Here is a position from the game Wainscott – Haining, K from a couple of days ago.
My opponent has just moved his rook to d8 and my first thought was that my rook was hanging to an x-ray attack as after …Rxe6 dxe6 the d3 rook is attacked twice, but only guarded once. I find that I notice these types of tactics more easily when I am spending time on tactics training.
My first instinct was to play 27.Ra3 and then work on getting the pawns rolling. Rather than just play the move I a little voice in my head was telling me to look deeper. So I did. And I saw it. The rook hanging is illusory.
So I decided to play 27.a5
Here I figure I’m better. It’s not quite winning, but it’s a very pleasant position for me to play.
I figured either my opponent would now see the danger and a5 would essentially have been a free move for me, or he would take the rook. He took the rook.
27…Rxe6 28.dxe6 Qxd3 29.Qxd3 Rxd3
And what is it that Yasser says about passed pawns? Oh…right!
30.e7 1-0
Til Next Time,
Chris Wainscott
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