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!

We showcase a strong and unexpected exchange sacrifice in a typical structure that can arise from many openings: Caro-Kann, Scandinavian, Alekhine’s and even Modern.
Knowing this idea might just net you a quick win against an incautious opponent!

In “The Silicon Road to Chess Improvement” I devote a whole chapter to engine sacrifices. In particular I noted the astonishing pawn sacrifices that engines make for long-term dynamic compensation. Stockfish’s pawn sacrifice against AllieStein is right up there in terms of mystery and superhuman judgement! Knowing this idea and the reasoning behind it will broaden your understanding of chess and open up a whole new range of possibilities in many positions!

ck article is in our Engine Snacks series! Leela counters a positional squeeze from Stockfish by transposing into a double-rook endgame a pawn down. To my shock and surprise, this endgame – with Stockfish having a far-advanced a-pawn – was a simple draw!
Knowing this position and its unexpected result might save you a half point or two in your career!

Some moves make an impression on you forever, and this is certainly one of them. Stockfish was a piece for a pawn up and completely winning against Leela Zero’s baby sister: Leela CPU. Many moves would finish off the job, but none so powerfully as Stockfish’s…