[Event "Casual Game"] [Site "?"] [Date "2021.10.26"] [Round "?"] [White "Student"] [Black "Anon"] [Result "*"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "r1br2k1/pq3pb1/6pp/2nNp3/2B5/1P3N1P/P1P2PP1/R2Q1RK1 w - - 0 21"] [PlyCount "15"] {[%evp 0,15,0,-143,-8,-32,-32,-21,-6,-24,24,24,19,33,30,23,8,15] White has to address the threat of ...Be6, and ...e4 is a potential problem as well. What should he do?} 21. Nxe5 $3 {An incredible move. Not only does White seem to ignore the threatened ...Be6, but he also puts the other knight en prise - and potentially exposes the rook on a1 as well.} ({The "normal" defense is} 21. Qd2 Be6 22. Rad1 Rac8 $15 {, and it's not so bad. But there is better!}) 21... Be6 {Carrying out the threat. What's White's idea?} (21... Bxe5 {And now?} 22. Re1 $1 Bxa1 (22... Bg7 $2 23. Ne7+ Qxe7 (23... Kh7 $4 24. Qxd8 $18) 24. Rxe7 Rxd1+ 25. Rxd1 $18) 23. Qxa1 {White has only two pawns for the rook, but the very weak dark squares around Black's king give White enough counterplay for equality.} Be6 (23... Nd7 $2 {covers f6, but now Black will face a different problem.} 24. Ne7+ Kh7 25. Bxf7 {Threatening 26.Bxg6#.} Qb6 (25... Nf8 26. Bg8# ) 26. Bxg6+ Qxg6 27. Nxg6 Kxg6 28. Re6+ Kf7 29. Rxh6 $18) 24. Nf6+ Kf8 25. Nh7+ Ke7 (25... Kg8 26. Nf6+ $11) 26. Qf6+ Kd7 27. Bxe6+ fxe6 28. b4 $1 {Another necessary resource. Who said chess was easy?} Qxb4 (28... Ne4 29. Qxg6 $11) 29. Rd1+ Kc7 30. Qe7+ Kc6 (30... Rd7 $4 31. Rxd7+ Nxd7 32. Qxb4 $18 {shows one point of 28.b4.}) 31. Rxd8 {Here we see the second point of 28.b4. If Black's queen were still on b7, he'd take White's queen on e7.} Rxd8 32. Qxd8 $11) 22. Nc6 $3 Rxd5 $1 (22... Qxc6 $4 23. Ne7+ Kh7 24. Nxc6 Rxd1 25. Raxd1 $18) (22... Bxa1 $2 23. Nde7+ $1 Kh7 24. Nxd8 Qxe7 25. Nxe6 $18) (22... Rd7 23. Na5 $1 Qb8 $8 24. Qf3 Bxa1 25. Nc6 Qd6 26. Rxa1 Bxd5 27. Bxd5 Re8 28. c4 $14) 23. Bxd5 Bxa1 24. Bf3 $1 {The point of this, compared to 24.Ne7+, is to get rid of Black's bishop pair.} (24. Ne7+ Qxe7 25. Bxa8 Bf6 $15) 24... Bg7 25. Nd8 (25. Qd6 Bf8 26. Ne7+ Qxe7 27. Qxe7 Bxe7 28. Bxa8 $11) 25... Qc8 26. Nxe6 Nxe6 27. Bxa8 Qxa8 28. Re1 $11 *