Navara's Queen and Rook Sacrifices for One Passed Pawn

Photo: Stefan64 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

White has just put a rook on e7, right next to the black king, with check. Nothing protects the rook. Black can take it. But look at the white pawn on d7, one step from becoming a queen.

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Position after 41.Re7+, with Black to move. If 41...Kxe7, then 42.d8=Q+ makes a new queen with check.

Analyze this position in the full game

If the king takes the rook, the pawn promotes on d8 with check. Our own Stockfish 16 run, at depth 22, finds a forced checkmate for White after 41...Kxe7. Nodirbek Yakubboev took the rook, and seven moves later he was checkmated.

David Navara 1-0 Nodirbek Yakubboev Prague International Chess Festival 2026 · Masters, Round 5 White: David Navara (2628) · Black: Nodirbek Yakubboev (2691)

A quiet opening

The game began as a Catalan Opening, where White puts the bishop on g2 to aim at the long diagonal.

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 O-O 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Qc2 a5 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bxf6 Nxf6 10.Nc3 c6 11.Rfd1 b6 12.e4 dxc4 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.Nxc4 b5 15.Ne3 Rc8 16.Rac1 Qb6 17.e5 Nd5 18.Ne4

Our engine called this about level.

A knight goes pawn-hunting

18...Nb4 19.Qe2 Nxa2

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Position after 18...Nb4, with White to move. The black knight is heading for the pawn on a2, far from its own king.

Analyze this position in the full game

Black's knight went to the edge of the board to win the pawn on a2. Our engine did not like it. After 18...Nb4 it rated White more than a pawn better, and preferred 18...Nxe3. A knight on the rim, far from its own king, is not helping defend.

20.Ra1 Nb4 21.Nf6+ Bxf6 22.exf6 Qd8 23.fxg7 Kxg7

White's knight jumped to f6 with check and was traded for Black's bishop. The pawn that took back on f6 then took the pawn on g7 too. The black king was now much more exposed.

A passed pawn is born

24.Ng4 Ra8 25.Qe5+ f6 26.Qxe6 Bc8 27.Qe2 Qd6 28.Ne3 Bd7 29.d5 c5 30.Qxb5

The white queen took the pawn on b5. White now had a passed pawn on d5: no black pawn could stop it on its way to d8.

30...Nc2 31.Qc6 Qe7 32.Qc7 Nxe3 33.d6 Qe6 34.Re1 Ra6 35.Rad1

Both players were now very short of time. Navara had just over three minutes left for the moves up to move 40, and Yakubboev about five.

35...Qg4

Our engine marked this as the big mistake. It rated White about five pawns better after it. The black queen went on a trip to the kingside, and the white d-pawn was ready to run.

36.h3 Qa4 37.b3 Qxb3 38.Qxd7+ Rf7

Two sacrifices

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Position after 38...Rf7, with White to move. The white pawn on d6 is two steps from promoting.

Analyze this position in the full game

39.Qxf7+

White gave up the queen for a rook. Our engine actually preferred 39.Qc8, but after the queen sacrifice White was still clearly winning, because of the d-pawn.

39...Kxf7 40.d7

Now the pawn is one step from d8. Black had 52 seconds left on the clock.

40...Nxg2

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Position after 40...Nxg2, with White to move. The pawn on d7 is one step from promoting. Can you find the move that forces it through?

Analyze this position in the full game

Black took the bishop. But nothing was guarding the square d8.

41.Re7+

And now we are at the position at the top of the article. The rook offers itself with check. If the king does not take, White promotes next move anyway. If the king does take, the pawn promotes with check.

41...Kxe7 42.d8=Q+ Kf7 43.Rd7+ Kg6 44.Qe8+ Kg5 45.Qe4 f5 46.Rg7+ Rg6 47.h4+ Kf6 48.Qe7#

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Final position, after 48.Qe7#. The black king on f6 is in check from the queen on e7, and every square around it is covered. Checkmate.

Analyze this position in the full game

The new queen and the rook hunted the black king across the board, and 48.Qe7 was checkmate.

What this game teaches

1. Knights on the edge are far from the action. 18...Nb4 and 19...Nxa2 won a pawn, but the knight was nowhere near its own king when White attacked.

2. A passed pawn can be worth a queen. White gave up the queen on move 39, because the d-pawn was about to promote.

3. Look at the promotion square. After 40.d7, nothing black guarded d8. 41.Re7+ made sure the pawn would get there with check.

4. A sacrifice with check forces the reply. When a sacrifice gives check, your opponent has fewer choices, which makes it easier to calculate.