draw :} 20... Bd6 21. Rd1 Bxh2+ (21... Ne5 22. Qg7+ Ke8 23. Bf4 {Is completely
unclear, but a draw would again be very likely.}) 22. Kf1 (22. Kh1 Be5) 22...
Ne5 {And both players would probably be happy to leave with a draw :} 23. Qh7+
Kf6 24. Qh6+) 21. Qg7+ {In the end, White's sacrifice paid off, although with
a perfect play Black could have won. Does this mean White made a good
decision? It all depends on what style of player you are...} 1-0
