Lesson
White to move. Main line: 8. Nxe6 Qe7 9. O-O fxe6 10. Bg6+ Kd8 11. Bf4 b5 12. a4 Bb7 13. Re1 Nd5 14. Bg3 Kc8 15. axb5 cxb5 16. Qd3 Bc6 17. Bf5 exf5 18. Rxe7 Bxe7 19. c4
8.Nxe6! attacks the queen and offers the knight. Kasparov’s 8...Qe7 allows White to castle before 9...fxe6, making the king-safety difference permanent.
10.Bg6+ forces the king to d8. White’s rooks and bishops then enter with tempo while Black spends moves walking the king toward c8.
The value of the sacrifice is positional as well as tactical: development, open lines and the loss of castling rights keep producing threats long after the knight disappears.