A mate attack out of the blue

12/9/2009 – Today will see the first game of the final Gelfand-Ponomariov at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Opportunity for us to look back on an exciting moment from the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov. The latter has just played 49...Rb2? (diagram), thus giving his young opponent the unexpected chance to decide the game by mating threats. Which surprising move helped the 19-year-old Ukraine to secure victory now? Use this larger diagram to work it out for yourself. Grandmaster Karsten Müller has analysed the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov for ChessBase Magazine Online.