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Best Chess Games: Anand's Incredible Exchange Sac - Anand vs. Ivanchuk, 1996
Come for the exchange sac; stay for the prophylaxis!

Best Chess Games: Anand's Incredible Exchange Sac - Anand vs. Ivanchuk, 1996

SamCopeland
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Could I do that? I think many of us have sometimes wondered if we would have the courage to play like our heroes should the moment arise. Would we offer Anand's brilliant exchange sacrifice in this game even if we saw the move and the coming ideas?

Playing against the great Ivanchuk, Anand acknowledges that even he deliberated long and hard before pursuing the sacrificial path. After all, chess history is quite full of refuted sacrifices. They are just less celebrated 😉

Having committed his chips, Anand plays incredibly patiently and prophylactically to keep his bind against Ivanchuk, eventually securing a piece-up endgame in which he demonstrates confident and instructive technique.

I've annotated this game below in further depth below. I hope you enjoy the many interesting sidelines I wasn't able to include in the video.

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Want more of Viswanathan Anand's games? Check out my previous videos!

SamCopeland
NM Sam Copeland

I'm the VP of Chess and Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2014, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.

You can find my personal content on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube where I further indulge my love of chess.