# Pirc Classical knight sacrifice on b5: game 1298

> A Pirc Classical knight sacrifice on b5 gave me an extra piece in game 1298. Four verified boards show how I let the advantage go and lost.

- URL: https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/opening-lesson-game-1298/
- Updated: 2026-11-01
- Author: Ignacio Soler

In game 1298 a Pirc Classical knight sacrifice on b5 handed me an extra piece by move 8: White's knight took my pawn on b5, my a-pawn took the knight, and Stockfish's evaluation went to **-5.05**, winning for me as Black. I still lost to **nasinie (1224)**. The engine shows me missing the same rook move twice in the opening, giving the piece back on move 20 and letting a passed pawn advantage slip on move 25.

## The recorded game

I played this game on **January 13, 2025** as **Black**, on my Chess.com account **nacsol3**. My recorded rating was **1229**. It was a ten-minute rapid game without increment, part of the sequence used for the [From 631 to 1385 journey](/journey/).

| Detail | Saved record |
|---|---|
| Game | 1298 |
| Opening | Pirc Defense, Classical Variation (B08) |
| Result | Loss (1-0), the record says "nasinie won - game abandoned" |
| My accuracy | 62.4% (White 68.1%) |
| My blunders / mistakes / inaccuracies | 6 / 1 / 4 |
| Accuracy by phase | Opening 60.6%, middlegame 64.1% |
| My best winning chance in the game | 93.9% |
| Original score | [Chess.com game](https://www.chess.com/game/live/130497040455) |

This was my fourth loss in a row, and the third in a Pirc Classical in four games (1295, 1297 and 1298; game 1296 was a Queen's Pawn as White). It left me at 1229. The very next game started a seven-game winning streak that took me to my first 1300 fifteen games later. The [weekly diary](/journey/week-2025-w03/) has the full list.

## How the opening went

The moves were 1.e4 d6 2.d4 g6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Bg7: the Classical Variation, with White's knights on c3 and f3. Then 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.Bb5 a6 7.Ba4 b5. My pawn push to b5 was Stockfish's own choice, chasing the bishop. White's best move, according to the saved analysis, was to retreat the bishop to b3.

Instead, White played 8.Nxb5. The analysis marks this as a blunder: the evaluation went from **0.00 to -5.05**. Remember the signs: the numbers are from White's side, so minus means good for Black, and -5 is a very large advantage.

## Position 1: move 8, taking the knight

> **Game 1298, Black to move on move 8**
> Position (FEN): `r1bqk2r/2pnppbp/p2p1np1/1N4B1/B2PP3/5N2/PPP2PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 8`
> Played: axb5 — Pawn takes the knight on b5
> Better: axb5 — Same move: Stockfish's first choice

There is nothing complicated here. My a-pawn took the knight, and the checker adds that the capture also opened the a-file: my rook on a8 then attacked White's bishop on a4, which had no defender. White took back on b5 with the bishop. So White had given a knight for two pawns, and I was a piece up.

I keep this board because it is the part I got right. In the Pirc, my queenside pawns often move early, and here the push on move 7 created a real target.

## Position 2: move 11, the rook move I didn't see

After 9...Ba6 (an inaccuracy; the engine preferred taking the e4 pawn with my knight) and 10.Bc6 Rb8 11.b3, White's bishop was sitting on c6, deep in my half of the board. The evaluation was **-5.82**. I played 11...e6, and it went to **+1.74**. That is the turning point of the game in the saved analysis.

> **Game 1298, Black to move on move 11 (the turning point)**
> Position (FEN): `1r1qk2r/2pnppbp/b1Bp1np1/6B1/3PP3/1P3N2/P1P2PPP/R2QK2R b KQk - 0 11`
> Played: e6 — Pawn from e7 to e6
> Better: Rb6 — Rook from b8 to b6 attacks the bishop on c6, which has no defender

The checker's description of Rb6 is short: the rook attacks the bishop on c6, which has no defender. My knight on d7 was standing between that bishop and my king on e8. The rook move puts the question to it straight away. Stockfish's line is 11...Rb6 12.Bxf6 exf6 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7, and I stay a piece up.

## Position 3: move 12, the same move again

White didn't take advantage of my mistake. 12.c4 was marked as a blunder too, and the evaluation came back to **-3.72**. So I had the same chance a second time. Stockfish's first choice was again 12...Rb6. I castled.

> **Game 1298, Black to move on move 12**
> Position (FEN): `1r1qk2r/2pn1pbp/b1Bppnp1/6B1/2PPP3/1P3N2/P4PPP/R2QK2R b KQk - 0 12`
> Played: O-O — Castles (king to safety, rook into play)
> Better: Rb6 — Rook from b8 to b6 attacks the undefended bishop on c6 again

Castling is usually a good habit, and the checker describes it plainly: king to safety, rook into play. But here the analysis marks it as another blunder: from -3.72 to -1.19. The bishop on c6 was still there and still undefended. White exchanged it for my knight two moves later (14.Bxd7 Qxd7). I didn't lose material, but I lost the time to win more.

This is the opening lesson I want to keep: when an enemy piece stands alone in my half of the board, I first ask what attacks it. Here a rook move along the b-file answered that question twice.

## The extra piece goes back

The game didn't end there. After 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.e5, my d-pawn took on e5, then on d4, and reached d3. By move 20 the evaluation was **-7.44**: I was a bishop up, with a passed pawn on d3. Then I played 20...g5, a pawn move that attacked White's queen on f4. Stockfish preferred a quiet queen move to e7. White's queen took my bishop on f6, and the evaluation dropped to **-0.56**. My extra piece was gone.

## Position 4: move 25, pushing the pawn too soon

I got one more winning chance. White's 25.Qg3 was another blunder, and the evaluation was back to **-4.03**. My passed pawn was on d3. I pushed it to d2.

> **Game 1298, Black to move on move 25**
> Position (FEN): `3r1rk1/2pq4/4p2p/5p2/2P3p1/1PRp2Q1/P4PPP/3R2K1 b - - 1 25`
> Played: d2 — Pawn from d3 to d2
> Better: Qg7 — Queen from d7 to g7 attacks the rook on c3, which has no defender

Stockfish wanted 25...Qg7, which attacks White's rook on c3, again a piece with no defender. After my pawn push, the evaluation went to **+1.31**, now better for White. White's rooks later collected the d2 pawn (28.Rcxd2). My 31...Kh7 was the last blunder in the record (+3.87 to +9.35). After 32.Rd7 the game ended, and the record says nasinie won by abandonment. My clock still showed almost six minutes after my last move.

## The lesson of game 1298

The same idea shows up on moves 11, 12 and 25: the engine's first choice was a move that attacks an undefended White piece (the bishop on c6, then the rook on c3). Each time, I chose a different useful-looking move: a pawn move, castling, a passed-pawn push. None of them created a direct threat.

In this Pirc Classical, White's bishop came forward early, to b5 and then c6. That gave me a target. My review question from this game is: which White piece has no defender, and can I attack it right now? For the general problem of letting a big advantage go, I have a separate [answer on why winning positions get lost](/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess/).

## Where this sits in the journey

The recorded ratings go 1238 for game 1297, 1229 for this game and 1237 for game 1299. Those numbers describe what happened next; they don't prove this review caused anything. If you want to practice the same way on your own games, the [beginner game-review guide](/guides/how-to-analyze-chess-games-as-a-beginner/) shows the method, and [Chess Coach in Claude or ChatGPT](/connect/) can review a finished game with these same boards and arrows. The [journey hub](/journey/) has the rest of the series.

## FAQ

### What happened on b5 in game 1298?

White's knight took my pawn on b5 on move 8 and my a-pawn took the knight. Stockfish marks the knight capture as a blunder by White: the evaluation went from 0.00 to -5.05, winning for me as Black.

### Was the knight capture a good idea for White?

Not according to the engine. White got two pawns for the knight, and Stockfish preferred retreating the bishop to b3 instead.

### How did game 1298 end?

I lost. The record says nasinie won and that the game was abandoned after White's 32nd move, with the engine at +9.35 for White.

### Which move did the engine want on moves 11 and 12?

Rook from b8 to b6, attacking White's bishop on c6, which had no defender. I played e6 and then castled.

## Related

- [From 631 to 1385: my chess journey in 2,117 games](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey.md)
- [Week 54 (Jan 2025): +96 in a week and my first 1300](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/journey/week-2025-w03.md)
- [Why do I keep losing winning positions in chess?](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/answers/why-do-i-keep-losing-winning-positions-in-chess.md)
- [How to analyze chess games as a beginner (6 steps)](https://thechesscoach.netlify.app/guides/how-to-analyze-chess-games-as-a-beginner.md)