The following games have been especially selected for their distinct craft, their inventiveness, their unique combinations, and their brilliant finishes. Each game is a masterpiece of chess.
Byrne – Fischer remains arguably, the most famous masterpiece of all time. Fischer was 13 years old at the time. Byrne was a seasoned grandmaster. It became known as “the game of the century.’’ The first indication that it is an unusual game is the totally unexpected 11th move, which superficially seems to give away a knight.
But it is a sound sacrifice which leads to a complicated position. Then comes a thunderbolt ‒ a queen sacrifice which wins by force. This 17th move will be talked about for years to come. By playing it, Fischer established his place among the great prodigies of all time.
Byrne v Fischer
Donald Byrne: White
Robert J Fischer: Black
Rosenwald Tournament 1956
New York
Gruenfeld Defence
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.d4 O-O 5.Bf4 d5r 6.Qb3 dxc4 7.Qxc4 c6 8.e4 Nbd7 9.Rd1 Nb6 10.Qc5 Bg4 11.Bg5 Na4 12.Qa3 Nxc3 13.bxc3 Nxe4 14.Bxe7 Qb6 15.Bc4 Nxc3 16.Bc5 Rfe8+ 17.Kf1 Be6 18.Bxb6 Bxc4+ 19.Kg1 Ne2+ 20.Kf1 Nxd4+ 21.Kg1 Ne2+ 22.Kf1 Nc3+ 23.Kg1 axb6 24.Qb4 Ra4 25.Qxb6 Nxd1 26.h3 Rxa2 27.Kh2 Nxf2 28.Re1 Rxe1 29.Qd8+ Bf8 30.Nxe1 Bd5 31.Nf3 Ne4 32.Qb8 b5 33.h4 h5 34.Ne5 Kg7 35.Kg1 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Ng3+ 37.Ke1 Bb4+ 38.Kd1 Bb3+ 39.Kc1 Ne2+ 40.Kb1 Nc3+ 41.Kc1 Rc2 checkmate. 0-1
The world has recognized the following game as ‘Kasparov’s Immortal.’ This attacking masterpiece is filled with one brilliant move after the other by Kasparov, moves that would have several defining it as the finest chess game ever played. Kasparov was rewarded with the brilliancy prize for the game.
Kasparov v Topalov
Event: Hoogovens A Tournament
Site: Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands
Date: January 20, 1999
Round 4
Result: 1-0
White: Garry Kasparov
Black: Veselin Topalov
WhiteElo 2812
BlackElo 2700
1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5
7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 10. a3 e5 11. O-O-O Qe7
12. Kb1 a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6
17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3 d5 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4
22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4 cxd4 25. Re7+ Kb6
26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 Qxd5 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7
Qc4 31. Qxf6 Kxa3 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2
35. Qb2+ Kd1 36. Bf1 Rd2 37. Rd7 Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8
Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 43. Kc1 Rd2 44. Qa7 1-0
Khan v Capablanca
When the genius of Malik Mir Sultan Khan overcame the mighty José Raúl Capablanca in the now fabled Hastings chess tournament of 1930, the world could not believe it. Khan was a house servant to an Indian maharajah who entered him for the tournament. Khan learnt the European version of the game from his master. In the game Khan exchanged his queen for two rooks.
Event: Hastings 1930-31
Site: Hastings England
Event date: December 29,1930
Round 3
Result: 1-0
White: Mir Sultan Khan
Black: José Raúl Capablanca
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 b6 3.c4 Bb7 4.Nc3 e6 5.a3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bg5
Be7 8.e3 O-O 9.Bd3 Ne4 10.Bf4 Nd7 11.Qc2 f5 12.Nb5 Bd6 13.Nxd6
cxd6 14.h4 Rc8 15.Qb3 Qe7 16.Nd2 Ndf6 17.Nxe4 fxe4 18.Be2 Rc6
19.g4 Rfc8 20.g5 Ne8 21.Bg4 Rc1+ 22.Kd2 R8c2+ 23.Qxc2 Rxc2+
24.Kxc2 Qc7+ 25.Kd2 Qc4 26.Be2 Qb3 27.Rab1 Kf7 28.Rhc1 Ke7
29.Rc3 Qa4 30.b4 Qd7 31.Rbc1 a6 32.Rg1 Qa4 33.Rgc1 Qd7 34.h5
Kd8 35.R1c2 Qh3 36.Kc1 Qh4 37.Kb2 Qh3 38.Rc1 Qh4 39.R3c2 Qh3
40.a4 Qh4 41.Ka3 Qh3 42.Bg3 Qf5 43.Bh4 g6 44.h6 Qd7 45.b5 a5
46.Bg3 Qf5 47.Bf4 Qh3 48.Kb2 Qg2 49.Kb1 Qh3 50.Ka1 Qg2 51.Kb2
Qh3 52.Rg1 Bc8 53.Rc6 Qh4 54.Rgc1 Bg4 55.Bf1 Qh5 56.Re1 Qh1
57.Rec1 Qh5 58.Kc3 Qh4 59.Bg3 Qxg5 60.Kd2 Qh5 61.Rxb6 Ke7
62.Rb7+ Ke6 63.b6 Nf6 64.Bb5 Qh3 65.Rb8 1-0
Karjaken v Anand
In the following game , Anand sacrifices two pieces to execute checkmate in 13 moves!
Event: Corus Wijk aan Zee
Site: Wijk aan Zee
Date: January 14, 2006
Round 1
Result: 0-1
White: Sergey Karjakin
Black: Viswanathan Anand
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5
7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3 Be7 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5
12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5 a4 16. Nbd4 exd4
17. Nxd4 b3 18. Kb1 bxc2+ 19. Nxc2 Bb3 20. axb3 axb3 21. Na3
Ne5 22. h4 Ra5 23. Qc3 Qa8 24. Bg2 Nc7 25. Qxc7 Rc8 26. Qxe7
Nc4 27. g6 hxg6 28. fxg6 Nxa3+ 29. bxa3 Rxa3 30. gxf7+ Kh7
31. f8=N+ Rxf8 32. Qxf8 Ra1+ 33. Kb2 Ra2+ 34.
Alekhine v Efim
Bogoljubov, Germany, 1934
White mates in 7.
Solution for Chess
puzzle on December 22
Anand played Nf2 + If Rxf2 , then Bxg2 + and mates.
