WIN with EVIL sacrifices that inflict emotional damage!
#RuyLopez #JaenischGambit
Chess is often thought of as a game of calculation and accuracy. Although there is a truth in this view, in games against fellow humans, chess is also a game of psychological brinksmanship. Emotions such as anxiety, fear, impatience, and joy often influence critical positions in the game.
Which brings us to this game. Audacious sacrifices can be practically evil by inducing a flood of emotions in our opponent. Confusion at the move, elation when they win material at our "blunder", and then despair when they realise, they fell for a trap! This "emotional damage" can result in them losing the will to play. One way to win is for the opponent to resign!
This game began with my opponent with the White pieces playing the Ruy Lopez Opening, me responding with my favourite Jaenisch Gambit, which the opponent accepted (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 f5 4. exf5). After the opening and early middle game, I get to a great position on move 15 with three attackers on White's f2 pawn.
After my opponent blocked the diagonal with (16. Be3) I knew the probable best move was to "cash out" and to trade bishops (16... Bxe3). I played this game using my Chessnut Air board (https://www.chess.com/blog/vitualis/chessnut-air-electronic-chess-set-is-it-any-good) and I couldn't see a particularly winning line after the trade. So, I decided to do something audacious and tricky with (16... Nxf2)! Stockfish called this a blunder [-0.05] and White found the best move with (17. Qe2). They correctly surmised that capturing the knight would have been the wrong move.
It seemed that my gamble didn't pay off so I spent 4 minutes (in a 30 min game) calculating and deciding the next move. I eventually found decided on and played the best move, which was to trade bishops (17... Bxe3 18. Qxe3). I spent another 3.5 minutes deciding on the next move, and this was where a really evil line came to me and I decided to gamble again!
(18... Rf3)! I knew that Stockfish would probably call this a blunder as this was seemingly a straight up sacrifice of a rook! And it was! Stockfish rated this at [+8.53] so a dead loss blunder. White responded the way I expected, capturing the rook with the g-pawn (19. gxf3). What I saw however, was that that pawn now blocks the queen's control of the third rank and so (19... Nh3+) comes with check. The king hides in the corner [+7.93] which was what I predicted. White certainly must think that they are winning now! I next centralise my rook to the f-file (20... Rf8).
My goal? I was hoping that White, excited by the prospects of crushing me soon, would see that their rook and queen formed a battery on the e-file. My pawn on e-4 seemed ripe for the taking as it was attacked three times by White (rook and queen on the battery, and the knight on c3). In fact, I was hoping that it would appear irresistible as they could then invite a queen trade, cementing their winning advantage. However, lurking in the background was the knight on h3! White triumphantly captures my pawn with their queen (21. Qxe3) and falls for my trap with the evaluation dropping to [-3.66]! Which is (21... Nf2+) a royal fork of the king and queen!
After I win the queen, White plays on for a couple more moves, and then resigns after their own move, having loss the will to continue. Emotional damage! GG.
Game on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/game/live/61593693187
