Gift Horse?
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

One of the career most of glorious Mayor moments Giuliani was his rejection, in the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, of a $10 million gift to the city of New York from Alwaleed Bin Talal, a Saudi prince. Talal, while ostensibly attempting to express solidarity with the victims of September 11, made a statement attempting to explain away Arab terrorism and smear the state of Israel.
Indirectly, this episode raises a question about chess. What is a more beautiful element of the game: the unexpected sacrifice, or the unexpected rejection of a sacrifice? A game rich in rejected sacrifices (from the recent Pune International Chess Festival in India) provides at least one answer. In the end, the Romanian grandmaster Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu lost to the Indian Pentala Harikrishna when he was finally forced to accept a sacrifice and suffer the consequences of his ill-begotten gain.
HARIKRISHNA VS. NISIPEANU
(white) (black)
Nimzo-Indian Defense
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d6 7.f3 c5 8.dxc5 dxc5 9.Nh3 Nc6 10.Nf2 e5 11.e3 e4?!
It was better for black to keep his pawns on black squares, defending the white squares with his bishop.
The most logical move was 11…a5!? 12.f4! Ng4 13.h3 The first occasion when white rejects a black sacrifice. In case of 13.Nxe4 Re8 14.Nf2 Nd4! black would enjoy an excellent initiative. 13… Nh6?! The knight is moving into exile. It was preferable to play 13…Nxf2 14.Kxf2 a5 15.b3 Qe7 and white is only slightly better. 14.g4! Qh4 15.Rg1 Rd8 And here 15…a5 16.b3 Qe7 17.Bb2 f6 was more prudent. 16.b4 Rd1+
(See diagram)
17.Ke2! The sudden refutation of black’s sacrifice. Now the d1 square is not a cozy place for the black rook. Obviously 17.Kxd1 Qxf2 was bad for white. 17… Rd8 The new sacrifice 17…Rd3 is refuted by 18.Nxd3 exd3+ 19.Kf3! b6 20.Bb2 f6 21.Qe1. 18.Bb2 f6 19.b5 e7 20.Nxe4 Nxg4 21.Bg2! A third rejection by white of a sacrifice. Accepting it through 21.hxg4 Bxg4+ 22.Rxg4 Qxg4+ 23.Kf2 Qh4+ 24.Kg1 Qg4+ 25.Bg2 Nf5 would give an excellent game to black. Now white can use the open g-file for his own forces. 21… Nh6 22.Nxf6+! gxf6 On this occasion, finally, white’s sacrifice cannot be rejected: 22…Kh8 23.Ne8 Nhf5 24.Nxg7 and white wins. 23.Bxb7+ Kf7 24.Bxa8 Bxh3 25.Bf3 Bg4 26.Rg2? White misses a new sacrifice: 26.Qxf6+! Qxf6 27.Bxf6 Bxf3+ 28.Kxf3 Kxf6 29.Rad1 and white has a winning endgame. 26… Nef5 27.Rag1 Bxf3+ 28.Kxf3 Re8?! Black could draw here by perpetual: 28…Qh5+ 29.Kf2 Qh4+. Perhaps Nisipianu began to contemplate winning at this juncture. If so, he was deluded. 29.Rh2! Rxe3+ 30.Qxe3 Qxh2 31.Qxc5 Nh4+?! Black could still make a draw here: 31…Qh5+ 32.Kf2 Qh2+ and white has to return his king to f3 because it is too risky to continue 33.Ke1 Qxb2 34.Qxa7+ Ne7. 32.Ke4 Qe2+ 33.Kd5 N6f5 Black could continue the struggle after 33…N4f5! 34.Kc6! Qxb2! but after 35.Kb7! white stands much better. 34.Kc6! Qxb2 35.Qd5+
1-0