The Chess Sucker Punch

Some time ago, we analyzed a typical combination where the key move resembles an uppercut in boxing. (You can find the article here.)

Today we are going to discuss a similar tactical pattern where the main piece is again a rook. In the "chess uppercut" combo, your opponent sometimes can still continue the fight, but when you deliver the "chess sucker punch," you knock out your opponent instantly!

A very good example of this combination can be found in my old article "Hard Candy."

Can you find White's winning move in the following position?

You could see that the rook sacrifice completely destroyed the coordination of Black pieces, so he immediately resigned due to an unavoidable checkmate.

An identical combination was played 30 years earlier in the following game:

It is not only White who delivers the "sucker punch" combination, as the next game can attest:

In conclusion, let me offer you a more complicated example of the sucker punch combo.

Try to figure out how all the variations work for Black!

Never miss an opportunity to sucker punch your opponent! (Here I am talking about the chess combination, of course. )