Wesley So's Brilliant Counter- Attack Against Raja Panjwani at Edmonton, 2014
This game is a perfect example of why material isn't everything in chess and gives the classic Morphy vibes, although it turns out to be a failed attempt.
Raja Panjwani, the Canadian IM, rated 2440, plays an extremely ambitious opening against the much higher-rated Wesley So. By move 11, White's queen has spectacularly captured a rook on h8. It looks as though Panjwani has pulled off a brilliant tactical operation.
But So has something much more valuable than the exchange: time, development and the exposed White king. And over the next twelve moves, those advantages become overwhelming.
Raja throws everything forward
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.b4!?
An unusual Réti setup. White immediately challenges Black's queenside structure rather than developing normally.mAfter: 3...f6 4.e3 e5
So builds a formidable pawn centre. Black's position looks strange, but his pawns on d4 and e5 give him enormous space. Then Panjwani finds a tactical idea: 8.Nxe5!?
White sacrifices the knight for the e5-pawn. 8...fxe5 9.Qh5+ g6 10.Qxe5+
The point is clear. White's queen has entered Black's position with checks, and Black's king is struggling to find safety. But So remains calm.
The Queen Goes Shopping
After 10...Qe7, White plays: 11.Qxh8
The queen takes the rook. This is the most visually striking moment of the game. White has sacrificed a knight and then recovered material by taking the h8-rook. From a purely material perspective, this looks like a success.
But here's the important question - Where is White's queen going to go now? It's sitting on h8, far away from the king and the rest of White's army.
And So understands that White's queen being trapped on the edge of the board gives Black something more important than material: time to attack. 11...Nf6! - A quiet but extremely strong developing move. Wesley So doesn't chase the queen. Rather, he develops his pieces.
That's the first major lesson of this game: When your opponent's queen goes hunting for material, don't automatically chase it. Ask whether you can attack the king instead.
So, gains Tempi and builds the attack
Black's pieces are coming out rapidly with 12.d3 Be6 13.Nd2 Nbd7 followed by 14.a3 dxe3 15.fxe3 b3! This is a beautiful positional-tactical sequence.
The pawn on b3 becomes a serious nuisance, while White's king remains stuck in the centre. White tries to activate: 16.Ne4 Nxe4 17.Bxe6
White removes Black's bishop. But now So's attack begins with the earnest 17...Qh4+!
This is the move that changes the character of the game. Black doesn't care that White has just captured a bishop. The queen storms toward the king.
White has to respond and it plays: 18.g3. And now responds with the tactical punch - 18...Nxg3!
Black sacrifices the knight to rip open White's kingside. The important point isn't the knight itself. It's the king. After: 19.Rg1 Ne4+, the surviving knight jumps forward with a check. White's king is being forced away from safety being forced to the d1 square. Meanwhile, Black's knight captures on c5 while the attack continues.
Notice the contrast:
White's queen is still sitting on h8. Black's queen and knights are operating directly around the White king. That tells you everything about the position.
The King Hunt Begins
White tries: 21.Qe5 with an intent of bringing the queen toward the action. But So has another forcing move: 21...Nf2+! Soon, White’s second knight joins the attack.
At this point Black's pieces are completely coordinated:
Queen is active
Knights are penetrating
White king is exposed
White's pieces are badly coordinated
White's queen is too far away to save the king
Then comes the final blow.
23.Qd4 Qf2+!
The game ends as White resigns as the queen penetrates to f2 and the attack is simply too powerful.
The extraordinary thing is that So has effectively sacrificed material to create this attack, and White's rook-winning queen on h8 never gets the chance to convert its material advantage.
What Actually Went Wrong?
The game wasn't lost because Panjwani took the rook. The deeper problem was the accumulation of tempo. White's queen spent several moves: Qh5, Qxe5, Qxh8 collecting material without forming a decisive attack.Also, not castling at the right time proved to be fatal eventually.
Meanwhile Black was developing: with moves like Qe7, Nf6 , Be6 , Nbd7 and creating attacking possibilities. So the position illustrates a crucial chess principle - Material is static. Activity is dynamic. White's queen won a rook. Black's pieces won the king.
Lessons From the Game
1. Don't evaluate a position by material alone. White's queen taking h8 looks fantastic, but the king's safety matters more.
2. Development can be worth material. So's pieces became increasingly active while White's queen wandered far from the battlefield.
3. Look for forcing moves. The sequence ...Qh4+, ...Nxg3, ...Ne4+, ...Nf2+ is a masterclass in keeping the initiative. So continually gives White something to respond to.
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