A chess queen sacrifice with a double degree of difficulty

Sacrificing the queen is the showiest tactic there is — except, of course, for when you can sacrifice two queens in the same game.

Give it up for Armenian GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan, who pulled off this rarely seen double coup on his way to a dominating victory at this month’s strong 7th Washington International Tournament in Rockville, organized by the Maryland Chess Association. Gabuzyan’s 7½-1½ was a full point clear of a very strong field, and his hard-fought win over Israeli GM Gil Popilski is one for the anthologies.

White never gets his king to a safe place in this Averbakh King’s Indian, and after 15. h3 f6! 16. hxg4 fxg5 17. f3 (Qxg5? Nd3+ 18. Bxd3 Qxf2+ 19. Kd1 Qxg3 20. Be2 Rf4 21. Qh4 Rd4+ 22. Kc2 Bf5+! 23. Kb3 Qxh4 24. Rxh4 Bxb1) e4! 18. Ngxe4 Rae8 19. Kd1 Rf4 20. Re1 Be5 21. b3 Rc8, Black’s well-posted army more than compensates for the lost pawn.

White defends doggedly, but is rocked by two queen offers in the space of five moves: 27. Bf1 gxf3! (allowing the queen to be “trapped”) 28. Re3!? Bg4! 29. Rxa3? (better may have been 29. gxf3 Qxe3 30. Qxe3 Rxf3, with chances for both sides on 31. Kd2 [Qg5?! Rxf1+ 32. Kc2 Rxc4+ 33. Kd3 Rd4+ 34. Kc2 Rf2+ 35. Nxf2 Bf5+] Rxe3 32. Kxe3 gxh5) fxg2+ 30. Kc2 (Be2 g1=Q+ 31. Kc2 Qg2 32. Bd3 [Bxg4 Qxe4+ 33. Rd3 Rxc4+] Qxe4 33. Bxe4 Rxc4+ 34. Kd3 Rfxe4, and Black’s attack can’t be stopped) g1=Q 31. Rg3 Qh1 32. Bd3 (Nf6+ Bxf6 33. Qxf4 Qh2+ 34. Kd3 [Kc1 Rf8 35. Rf3 Qxh5 36. Rf2 Bg5 and wins] Bf5+ 35. Ke3 Re8+ 36. Kf3 Qh1+ 37 Kf2 Be5, and the White king is in the crosshairs), setting up queen sac No. 2.

The finale: 32…Qxe4!! (exploiting the overworked bishop) 33. Bxe4 Rxc4+ 34. Kd3 Rd4+, and White resigned facing 35. Kc2 Rxd2+ 36. Kxd2 Rxe4 37. Rg2 gxh5, and the bishop pair escort the pawn to the queening square.

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Let’s see if we can get this right this time. As many frustrated readers noted, the Aug. 7 column on the recent U.S. Open gave the wrong diagram for following GM Alex Fishbein’s short, sharp win over Peruvian GM Jorge Cori.

We pick up this Sicilian from today’s diagram (fingers crossed!), where Cori, having just played 12…Rf8-e8, is about to get rolled.

There followed: 13. e5!? dxe5 14. fxe5 Nxe5 15. Bf4 Nfd7? (safer was 15…Rd8) 16. Qe2 g5?! (panic sets in as Fishbein’s attack gathers force) 17. Nxe6! fxe6 18. Qh5! Rd8?? (the final mistake, though the defense was difficult in any case) 19. Be4!, and Black resigned facing 19…gxf4 (Nf8 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21. Qf7+ Kh8 22. Qxe7; or 19…h6 20. Qxh6 gxf4 21. Qh7+ Kf8 22. Rxf4+ Nf6 23. Rxf6+ Bxf6 24. Qxc7) 20. Qxh7+ Kf8 21. Rxf4+ Nf6 22. Rxf6+ Bxf6 23. Qxc7 and wins.

Sorry for the confusion.

Popilski-Gabuzyan, 7th Washington International, Rockville, Md., August 2018

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qd2 e5 8. d5 a5 9. Bd1 Nc5 10. Bc2 c6 11. Nge2 cxd5 12. exd5 Bd7 13. Ng3 Qb6 14. Rb1 Ng4 15. h3 f6 16. hxg4 fxg5 17. f3 e4 18. Ngxe4 Rae8 19. Kd1 Rf4 20. Re1 Be5 21. b3 Rc8 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Ne4 Qa3 24. Bd3 a4 25. b4 h5 26. gxh5 g4 27. Bf1 gxf3 28. Re3 Bg4 29. Rxa3 fxg2+ 30. Kc2 g1=Q 31. Rg3 Qh1 32. Bd3 Qxe4 33. Bxe4 Rxc4+ 34. Kd3 Rd4+ White resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email dsands@washingtontimes.com.