European Cup Final, Moscow 1986. After their 1st-round, 2nd-board clash, Mikhail Tal ('Trud') & Artur Jussupow ('TsSKA') analyse their game, which was won by Black in 40 moves. Aleksandr Beliavsky ('Trud') looks on.

@UnityChess

"To play with correctness and skill the ends of games, is an important but a very rare accomplishment, expect among the magnates of the game."

🔸 Howard Staunton, The Chess-Players' Handbook 1847

@UnityChess

Did you know?

Paul Keres has defeated every world champion from Capablanca to Fischer and finished second in the Candidates 5 times in row.
I think he is the strongest player that never became world champion as he had the right to challenge Alekhine.

@UnityChess

Would you be able to recognize Sergey Karyakin in such a camouflage?
Russian grandmaster fooled Moscow chess fans by changing his appearance. They were amused and happy to learn who they played. One kid made a draw!

#FIDEWomenCandidates Round 13 results:
🇷🇺 Gunina 0-1 A. Muzychuk 🇺🇦
🇷🇺 Kosteniuk 1-0 M. Muzychuk 🇺🇦
🇷🇺 Goryachkina 1/2-1/2 Dzagnidze 🇬🇪
🇷🇺 Lagno 1/2-1/2 Tan Zhongyi 🇨🇳

Leaders before the last round: Goryachkina - 9,5; A. Muzychuk - 7,5; Lagno - 6,5.

"It was not my best game, maybe I should not have celebrated yesterday,"- smiles Aleksandra Goryachkina after a draw with Nana Dzagnidze.
"People wrote to me, two rounds to go, don't get relaxed. But it's not easy to find motivation when the goal is reached"
#FIDEWomenCandidates

Check out Bobby Fischer's signed chessboard at our free "US Chess: 80 Years" exhibition, on view now.

⚪️#239 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Babazada,Khazar (2269)
🔸Abasov,N (2629)
🔸Baku Open 2018

17.e5?! [17.a3! A prophylactic move. After that, White would have enough time to attack Black's central pawns. 17...Nd7 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.Rd2 Ne5 20.Be2 h6 21.Rhd1 Red7 22.Qh3²; 17.Qd4 Qa7 18.Qxa7+ Kxa7 19.e5 Nd5 (19...Bxf3 20.exf6 Bxd1 (20...gxf6? 21.Be3+ Kb7 22.gxf3+–) 21.fxe7 Bxc2+ 22.Kxc2 Rd7 23.Rf1+–) 20.Bxe7 Rxe7 21.exd6 Rxd6 22.Nxd5 Bxd5 23.Rhe1 Red7 24.Bxd5 exd5 25.c3=]

17...dxe5 18.Bxc6 Qxc6 19.Qxe5+ Bd6 20.Qe3=

½–½

⚫️#239 (Endgame-Black to Move)
🔸Kosic,D (2488)
🔸Krishnater,Kushager (2305)
🔸Orbis 2 GM 2018

53...Ne4? [53...Rxa4! 54.Ra7 Rf4 55.Kh2 (55.b7?? Ne2+ 56.Kh2 Rh4#) 55...Ne2 56.g3 Rf2+ 57.Kh3 Rf3 58.b7 Rxg3+ 59.Kh4 Rb3 60.Kg5 Nd4 61.Ra8+ Ke7 62.b8Q Rxb8 63.Rxb8 Ke6=; 53...Ne2+? 54.Kf1 Ng3+ 55.Ke1 Ra1+ 56.Kf2 Ne4+ 57.Kf3 Ng5+ 58.Kg3 Ne4+ 59.Kh2 Ke8 60.Ra7 Nd6 61.g4 Rb1 62.a5 Rb3 63.g5 Rb5 64.g6 Kf8 65.Kg3 Nc4 66.b7 Nxa5 67.Ra8+ Kg7 68.b8Q Rxb8 69.Rxb8 Kxg6 70.Rb5 Nc4 71.Rc5 Nb2 72.Kf3 Nd3 73.Rd5 Ne1+ 74.Kg4 Nc2 75.Kf4 Kf6 76.Ke4 Ke7 77.Rb5 Na3 78.Rc5 Kd6 79.Kd4 Nb1 80.Rd5+ Ke6 81.Re5+ Kd6 82.Re3+–]

54.Rc7 Ra1+ 55.Kh2 Nd6 56.Rd7

1–0

🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018
🔸Round 5
⚪️Bocharov,D (2533)
⚫️Kokarev,Dm (2598)
🔸1-0

14.Nc3! [White simply wins material by simultaneously attacking both the black knight and the d5–pawn.]

[14.Bc7? Re8 Ne6 15.Nxb6 Nxb6 16.Bxb6 Na4! 17.Bc7 Nxb2=]

14...Ne6™ 15.Nxd5! Nxf4 16.gxf4! [A correct decision that strengthens White's center and prevents Black from obtaining some counterplay with ...e5.]

[16.Nxf4?! e5! 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Nxe5 Bxe5 19.Rfd1 Bf5 20.Bxb7 Bxb2!‚ 21.Bxa8 Rxa8²]

16...e6 17.Nc3± [¹17.Nc7! Rb8 18.a4 Nf6 19.e3 Nd5 20.Rfc1±]