This super-quick article is in our Engine Snacks series! Just a beautiful little tactical exercise this time demonstrating some awesome geometry! Spotting an idea like this quickly in a game could net you a brilliant point!
This game is not from the TCEC but from an engine match that I’m running on my own hardware (see “The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement” for an explanation of how to do that!) between Komodo Dragon 2.5 and Koivisto 7.0. White is a pawn up, but out of the corner of my eye I spotted the Black attempt 1…Nxf4 2.Qxf4 Rxe5 when 3.dxe5 Bxe5 pins the queen to the king!
Well… White has a brilliant refutation:
4.Rxg7+!!
when after 4…Kxg7 5.Bc3! Kf6 6.Kg2!
When Black is powerless against threats such as Qxh6+ and Qh4+.
Black has one more attempt. Instead of 4…Kxg7, Black can try 4…Kh8!?
However the brilliant 5.Rg8+ Kh7 6.Rh8+!!
does the trick as 6…Kxh8 loses to 7.Bc3
Koivisto spotted this of course and carried on playing solidly, but a brilliant hidden possibility nonetheless!