Carlsen,M (2484) - Ernst,S (2474) [B19]

GMC Wijk aan Zee NED (12), 24.01.2004

White to move

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18. Ng6 ! fxg6. 18...Rfe8 19.Nxe7+ Rxe7 20.dxc5 wins a pawn.

19.Qxe6+ Kh8

20.hxg6! now there decisive threats of a devastating sacrifice on h6. 20.Qxe7 Nd5 21.Bd2 Qxa2+ 22.Kxa2 Nxe7 is less convincing. 20...Ng8 seems to protect e7 and h6. Lubos Kavalek points out that after 20...Rd7 the stunning rook sacrifice 21.Rxh6+! leads to a mating attack after 21...gxh6 22.Bxh6 Rg8 23.Qf7! cxd4 24.Bg5 Qxg5 25.Rh1+ and mate in two to follow; and on the other hand 20...Rde8 allows 21.Rxh6+! gxh6 22.Bxh6 Rg8 23.Rh1 Rxg6 24.Bf8+ winning.

21.Bxh6! gxh6. 21...Nxh6 22.Rxh6+ gxh6 23.Qxe7 with a forced mate on h7.

22.Rxh6+ Nxh6. 22...Kg7 23.Rh7#.

23.Qxe7 Nf7.

24.gxf7! This is the novelty played by young Carlsen. 24...Kg7. The black king is helpless against the onslaught of White's heavy artillary.

25.Rd3 Rd6

26.Rg3+. Not 26.Qxd6 because of 26...Qe1+ and mate.26...Rg6

27.Qe5+ Kxf7

28.Qf5+ Rf6

29.Qd7# 1-0.

Leko-Radjabov

  Linares Super GM 2003 – Round 8

White to move

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32. Qxf8+ ! 1-0. It's lights out after 32...Qxf8 33.Nb5.Qc5 34.Nd6+ Kd8 35.c7+ Qxc7 36.Rxc7 Kxc7 37.h6. Those pawns will get you in the end!

Gurevich- Hamdouchi

6th Comtois Masters - Belfort , France

White to move

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20. Bxf7+ ! A remarkable clearance sacrifice. Now the rook can capture on c5.20...Rxf7 [20...Kxf7 21.Rxc5 Qe6 22.Nc7 Qxa2 23.Nxa8]

21.Rxc5 The black queen's only escape squares allow the Nc7 fork. For two pieces White gets rook, pawn, and a winning protected passed pawn on c7 21...Qe8[21...Qe6 22.Nc7 (22.d7 Bxd7 23.Nc7 Qxa2 24.Nxa8) 22...Rxc7 23.dxc7]

22.Nc7 Rxc7

23.dxc7 Kh7

24.Rd8 1-0

Levitsky – Marshall 

Breslau , 1912

Black to move

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After 23  ....Qg3 !! White resigned at once. "The most famous move in my life", Marshall wrote many years later. "The spectators were so excited by it that they began throwing me gold coins

Akopian-Kramnik

Corus Wijk aan Zee 2004 – Round 1

White to move

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29. Rh7 !! is a spectacular passive rook sacrifice. If Kramnik captures the rook he gets mated on the h-file after the discovered check. All he could do was capture on b2, which loses a pile of material.  29...Qxb2+ [29...Kxh7? Decoy to h7. 30.Nxe7+ Discovered attack. 30...Kh6 31.Rh1+ Bh5 32.g4 Crushing. Black can play on down material with 29...Nxb2 30.Rxg7+ Kf8 31.Qxb2 Qxb2+ 32.Kxb2 e6 33.Rh7 exf5 34.Bd5 The tactics all work for White. 34...Rd7 35.Rh8+ Ke7 36.Re1+ Kd6 37.Rxa8 Bxd5]

30.Qxb2 Nxb2

31.Rxg7+ Kf8

32.Rh1! 1-0 [32...Ke8 33.Rh8+ Kd7 34.Rxa8+-]

Duras - Barasz

Breslau 1912

White to move

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Duras continued with the aggressive exchange sacrifice 35. Rxd6 !! The forced continuation is 35...Rxd6

36.Rc8+ Kh7

37.Qa8 Qf6 (37...Qh5 38.Nh4!; 37...Qg4 38.Nh4!)

38.Rh8+ Kg6

The exchange sacrifice has to be calculated up to this position in order to get a positive evaluation. The bad position of the black king guarantees White's victory in the game, which continued with 39.Qg8 (39.Nh4+ also wins) 39...Rd3

40.Nh4+ Kg5

41.Nf5 Re6

42.h4+ Kg4

43.Nxh6+ Kh5

44.Nxf7+ Kg4

45. Nh6+ Kh5

46.Nf5+ Kg4

47.Rh7 Re7

48. Nh6+ Kh5

49.Nf7+1-0.

Ivkov - Larsen

Hoogoven Turnier Beverwijk 1964

Black to move

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If you examine this position critically it becomes clear that White has some weaknesses. His king is out in the open, and the black bishop on g7 is a giant. Larsen found a very elegant continuation that capitalises on White's positional problems:

20. ..Rc5 ! Powerful play, with the idea of increasing the effect of the Bg7 by getting rid of its counterpart on e3. Black dominates the dark squares and has the very important centre square d4 at his disposal.

Larsen's winning plan became obvious after the moves 21.Bxc5 dxc5

22.Rd5 e6

23.Qxc5 Qg3

24.Rg5 Qf4+

25.Kc2 f5

Kramnik,V (2770) - Leko,P (2741) [C89]

WCh Brissago SUI (8), 07.10.2004

Black to move

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Closed Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack

26 ...Bxf3 !!

27.Nxf3 Ne4+

28.Ke1 Nxc3!

[28...Qxf3? This leads only to a draw. 29.a7 Qf2+ 30.Kd1 Qf1+ 31.Kc2 Qe2+ 32.Kb1 Qd3+ 33.Bc2 Nxc3+ 34.bxc3 Qb5+ 35.Bb2 Qf1+ 36.Ka2 Qa6+ 37.Kb1 Qf1+ 38.Bc1 Qb5+ 39.Bb3 Qxb3+ 40.Bb2 Qd1+ 41.Ka2 Qa4+ 42.Kb1 Qd1+ 43.Ka2 Qa4+ 44.Kb1 Qd1+=]

29.bxc3 Qxc3+

30.Kf2 Qxa1

31.a7 [31.Bxg5 Qxa6 32.Bd1 c5 33.dxc5 Bxc5+ 34.Ke1 Kg7-+] 31...h6

32.h4 [32.Bc4 Qxa7 33.Be3 c5-+] 32...g4 0-1 [32...g4 33.Ne5 Bxe5 34.dxe5 Qxa7+ 35.Be3 Qa1-+]

Svidler-Sutovsky

Calvia Olympiad (R6)

White to move

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27.Ng4 Rh8

28.Nxf6 Bxf6

29.Rg1+ [Fritz says both Bxf6+ and Qg2+ were faster, but this is more than enough material to convice Sutovsky to call it a day.] 29...Kh7

30.Bxf6+ Na4+

31.Kc1 1-0