The Danger of Underestimating...

Instead of 18..Rc8;
Can Black save himself if 18..Ne5??


Game 9603682

Never underestimate the power of underestimation!

🙂

Originally posted by jcmessy
🙂

What about R-g8 instead, the idea being, seeing the knight sac threat, you give your king a hidey hole and run instead of taking the knight.


Looking at it again, that loses at least the exchange so I guess not.

So lets modify that idea with R-h8 which now protects the h6 square against the coming queen check.

The Danger of Underestimating...
Analysis...Analysis...Analysis... 🙂


Game 9603682

The alternative 18..Rh8 gives white two good continuation:
[A]. The immediate 19. Nxc4 which is good enough for an endgame duel.
[B]. or the more promising
19. Nc6! Bxc6 (forced);
20. dxc6 Nb6 ( The alternative 20..Ne5; is simply meet by 21. f4 Ng4; 22. Nxc4!)
21. Nd5 Na8 (where else?; not 21..Nxd5? because the pawn recapture creates a connected passed pawn.)
22. Qd4! with the immediate threat of 23. Nxf6 isolating d6-pawn, (creating another weakness.)
or just the simple play 23. Qxc4. 🙂 good enough?