Naroditsky's Best Online Game Ever

I genuinely think this is Daniel Naroditsky’s best online game. What begins as an unusual London System position ends with an astonishing combination: Naroditsky sacrifices a knight to clear the fourth rank, then swings his queen from h4 to a4 and finally to d1, leaving White completely hopeless.

3.Bf4

Against 2...Bg4, this is an unusual way to enter a London setup. Le plays it often, but here the early bishop move takes the game into less familiar territory.

8.e4

White claims the centre, though 8.g4 followed by Nh4 to chase the light-squared bishop looked quite appealing as well.

8...Bxf3 9.gxf3

White must recapture with the pawn: 9.Nxf3 would leave e4 undefended. The doubled f-pawns look awkward, but they can potentially help White fight for the centre if White achieves f4, while the open g-file gives the rook a natural home.

10...Qc7

Naroditsky declines the queen exchange, but Black’s position starts to look a bit passive for now.

11.f4 12.Rg1

White’s play is logical: support the centre and put a rook on the newly opened file.

14.Bh6

This creates a threat against g7, but Black can meet it with 14...Ne8. The bishop soon returns to e3, so White could have considered castling long immediately.

15.Nf3 15...Kh8 16.Be3

Black makes the bishop retreat. White has still delayed queenside castling, giving Naroditsky time to prepare his central break.

17...f5!

Excellent timing. Black challenges White’s centre while White's king is still not castled.

18.dxe5 Nxe4 19.O-O-O

White allows Black to recover the e5-pawn. 19.Bd3 was an alternative: if Black then captures on e5, White can take the knight on e4.

21.Bd4 Qf4+ 22.Kb1 Bf6 23.Be3 Qh4

The queen’s retreat comes with check, so Black has time to deal with the pressure on g7. Remember the queen on h4: it is about to play the central role in the finish.

24.Rd7

The rook reaches the seventh rank, but White’s invasion proves less dangerous than it looks. 24.f3 was worth considering to drive away the e4-knight before it became an absolute nuisance to White.

24...Rad8 25.Rxb7

Naroditsky contests the d-file rather than defending b7. After White takes the pawn, Black has a more direct possibility: 25...Nd2+! The knight appears to hang, but 26.Bxd2 Qxf2 attacks both the bishop on d2 and the rook on g1. White therefore has to move the king, after which Black can continue with ...Nxf1 and ...Qxh3. But that wasn't played.

25...Rb8 26.Rxb8 Rxb8

Black instead chooses the natural rook exchange and takes control of the b-file. White could have kept that file closed for longer with 26.Rb3. If Black exchanges on b3, White can recapture with the a-pawn, which is nowhere near as scary compared to what happened in the game.

27.Ka1?

Stepping away from the b-file looks perfectly sensible. The king appears safe on a1, but this move allows Naroditsky’s decisive combination. The counterintuitive 27.Kc1 would have given White much better defensive chances.

27...Nxc3!!

A stunning knight sacrifice. It damages White’s shelter and, crucially, clears the fourth rank for Black’s queen. Declining the sacrifice clearly does not solve White’s problems: ...Na4, for example, is on the way.

28.bxc3 Qa4!!

Here is the point. The queen swings all the way from h4 to a4. White cannot simply capture it: the queen on c2 must guard c3, or ...Bxc3# follows. At the same time, the queen on a4 attacks White’s queen, forcing it to move.

29.Qc1 Qd1!!

One final deflection. White’s queen still needs to defend c3, but Black’s queen attacks it from d1 while threatening ...Bxc3#. Even 30.Bd2 fails to 30...Bxc3+ 31.Bxc3 Qxc1#. White resigned.

Final thoughts

I think this sequence of a knight sac followed by an absolutely absurd queen swing is truly remarkable, and the fact that Naro was able to spot it in a blitz game is extremely impressive. Just look at what happened: 27...Nxc3!! removes a defender and opens a route; 28...Qa4!! exploits White’s need to protect c3; and 29...Qd1!! makes White completely and utterly overloaded. Naroditsky’s queen starts its heroic manouver on h4 and ends on White’s original queen square, having crossed the board to deliver a final blow.