A very hard nut to crack...

8/10/2009 – ... as well as a treat to annotate was the following highlight of last year's European Individual Championship, containing a great deal of combinatorial motifs - deflection, mate patterns, passed pawns, sub-promotion... In this position Black could have uncorked 31...Qc2, and after 32.Nf8+ Kg8 your judgement is required: A) White can throw in the towel. B) Black is not the only one to unpack study-like moves – the game ends in a draw by force. C) keeping his nerves, White also keeps the full point. In the game Black continued 1...exf1+ 32.Qxf1 Kxg6 and lost - why? The solution is here but first ponder it with a larger version of the diagram.