Sometimes it's hard to know how to phrase things in here. I want the Goldilocks Zone. Not to obvious but surely not annoyingly difficult either.

How are these?


Hint: You'll probably want to peek at this.

It's a "!" move. It took Magnus ~3 seconds to find it. It's not crushing or anything. But it is hard to see.


Big hint

Poisoned pawn.


Answer

34.Rd3! It sets a trap. Even GMs can fall into a trap in speed chess.

34...Qxe4 is an a terrible move that means white gets black's queen for the cost of a pawn and a rook.

35.Rf3+. It's a discovered attack on black's queen by white's queen.

Show

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/112464692649?tab=analysis&move=66

  • Wakmrow [he/him]
    ·
    5 months ago

    Okay but this isn't white's "best" move because it requires black to blunder and lose. Black doesn't have to take that pawn and taking the pawn leads to a fairly obvious queen trap. I get that it's speed chess but in a puzzle setting even to me, a weak ass player, I wouldn't take that pawn.