Congratulations to Le Quang Liem on winning the Asian Continental Championship and returning to the 2700 club!

⚫️#238 (Strategy-Black to Move)
🔸Gasanov,E (2502)
🔸Aleksandrov,A (2599)
🔸Baku Open 2018

18...a5!? [18...Qh5! The most precise move that clears the h6 square for the Black's rook. 19.Rd3 Rae8 20.h4 Rh6 21.Kf1 Ree6 22.Ng1 Qxh4 23.f4 Bxe2+ 24.Qxe2 Qh1 25.g3 Rh2 26.Qf3 Qxf3+ 27.Nxf3 Rxb2–+; 18...Rg6 19.Ne5 Nxe5 20.dxe5 Bf5 21.Bf3 Re8 22.Rd4 Qg5 23.a5 b5µ]

19.Kh1 [19.Ne5 Bxe2 20.Qxe2 Nxe5 21.dxe5 Rxe5-/+]

19...Rf6–+

1–0

⚪️#238 (Endgame-White to Move)
🔸Al-Shamsi,Ousha (1429)
🔸Jalloul,M (1874)
🔸Emirates ch-Arab 2018

27.f4!? [27.Bd4! Kf8 28.a4 Ke7 29.Rc7+ Ke6 30.f4 Ra8 31.Kf2 Bf8 32.Ke3 Bb4 33.Ke2 h5 34.Kd3 Be7 35.h3 Bd8 (35...Bb4 36.Bc3 Be7 37.b4 Bf8 38.g4 hxg4 39.hxg4 Bg7 40.Kd4 Bf8 41.Rc6+ Kd7 42.Kxd5+–) 36.Rc6+ Kd7 37.Rd6+ Kc7 38.Rxd5+–; 27.Kf1 d4 28.f4 f6 29.e6 Bf8 30.Rc4 Bc5 (30...d3 31.Ke1 f5 32.Rc7±) 31.b4 Bd6 32.Bxd4±]

27...d4 28.Rd1? [28.Kf2±]

28...Bf8 [28...f6 29.Rxd4 Rxd4 30.Bxd4 fxe5 31.fxe5 Kf7 32.e6+ Kg8 33.Be3 Kf8=]

29.Kf1 Bc5 30.Ke2 Kf8 31.Kd3 Ke7 32.Kc4 d3 33.Rxd3 Rxd3 34.Kxd3 Bg1 35.Bd4! Bxh2 36.Bf2 h5 37.Ke4 Ke6 38.Kf3 h4 39.gxh4 Kf5 40.Be3 b5 41.b4 a6 42.a3 Ke6 43.Kg2

1–0

🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018
🔸Round 4
⚪️Yudin,S (2507)
⚫️Morozevich,A (2656)
🔸0-1

22.e6? [At this moment, this pawn sacrifice is a mistake and doesn't give White enough compensation.]

[22.Qd2! would be correct: 22...g5 23.e6! Qe2 23...fxe6 24.Qe2 Rf6 25.Ne5 Qd6 26.Ng4!°]

22...fxe6 23.Ne5 Qc7! [23...Qd8?! 24.Qxb7!= Nd7]

24.Rc1 Qd8! [24...Nc6? 25.Nxc6 bxc6 26.Rxe6+/=]

25.Qxb7 Bxd4! 26.Nd7? [¹26.Nf3 Rb8 27.Qxa6 Rb6!‚ 28.Qe2 Nf5µ Qf6]

26...Ra7!–+

⚪️#238 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Babazada,Khazar (2269)
🔸Abasov,N (2629)
🔸Baku Open 2018

Unity Chess Strategy Multiple Choice 239
public poll

B) e5 – 6
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 67%
nima, @fantastic45, S.f, Nikhil, اوین, @sacsacmate

A) a3 – 3
👍👍👍👍 33%
Alexander, @SophiaCat_does_Chess, Jai

C) Qd4
▫️ 0%

👥 9 people voted so far.

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

Unity Chess Endgame Multiple Choice 239
public poll

B) R×a4 – 5
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 50%
اوین, Playchess, @SophiaCat_does_Chess, Ali, Matthew

C) Ne2+ – 5
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 50%
@fantastic45, S.f, Nikhil, Alexander, Jai

A) Ne4
▫️ 0%

👥 10 people voted so far.

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