We generally consider brilliant moves as ones that is so spectacular, often seen in attacking and tactical plays, that is so deep and rich in ideas. On the chessboard, brilliance is frequently a path for masterpiece creation. In this blog, I would like to show you a recent game of mine in which I created a brilliancy unlike any other.
The position on the board is the starting point to many systems and set-ups that both sides can play, this is why the Sicilian defense is not an opening advised to be played at the amateur level, because of its complexity and broadness, offering a double-edged play for both sides. However, I opted for the Sicilian defense in the first place to slowly build my knowledge for the opening, even if I am taken into an unfamiliar territory by my opponent, because seeing many grandmaster games, I like how the Sicilian defense can also offer surprise to opponents due to its intricacies, where even one move can make all the difference.
The existing situation on the board should be thoroughly discussed. Black's last recapture with bxc6 puts him in a better position since his center is more intact. In scenarios like these, when the opening of multiple lines is now a possibility, the one with a more functional center will usually be preferred, since it provides more room for the pieces to be active. Once the center position is clear, black could opt to push the center pawns deeper to restrict the white pieces and make room for his own. If white chooses to castle queenside in order to attack with a pawn storm on the kingside, the b-file on the queenside is now open for the rook, and the open lines on the queenside will fuel an eventual attack before white even gets close to the black king on the other side of the board.
Black successfully advanced d5 a few moves earlier, and now that the center has been fortified, black will certainly strive for an advantage at this point in the game, and maybe take the initiative later on.
This is the current position on the board. Before you scroll down any further, I challenge you to find the best move for black!!!
The knight sacrifice that I made on this game reminded me of its similarity between the game of Levistky vs. Marshall (1912) in which Frank Marshall sacrificed his queen on g3.
Brilliant moves do not happen very often, and I am glad that I took advantage of this brilliant knight sacrifice, and it is worth spending the time to think about!!!
So what can we learn from this game.
1. Even if you are only beginning to discover the plans in the middlegame, your choice of opening will help you get familiar with them. I'm not a specialist in the Sicilian Defense yet, but it's worth playing with from time to time, especially for an aggressive player like me who loves to have an imbalance on the position to have an opportunity to attack.
2. Solving puzzles is usually beneficial to a player's development. Because of the numerous hours I spent solving puzzles, I was able to implement such brilliance in this game! Do not become bored when calculating a solution to the puzzle you are working on, but rather have the discipline to analyze all possible replies from both sides in order to build your general vision and tactical abilities. If you need a break, take one, but don't abandon the puzzle just yet since you will learn a lot from it!!!
3. Learn from masters' games. I can't tell you how many grandmaster games happened in the opening that my opponent and I played, but I can tell you that studying and analyzing master games will help you gain ideas from them! I prefer to examine the games of Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer in the Sicilian defense to gain a sense of how their thinking may impact my games to improve, and you should do the same.
4. Always believe in yourself, be patient, and have discipline!!!
Below is the PGN of the original game I played here on chess.com.
