Anyone who plays chess will know the feeling of reaching a winning position, only to screw it up and to lose the game instead. So far so normal, and the cliché about ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ can apply to any sport. But chess offers a far more piquant anguish, unavailable in most other endeavours. Even among chess players, only a tiny minority will experience it. Directly resigning in a winning position – that is the stuff of nightmares. It sounds ridiculous – why would you ever do that? All it takes is to overlook one crucial resource, and it happened last week to one of the best in the world.
The diagram position below is taken from an online game played in the Champions Chess Tour. Nakamura, rook for bishop ahead, has just offered an exchange of rooks on the g-file.
Hikaru Nakamura-Magnus Carlsen
Champions Chess Tour Knockout, May 2025
Carlsen plays his trump card, clearly planned a few moves earlier: 32…Bg4! From the video stream, it is evident that Nakamura has not seen that coming, and 33 Rxg4 Qxf3+ is catastrophic. He holds his head, gestures in despair and resigns 25 seconds later. Just after the game finishes, Nakamura checks the game with his computer, only to be confronted with the brutal truth that his position was actually winning. The cold-blooded 33 Rfg3!! wins, since 33…Bxh5 34 Rxg8 is mate. 33…Rg5 is a better try, but 34 Qe8+ Rg8 35 Qf7 should win. Nakamura has to smile, no doubt sensing the absurdity of his error.
That lucky break handed Carlsen a 3-1 victory over Nakamura, and he went on to dominate the final match against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, winning 2.5-0.5. The first game was particularly elegant.
Magnus Carlsen-Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
Champions Chess Tour Knockout, May 2025
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 h3 Nc6 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 e5 7 Nf3 h6 8 Bc4 Be6 9 Bb3 Be7 10 O-O O-O 11 Re1 Rc8 12 Nd5 Bxd5 13 exd5 In principle, White would prefer to play 13 Bxd5 Nxd5 14 Qxd5 to retain the d5 square as an outpost for a piece, but 14…Nb4! is a refutation. 13…Na5 14 Ba4 Nd7 15 c3 f5 16 Bc2 Qb6 17 Rb1 Rf7 18 a4 Qc7
19 g4!! Magnificent judgment. At first sight, exposing the kingside like this looks reckless, especially with the rook bearing down from f7. But Carlsen has foreseen that the light squares in Black’s kingside will be critically weakened, bearing in mind the unopposed Bc2. fxg4 20 hxg4 Rcf8 20…Nf8 was safer, to guard h7 and g6, but Carlsen would retain the better chances. 21 Qd3 Rxf3? A strange blunder, allowing mate. 21…g5 was unpalatable, but necessary. 22 Qh7+ Kf7 23 Bg6+ Kf6 24 Bh5 Black resigns, since 24…Bd8 25 Qg6+ Ke7 26 Qe6 is mate.
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