Rumens-Chandler, 1980, Brighton

Is this sacrifice sound?

I have only recently been able to look at the games in the September issue of Chess Moves. The most interesting is Rumens-Chandler, Brighton, 1980 played in the British Championship.

1.e4 g6 2.f4 Bg7 3.Nf3 c5 4.Be2 Nc6 5.0-0 d5 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Nc3 Qd7 8.Ne5! Nxe5 9.fxe5 a6
(9...Bxe5? 10.Bb5; or 9...Qd4+ 10.Kh1 a6 (and if 10...Qxe5? 11.Nb5 a6 12.d4! Qb8 13.Bf4 e5 14.dxe5 axb5 15.e6! Be5 16.exf7+ Kf8 17.fxg8Q+ Rxg8 18.Qd8+ Kg7 19.Qe7+ Kh8 20.Bxe5+))
10.d4 cxd4 11.Bc4

The position is shown below. Rumens has offered a sacrifice, a knight for a pawn, by playing 11.Bc4

The game continued 11...dxc3 12.Bxf7+ Kd8 13.Qe2.

The annotator, John Littlewood, now reckons that 13...Kc7 fails to 14.Bxg8 Rxg8 15.Qc4+ Qc6 16.Qxg8 but does not mention 16...Bh3! threatening mate and discovering an attack on the white queen.

The move played was 11...cxb2 and the game ended 14.Bxb2 Qb5 15.Qd2+ Kc7 16.c4 Qd7 17.Qf2 Qc6 18.Bd5 Qb6 19.Bd4 Qa5 20.Rab1 Kb8 21.Rxb7+! Bxb7 22.Rb1 Qc7 23.Rxb7+ Qxb7 24.Bxb7 Kxb7 25.Qf3+ Kb8 26.Qf7 Bh6 27.Qe8+ Kb7 28.Qd7+ Kb8 29.Bb6 1-0

Worcestershire Chess      Chess Links      Chess History      Ray's Chess Pages Index