Here is a relatively recent high-level game at a normal time-control.
Aleksei Pridorozhni (2589) - Semen Khanin (2485)
Voronezh (Russia) 2018
4...Kxf7 5.d4
Lasha Janjgava in The Petroff (Gambit 2001) says 5.Bc4+ is "suspect" in view of 5...d5! (less popular than 5...Be6 and 5...Ke8 in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but apparently a lot stronger) 6.exd5 Bd6 when White has three pawns for a knight, but the black king will find safety on g8 without blocking the h8 rook.
Janjgava says of the 4.Nxf7!? line in general: "Theoretically speaking, there isn't much to commend the sacrifice, but White's central control is quite good and Black has considerable long-term difficulties in finding a safe haven for his king."
5...c5!?
This somewhat odd-looking countergambit was unknown when David Hooper wrote A Complete Defence To 1 P-K4 - A Study Of Petroff's Defence (Pergamon 1967). It seems to have been first played at a high level in the early 1980s, the idea being to diminish the power of the white centre.
6.Nc3!?
After the obvious 6.dxc5 the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01 reckon Black gets a big advantage with 6...d5!? 7.e5 Qe8.
6...Nc6
Both players have lots of choice early on in this variation as there are plenty of byways where theory has not made a definite pronouncement.
7.Bc4+
Closing lines with 7.d5?! Nd4 is probably wrong. White needs a fluid centre to create threats before Black can get his king to safety and win comfortably on material.
7...d5!?
Offering a third pawn, at least temporarily, but the alternatives were not attractive as 7...Be6?? drops a piece while 7...Ke8 does nothing for Black's development or king safety.
8.Nxd5
An improvement on 8.exd5? Nxd4, when Black had the sensitive e6 square well-covered in Bolivar Ribeiro Gonzalez (2317) - Simão Poscidônio Dias (2029), Rio de Janeiro Zonal 2011 (0-1, 50 moves).
8...Be6
One month later the game Miroslav Marković (2470) - Miodrag R Savic (2545), Novi Sad 2018, saw 8...Na5 9.Nxf6+ Nxc4 10.Nd5 cxd4 11.Qxd4 Nb6 12.0-0 Nxd5 13.c4!? Qf6 14.e5 Nf4 15.Bxf4 when White's three pawns for a piece proved insufficient compensation (0-1, 39 moves).
9.Bg5 cxd4 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nxe7 Qxe7 12.Bd3
12...h6 13.Bh4 g5 14.Bg3 h5 15.f4 h4 16.Be1
Both players have been going for it, but here the engines prefer 16.fxg5!? when 16...hxg3 17.Rxf6+ looks dangerous for Black.
16...Bg4
Komodo11.01 suggests developing the queen's rook with 16...Rag8, while Stockfish11 likes 16...Ke8!?, but the consequences of both moves are unclear.
17.Qd2 gxf4 18.h3 Rag8!? 19.hxg4 Rxg4 20.Rxf4 Qd6 21.Rf5 Ne5
At the cost of giving back the piece and emerging a pawn down, Black has taken over the initiative.
22.Qb4 Qe6??
A blunder. Black had to exchange queens, when the position remains unclear.
23.Qb3?
The simple 23.Qxb7+ is strong but the engines reckon White's advantage is overwhelming after the quiet developing move 23.Bd2, when White is ready to play Raf1 as well as threatening the loose pawns on b7 and d4.
23...Qxb3 24.axb3 Ke6 25.Ra5!
Not 25.Rxa7? Nxe4.
25...Nc6?
Black's disadvantage is much smaller after 25...Nfd7, according to the engines.
26.Bc4+ Ke7 27.e5 Nd7 28.Rb5
Also very strong is 28.Rf7+.
28...h3 29.g3 h2+ 30.Kh1 Re4 31.Bd2 Ncxe5
There is nothing better, according to the engines. As Janjgava warned can happen, Black has failed to find a long-term safe-haven for his king.
32.Bb4+ Ke8 33.Rxb7 a5
Not much better is 33...Nxc4 34.bxc4.
34.Bxa5 Nxc4 35.bxc4 Re2 36.Ra7 Rh3 37.Bb4 Rxc2
Or 37...Kd8 38.Rg5.
38.Ra8+ (1-0, 54 moves)
I imagine much of the game was played in time trouble, which gives added weight to Jangjava's observation that "a tactically minded player might be tempted by the sacrifice" 4.Nxf7!?
9.Bg5 cxd4 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nxe7 Qxe7 12.Bd3
 |
| White has two pawns and the bishop-pair for a piece and Black's king is still not completely safe |
Both players have been going for it, but here the engines prefer 16.fxg5!? when 16...hxg3 17.Rxf6+ looks dangerous for Black.
16...Bg4
Komodo11.01 suggests developing the queen's rook with 16...Rag8, while Stockfish11 likes 16...Ke8!?, but the consequences of both moves are unclear.
17.Qd2 gxf4 18.h3 Rag8!? 19.hxg4 Rxg4 20.Rxf4 Qd6 21.Rf5 Ne5
At the cost of giving back the piece and emerging a pawn down, Black has taken over the initiative.
22.Qb4 Qe6??
A blunder. Black had to exchange queens, when the position remains unclear.
23.Qb3?
The simple 23.Qxb7+ is strong but the engines reckon White's advantage is overwhelming after the quiet developing move 23.Bd2, when White is ready to play Raf1 as well as threatening the loose pawns on b7 and d4.
23...Qxb3 24.axb3 Ke6 25.Ra5!
Not 25.Rxa7? Nxe4.
25...Nc6?
Black's disadvantage is much smaller after 25...Nfd7, according to the engines.
26.Bc4+ Ke7 27.e5 Nd7 28.Rb5
Also very strong is 28.Rf7+.
28...h3 29.g3 h2+ 30.Kh1 Re4 31.Bd2 Ncxe5
There is nothing better, according to the engines. As Janjgava warned can happen, Black has failed to find a long-term safe-haven for his king.
32.Bb4+ Ke8 33.Rxb7 a5
Not much better is 33...Nxc4 34.bxc4.
34.Bxa5 Nxc4 35.bxc4 Re2 36.Ra7 Rh3 37.Bb4 Rxc2
Or 37...Kd8 38.Rg5.
38.Ra8+ (1-0, 54 moves)
I imagine much of the game was played in time trouble, which gives added weight to Jangjava's observation that "a tactically minded player might be tempted by the sacrifice" 4.Nxf7!?
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