The story behind the game
Smyslov’s fifth game against Ribli in their 1983 Candidates semifinal features an exposed king, several offered pieces and a final fork of king and queen. The attack is useful precisely because the sacrifices need calculation: Black has checking resources too. Follow how the queen, knight and advancing d-pawn create forcing moves together.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Check the defender’s forcing replies before offering a piece.
- A piece can create threats while another is under attack.
- Pawn advances with check can move a defender onto a fork square.
- Look for a fork after the defender blocks a checking line.
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.
Bxh6 removes a pawn near Black’s king while offering the bishop to the g7-pawn. Black answers by taking the knight on e5 rather than the bishop. White must continue with active threats because several pieces are exposed. The point is to calculate the whole forcing sequence, including Black’s checks, rather than treating the first sacrifice as sufficient.
dxe5 is the strongest saved candidate and removes Black’s central knight. The historical Nh5 kept attacking chances, but the saved comparison prefers dxe5 by more than the exercise threshold. After a bishop recapture, Nh5 can still appear later. Move order matters: calculate the central capture before committing the other knight to the kingside.
Rxe6+ removes the e6-pawn while forcing Black to answer a check. The recorded f-pawn capture opens the way to Qxg7+. Black blocks with a knight, after which White’s d-pawn advances with check. The offered rook changes the king’s cover and the location of its defenders; the saved lines show the concrete cost and benefit.
Nd5+ forks the king on e7 and queen on b2. Black takes the knight with the rook in the score, but White’s queen then takes the queen on b2. The preceding pawn check drew that rook to d6. Track the sequence of forcing moves backward: each check prepared the geometry of the final fork.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 22: Offer the bishop near the king
Which bishop capture removes the pawn on h6? In the game: Bxh6. Bxh6 removes a pawn near Black’s king while offering the bishop to the g7-pawn. Black answers by taking the knight on e5 rather than the bishop. White must continue with active threats because several pieces are exposed. The point is to calculate the whole forcing sequence, including Black’s checks, rather than treating the first sacrifice as sufficient.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bxh6 Rxd4 Nh5 Bxe5 Rxe5 Nxe5 Qxg7+ Ke8 Nf6+ Kd8 Qf8+ Kc7 · +2.66 · depth 20
Nh5 Nxe5 · +2.06 · depth 20
b3 Rxd4 Nxg6+ Nxg6 a4 Qa5 Ba3+ Be7 Bb2 Rad8 Bxd4 Rxd4 · +0.02 · depth 19
Move 23: Capture before continuing the attack
Instead of the historical Nh5, which pawn capture removes the knight on e5? In the game: Nh5. dxe5 is the strongest saved candidate and removes Black’s central knight. The historical Nh5 kept attacking chances, but the saved comparison prefers dxe5 by more than the exercise threshold. After a bishop recapture, Nh5 can still appear later. Move order matters: calculate the central capture before committing the other knight to the kingside.
Engine-supported alternatives
dxe5 Bxe5 Nh5 Nf5 Bg5 Nh6 h4 Rac8 Bxh6 gxh6 Qxh6+ Ke8 · +2.47 · depth 20
Nh5 Nf3+ · +1.92 · depth 20
a4 Nf3+ gxf3 Qxb2 Be3 Ng6 f4 Rxd4 Rab1 Qc2 Rbc1 Qxa4 · +0.82 · depth 19
Move 28: Remove the pawn with check
Which rook capture on e6 gives check and opens another queen entry? In the game: Rxe6+. Rxe6+ removes the e6-pawn while forcing Black to answer a check. The recorded f-pawn capture opens the way to Qxg7+. Black blocks with a knight, after which White’s d-pawn advances with check. The offered rook changes the king’s cover and the location of its defenders; the saved lines show the concrete cost and benefit.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rxe6+ fxe6 Qxg7+ Nf7 d6+ Rxd6 Nd5+ Rxd5 Qxb2 Rg8+ Kh1 b6 · +3.28 · depth 16
Qxg7 Qxf6 · -0.54 · depth 16
Ne8 Rxe8 Qh7 Qf6 Rab1 b6 Qe4 Qg6+ Kh1 · -3.15 · depth 15
Move 31: Fork after the blocking capture
Black’s rook has captured the d-pawn. Which knight check also attacks the queen on b2? In the game: Nd5+. Nd5+ forks the king on e7 and queen on b2. Black takes the knight with the rook in the score, but White’s queen then takes the queen on b2. The preceding pawn check drew that rook to d6. Track the sequence of forcing moves backward: each check prepared the geometry of the final fork.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nd5+ Rxd5 Qxb2 b6 Re1 Rc5 Qb3 Rg8+ Kh1 Rg6 f4 Rf6 · +3.06 · depth 20
Nh5 Qxg7+ Nxg7 Rg8 Kf1 Rxg7 Rb1 Rd7 Ke2 Nd6 a4 b6 · -6.76 · depth 19
Ne8 Qxg7+ Nxg7 Rg8 Kf1 Rxg7 Rb1 Rd7 h4 Nd6 a4 Rd8 · -6.84 · depth 19
Every piece has a part to play.
Smyslov’s fifth game against Ribli in their 1983 Candidates semifinal features an exposed king, several offered pieces and a final fork of king and queen. The attack is useful precisely because the sacrifices need calculation: Black has checking resources too. Follow how the queen, knight and advancing d-pawn create forcing moves together.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–20. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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