Wei Yi’s Wild Rook Sac

When it comes to Chinese players, you probably heard about Ding Liren, who’s the current world champion after Magnus Carlsen decided not to defend his title in 2023.

China: a chess superpower

But another very promising (and exciting) players from China is Wei Yi. Some of his games remind me of the Romantic Era in chess. That was an era (back in the 18th century lasting until the end of the 19th century) were quick and attacking play was preferred to material.

Paul Morphy (1837-1884): an early Romantic

While chess has evolved and modern players tend to defend better, we occasionally get the pleasure of seeing wild games with intuitive sacrifices at the top level.

One of those cases is the game that Wei Yi played at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 against Dutch Grandmaster Max Warmerdam.  

In this game, Wei Yi played creatively in the opening and he sacrificed a rook by move 9.

Watch my full analysis of this fascinating game here: https://youtu.be/2c8UOoLhnyM