A Queen Sacrifice That Leads to a Winning Endgame • Bischoff vs Nogueiras • Capablanca Memorial Elite • Havana, Cuba (1998) • English Opening: Anglo-Slav Variation, General (A11)
Francisco Yepes Barrera
2 min read
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The Capablanca Memorial is one of the most prestigious chess tournaments in the world, held annually in Cuba to honor the legendary World Champion José Raúl Capablanca. The 1998 edition (the XXXIII Elite group) was particularly competitive, held in Havana.
Klaus Bischoff is a German grandmaster known for his solid positional style and profound understanding of the English Opening. At the time, he was one of the top German players, often representing his country in Olympiads.
Jesús Nogueiras is a Cuban chess icon and a legendary figure in Latin American chess. A former World Championship candidate, Nogueiras was renowned for his defensive resilience and his in-depth knowledge of the French Defense and the Queen’s Gambit.
The game follows a complex path in the English Opening (Agincourt Defense). White chooses a setup with b3 and Bb2, aiming for long-term pressure on the central dark squares.
The game remains balanced through the first few moves. A critical moment occurs when White plays 10.O-O-O, signaling a highly aggressive intent by castling queenside. Black responds with 10…e4, closing the center, which leads to a typical flank-attack scenario.
White launches a pawn storm on the kingside with 12.g4 and 14.h4. Black tries to counter on the queenside with 14…b5, but the engine suggests this was slightly premature (14…b5?!). Bischoff gains space with 15.c5, locking the Pawn structure.
The game reaches a boiling point around move 29. Bischoff sacrifices a pawn with 29.e6! to open lines toward the Black King. After 31.Bxg7, the position becomes incredibly sharp.
The decisive error occurs on move 37. Nogueiras plays 37…Qa7?, missing a spectacular drawing resource. According to the analysis, 37…Ba2+! would have forced a perpetual check or a drawish endgame after a series of precise moves involving a Rook sacrifice on c3.
Instead, Bischoff finds the crushing sequence 38.Qxh7+!, a Queen sacrifice that forces the transition into a winning endgame. After 39.g6, the discovery of the double check or the promotion threat is too much to handle. Nogueiras resigned as the White passed pawns and the Rook coordination on the g-file are unstoppable.
