The pawn on e4 is weak. This suggests 31.Bxe4:

A) 31... Nxe4 32.f6+ Ke6 (32... Ke8 33.Qh8+ and mate next) 33.Qh3

A.1) 33... Rag8 34.Rxe4+ Kf5 35.Qf3+ wins material.

A.2) 33... Qf4 34.Rd4

A.2.a) 34... Kxf6 35.Rxe4 Qxe4 36.Rxe4 Rxe4 37.Qf3+ Ke5 38.Qxf7 + - [Q+2P vs 2R].

A.2.b) 34... Rag8 35.Rxe4+ Qxe4 36.Rxe4+ wins.

It looks at first as if black has absolutely no way to stop mate next move. But if black could get his queen to c5, then he could interpose on f8 if white tries to mate with Qg8.

So, what black move temporarily prevents Qg8mate, while at the same time opens up c5 for the Black queen?

Remember that black is a rook up, so he can sac a rook and still be "in" the game. Thus, starting in the final position the answer is: 34. ... Rg4!

But that leads to this pretty conclusion:

34. ... Rg4! 35. Qxg4 Qc5 (preventing the g8 mate) 36. Qd7+ Kf8 37. Qd8+! Rxd8 38. Rxd8 mate!

Sweet! Black stops the back-rank mate on one side, so White sacs his queen and gets him on the other side!>

A very interesting flight of fancy. Who gave it a half-penny that Vishy was on the verge of a mate.

Chess is the richer on a/c of this brand of 'out-of-the-box' thinking. Good, and entertainment to boot.

I gave the game a shot against Crafty. Today it submitted meekly but not before defending stoutly with 31...Rxe4 rather than 31...Nxe4 as in the game. Surprised, I was pushed into finding the ingenuity of 32. Qh4+ (early).( <Patzer2> has given this line a thought in the early kibitzing).

<31. h3! Ng8>

[31...Rg2 32. Bxe4 (With the threat of 33. Bxg2+/Bxb7+ mating) 32...Rxb2+ (What else?) 33. Kxb2 Qb6+ (33...Qh2+ 34. Bc2+ mating) 34. Ka1 and White wins; 31...Rg3 32. Bxe4 Re3 33. Rxe3 Ng4 (33...Qe5 34. Bxb7 ) 34. hxg4 ; 31...Qe5 32. hxg4 ]

<32. f6+ Ke6>

[32...Nxf6 33. hxg4 ; 32...Ke8 33. Qh7! Rg6 (33...Rf4??/...Rh4?? 34. Qxg7#; 33...Nxf6 34. Qh8+ wins material for a decisive advantage) 34. Rxe4+ Kf8 35. Re7 White wins]

<33. Bb3+ Ke5>

(33...Kf5 34. hxg4+ )

<34. Rd5+ Ke6 35. Rh5+ Kd6/...Kd7 36. Qd2+> 1-0 as White will pick up the R on g4 with or without a Queen swap on the d-file.

<31 Bxe4! ...>

White threatens Bxb7+ winning "everything"...

Black's response:

<Hey! That's cheating! You can't remove a defender by taking the pawn that's not removing the defender at all! That's a bloody <GOOT>!>

<I am not going to play if you cheat. I resign!>

1) The knight cannot re-take...

<31 ... Nxe4>
<32 Rxe4+! Rxe4>
<33 Qg5+! Ke8/Kf8>
<34 f6! ...>

Black's pieces are completely disjointed and cannot mount a defense!

2) The rook cannot re-take...

<31 ... Rxe4>
<32 Rxe4+ Nxe4>
<33 Qh4+ ...>

33 ... f6 34 Qh7+
33 ... Ke8/Kf8 34 Qh8+ Ke7 35 Qxa8

<33 ... Nf6>
<34 Qb4+! Ke8>
<35 Re1+ ...>

35 ... Kd7 36 Re7+

<35 ... Kd8>
<36 Qf8+ Kd7>
<37 Qxh8 >

I posted my answer and then saw that the game continuation differed. I then looked at other posts and saw that other kibitzers had also come up with 31. h3.

Then I was genuinely intrigued to see if I had found come by an alternate answer; so I clicked on the Crafty link provided by <sevenseaman> to see if I had missed anything.

It turns out that after 31. h3 Black has 31...Qf4 (31...Rf4 is also a move I missed for that matter), but then White has 32. Rxe4+ Nxe4 33. Qb6! - all of which I found in my first attempt. Crafty follows this up with 33...Re8, but after 34. Qxb7+ Kf8 35. Qb4+ (a critical move as 35. hxg4? Nxc3! when Black is better) 35...K moves 36. hxg4 and White's Queenside pawns will decide.

Is this as clear as Anand's combination? No. And did I miss 31...Qf4 and 31...Rf4 in my original post? Most definitely.

Therefore, as close as I came to finding an alternate solution today, I can pat myself on the back for the effort, but no points can be awared to my solution today.

The move puts a poser to White; if he takes the R with the P his Q goes, if he takes the Black Q the R escapes from the 'h' P by retaking with it.

How about going for the win without the queen sac. Isn't that even more delicious!

click for larger view

<36 ? >

Damn good show. Indeed why I read your kibitzes regularly.

The funny thing is that after 31. h3 Rf4, White is forced to go into the game continuation's tactical ideas in order to prove the win. :D

And after 31. h3 Qf4! 32. Rxe4! Nxe4 33. Qb6! White's extra pawns will decide in the endgame.

31. h3 is valid as an alternate solution but only if the poster finds all of these ideas - coupled with the ones that I brought to the fore.

clearance in line rook takes night take bean up it down in dig fertile

31.bxe4 nxe4 32.rxe4 rxe4 and killer smooth 33.qg5+ in glorify it food

in for thought mating along back rank or dropping queen bin feed

31.Bxe4 Nxe4

(31. ...Rxe4 32.Rxe4 Nxe4 33.Qh4+ Nf6 34.Qb4+ Ke8 35.Re1+ Kd7 36.Re7+ skewering Black's queen)

32.Rxe4 Rxe4
33.Qg5+ Kf8

(33. ...f6 34.Qg7+ wins Black queen again)

34.f6

And, I think it's mate in two moves.

<Crafty EGT> disagrees with you. <31 ... Nxe4> loses too quickly.

Have a play with the <Crafty EGT> link from <Sevensman>.

31. Bxe4! Nxe4
32. Rxe4+ Rxe4
33. Qg5+ Ke8
34. f6! Rg4
35. Qxg4 Qc5

Also, as I was hinting, I prefer rubbing salt into black's wounds, rather than chucking in my queen.

36. Qg8+ Qf8
37. Qg5! ...

Black has to play

31.Bxe4!!

Direct and correct. I knew the rook recapture was easy to beat, but at first I didn't see how to follow-up the knight recapture.

A) 31... Rxe4 32.Rxe4+ Nxe4 33.Qh4+ Nf6 34.Re1+ Kf8 35.Qh8+! Ng8 36.f6 and Qg7# follows.

A1) 33... f6 34.Qh7+ wins the Q

A2) 33... Kf8/e8 34.Qh8+ Ke7 35.Qxa8 and white is up exchange+pawn with black's king still hopelessly exposed.

A3) 34... Kd7 35.Qxf6 Qc5 (otherwise Re7+) 36.Qxf7+ Kc6 37.Re6+ wins.

B) 31... Nxe4 32.f6+! Ke6 (Ke8 33.Qh8+ Rg8 34.Qxg8#) 33.Qh3 decisively pins the Rg4 with Ne4 already pinned:

B1) 33... Rg8? 34.Rxe4+ Kf5 35.Qf3+ Rf4 36.Rd5+ wins.

B2) 33... Kf5 34.Rxe4 Kxe4 (Rg8 35.Qf3+) 35.Qxg4+ Ke3 (Ke5 36.Qg3+) 36.Re1+ Kd3 (Kf2 37.Qe2#) 37.Qe4+ Kd2 38.Qe2#

B3) 33... Kxf6 34.Qxg4 wins quickly.

B4) 33... Qf4 (best) 34.Rd4 Ke5 35,Qh5+ Kxf6 36.R4xe4 Qxe4 37.Rxe4 Rxe4 38.Qf3+ Ke5 39.Qxf7 looks like a winning ending (Q+2Ps for 2 disconnected rooks + doomed b7 pawn.

C) 33... Other 34.Bxb7+ (among others) wins.

31 h3 Qf4 32 Rxe4+ Nxe4 33 Qb6!

click for larger view

boot fair say it oh free 16.nf5 in tease 16...bf8? looks like defence

lessen the impact 5.ng5 stoat among pigeons 9...c5 many it is wins for

black after 10.c3 Nielsens 11.a6 too lowly nb5s not on the cards

16...bf4 keeps count down to one ng7+! ensures a marginal plus in for

goofball Vishy in bag her guess f6 grief in ergo chickpea the chap

resent arm in g5+ kinge8 f6 lo you are i should think finished off Heine