Lessons From Benidorm V

MY round-six game, in which I had black against Singaporean junior Rahul Lakshminarasimhan (1626), featured a simple missed opportunity.

White to play and win

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The knight, which cannot move without Black suffering a catastrophic loss, is attacked three times and defended three times.

However, White can bring a fourth attacker into play long before the black king can get over to provide a fourth defender, so 22.Rc3 Kf8 23.Rfc1 is decisive.

Black can break the pin with 22...Qd6, when 23.Rfc1? can be met by 23...Ne7, but White has 23.Ba6, when 23...Rd8 again makes Rfc1 decisive.

I do not know what my opponent missed in this short tactical sequence, but perhaps he was unsure of his calculations, and so instead went for the sure win of a pawn by 22.Qa6? Qd8 23.Bxc6 Rxc6 24.Rxc6 Rxc6 25.Qxa7.

But after 25...Rc2 (not the only drawing move, eg 25...g6 is also completely equal, according to Stockfish17.1 and Dragon1) the rook on the seventh rank led to a quick draw.

LESSON: when, as in the diagram, a player is tied down and his options are limited, there is probably a strong tactical solution.