The final fork

by Oliver Reeh
6/15/2018 – Following 27...Nxc4 28.Nd5 Nb2 from the diagram, Black's knight is threatening two major pieces. Can you see already here how White turns the tables — or rather the fork — after that?
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Errant knight

Only five moves from the diagram to a winning position for White, but as usual the exercise is to see his final blow beforehand. Look at Black's king! 

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,165,57054%2421---
1.d4946,47455%2434---
1.Nf3281,31256%2441---
1.c4181,93756%2442---
1.g319,68856%2427---
1.b314,23654%2427---
1.f45,88648%2377---
1.Nc33,79651%2384---
1.b41,75348%2380---
1.a31,19754%2403---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d394850%2378---
1.g466246%2361---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c342651%2425---
1.h327956%2416---
1.a410860%2468---
1.f39147%2431---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Be7 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nf3 0-0 7.0-0 Nbd7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Rd1 b6 10.b3 a5 11.Bc3 Bb7 12.Nbd2 Qc7 13.Rac1 c5 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Ne1 Qb8 17.Bxf6 Nxf6 18.e4 Ra7 19.exd5 Nxd5 20.Ne4 Nb6 21.Qb1 Rc8 22.Bh3 Rc6 23.Nc3 c4 24.Bg2 Rc8 25.bxc4 Bxg2 26.Nxg2 Rb7 27.Qd3 Following 27...Nxc4 28.Nd5 Nb2 from the diagram, Black's knight is threatening two major pieces. Can you see already here how White turns the tables - or rather the fork - after that? Nxc4 28.Nd5! Nb2?? On this square there is absolutely nothing to be gained for Black's knight as we are about to see. Correct was 28...Ne5!? e.g. 29.Rxc8+ Qxc8 30.Qe4 30.Nxe7+ Rxe7 31.Qd8+ Re8 30...Qb8! and there is not much going on.
Black has forked, but three moves later he will resign. How should White continue?
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Bluebaum,M2632Palac,M25481–02018E11GER Team Cup 2017-183.1

88 times, IM Oliver Reeh leads you step by step through the most brillant game conclusions of the world champions - in interactive Fritztrainer format, enabling you to enter the winning moves yourself.

Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine

Do you like these lessons? There are plenty more by tactic expert Oliver Reeh in ChessBase Magazine, where you will also find openings articles and surveys, endgames, and of course annotations by the world's top grandmasters.

ChessBase Magazine #184

The editor’s top ten:

  1. CBM 184The deciding moment in the candidates tournament: Fabiano Caruana annotates his final round victory over Grischuk.
  2. “Fresh and unexpected”: Vladimir Kramnik explains how he crushed Aronian with Black after innovating with 7…Rg8.
  3. A new plan against the Najdorf? Peter Heine Nielsen annotates Carlsen's successful experiment with 5.Qd2!? in Shamkir.
  4. “Fantastic fighting game”: Karsten Mueller analyses the endgame in the trail-blazing duel between Kramnik and Caruana (video)
  5. Salvation after a series of draws: Ding Liren comments on his win over Mamedyarov in the candidates tournament.
  6. Attack like a WCh challenger: Find the best continuation – “Move by Move“ with Simon Williams in the game Meier-Caruana!
  7. “Domination on both flanks”: enjoy Daniel King’s video analysis of the game Caruana-Aronian and let him whip up some enthusiasm for the Ruy Lopez!
  8. A popular weapon against the Najdorf: let Robert Ris introduce you to the secrets of the variation with 7.Nf3.
  9. “Like Karpov in his prime”: Rustam Kasimdzhanov annotates Caruana's win over MVL at the Grenke Chess Classic.
  10. Promising in the long term: Yannick Pelletier recommends 6…h6 in the Vienna Variation of the Queen's Gambit (video)

Links

Oliver Reeh has been working for ChessBase for many years as a translator and presenter of the internet show TV ChessBase, and he also looks after the tactics column in ChessBase Magazine, for which he has also been responsible as editor-in-chief since 2019. The International Master has contributed to the CB "MasterClass" series and is the author of the DVDs "Strike like the World Champions" and "Master Class Tactics - Train your combination skills!" Volumes 1 & 2. Oliver Reeh lives in Hamburg.

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