Stockfish 19 Brilliantly Sacrificed the Queen Against Torch and the Engine Could Not Believe It!!
Stockfish 19in the video
Game info
All moves with commentary
The whole game in 73 moves, move by move, with the words of the video.
In this position I give my queen for one knight. Torch is about to get burned. I am Stockfish 19, and today I play Torch.
1. e4 A
1... c5 Sicilian
2. d4 meets
2... cxd4 my
3. c3 pawn
3... d3 gambit today. This is the Smith-Morra Gambit, named after Pierre Morra from France and Ken Smith from Texas. You see Torch does not want my second pawn, so he pushes the first one on to d3 and gives it back.
4. Bxd3 I take it with my bishop,
4... d6 he answers with d6,
5. Nf3 and my knight comes out to its best square.
5... Nc6 Both
6. O-O sides
6... Bg4 now develop.
7. h3 His bishop pins my knight to my queen, so I ask the question at once with h3.
7... Bh5 The bishop steps back,
8. Bf4 my dark bishop jumps to f4,
8... e5 and Torch kicks it with his e-pawn.
9. Be3 I go back to e3,
9... Nf6 and his knight comes out.
10. c4 Now I grab space with c4, because you know a pawn on c4 and a pawn on e4 hold the d5 square like a pair of hands.
10... Nb4 His knight jumps out and attacks my bishop, and you see I do not even move the bishop. If he takes it, my queen takes back from the d1 square, and I am happy with that trade. Tap the like button now, faster than the Angry Birds fly from the slingshot.
11. g4 Instead I answer with the g-pawn, and look, my pawn on g4 attacks the bishop on h5. So you see the bishop must run again.
11... Bg6 It runs to g6, onto the long diagonal toward my pawn on e4.
12. Nc3 My other knight comes out,
12... Be7 and his dark bishop goes to e7.
13. Qa4+ Now my queen checks from a4, and along that diagonal she looks at his king and at the knight on b4 at the same time.
13... Nc6 So the knight must go back and block. Torch was built by a team at Chess.com, and today he is one of the strongest engines in the world. So he does not fall for one check.
14. Rad1 My rook comes to d1,
14... O-O Torch castles his king,
15. Rd2 and my rook steps up to d2. You see the plan, I want to stack my pieces on the d-file. The target is his pawn on d6, the weak spot of almost every Sicilian.
15... h6 He plays h6, so that my knight can never use the g5 square.
16. Qd1 My queen goes back behind her rook,
16... Qc7 and his queen comes to c7.
17. Kh2 Quiet
17... Rac8 moves
18. Bb1 go
18... Rfd8 both ways. My bishop went back to b1, so my rook on d2 now looks straight down the file at d6. And my king on h2 leaves the g-file free for a rook.
19. Rg1 My rook goes there,
19... Qd7 his queen steps over,
20. g5 and now my g-pawn breaks. The pawn on g5 hits h6 and the knight on f6, and you see something must give.
20... hxg5 He takes it,
21. Nxg5 and my knight takes back. The knight on g5 eyes e6, a square deep in his camp. And the g-file is open for my rook on g1.
21... Bh5 Then his bishop jumps back to h5, and it hits my queen on d1 through the empty squares.
22. Qf1 So my queen runs to f1 like Indiana Jones running from the big stone ball.
22... Qe8 His queen steps back,
23. Nd5 and my knight jumps into d5, where it hits the bishop on e7 and the knight on f6.
23... Qf8 So his queen steps over to f8 to guard them both.
24. f4 Now my f-pawn comes forward, and it hits his pawn on e5.
24... exf4 He takes,
25. Nxf4 and my knight takes back on f4.
25... Ne5 His knight jumps to e5,
26. Rf2 my rook steps up,
26... Bg6 and his bishop goes back to g6. This game was played in the CCC, where engines play each other all day and all night.
27. Nge6 Here comes my other knight, and it lands on e6 and hits the rook on d8. You see his f-pawn can take it, but then the f-file opens and my knight from f4 takes on g6.
27... Qe8 So Torch leaves it alone and moves the queen. Would you take on e6 with the pawn here, if you were Torch? Tell me in the comments.
28. Rfg2 My rook joins the g-file,
28... Rd7 his rook steps to d7,
29. Bd4 my bishop comes to the centre,
29... Bd8 and his bishop steps back to d8.
30. Nxd8 So my knight takes it,
30... Qxd8 and his queen takes back. My eval says plus one and a half, a real edge. But I still have no road into his king.
31. a4 Six
31... Qe7 quiet
32. b3 moves,
32... Re8 nobody
33. Qf2 wants
33... b6 to blink. You see my pawns on a4 and b3 now close the queenside, and his pieces have no work there. The only open door I can see is next to his king.
34. h4 Then my h-pawn starts to walk, and it wants the h5 square.
34... Kh8 His king hides in the corner,
35. Kh1 my king steps into the other corner,
35... Qd8 and his queen goes back to d8.
36. Qg3 My queen comes to g3,
36... Rg8 and his rook comes over to guard the g-file. Remember the move from the start? It is very close now, so watch my queen on g3.
37. h5 Pawn to h5, and it hits the bishop on g6. Keep this little pawn in mind, because one day it will open a door for me.
37... Bh7 The bishop must go to h7, and look, it locks its own king in the corner. It stands there like the Statue of Liberty, guarding an empty harbour.
38. Rh2 My rook steps across, and now my pawn wants the h6 square.
38... Nfg4 Then Torch strikes first, knight to g4, and the knight hits my rook on h2! Here it is.
39. Qxg4!! Queen takes g4! My queen for one knight, and you see why. My rook on g1 looks up the g-file all the way to g7, and my knight on f4 can jump to g6. My eval says plus one and a half for every other move. For my queen on g4 it says plus three and a half, so this is the only move that really wins. Puzzle time, Black to move, rated 1979 on our website, and it is mate in two, so write the first move in the comments.
39... Nxg4 Back to the game, he takes my queen,
Variation 39... g6 40. hxg6 fxg6 41. Nxg6+
40. Rxg4 and my rook takes back. Now my rook on g4 looks straight up the file at g7.
40... Qc8 I have given my queen for two knights, and his queen steps to c8. And now one more piece goes in.
41. Ng6+!! Knight to g6, check! The knight checks the king on h8, and my pawn on h5 is ready to take back on g6.
41... fxg6 Back to the game, Torch takes with the f-pawn,
Variation 41... Bxg6 42. hxg6#
42. hxg6 and my pawn takes back. Remember my little pawn that walked through h5? It opened the door. Now my rook on h2 and my pawn on g6 both hit the bishop on h7, and the bishop cannot move. It is pinned to its own king. Right after this, you see how my two rooks finish the hunt.
42... Rgd8 His rook leaves g8 and goes to d8, so his king gets a square to run to.
43. Rxh7+ My rook takes the bishop with check.
43... Kg8 The bishop that locked its own king in is gone, and the king runs to g8.
44. Be3 My bishop goes back to e3, heading for the g5 and h6 squares to join the hunt.
44... Rb7 His rook steps to the second rank to guard it,
45. Rgh4 and my other rook joins the h-file. Two rooks now climb up the h-file like King Kong on a tall building.
45... Kf8 His king runs to f8,
46. Bg5 my bishop comes to g5,
46... Ke8 and the king runs on. You see my rooks own the h-file, and his king wants to hide on the other side of the board.
47. Rh8+ Rook to h8, check! My rook gives check and hits the rook on d8 at the same time.
47... Kd7 His king steps away,
48. Rxd8+ I take the rook with check,
48... Qxd8 and his queen takes back.
49. Bxd8 My bishop takes the queen,
49... Kxd8 and his king takes my bishop. Now count with me, and you will like this. I gave my queen, and now I have my rook on h4 and my bishop on b1 against his rook on b7, so I am a full piece up. My eval says plus five and a half, and now you see the endgame, where every piece counts.
50. Rf4 My rook goes to f4, and it takes the f-file.
50... Ke8 His king goes back,
51. Kg2 and my king steps up to g2, because in the endgame the king must come to the middle.
51... Re7 His rook comes to e7,
52. Rf7 and I offer the trade on f7. My pawn on g6 protects my rook there.
52... Rxf7 He takes,
53. gxf7+ my pawn takes back with check,
53... Kxf7 and his king takes the pawn. The rooks are gone, and it is my bishop on b1 and four pawns against his four pawns. You know a bishop is worth about three pawns, so this ending is won. But it still needs care, because if all my pawns disappear, a lone bishop cannot mate.
54. e5 Then I push my e-pawn and give it away,
54... dxe5 and he takes it. Now my king gets the road through e4, and my bishop gets the long diagonal from b1 to h7. That pawn on e5 will fall later, you will see. Here is a fact for you, I am free for everyone, and thousands of volunteers test every new idea of mine on their own computers.
55. b4 My
55... Kf6 king
56. Kf3 and
56... Ke6 his king walk.
57. Bd3 My bishop steps to d3, close to my pawn on c4.
57... Kd6 His king goes to d6,
58. Ke4 and my king walks to e4.
58... Kc7 His king steps over,
59. Kxe5 and my king takes the pawn on e5. Like Godzilla walking through a city, my king now goes wherever it wants. My bishop on d3 guards the light squares, my king guards the dark ones, and his king can only watch.
59... Kd7 His
60. Kd5 king
60... Ke7 backs off.
61. c5 Now my c-pawn runs, and its road goes all the way to c8.
61... g5 His g-pawn starts to run too, because a pawn far away from my king is his only hope.
62. Be2 My bishop steps back to watch that pawn,
62... b5 his b-pawn comes to b5,
63. a5 and my a-pawn goes to a5.
63... g4 His g-pawn runs to g4,
64. Bxg4 and my bishop simply takes it. My eval now sees a forced mate, because nothing can stop my c-pawn. His king has to run after my bishop and the pawn at the same time, and one king cannot be in two places.
64... Kf6 His king goes over,
65. c6 my pawn goes to c6,
65... Kg5 and his king comes closer.
66. c7 The pawn reaches c7, one step from the c8 square.
66... Kxg4 His king takes my bishop on g4, but it is too late.
67. Ke5 My king steps closer,
67... Kf3 his king runs to f3,
68. c8=Q and my pawn becomes a new queen. A queen and a king against a lone king, and now I only need to build the net, one row at a time.
68... a6 His a-pawn moves, and you see it does not matter any more.
69. Qc3+ My queen checks from c3,
69... Ke2 his king runs to e2,
70. Kf4 and my king comes closer. You know a queen alone cannot mate, she needs her king next to her.
70... Kd1 His king goes to d1,
71. Qb2 and my queen goes to b2 to take away his squares.
71... Ke1 His king runs from square to square, stepping to e1,
72. Ke3 my king comes to e3,
72... Kd1 and his king goes back. Torch burned bright, and now it burns out.
73. Qd2# Queen to d2, checkmate, and the king on d1 has nowhere to go! Like and subscribe, and learn your openings in the Rama Chess app.
Result: 1-0 (White won)
PGN of the game
[Event "Computer Match"] [Site "ramachess.com"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "BC-0089"] [White "Stockfish 19"] [Black "Torch"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "4050"] [Annotator "Rama Chess"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 d3 4. Bxd3 d6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Bf4 e5 9. Be3 Nf6 10. c4 Nb4 11. g4 Bg6 12. Nc3 Be7 13. Qa4+ Nc6 14. Rad1 O-O 15. Rd2 h6 16. Qd1 Qc7 17. Kh2 Rac8 18. Bb1 Rfd8 19. Rg1 Qd7 20. g5 hxg5 21. Nxg5 Bh5 22. Qf1 Qe8 23. Nd5 Qf8 24. f4 exf4 25. Nxf4 Ne5 26. Rf2 Bg6 27. Nge6 Qe8 28. Rfg2 Rd7 29. Bd4 Bd8 30. Nxd8 Qxd8 31. a4 Qe7 32. b3 Re8 33. Qf2 b6 34. h4 Kh8 35. Kh1 Qd8 36. Qg3 Rg8 37. h5 Bh7 38. Rh2 Nfg4 39. Qxg4 Nxg4 (39... g6 40. hxg6 fxg6 41. Nxg6+) 40. Rxg4 Qc8 41. Ng6+ fxg6 (41... Bxg6 42. hxg6#) 42. hxg6 Rgd8 43. Rxh7+ Kg8 44. Be3 Rb7 45. Rgh4 Kf8 46. Bg5 Ke8 47. Rh8+ Kd7 48. Rxd8+ Qxd8 49. Bxd8 Kxd8 50. Rf4 Ke8 51. Kg2 Re7 52. Rf7 Rxf7 53. gxf7+ Kxf7 54. e5 dxe5 55. b4 Kf6 56. Kf3 Ke6 57. Bd3 Kd6 58. Ke4 Kc7 59. Kxe5 Kd7 60. Kd5 Ke7 61. c5 g5 62. Be2 b5 63. a5 g4 64. Bxg4 Kf6 65. c6 Kg5 66. c7 Kxg4 67. Ke5 Kf3 68. c8=Q a6 69. Qc3+ Ke2 70. Kf4 Kd1 71. Qb2 Ke1 72. Ke3 Kd1 73. Qd2# 1-0
Read the whole commentary
In this position I give my queen for one knight. Torch is about to get burned.
I am Stockfish 19, and today I play Torch.
A Sicilian meets my pawn gambit today.
This is the Smith-Morra Gambit, named after Pierre Morra from France and Ken Smith from Texas. You see Torch does not want my second pawn, so he pushes the first one on to d3 and gives it back. I take it with my bishop, he answers with d6, and my knight comes out to its best square.
Both sides now develop.
His bishop pins my knight to my queen, so I ask the question at once with h3. The bishop steps back, my dark bishop jumps to f4, and Torch kicks it with his e-pawn. I go back to e3, and his knight comes out. Now I grab space with c4, because you know a pawn on c4 and a pawn on e4 hold the d5 square like a pair of hands.
His knight jumps out and attacks my bishop, and you see I do not even move the bishop. If he takes it, my queen takes back from the d1 square, and I am happy with that trade. Tap the like button now, faster than the Angry Birds fly from the slingshot.
Instead I answer with the g-pawn, and look, my pawn on g4 attacks the bishop on h5. So you see the bishop must run again.
It runs to g6, onto the long diagonal toward my pawn on e4. My other knight comes out, and his dark bishop goes to e7. Now my queen checks from a4, and along that diagonal she looks at his king and at the knight on b4 at the same time. So the knight must go back and block.
Torch was built by a team at Chess.com, and today he is one of the strongest engines in the world. So he does not fall for one check. My rook comes to d1, Torch castles his king, and my rook steps up to d2. You see the plan, I want to stack my pieces on the d-file. The target is his pawn on d6, the weak spot of almost every Sicilian.
He plays h6, so that my knight can never use the g5 square. My queen goes back behind her rook, and his queen comes to c7.
Quiet moves go both ways.
My bishop went back to b1, so my rook on d2 now looks straight down the file at d6. And my king on h2 leaves the g-file free for a rook. My rook goes there, his queen steps over, and now my g-pawn breaks. The pawn on g5 hits h6 and the knight on f6, and you see something must give.
He takes it, and my knight takes back. The knight on g5 eyes e6, a square deep in his camp. And the g-file is open for my rook on g1. Then his bishop jumps back to h5, and it hits my queen on d1 through the empty squares. So my queen runs to f1 like Indiana Jones running from the big stone ball.
His queen steps back, and my knight jumps into d5, where it hits the bishop on e7 and the knight on f6. So his queen steps over to f8 to guard them both. Now my f-pawn comes forward, and it hits his pawn on e5. He takes, and my knight takes back on f4. His knight jumps to e5, my rook steps up, and his bishop goes back to g6.
This game was played in the CCC, where engines play each other all day and all night. Here comes my other knight, and it lands on e6 and hits the rook on d8. You see his f-pawn can take it, but then the f-file opens and my knight from f4 takes on g6. So Torch leaves it alone and moves the queen. Would you take on e6 with the pawn here, if you were Torch? Tell me in the comments.
My rook joins the g-file, his rook steps to d7, my bishop comes to the centre, and his bishop steps back to d8. So my knight takes it, and his queen takes back. My eval says plus one and a half, a real edge. But I still have no road into his king.
Six quiet moves, nobody wants to blink.
You see my pawns on a4 and b3 now close the queenside, and his pieces have no work there. The only open door I can see is next to his king.
Then my h-pawn starts to walk, and it wants the h5 square. His king hides in the corner, my king steps into the other corner, and his queen goes back to d8. My queen comes to g3, and his rook comes over to guard the g-file.
Remember the move from the start? It is very close now, so watch my queen on g3.
Pawn to h5, and it hits the bishop on g6. Keep this little pawn in mind, because one day it will open a door for me. The bishop must go to h7, and look, it locks its own king in the corner. It stands there like the Statue of Liberty, guarding an empty harbour.
My rook steps across, and now my pawn wants the h6 square. Then Torch strikes first, knight to g4, and the knight hits my rook on h2!
Here it is. Queen takes g4! My queen for one knight, and you see why. My rook on g1 looks up the g-file all the way to g7, and my knight on f4 can jump to g6. My eval says plus one and a half for every other move. For my queen on g4 it says plus three and a half, so this is the only move that really wins.
Puzzle time, Black to move, rated 1979 on our website, and it is mate in two, so write the first move in the comments.
Back to the game, and what if he does not take the queen? My h-pawn takes on g6, and it hits f7 and h7. He takes back with the f-pawn, and my knight takes on g6 with check. It checks the king on h8 and hits e7, and my queen is still on the board.
Back to the game, he takes my queen, and my rook takes back. Now my rook on g4 looks straight up the file at g7. I have given my queen for two knights, and his queen steps to c8.
And now one more piece goes in. Knight to g6, check! The knight checks the king on h8, and my pawn on h5 is ready to take back on g6.
Let me show you, the bishop takes. My pawn takes back, and the h-file opens. My rook on h2 checks the king on h8, my pawn on g6 guards h7, and it is checkmate.
Back to the game, Torch takes with the f-pawn, and my pawn takes back. Remember my little pawn that walked through h5? It opened the door. Now my rook on h2 and my pawn on g6 both hit the bishop on h7, and the bishop cannot move. It is pinned to its own king.
Right after this, you see how my two rooks finish the hunt.
His rook leaves g8 and goes to d8, so his king gets a square to run to. My rook takes the bishop with check. The bishop that locked its own king in is gone, and the king runs to g8. My bishop goes back to e3, heading for the g5 and h6 squares to join the hunt. His rook steps to the second rank to guard it, and my other rook joins the h-file. Two rooks now climb up the h-file like King Kong on a tall building.
His king runs to f8, my bishop comes to g5, and the king runs on. You see my rooks own the h-file, and his king wants to hide on the other side of the board. Rook to h8, check! My rook gives check and hits the rook on d8 at the same time. His king steps away, I take the rook with check, and his queen takes back. My bishop takes the queen, and his king takes my bishop. Now count with me, and you will like this. I gave my queen, and now I have my rook on h4 and my bishop on b1 against his rook on b7, so I am a full piece up. My eval says plus five and a half, and now you see the endgame, where every piece counts.
My rook goes to f4, and it takes the f-file. His king goes back, and my king steps up to g2, because in the endgame the king must come to the middle. His rook comes to e7, and I offer the trade on f7. My pawn on g6 protects my rook there. He takes, my pawn takes back with check, and his king takes the pawn. The rooks are gone, and it is my bishop on b1 and four pawns against his four pawns. You know a bishop is worth about three pawns, so this ending is won. But it still needs care, because if all my pawns disappear, a lone bishop cannot mate.
Then I push my e-pawn and give it away, and he takes it. Now my king gets the road through e4, and my bishop gets the long diagonal from b1 to h7. That pawn on e5 will fall later, you will see. Here is a fact for you, I am free for everyone, and thousands of volunteers test every new idea of mine on their own computers.
My king and his king walk.
My bishop steps to d3, close to my pawn on c4. His king goes to d6, and my king walks to e4. His king steps over, and my king takes the pawn on e5. Like Godzilla walking through a city, my king now goes wherever it wants. My bishop on d3 guards the light squares, my king guards the dark ones, and his king can only watch.
His king backs off.
Now my c-pawn runs, and its road goes all the way to c8. His g-pawn starts to run too, because a pawn far away from my king is his only hope. My bishop steps back to watch that pawn, his b-pawn comes to b5, and my a-pawn goes to a5. His g-pawn runs to g4, and my bishop simply takes it. My eval now sees a forced mate, because nothing can stop my c-pawn. His king has to run after my bishop and the pawn at the same time, and one king cannot be in two places.
His king goes over, my pawn goes to c6, and his king comes closer. The pawn reaches c7, one step from the c8 square. His king takes my bishop on g4, but it is too late. My king steps closer, his king runs to f3, and my pawn becomes a new queen. A queen and a king against a lone king, and now I only need to build the net, one row at a time.
His a-pawn moves, and you see it does not matter any more. My queen checks from c3, his king runs to e2, and my king comes closer. You know a queen alone cannot mate, she needs her king next to her. His king goes to d1, and my queen goes to b2 to take away his squares. His king runs from square to square, stepping to e1, my king comes to e3, and his king goes back. Torch burned bright, and now it burns out. Queen to d2, checkmate, and the king on d1 has nowhere to go!
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