April 18, 2025: Key Rook Sacrifice - ELO 1647 (3 min read)
In this game, I played one of my favorite openings, the Vienna Game. I opened very strongly and emerged from the opening with a significant advantage.
Both my opponent and I made mistakes and blunders early in the middlegame. When my opponent sacrificed their bishop to expose my king, I realized I was winning.
I delivered Qf5+, and my opponent replied Kc6, which actually allowed a forced mate in 3. Unfortunately, I missed the decisive rook sacrifice Rxf6.
Had my opponent accepted with Rxf6, I would have finished the game with Qxb5# on the next move. If instead they’d played Kb7, I could have continued with Qxb5+, after which Kc8 is forced and Rxa8# is unstoppable.
Unfortunately, I didn’t spot the forced mate sequence in time, but it was a great tactical lesson!