Best of 2014: Magic tactics

by Albert Silver
1/8/2015 – One of the simple joys in chess is seeing a position from a game in which one player wins the game with a sweet tactical shot, and finding it on your own with the thought "I can do that!". 2014 was replete with such moments, in which the very best players in the world won games and lost games to both simple shots, and others that leave you gaping. Can you do as well?
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Caruana, Fabiano - Naiditsch, Arkadij

While Caruana was to wow the world in 2014, in this game it was
Niaditsch who imposed a little humility. Black to play and win.

Caruana, Fabiano - Ponomariov, Ruslan

At the Olympiad, Caruana took down the former Ukrainian prodigy
Ponomariov in a delightful no-frills combination. White to play and win.

Carlsen, Magnus - Wojtaszek, Radoslaw

Magnus Carlsen's sense of esthetics cannot be argued with as he
dispatched the top Polish player in style. White to play and win.

Nakamura, Hikaru - Aronian, Levon

In the blitz leg of their match, Black got into trouble in the opening,
but found a fantastic resource to complicate the game and stay alive.
Can you find Black's move?

Nakamura, Hikaru - Dambacher, Martijn

Nakamura dispatches his opponent with a classic theme. White to
play and win.

Topalov, Veselin - Kramnik, Vladimir

A dreadful oversight by the former world champion allows Topalov to
win a pawn. White to play and win.

Kasimdzhanov, Rustam - Kramnik, Vladimir

Kasimdzhanov had a terrible score against Kramik, but took one back
at the Olympiad. White to play and win.

Svidler, Peter - Kramnik, Vladimir

In an incredibly inspired defense, Kramnik pulled out true magic to
save this game. His next move saved the game. Black to play and save.

Carlsen, Magnus - Anand, Viswanathan

Without a doubt one of the defining positions of 2014. Can you do
better? Black to play and win.

Carlsen, Magnus - Anand, Viswanathan

In a sense this was the shot of the match. Though Anand failed to
capitalize on it, his move was purest genius. Black to play and take
the advantage.

Kramnik, Vladimir - Vallejo Pons, Francisco

The Spaniard found a surprising tactic and won here. Black to play and win.

Solutions :

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39...Rf1+! 40.Rxf1 40.Bxf1 Qg1# 40...Rxf1+ 41.Bxf1 Qg1# 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Caruana,F2782Naiditsch,A27180–12014A09Tata Steel-A 76th10

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Born in the US, he grew up in Paris, France, where he completed his Baccalaureat, and after college moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had a peak rating of 2240 FIDE, and was a key designer of Chess Assistant 6. In 2010 he joined the ChessBase family as an editor and writer at ChessBase News. He is also a passionate photographer with work appearing in numerous publications, and the content creator of the YouTube channel, Chess & Tech.

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