Learning from Magnus Carlsen

In the final game of the rapid playoffs from the world championship, many of us were stunned by the beautiful queen sacrifice and checkmate which follows no matter how the queen was captured. 

I was very glad to pull off this similar checkmate, swindling back a lost game in blitz.

Let me know what u guys think black's plan should be from move 12 onwards. I struggled to find it in the game.

How about 14...c4 in order to close off the queenside position and discourage b4?

Seems like a good idea. I briefly considered it but was worried of the long term damage with Rb1 and b3 and bxc4. It seems as though my kside attack depends on getting g5 in - thats why i did h4 to save the pawn first.

Brilliant! That's tough to see in a blitz game

Whoever played White in this game is a chess beginner who fails to notice the checkmate threat generated by the g3 rook.

In the actual game (5|5 rated blitz) White took a total of 20.3 seconds to play the blunder 31. Qxf7?? (having had more than 4 minutes left) and Black followed up with the mating move 31... Rxh3+!! in just 1.4 seconds (having had 45 seconds left). Less skilled chess players may think that White's position is rock solid and safeguarded by the pieces surrounding White's king, and thus, they may not expect or foresee this brilliant move from Black. However, expert player Franklin, who was playing Black, had already encountered and recognised this checkmate mate pattern previously, and thus, he was aware of this mate plan as soon as he played 30... Rg3.

Instead of the blunder 31. Qxf7?? which fails to a checkmate in two moves, the alternative 31. Qd7! is a dual-duty move which would have maintained the advantage that White has built on in the game. This move threatens Qxb7# while taking care of the potential checkmate threat for Black starting with Rxh3+. As such, the deadly effects of the g3 rook along the third rank would be nullified by this move. Thereafter, with best play by both White and Black, White should be able to convert the clear advantage into a full point without great difficulty.

Two or more similar-looking moves (which in this case would be 31. Qd7! and 31. Qxf7??) which appear to achieve the same objective may not lead to the same outcomes. Sometimes, one of the moves happens to be a trap. Thus, we must not assume that such similar-looking moves are created equal in chess.