The OTB Move of the Year

Denis Khismatullin - Pavel Eljanov, Europeanl Championship 2015.

White to play.




***Spoiler - Solution and what was played next post ***

Denis Khismatullin - Pavel Eljanov, Europeanl Championship 2015.

I'll play a couple of move to get to the above diagram.

Hmmm... is that really the move of the year? AFAICT it's reasonably obvious, not so much because it's obvious that it wins, as that it's obviously the only move which doesn't immediately lose (at least, I, in my patzerishness, can't see any other.)
Now, continuation of the year, that it may well be, because to get from "a rook down but still alive" to "winning", Khismatullin had to pull off a few deft manoeuvres. But that first move? Not the key, I think.

Hi Shallow Blue,

Just following all the praise this move is getting from other sites.

Suppose I could have added a ? at the end of the thread title.
But I like it and it's my thread. 🙂

Still trying to figure out when it was on.

I for one think it's an amazing move, and from a player I've never even heard of before!