White to move. Black's king is on g8 with little cover and Carlsen has rooks and a queen swarming in. He found a two-move forced mate, finishing with a queen sacrifice. Can you find it?
Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin
Why this game matters
New York, 30 November 2016. After twelve drawn classical games, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin settled the World Championship in a rapid tiebreak. Carlsen led 2–1 going into the fourth game, and Karjakin, needing a win with Black, pushed hard — but overextended. Carlsen pounced, and on his 32nd birthday-eve he finished the match with one of the most beautiful moves ever to decide a title: 50.Qh6+!!, a queen sacrifice that forces checkmate. The crowd erupted.
The lesson
The most spectacular finishes are often the simplest once you spot them. Carlsen's queen sacrifice works because after 50...gxh6 51.Rxf7 is mate, and 50...Kxh6 51.Rh8 is mate — the rook and pawn do all the work. When you sense a mating net, look first at the most forcing move, even if it means giving up your queen.
Move by move
5. f35.f3 — a Maróczy-style set-up against the Sicilian. Carlsen clamps down on the centre and plays for a long positional squeeze, exactly his strength.
15. b415.b4 — Carlsen expands on the queenside, the side where he has more space. Karjakin must find active counterplay or be slowly outplayed.
19. Rfd119.Rfd1 — patient improvement. Carlsen keeps the tension and waits for Karjakin, who needs a win, to commit and create weaknesses.
30. Bxf430.Bxf4 exf4 — the structure clarifies. Carlsen has a small but persistent edge, and Karjakin's need to win forces him to take risks.
36. Nxb336.Nxb3 Qxb3 — material is reduced, but White's pieces are the more active. The clock and the must-win situation press on Karjakin.
43. Rd543.Rd5 — Carlsen centralises the rook and starts to dominate. Black's king is becoming exposed as pawns fall.
46. Rc146.Rc1 — switching files to attack. The rooks and queen begin to converge on the black king.
48. Kh148...Qf2 — Karjakin's last try, but it walks into a forced mate. Carlsen has the finish ready.
49. Rc8+49.Rc8+ Kh7 — the king is dragged to h7, where the mating net is set.
50. Qh6+50.Qh6+!! The queen sacrifice that ends the match. After 50...gxh6 51.Rxf7 is mate, and 50...Kxh6 51.Rh8 is mate. Carlsen retained his title in style.
51. Rxf7#51.Rxf7# — checkmate. A queen sacrifice to win the World Championship: one of the most memorable finishing moves in title-match history.
Frequently asked
What was at stake in this game?
It was the fourth and decisive game of the rapid tiebreak for the 2016 World Championship. The twelve classical games had ended 6–6, and after three tiebreak games Carlsen led 2–1. Karjakin had to win with Black to stay alive; instead Carlsen won and retained his title.
Why is 50.Qh6+ so famous?
Giving up the queen for an immediate forced mate is always striking, and doing it to win a World Championship made it iconic. After the capture on h6, the rook delivers mate — whether the king takes (51.Rh8#) or the pawn takes (51.Rxf7#). It was a fitting, brilliant end to the match.
Can I find the mate myself?
Yes — take the board as Carlsen with Black's king on g8 and try to find the two-move forced mate that ends with a queen sacrifice, or replay the whole game move by move, no sign-up.