The Qh6 Sacrifice

The 2016 World Championship in New York was the first since 2006 to go the full twelve classical games without a winner, leaving Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin level at 6 to 6 and the title to be settled by rapid tiebreaks. Carlsen won the third tiebreak game to go a point clear, which meant a draw in game four would have kept his crown intact.

He played for more anyway. In a Sicilian where Karjakin drifted into a passive setup, Carlsen built pressure on the kingside and, with Karjakin's king exposed on h7, found 50.Qh6+!!, offering his queen. It cannot be taken safely: 50...Kxh6 51.Rh8 is mate, and 50...gxh6 51.Rxf7 is mate as well. Karjakin resigned on the spot rather than let either line be played out.

It remains one of the most replayed finishes in modern championship chess, a queen sacrifice delivered not out of necessity but because Carlsen had calculated it was simply the cleanest way to end the match and retain his title.