Please note how the black passed pawns (b4 and c6) cannot be pushed and even restrict the black pieces. On the other hand, the white knight and bishop occupy the best squares, attacking and defending simultaneously!
Now we create another passed pawn in the center of the board and involve the king in the action (Kg3-Kf4).
Boom! The point is the bad situation of the white king!
11...Be4 is what happened in the game 12.Be2 Qd6 13.0-0 +/=
11...Be4 is what happened in the game 12.Be2 Qd6 13.0-0 +/=
12.Bxf6 Qa5+ 13.Nd2 bxc4
A nice intermediate move, followed by gxf6, and White is a pawn down.
A nice intermediate move, followed by gxf6, and White is a pawn down.
This is a devastating move! If the king moves, then White has lost the right to castle, and Nd2 is strongly met with ...Ne4, winning the game!
Both options make a lot of sense to me. Taking with the pawn is the 'not positional move' since it ruins the pawn structure and the black king will not be safe on the kingside anymore. However, it makes sense from the dynamic point of view since the g-file can be used to attack. The combination light squared bishop + rook is very dangerous for White, and the black king in many cases can castle queenside. This is an extremely important moment for White. Think carefully and find the best move!
Fantastic move by Nepo. With this move, the Russian Super-GM guarantees safety for his king for the rest of the game.