Yes, you are right --- but way underselling the move! As you say, it's an obvious move for humans, but the engines approve too and have it top choice almost instantly -- Komodo 13.2 at depth 13, SF10 at depth 15.M ANSARI wrote: ↑Sun Apr 12, 2020 7:49 am I think as a human looking at this position
[d]r4rk1/1p2qpbp/2pp1np1/2n5/2PNPBP1/p1N1Q3/PP2B2P/2KR3R w - - 0 18
White could have taken the bull by the horns and ignore pawn takes with check and played Nf5! ...
r4rk1/1p2qpbp/2pp1np1/2n2N2/2P1PBP1/p1N1Q3/PP2B2P/2KR3R b - - 0 18
I suspect that would be what someone like Magnus or Anand would have played as humans tend to try and give back material once they feel a sacrifice is giving up way too much initiative. Of course against an engine this would be suicide, but against another human ... the idea would be to reverse roles and let the other guy work out the crazy complications. Nf5 seems playable as the black Queen has no good squares and will lose a tempo in a very dynamic position if pawn takes N.
It looks totally winning, so this should be called a blunder by Ethereal (except that the position is so good, the second-best move is probably also winning, with the line on the previous page where White ends up with a Bishop for 3 Pawns and then picks up one or two of those Pawns) and pathetic play by Leela to end in a lost position by move 18.
SF10:
depth=34
+3.41 18.Nf5 axb2+ 19.Kc2 gxf5 20.Bxd6 Qd8 21.Qxc5 Re8 22.Be5 Nd7 23.Rxd7 Qxd7 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Rd1 Qc7 26.gxf5 f6 27.Qe3 Red8 28.Rg1+ Kh8 29.Qh6 b1=B+ 30.Rxb1 Qe7 31.a4 Rg8 32.Qh3 Rab8 33.Qe3 Rbd8 34.e5 Rg5 35.Qf3 Qxe5 36.Rxb7 Rg7 37.Rxg7 Kxg7 38.Qg3+ Qxg3 39.hxg3
Komodo 13.2:
depth=25
+1.62 18.Nf5 gxf5 19.Bxd6 axb2+ 20.Kc2 Qd8 21.Qxc5 Re8 22.e5 Nd7 23.Qb4 Qg5 24.h4 Qh6 25.gxf5 Nxe5 26.Qxb2 Qf6 27.Kb1 Qxf5+ 28.Qc2 Qf2 29.Rhf1 Qb6+ 30.Qb2 Qxb2+ 31.Kxb2 Ng6 32.Bd3 Re3 33.Kb3 Nxh4 34.Bc5 Rh3 35.Rh1 Rxh1 36.Rxh1 Ng6 37.Bb1 Ra5 38.Bb4 Ra8 39.Bf5
+1.22 18.b3 Nfxe4 19.Bf3 Nxc3 20.Qxe7 Nxa2+ 21.Kb1 Nb4 22.Qe3 a2+ 23.Kb2 Ne6 24.Bxd6 a1=Q+ 25.Rxa1 Bxd4+ 26.Qxd4 Nxd4 27.Bxb4 Nxf3 28.Bxf8 Rxf8 29.Raf1 Ne5 30.g5 Rd8 31.Rd1 Rxd1 32.Rxd1 Nf3 33.Rd7 Nxg5 34.h4 Ne4 35.Rxb7 f5 36.Rd7 c5 37.Kc2 h6 38.Ra7