tessathedog: This is a great game. Chess playing at the absolute highest level. I found it in one of my old Informators, and played through it reading Short's Informator notes. At first I was somewhat puzzled by the game. Only after studying it more carefully and watching the video posted by @tpstar did I begin to understand it better.
I remember at first I was puzzled as to how Short could so confidently play 24 f5!, intending to sacrifice a piece after 24...bxa4 25 fxg6 axb3 26 gxh7+. To me at first sight this idea seemed speculative. Clear mates weren't evident to me. I doubt they were clear to Short during the game either. But he just sensed "winning attack" whether the Black king takes the pawn on h7, or instead tries to hide behind it. The computer supports Short's judgment in full, although some of the variations are not short or particularly obvious. This is why I contend that this is chess on the highest level. It's as much about great judgment as it is about raw calculation.
Two other lovely moments are:
a) 15 Kh1! with the idea of improving the knight (as highlighted in the video)
b) a really advanced "little tactics" moment mentioned by Short in Informator, after Black's 22nd. I remember when playing over the game thinking "surely White will go 23 Ne5 now. The Knight is magnificent, and if Black takes it with his bishop, the dark square weaknesses around his King are exacerbated". But 25 Ne5? is a tactical mistake! Not of the type we see when we solve standard tactics in books, but one of those key PRACTICAL "little tactics" of a markedly different character, which lurk just below the surface of the position, and which masters see and non-master's don't, even though they are not deep. The thing is, White is relying on having Rc1 to meet ...Nxc2. If he goes 23 Ne5? then comes...Bxe5 24 Rxe5 Nxc2!. Now Rc1 is met by the lovely quiet "get out of the pin with tempo retort ...Qd6 threatening ...Qxe5.
Just a really advanced game, of the type that keeps you thinking about it for hours after you have played through it.
Kibitzing
sac: 28.Rxf6
