Cabralis Olympiad upset against Yakubboev! - The Underdog

by Arne Kaehler
10/3/2024 – Round 1 was the main source for Robert Ris to find plenty of Underdog upsets at the Olympiad in Budapest. One game in particular was not only a big surprise result, but also interesting in many ways. Yakubboev, Nodirbek vs. Cabralis, Quinn! Roughly 500 rating points difference, didn't scare the man from Trinidad & Tobago, and he pursued a fabulous game against his opponent of the Bronze Medal-winning team.
Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

The Underdog!

with IM Robert Ris

We all love stories where a vastly underrated player surprises everyone by beating a much stronger player. Fortunately, we are all human.

But how do these things happen? What are the moves that lead to success? And what can we learn from these examples for the times when we face a stronger opponent?

Dutch IM Robert Ris presents us with real-life examples of such encounters from the past month. Together with his co-host Arne Kaehler, they look at the tactics and strategies that led to the upset victory.

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Rg1 b5 7.a4 b4 8.Nd5 Nxe4 8...Nxd5 9.exd5 Bb7 10.Nf5 8...e6 9.Bc4 e6 10.Qe2 Nf6? 10...Nc5! 11.c3 1-0 (24) Vachier Lagrave,M (2784)-Ding,L (2791) chess24.com INT 2021 bxc3 12.b4∞ 10...exd5? 11.Bxd5 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Nxe7 Qxe7 13.0-0-0 h6 14.Bh4 Ra7 14...0-0 15.Nf5+- 14...d5 15.Rge1 dxc4 16.Nf5 Qc7 17.Nxg7+ Ke7 18.Nh5+- 14...e5 15.Qf3+- 15.f4 15.g4 15...Rc7 15...0-0 16.g4 16.Rge1 d5 16...0-0 17.Nf5+- 16...Bb7 17.Bxe6 fxe6 18.Nxe6 Rd7 19.Nxg7+ Kf7 19...Kf8 20.Ne6++- 20.Qc4++- 17.Bxd5! Qd6 17...exd5 18.Qd3 Be6 19.f5 19.Nf5 Qf8 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Qxd5 Nd7 21...Rd7 22.Qa8+- 22.Qa8+ 18.Bg3? 18.Nxe6! fxe6 19.Bxe6 Qxe6 20.Qd3 0-0 21.Rxe6 Bxe6 22.Bxf6! Rxf6 22...gxf6 23.f5! Bf7 23...Bc8 24.Qg3+ Rg7 25.Qxb8+- 23...Rd7 24.Qf3 Rxd1+ 25.Qxd1+- 24.Qg3+ 23.Qd8+ Rf8 24.Qxc7 18.Bf3! Qxf4+ 19.Kb1 Qxh4 20.Qe5! Rc4 20...Rd7 21.Qc5!+- 21.Nf5!+- 18...Nxd5 18...Qxd5 19.Nb5 Qc6 20.Nxc7+ Qxc7 21.f5 Qb7 22.Bd6+- 19.f5 Qe7 20.Bxc7 Nxc7 21.Qc4! 0-0 21...e5 22.Nc6 Nxc6 23.Qxc6+ Kf8 24.g4+- 22.f6! Qd8 22...gxf6 23.Nf5 22...Qxf6 23.Qxc7 23.fxg7 Re8 23...Kxg7 24.Nf5+ exf5 25.Rxd8 Rxd8 26.Qxc7+- 24.Nxe6! Qxd1+ 25.Kxd1 Nxe6 26.Qh4 h5 26...Kxg7 27.Qg3++- 27.Qxh5 Rd8+ 27...Nxg7 28.Rxe8+ Nxe8 29.Qg5+ Kh7 30.Qd8+- 28.Kc1 28.Ke2?? Nf4+-+ 28...Nxg7 29.Qg5 Nc6 30.Re3 Bf5 31.Rg3 Bg6 32.h4 Re8 33.h5 Re5 33...Nxh5 34.Qxh5+- 34.Qf6 34.Qg4! Nxh5 34...Rxh5 35.Qc8+ 34...Re4 35.Qc8+ 35.Qc8+ Kg7 36.Rxg6+ fxg6 37.Qxc6+- 34...Re6 35.Qg5 Re5 36.Qf6 36.Qg4! 36...Re6 37.Qg5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cabralis,Q2169Yakubboev,N2666½–½2024B9045th Olympiad 20241.18

Robert Ris has authored plenty of FritzTrainers for ChessBase — these are his newest, and perfect for every "Underdog"

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

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Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.
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