The story behind the game
Stefanova and Kosteniuk castle on opposite wings in this 2004 Olympiad game. Black’s queen enters the queenside while a central pawn break uncovers an attack on White’s queen. The final rook move then attacks that queen on the same file as the white king, turning earlier activity into a concrete tactical restriction.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Counterplay can begin by improving a rook before capturing.
- A queen raid needs support from developing pieces.
- A central pawn move can uncover a bishop attack on the queen.
- When a queen and king share a file, inspect rook pins.
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.
Re8 improves the rook behind the e7-bishop. The bishop still blocks the file, so this is an alignment rather than an immediate attack on the queen. Black also has direct captures in the saved candidates. The historical rook move prepares later central play while the c8-rook keeps pressure on the queenside.
Qxa2 brings the queen close to White’s castled king. White takes b4 with the queen and Black exchanges the bishop on d5. The raid is supported by the rest of Black’s activity; an isolated queen near the king would not by itself justify ignoring White’s advancing kingside pawns.
d5 opens the bishop’s attack on the queen and supports e4. White’s queen moves to b7 and Black gives a queen check on a1. The central break connects the pieces attacking the queenside: it improves the bishop and changes the queen’s available replies at the same time.
Rbd8 attacks and pins the queen on the d-file. Moving the queen off the file would expose the king to the rook. A queen capture of that rook must also account for the other black rook on e8. The two-rook coordination turns the open file into a concrete restriction, and the historical score ends at this move.
Result: 0-1. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 22: Place the rook behind the bishop
Which rook move puts the d8-rook behind the bishop on e7? In the game: Re8. Re8 improves the rook behind the e7-bishop. The bishop still blocks the file, so this is an alignment rather than an immediate attack on the queen. Black also has direct captures in the saved candidates. The historical rook move prepares later central play while the c8-rook keeps pressure on the queenside.
Engine-supported alternatives
Qxc5 Qxe7 Bxd5 Re1 Be6 g6 h6 Qh4 Bxa2 Bxa6 Ra8 f5 · +0.02 · depth 17
dxc5 Qxe7 · +0.28 · depth 17
Qxa2 Bd4 Re8 Qxb4 Bxd5 Bc3 Bc4 Bh3 Rb8 Qa5 Rxb2 Qxa2 · +0.30 · depth 16
Re8 Bd4 · +0.43 · depth 22
Move 23: Enter near the king
Which queen capture takes the pawn on a2? In the game: Qxa2. Qxa2 brings the queen close to White’s castled king. White takes b4 with the queen and Black exchanges the bishop on d5. The raid is supported by the rest of Black’s activity; an isolated queen near the king would not by itself justify ignoring White’s advancing kingside pawns.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bxd5 · +0.41 · depth 18
Qxa2 Qxb4 Bxd5 Bc3 Bf8 Qa5 Qxa5 Bxa5 Bf3 Rd3 Be4 Rb3 · +0.43 · depth 18
Bf8 Re2 Rxe2 Qxe2 Qxd5 Qg4 Qf3 Be2 Qxg4 Bxg4 Re8 Kd2 · +0.72 · depth 18
Move 26: Open the bishop’s diagonal
Which d-pawn advance supports the bishop on e4 and uncovers an attack on the queen on b4? In the game: d5. d5 opens the bishop’s attack on the queen and supports e4. White’s queen moves to b7 and Black gives a queen check on a1. The central break connects the pieces attacking the queenside: it improves the bishop and changes the queen’s available replies at the same time.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bxg5 Be3 Bxd3 Rxd3 Qa1+ Kd2 Qf1 Rg3 Rxe3 Rdxe3 Qf2+ Kd1 · -4.27 · depth 20
d5 Qb6 Bd8 Qxa6 Rxc2+ Bxc2 Qxa6 Bxe4 dxe4 Ra3 Ba5 h6 · -3.95 · depth 19
Bxd3 Rhxd3 Bxg5 Be3 Bh6 Ra3 Qe6 Kb1 Qf5 Qd2 Qxh5 Qxd6 · -1.87 · depth 19
Move 34: Pin the queen to the king
Which move by the b8-rook attacks the queen on d5 along the king’s file? In the game: Rbd8. Rbd8 attacks and pins the queen on the d-file. Moving the queen off the file would expose the king to the rook. A queen capture of that rook must also account for the other black rook on e8. The two-rook coordination turns the open file into a concrete restriction, and the historical score ends at this move.
Engine-supported alternatives
Rbd8 Rxe8+ Qxe8 c4 Rxd5+ cxd5 Qe5 Kc2 Qd6 Kc3 f5 Kc4 · -5.71 · depth 20
Red8 Ke1 Rxd5 Rxd5 Qc6 Rde5 f6 Re7 Qh1+ Kf2 Qxh5 Rg3 · -5.59 · depth 20
Rf8 Ke1 h6 Rg3 Rfe8+ Kf2 Qc2+ Rd2 Qc1 Rf3 Qe1+ Kg2 · -2.53 · depth 20
Every piece has a part to play.
Stefanova and Kosteniuk castle on opposite wings in this 2004 Olympiad game. Black’s queen enters the queenside while a central pawn break uncovers an attack on White’s queen. The final rook move then attacks that queen on the same file as the white king, turning earlier activity into a concrete tactical restriction.
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Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 11–20. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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