This position is from an actual game, So,W (2516) -
Ghaem Maghami,E (2610) at the 6th Asian Championships in Cebu City,
The Philippines, on September 26, 2007.
The only winning chances lie with Black, and hinge on
the question of promoting the lone remaining pawn.
White, knowing that a rook pawn cannot be promoted
unless Black can control the queening square (see
King vs King, Bishop,
and Rook Pawn) decides not to take any chances, and immediately
goes about obtaining the desired position.
72.Rfxf3+ Bxf3+ 73.Rxf3+ Kxf3
White has just made two consecutive exchange
sacrifices on the same square (giving up a rook for a knight or a
bishop.) Black is way ahead in material, but he cannot gain
control of the pawn's queening square (h1) because the remaining
bishop is the wrong color.
74.Kh2 Be5+ 75.Kg1 h4 76.Kh1 h3 77.Kg1 h2+ 78.Kh1
Kf2 ½-½
White is stalemated. For more examples of this
type of defensive maneuver, see
King vs King, Bishop,
and Rook Pawn.
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