Draw (8 + 7)

Marcin Banaszek,     Rochade Europa 2006    The surprising sacrifice 1.Rh3+! Rxh3 distracts the black rook from the first rank. Here forbidden is 1...Kxh3? 2.Bf5+! with a winning opening of the h-file. After 2.Kxe2 Rh2+ 3.Kd1 dxc1Q+ 4.Bxc1 Rd6+ the white king is in danger of being destroyed by the black pieces. The only way to draw now is to use the white rook and the g-pawn to set up a latent threat against the opponent's king and at the same time give your own king more freedom of movement. This requires three clearing sacrifices on the d-file. First of all 5.Sd5! Rxd5+ in order to control the f-line. 6.Bd3! the second stroke to open the h-line. After 6...Rxd3+ 7.Bd2! the square c1 finally becomes free for the king, and now 7...Rdxd2+ 8.Kc1! Rc2+ 9.Kb1! Rb2+ 10.Kc1! (10.Ka1? Ra2+ 11.Kb1 Ra1+! 12.Kxa1 Be5+ 13.Kb1 Rb2+ 14.Kc1 Bxg7-+) 10...Rhc2+ 11.Kd1 Rd2+ 12.Kc1 Rbc2+ 13.Kb1 Rb2+ (13...Sd7 14.Rh8+ Kg3 15.g8Q+ remis) 14.Kc1 with a positional draw by perpetual check. To crown it all, we have the echo variation rotated by 90 degrees: 7...Rhxd2+ 8.Kc1 Rd1+ 9.Kc2 R3d2+ 10.Kb3 Rb1+ 11.Kc4 Rc2+ 12.Kd3 Rc3+ 13.Kd2(e2) Rb2+ 14.Kd1 Rb1+ 15.Kd2 also with a positional draw. Comment: Martin Minski (transl. mb)