Dubov's Brilliant Stalemate Tactic

In the first round of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational Prelims 2021, Daniil Dubov with the Black pieces squared-off against Shakhiriyar Mamedyarov with the White pieces.  Mamedyarov capitalized on Dubov's mistakes as the two entered the endgame and secured a two pawn advantage.  White had obvious plans to push the pawns in order to secure a victory.

We enter the position with White to move.

With the rook sacrifice, Dubov forces White's rook and bishop to "work together" against themselves by caging the Black king!  

A Familiar Configuration

This stalemate setup is useful to remember because it has been a feature of other games.  However, successful implementation is more likely to be a product of time pressure mistakes rather than sophisticated tactical discoveries as featured in the game with Dubov.

One such instance of this stalemate structure arose in an online blitz game with Eric Rosen in 2020 where he successfully drew using his "Dirty Stalemate Trap".  The endgame is obviously lost for Rosen who is playing with the White pieces.  With both players in a time scramble, Rosen calculates the trap and punishes Black for eagerly promoting the passed pawn.

If there's one thing that Dubov and Rosen have illustrated, it's that there is always more to chess than just winning.  Sometimes, the art of the draw can be just as important as the art of a win.

Additional Links

Mamedyarov vs Dubov - Chess.com Analysis

Eric Rosen's "Dirty Stalemate Trap" - Chess.com Analysis

Eric Rosen's Video featuring the "Dirty Stalemate Trap" Game