chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
Parimarjan Negi vs Fabiano Caruana
Airports Authority of India (2011), New Delhi IND, rd 1, Jun-22
Spanish Game: Closed Variations (C84)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

explore this opening
find similar games 4 more Negi/Caruana games
sac: 16...Rxd5 PGN: download | view | print Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: If you find a mistake in the database, use the correction form. There is a link at the bottom that reads "Spot an error? Please suggest your correction..." Avoid posting corrections in the kibitzing area.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Olga Chess Viewer Quickstart Guide.
PREMIUM MEMBERS CAN REQUEST COMPUTER ANALYSIS [more info]

Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-23-11  JonathanJ: f4!! is the key
Jun-23-11  Garech: Fantastic game from Caruna - it was very surprising to see the exchange sac with queens off the board. Can anyone come up with a plan that refutes it?

-Garech

Jun-23-11  suenteus po 147: Caruana must be taking lessons from Topalov's play, because I've seen that exchange sac where the bishop pair dominates the rook pair before.
Jun-23-11  drnooo: fairly sure this is the sort of thing that no computer no matter how far advanced would come up its probably not even sound but who knows anybody have any top flight comp analysis
Jun-23-11  fisayo123: <suenteus po 147> Yup. Done in typical Topalov style! Fantastic game from Caruana!
Jun-23-11  nolanryan: that's what she gets for playing like such a little wuss
Jun-24-11  noctiferus: <drnooo>
Houdini and Komodo find the sac at once.
Jun-25-11  checkmateyourmove: the way caruna uses his pawns to slowly creep to victory is precise and robotic. Inspired chess
Jun-28-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: I put the game on my old Fritz and it comes up with the exchange sac as the best move immediately.

Black gets the two Bs, an open file against the W king and some (pot passed) pawns he can advance. His advantage is not huge (not more than =) but the 2 Bs and the knight work well against the 2 knights in the position obtained. (Two knights and a B can be better in some positions than 2 Bs and a knight but the W rooks here are not as well positioned as Blacks - again the difference is not big but it is hard to play in practice against the 2 Bs and pawns advancing.

Jun-28-11  Xeroxx: Very good. Well done.
Jul-01-11  beenthere240: Look at Negi Caruana in this tournament. After move 16 Black is active and preparing for an exchange sac while white is still getting his pieces out of the box. I think he did just fine in this opening.
Aug-17-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Position after <16.Nc4>


click for larger view

The exchange sacrifice is not at all surprising, seeing that moving the ♖d6 loses material anyway. Any decent computer would play it instantly. The interesting point is whether our Sicicon Masters would reach this position in the first place.

Go back to the position after <14.Bd5>:


click for larger view

How to protect the ♘c6? Surely 14...Bb7 or 14...Bd7 are OK, but it looks like Carunna wants to inject a little more life into the position. When he played 14...Rd6 he had to know that 15.Nd2/16.Nc4 could be coming. In other words, this is the point where he had to evaluate the exchange sacrifice, not at move 16. That's something Fritz and His Friends might have more trouble with.

A very important detail is the elimination of White's e-pawn. Without it White's knights can never find secure outpost squares, and the open lines are made for bishops. Many authorities consider 2 bishops at least equal to ♖+♘, and this game is a good example of why.

Mar-17-17  pilobolus: Anaconda!
Sep-12-18  PJs Studio: Absolutely gorgeous use of an exchange sac to create better pieces. Adds credit to Kasparov’s comments on the strength of bishops.
Sep-12-18  John Abraham: positional sacrifices are among the most beautiful in chess

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific game only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

This game is type: CLASSICAL. Please report incorrect or missing information by submitting a correction slip to help us improve the quality of our content.

Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC