Today is Magnus’s birthday. He is 31 today and we can all remember
what happened the last time he played a world title game on his birthday.
M. Carlsen - S. Karjakin, final rapid game, World Championship 2016
FEN
6k1/r3bpp1/1p1p4/5R1P/4Pp1q/5P2/3Q2KP/2R5 w - - 0 47
[FEN "6k1/r3bpp1/1p1p4/5R1P/4Pp1q/5P2/3Q2KP/2R5 w - - 0 47"]
47. Qxf4 Ra2+ 48. Kh1 Qf2 {Threatening Qg2 mate but...} 49. Rc8+ Kh7 50. Qh6+ {Wow!! gxh6 Rxf7 is checkmate and so is...} 50... Kxh6 51. Rh8 {That was Carlen’s present to rest of the world.}
M. Carlsen - I. Nepomniachtchi Game 4, Chess World Champion 2021.
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 {The Petrov (or Petroff or the Russian Defence)} 3. Nxe5 d6 {Now play 4.Nxf7 the Cochrane Gambit.} 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 {The next batch of moves have all been seen before....many times.} 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4 c6 9. Re1 Bf5 10. Qb3 {10...Na6 11.Qxb7 Nb4 gives Black a very strong position. Close to winning.} 10... Qd7 {Still in theory.} 11. Nc3 Nxc3 12. Bxf5 Qxf5 {13. Qxb7 looks OK till you see 13...Qd7 14.Qxa8 Na4 and White is in a pickle.} 13. bxc3 b6 14. cxd5 cxd5 15. Qb5 Qd7 {If 16.Qxd5 Bxh2+ I hope you all saw that. See games after this.} 16. a4 {Putting the pawn structure in order.} 16... Qxb5 17. axb5 a5 18. Nh4 {This it is new. It is threatening Nf5 but Black has a passed pawn that could be annoying.} 18... g6 {To stop Nf5. The holes on h6 and f6 can maybe later be exploited.} 19. g4 {I was thinking Bh6 it does nothing but gains a tempo or g3 to play Ng2.} 19... Nd7 20. Ng2 Rfc8 21. Bf4 Bxf4 22. Nxf4 Rxc3 23. Nxd5 Rd3 24. Re7 Nf8 25. Nf6+ {I was liking this for White.} 25... Kg7 26. Ne8+ Kg8 27. d5 {27...Rxd5 28.Nf6+ and Nxd5. I can see those tricks alright.} 27... a4 {Ahhh....that annoying a-pawn will give Black counterplay.} 28. Nf6+ Kg7 29. g5 {Fixing the Knight on f6 so it can hold d5.} 29... a3 {Suddenly that a-pawn looks very good.} 30. Ne8+ Kg8 {Magnus busted his head looking for other ways to play this but...} 31. Nf6+ Kg7 32. Ne8+ {...he was down to 22 minutes whilst Ian had over an hour left and it is complicated.} 32... Kg8 33. Nf6+ {Three fold rep (again) we go one to see, very loosely, what may happen,} 33... Kg7 34. Ra2 {Block that a-pawn.} 34... Rb3 {Blast the a-pawn home.} 35. d6 {Run the White passed pawn but it allows the Black Knight back into the game.} 35... Ne6 {g5 is under attack, if that goes the f6 Knight hangs.} 36. h4 Rb2 {Back to plan a-pawn.} 37. Rxa3 {But White has plan d-pawn. I have now have fun showing two checkmates.} 37... Rxa3 38. Re8 {Threatening Rg8 mate.} 38... Rb1+ {If 39.Kg2 Ng4+ 40 Kh2 Rh3 checkmate,} 39. Kh2 {Not allowing Nf4+ and mate next move.} 39... Nf8 {Stops Rg8 mate.} 40. d7 Rd3 41. d8=Q Rxd8 42. Rxd8 Rxb5 {Stopping here (it's an ending) There are dozens of lines like this in there.}
I found 20+ RHP games under 17 moves where Qxd5 was played and lost to a Bh2+.
I’ll give the shortest first and then the most recent.
Alanicus - Texan RHP 2008
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. cxd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Bf5 5. e3 Nf6 6. Bd3 Bxd3 7. Qxd3 Nc6 8. a3 Bd6 9. O-O Ne4 10. Qb3 Rb8 {Will White take the d-pawn...} 11. Qxd5 {...they took it.} 11... Bxh2+ {And White resigned.}
Errant Knight - Academus RHP 2021
1. e4 d6 2. Nc3 e5 3. d3 Nf6 4. Nh3 Bxh3 5. gxh3 Nc6 6. Be3 Qd7 7. a3 O-O-O 8. d4 exd4 9. Bxd4 Nxe4 10. Nxe4 Re8 11. Bg2 f5 12. Be3 fxe4 13. b4 Kb8 14. O-O d5 15. c3 Bd6 {Setting a trap though 15.Bd6 is not a bad move.} 16. Qxd5 {OOPS!} 16... Bxh2+ {And White resigned.} 0-1
