With what?

White has an overwhelming attacking position and the right sacrifice on f6 will decide the game for him. How would you continue here?
A) 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Sh6
B) 28.Nxf6 gxf6 29.Qh6
C) 28.Qf5 Qd7 and now strike
Solution
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 d5 6.a3 Be7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Nf4 c6 9.Bd3 Na6 10.0-0 Nc7 11.Bc2 Ne6 12.Nd3 b6 13.b4 Ba6 14.b5 Bxb5 15.Nxb5 cxb5 16.Ne5 Bd6 17.f4 a6 18.Qf3 Qe7 19.Bb2 Qb7 20.Qe2 Rfe8 21.Rf3 Nf8 22.Rh3 Ne4 23.Qh5 Rad8 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Ng4 f6 26.Rg3 Kh8 27.d5! Qe7 27...Be7 28.d6! Rxd6 28...Bxd6 29.Nxf6 29.Qxe8 27...Ng6 28.Nxf6 gxf6 29.Bxf6+ Kg8 30.Rxg6+! hxg6 31.Qxg6+ Kf8 32.Qh6+ Kg8 33.Qh8+ Kf7 34.Qg7# 28.Qf5! 28.Bxf6 gxf6 29.Nh6 Ng6 29...Rd7 30.Rg8# 30.Rxg6 hxg6 31.Nf7+! 31.Qxg6 Rf8 32.Nf5 Qh7-+ 31...Kg7 31...Kg8 32.Qh8+ Kxf7 33.Qh7+ 32.Qh6+ Kxf7 33.Qh7+ Kf8 34.Qh8+ Kf7 35.Qh7+= 28.Nxf6?? gxf6 29.Qh6 Nd7-+ 28...Qd7 28...Nd7 29.Rh3 h6 30.Nxh6 gxh6 31.Rxh6+ Kg8 32.Qg4+ Qg7 33.Rg6+- 29.Qxf6! gxf6 29...Qxg4 30.Rxg4 gxf6 31.Bxf6# 30.Nxf6 30.Bxf6+? Qg7! 30...Kg8 31.Nh6# 31.Bxg7+ Kxg7 30...Qg7 31.Rxg7 Kxg7 32.Nxe8+ Kf7 33.Nf6 33.Nxd6+ Rxd6 34.Rd1 33...Be7 34.Nxe4 Rxd5 35.Kf2 Ne6 36.Ke2 Nc5 37.Nc3 Rh5 38.Rh1 Bf6 39.Ba1 Nb3 40.Bb2 Rc5 41.Kd3 Rc4 42.Ne4? Rxe4 43.Kxe4 43.Bxf6 Nc5+-+ 43...Bxb2 44.Rd1 Nc5+ 45.Kf5 Bxa3 46.Rd6 b4 47.Rxb6 b3 48.e4 b2 49.e5 a5 50.e6+ Ke7 51.Ke5 Bb4 52.f5 Nd7+ 0–1
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Salem,A | 2603 | L'Ami,E | 2613 | 0–1 |
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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.
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ChessBase Magazine #163 (Dec./Jan.)

Free Opening Article for Download!
Evgeny Postny: "Black has the choice" (Anti-Grünfeld with 5.Ld2 and 8.Qd2)
"The side variation 5.Bd2 has been enjoying a certain popularity among strong players, there is a whole series of 2700s who in recent years have tested out this setup with White. White would like to recapture on c3 with the bishop and then the fashionable move is 8.Qd2 (instead of 8.Nf3) and that is the subject of Evgeny Postny's article."
That is how Rainer Knaak describes the situation in the booklet of CBM 163. The article was written before the World Championship in Sochi. And what happened? In the very first Vishy Anand attacked World Champion Magnus Carlsen with this variation!
Postny presents two candidates - 8...c5 and 8...Nc6 (Carlsen's choice), explains the strategic ideas behind these moves, and concludes that both offer Black good chances to equalize.
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Introduction by Karsten Müller
All Opening Articles in ChessBase Magazine #163
Opening surveys
Illingworth: Reti Opening A11
1.c4 Nf6 2.g3 c6 3.Bg2 d5 4.Nf3 g6 5.b3 Bg7 6.Bb2 0-0 7.0-0

This flexible setup allows one to decide at a later point whether to follow it up with d3 or with d4. Max Illingworth has studded his article with numerous rules of thumb so that it is to a great extent possible to avoid having to learn long theoretical variations.
Kuzmin: Benkö Gambit A58
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.e4 0-0 8.Nf3 Qa5

As Alexey Kuzmin explains, what we have here is a totally new approach to playing the Volga. Black does not want to take on a6 quickly in order to prevent White from castling with Ba6xf1. Instead of that he is even prepared to rapidly exchange his queen.
Stohl: Benoni A60
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 c5 4.d5 cxd5 5.exd5 b5

The Fianchetto Variation may not be reckoned the strongest way to fight the Modern Benoni, but nevertheless White does have chances of getting an advantage. So, with 5...b5!? Black is trying to go his own way at an early point; Igor Stohl investigates how dangerous that is for him.
Karolyi: Dutch Defence A83
1.d4 f5 2.e4 fxe4 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nc6 5.d5 Ne5 6.Qd4 Nf7 7.h4

Till now in this variation of the Staunton Gambit 7.Bxf6 was played – however it led to good results for Black. But as Tibor Karolyi demonstrates in his article, after 7.h4! Black has to face much greater problems. That represents a considerable upward revaluation of the move 2.e4.
Havasi: Modern Defence B06
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7.Be3

At first White develops naturally with Bd3 and Be3. But as Gergö Havasi demonstrates in his analyses, you would require good knowledge of the theory specific to this variation in order to really get an advantage in the long run.
Krasenkow: Sicilian B22
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 e6

At the level of club players, the Alapin Variation 2.c3 is very popular. So Michal Krasenkow makes you acquainted with his own repertoire against it. Early on 4...e6 is a subtle move, since White can hardly reply 5.dxc5 (5...Qxd1+).
Sumets: French C11
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c6 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qb6 8.Na4 Qa5+ 9.c3 b6

After the strongest continuation 10.Bd2 c4 11.b4 there are two quite distinct lines: 11...Qa6 and 11...Nxb4. Andrey Sumets’ investigations prove that the knight sacrifice has a greater tendency to give Black satisfactory play.
Antic: French C12
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.e5 h6 6.Bh4 g5 7.Bg3 Ne4 8.Nge2

6.Bh4 provokes 6...g5, and White hopes to be able to go on and exploit the weakness. Dejan Antic deals with 8...h5 and 8...f5, before turning to the main move 8...c5. It appears that White cannot lay claim to any objective advantage.
Müller: King's Gambit C37
1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Nc3

From the position in the diagram Black has several moves: 4...g4?!, 4...Bg7, the subtle 4...d6 and 4...Nc6, which leads to a position which is frequently arrived at via a transposition of moves. Karsten Müller introduces you to the subtleties and goes far beyond present theory.
Gormally: Queen's Gambit Accepted D24
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.e4 b5 6.e5 Nd5 7.a4 e6 8.axb5

This is one of the sharpest variations of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted. By playing 7...e6 Black returns the pawn immediately. Daniel Gormally acquaints you with both continuations: 8...Bb4 and Miles’ 8...Nb6.
Postny: Grünfeld Defence D85
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nxc3 7.Bxc3 0-0 8.Qd2

Nowadays 5.Bd2 is no longer a surprise way to meet the Grünfeld Defence. Evgeny Postny has worked intensively on the position in the diagram and come to the conclusion that there are several continuations for Black which give him a level game.
Marin: Nimzoindian E41
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 d6 8.0-0 e5 9.d5 Ne7

The so-called Hübner Variation (Mihail Marin mentions earlier games by Portisch in the 1950s) is not an easy one to defuse. Our Romanian author tries to do so with 10.Nd2 and in his extensive article he is able to show a slight plus for White.
Szabo: King's Indian E98
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Ne8 10.Be3 f5 11.f3 f4 12.Bf2 h5 13.c5 g5

Krisztian Szabo is a specialist in this sharp variation, which can be characterised in brief as follows: White is better, but Black wins. So the risk factor is extremely high for both sides.
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