Author: James Robertson
Date: 16:10:59 05/01/99
Today I reached this position in a game on FICS: r1b4r/1p1pk1pp/p1n1p3/4qp1Q/4B3/2N1P3/PPP3PP/R4RK1 w - - I played 16. Bxf5 and the game went 16. ... exf5 17. Rxf5 Qe6 18. Qg5+ Kd6, and here I blundered, playing Nd5+??. Things went downhill fast and I soon lost. I analysed the positions after Bxf5 with Fritz, Crafty, and CM6k, and think the sacrifice is sound. For instance: 16. ... exf5 17. Rxf5 Qxe3+ 18. Kh1 Qh6 (Fritz's move; CM5500 played Kd8 but the position is the same after 19. Nd5 Qh6 20. Qf3) 19. Nd5+ Kd8 20. Qf3 Re8, which Fritz evaluates +2.0 for White. Next best is 16. ... exf5 17. Rxf5 Qe6 18. Qg5+ 19. Kd6 Qg3 (Crafty and Fritz both agree the score is greater than 4 pawns in White's favor). All other moves give an even larger advantage for white. Declining the sacrifice with 16. ... d5 or 16. ... Kd8 seems best, in which case White simply wins a pawn with a slightly worse position. Is there any program (none I tried on my machine could do it) that plays 16. Bxf5, or that avoids 16. ... exf5? Also, is there a refutation for my sacrifice I might have missed? James
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