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The stakes for this Ivanchuk vs. Yusupov chess game in Brussels (1991) could hardly be higher as this game was played in a rapid tiebreak in the world championship Candidates' cycle.
The King’s Indian Defense arises from a unique move order in the opening, resulting early in a very double-edged position. With a very provocative plan, Vassily Ivanchuk entices Yusupov to send a desperado pawn marching down the e-file, quickly disrupting the harmony of white’s kingside.
However, black is forced to make certain positional concessions in compensation for his initiative in that Ivanchuk achieves very considerable pressure in the center and on the queenside. The game explodes after 19. Ne5! and Yusupov completely abandons the queenside and sacrifices two pawns to go full out for win via a kingside attack.
Yusupov then embarks on a double piece sacrifice with 23. …Nxh4! to succeed in totally destroying the pawn cover around Ivanchuk’s king. Yusupov immediately sacrifices a rook with 27. …Re6 and 28. …Rg6! – threatening a mating combination involving …Qh1+ …Nh2+ and Rg1#.
Ivanchuk is generous with the extra material and donates his queen to Yusupov with 30. Q g8+! to deflect black’s attack and force mass exchanges. While Ivanchuk does manage to avert instant mate and temporarily slow black’s attack, Yusupov continues extremely forcefully with 33. …Nf2! and after a few spite checks from Ivanchuk, white is forced to resign in the face of an impending mate after 39. …Qg3.