Chess
A genuine sacrifice of anything more than a pawn is quite rare. By contrast, pseudo-sacrifices, where material is temporarily given up for sure profit later, are common.
Today's game, from the European Championship in Pula, sees White investing a whole rook for unclear reward. In the diagram position, Bareyev played 16.Rxg7! After 16...Kxg7 17.Qg6+ Kh8 18.Qxg6 Qe7, he has no forced win: the natural 19.Be4+ Kg8 20.Bxd5+ Be6 21.Ke2 Bxd5 leaves him with no mate. White therefore had to play (as he must have intended when giving up the rook) 19.Bg6+ (to stop the king running to f7) Kg8 20.Ke2. Despite the time White takes to get his rook to g1, then to move it to a defended square on g3, Black cannot properly organise his defences.
After 24...Qf7, he looked safe, but Bareyev kept the attack alive with 25.Bxf6+! pseudo-sacrificing another bishop. Black had to give up his queen, after which White's pawns were too strong.
White: Yevgeny Bareyev
Black: Edouard Rozentalis
1 c4 e6 26 Qh7+ Qf7
2 Nc3 Bb4 27 Rg7 Be8
3 Qb3 Nc6 28 Bg6 Qxg7
4 Nf3 Nf6 29 Qxg7+ Ke6
5 a3 Bxc3 30 Bh7 Ne7
6 Qxc3 d5 31 f4 Bb5+
7 e3 0-0 32 d3 Rf8
8 b4 Ne4 33 Qe5+ Kd7
9 Qc2 Ng5 34 f5 Rae8
10 Bb2 Bd7 35 f6 Nc8
11 cxd5 Nxf3+ 36 Qxd5+ Nd6
12 gxf3 exd5 37 Bg6 Re6
13 Rg1 f6 38 Bf5 Rxf6
14 Bd3 h6 39 Bxe6+ Rxe6
15 Bh7+ Kh8 40 h4 Ke7
16 Rxg7 Kxg7 41 Qc5 a6
17 Qg6+ Kh8 42 Qxc7+ Kf6
18 Qxh6 Qe7 43 Qd8+ Kf7
19 Bg6+ Kg8 44 Kd2 Nf5
20 Ke2 Qg7 45 Qc7+ Re7
21 Qh5 Rfd8 46 Qf4 Ke6
22 Rg1 Kf8 47 e4 Nd4
23 Rg3 Ke7 48 Qh6+ Kd7
24 Bf5 Qf7 49 Qf6 resigns
25 Bxf6+ Qxf6
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