DAY 288 Double Rook Offer

This is another sacrificial theme that occurs rarely but is so charming that is worth everyone’s study.

Georgy Borisenko White
Dmitry Grechkin Black
Moscow 1955
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D21

1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 3 f3 a6 4 e4 c5 5 xc4 cxd4 6 xd4 e5? 7 a4+!

Also good was 7 b3 with a 8 xf7+ threat (7...c7 8 c2 or 8 e2).

illustration

7...d7

Black offered the Exchange because 7...d7? 8 b3! is worse. And 7...d7 8 f3 is difficult to defend. For example, 8...d6 9 0-0 gf6 10 d1.

Question 320: Isn’t 10...c7 11 g5 0-0 safe?

8 b5! axb5 9 xa8

Black should try 9...b4+ because there is one bad reply (10 c3?? exd4) and some chances with 10...xd4 after other replies.

9...xd4? 10 xb8 b4+

illustration

11 c3! xe4+

Now 11...xc3+ 12 bxc3 xc3+ loses to 13 d2! xa1+ 14 e2.

Question 321: And on 14...xh1 ?

12 e3 e7 13 c7 xc3+ 14 bxc3

And 14...xg2? 15 0-0-0! is terminal.

14...c6 15 xe5 resigns.

A different kind of double-rook offer:

Piotrowski White
Jerzy Sokolow Black
Correspondence 1971

1 e4 e5 2 f3 c6 3 b5 a6 4 xc6 dxc6 5 0-0 g4 6 h3 h5 7 d3 f6 8 bd2 b5 9 e1 c5 10 c3 d8 11 c2 e7 12 b4 a7 13 b2 g6 14 d4 f4 15 h4 g6 16 dxe5 f4 17 d4 xh4 18 g3 xd4! 19 cxd4 (19 gxf4 xd2! 20 xd2 f3+) xd2! 20 xc6+ d7 21 a8+ e7 22 xh8 f3+ 23 h1 xf2 24 xh5 g4 White resigns.