The story behind the game
Ding and Wei Yi reach an unusual material balance in their 2015 World Cup game. A knight forks both rooks, but Black creates central counterplay instead of retreating passively. Later a checking knight move clears the seventh rank for a rook, and an advanced h-pawn becomes the focus of the ending.
Take these ideas to your next game
- A fork must be assessed together with the opponent’s counterplay.
- A checking move can clear a line for another piece.
- Support a passed pawn while tracking the opponent’s active rook.
- Move a blocking rook when promotion needs its square.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
Nf7 forks the rooks. Black captures a central pawn with a knight instead of immediately saving a rook. White eventually captures on d8, but the reply creates threats against the king. A fork wins material only after the full tactical sequence has been counted.
Nd6+ clears the rook’s path along the seventh rank with tempo. Black’s c-pawn captures the knight, and White’s rook then takes h7. Without the knight leaving f7, the rook on e7 could not cross to h7. The clearance matters as much as the offered material; the saved line compares this resource with quieter alternatives.
Rh8+ forces the king off the eighth rank. The rook sits behind the h6-pawn while White’s other rook remains active. Black’s knight and bishop can still interfere with the promotion route. Use rook checks to improve the position, then reassess which rook should support the pawn.
Rf8 clears h8 for the h7-pawn and gives the rook another target. The rook on g7 protects the h7-pawn while the other rook moves off its promotion square. Several rook moves receive credit in the saved analysis; Rf8 is the historical choice. The score ends here, so further promotion lines belong to the analysis rather than the recorded game.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 16: Fork both rooks
Which knight move attacks the rooks on d8 and h8? In the game: Nf7. Nf7 forks the rooks. Black captures a central pawn with a knight instead of immediately saving a rook. White eventually captures on d8, but the reply creates threats against the king. A fork wins material only after the full tactical sequence has been counted.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nf7 Nxd4 Rc1 e5 Rh4 Bxe2 Nxh8 Rxh8 Be3 Bf3 Bh3+ Nf5 · +0.93 · depth 19
Ne4 Nxd4 Rc1 Nd5 f3 Nxf4 gxf4 Be6 e3 Nf5 Kf2 c6 · -1.37 · depth 19
Bxc6 fxg5 · -1.89 · depth 19
Move 29: Clear the seventh rank with check
Which knight move gives check and clears f7 for the rook on e7? In the game: Nd6+. Nd6+ clears the rook’s path along the seventh rank with tempo. Black’s c-pawn captures the knight, and White’s rook then takes h7. Without the knight leaving f7, the rook on e7 could not cross to h7. The clearance matters as much as the offered material; the saved line compares this resource with quieter alternatives.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nd6+ cxd6 Rxh7 g5 Re4 Kb8 Rg7 Rh8 h7 Ka7 Re6 Kb6 · +0.13 · depth 19
Re1 g5 f3 b5 Rd4 Rf8 Re6 Kb7 Nd6+ cxd6 Rxd6 Nb6 · -2.14 · depth 19
Re2 g5 f3 b6 Kc1 Rf8 Nxg5 fxg5 Rxg5 Rxf3 Rg7 Bb5 · -2.25 · depth 18
Move 34: Check from behind the passed pawn
Which rook move from h7 gives check along the eighth rank? In the game: Rh8+. Rh8+ forces the king off the eighth rank. The rook sits behind the h6-pawn while White’s other rook remains active. Black’s knight and bishop can still interfere with the promotion route. Use rook checks to improve the position, then reassess which rook should support the pawn.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rh8+ Kc7 Rd4 a5 h7 Rh6 Rxg4 Kb6 Rg7 Rh2 Rd8 Rxf2+ · +1.47 · depth 19
Rd4 a5 Rh8+ Kc7 h7 Rh6 Rxg4 Kb6 Rg7 Rh2 Rd8 Rxf2+ · +1.36 · depth 19
Re6 Nd5 Kc2 a5 Kc1 a4 Kb1 Kd8 Kb2 Nb6 Ka3 Nd5 · +0.00 · depth 19
Move 39: Clear the promotion square
Which move by the h8-rook clears h8 while attacking the f6-pawn? In the game: Rf8. Rf8 clears h8 for the h7-pawn and gives the rook another target. The rook on g7 protects the h7-pawn while the other rook moves off its promotion square. Several rook moves receive credit in the saved analysis; Rf8 is the historical choice. The score ends here, so further promotion lines belong to the analysis rather than the recorded game.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rf8 Ke6 h8=R Rxh8 Rxh8 Nd5 Rb8 Kd6 Rgxb7 Bxb7 Rxb7 Kc6 · +3.49 · depth 19
Rb8 Ke6 h8=Q Rxh8 Rxh8 Nf5 Rg6 Ne7 Rgh6 Nf5 Rh3 Bg2 · +3.49 · depth 18
Rhg8 a5 h8=Q Rxh8 Rxh8 Kd6 Rd8+ Ke6 Rh7 b5 Kc3 Be4 · +3.48 · depth 18
Every piece has a part to play.
Ding and Wei Yi reach an unusual material balance in their 2015 World Cup game. A knight forks both rooks, but Black creates central counterplay instead of retreating passively. Later a checking knight move clears the seventh rank for a rook, and an advanced h-pawn becomes the focus of the ending.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–21. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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