Daniel King’s Power Play Show: Carlsen, Firouzja and a typical pawn sacrifice

by Daniel King
1/22/2021 – In this Power Play Show, GM Daniel King takes a look at Magnus Carlsen's win against Alireza Firouzja from the first round of the Tata Steel Tournament 2021 in Wijk aan Zee, in which Carlsen brought a typical pawn sacrifice to initiate a dangerous - and finally successful - attack. | Power Play is on air most Fridays at 17:00 UTC (18:00 CET, 13:00 ET). All the usual puzzles, games and instruction will be on offer. | Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit
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A typical pawn sacrifice

In this show I look at the game M. Carlsen vs A. Firouzja, which features the d5 exd5 e5 positional pawn sacrifice. By examining Polugayevsky-Tal USSR Ch. 1969 and Carlsen-Giri 2020, I chart the evolution of this pawn sacrifice (in similar positions).

 
 
 

And here's another mate in two problem. White to play and mate in 2. Motto: "Vive la bagatelle".

 

This week

Previous shows

You’ll find older broadcasts in the Power Play category. To watch these you'll need a ChessBase Premium Account.

Daniel King is the prolific author of the Power Play series which numbers 28 volumes to date.  The Tactic Turbo for the King’s Gambit is the subject of his most recent DVD.

Here’s a teaser:

Daniel King presents 50 puzzle positions in video format, all arising from the King's Gambit. They feature typical tactics from the opening, so this is a great way of becoming familiar with the tricks and traps that you can set your opponent.

Links

Daniel King is a regular on playchess.com. Commentating on live events such as the World Championship or analysing themes for his monthly Power Play Show. He also produces a DVD series called Power Play for ChessBase in the Fritztrainer format.

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