ONE BRILLIANT MOMENT
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Viswanathan Anand vs Alexandra Kosteniuk · 2009 · move 22.
Which pawn capture removes the knight on d4?
Anand sends pieces toward the black king, while Kosteniuk uses the centre to absorb the pressure. Exchanges on e4 and d4 leave Black with coordinated defenders and a material advantage. Knight and bishop improvements then create threats against White’s rooks. The useful habit is to recount attackers and defenders after every forcing exchange.
Before reaching for a move, identify the opponent’s immediate threat and the piece you most want to improve. Then compare checks, captures and quiet moves. The complete interactive lesson will let you test your answer without revealing the historical continuation first.
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