White to Play
Published in Chess Puzzles
Our third example of nice attacks out of the c3 Sicilian in the 1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 line is from Stripunsky-Vigorito, New Hampshire, 2000. Alex has been a popular grandmaster in NJ and a fine chess teacher as well.
1.Bxh6 gxh6 [1...f5 2.Nd2 a6 3.Ndf3 Rf6 Black can avoid taking the bishop, but at the right moment White just retreats with the cleric with a won game. 4.Bd2] 2.Qxh6 Rfe8 [2...Nf5 3.Bxf5 Bxf5 4.Qg5+ Bg6 5.Nxg6 fxg6 6.Qxg6+ Kh8 (6...Qg7 7.Qxd6 Rad8 8.Qe6+ Kh8 9.Nd2 and the black king is "naked" as well as being those three pawns down.) 7.Qh6+ Kg8 8.Re6] 3.Bh7+ Kh8 4.Bf5+ Kg8 5.Qh7+ Kf8 6.Bxe6 Black resigned because of 6...Qxe6 [6...fxe6 7.Ng6+ Nxg6 8.Qxd7]7.Rxe6 fxe6 8.Nf3 Red8 9.Ng5 Ke8 10.Nxe6 and White easily wins in all lines.
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