Best Chess Games of World Champions Archives - Chessentials https://chessentials.com/tag/best-chess-games-of-world-champions/ Chess blog about chess tactics, chess games and chess books Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:31:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0 https://chessentials.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-vjeks2-2-1-32x32.png Best Chess Games of World Champions Archives - Chessentials https://chessentials.com/tag/best-chess-games-of-world-champions/ 32 32 Mikhail Tal Best Games https://chessentials.com/mikhail-tal-best-games/ https://chessentials.com/mikhail-tal-best-games/#respond Tue, 01 Nov 2022 12:31:33 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=10482 The games analyzed in this article can be found in this public Lichess Study. You can also download them in the .pgn format at my Chess PGN Download page. The Magician From Riga Out of...

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]]> The games analyzed in this article can be found in this public Lichess Study.

You can also download them in the .pgn format at my Chess PGN Download page.

The Magician From Riga

Out of all World Chess Champions, Mikhail Tal’s life and games have very likely captivated the hearts and minds of chess players worldwide. When you ask people who their favourite player is, sooner or later his name enters the mix and most chess players can remember at least one of his memorable sacrifices, if not more. Even though his short tenure as the World Champion only lasted for one year (from 1960 when he won the World Championship match against Botvinnik until 1961 when he lost the Return World Championship match to the same opponent), his legacy and the effect on the chess world have been unparalleled – even for the World Chess Champion standard.

What is it about Tal’s style that makes his games so memorable? Well, his extremely combative, tactical, and sharp style and his absolute willingness to search for creative ideas and sacrifice material in the process – even under the most unexpected, surprising circumstances. Even though chess history has seen a number of true tactical geniuses, 1 no other player had such an innate ability (and inclination) to create total chaos on the board, go for material sacrifices and positions where everything and display Tal’s level of creativity and imagination.

Due to his tremendous calculating ability as well as a certain talent to simply “see” through the variations, Tal would often come on top in these tactical skirmishes. Even though his concepts and sacrifices were often not 100% correct from the objective standpoint, they posed his opponents with very difficult problems they were often unable to solve over the board, with the clock ticking. 2

Such a playing style was particularly fresh and novel in the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, the whole chess world was influenced by the strict Soviet school of chess, spearheaded by the likes of Botvinnik and Smyslov, which had a very solid strategical/positional foundation. Tal’s daredevil, seemingly “gambling” style sent shockwaves at a time – especially when it transpired you can reach the very summit of chess and become World Champion with it.

When you also add Tal’s witty, jovial and humorous character into the equation, as well as the tragic circumstances connected to the lifelong health issues that hindered him from achieving as much as he could achieve in chess, you can understand why he is a fan favourite.

In this post, we will take a look at some of his famous and memorable games. The games have been fully annotated by the author of these lines 3 Of course, given his legacy, it was very difficult to make a selection – the full list of his memorable games would extend further away from the number ten. But in order to keep it reasonable and manageable, one has to cut the line somewhere.

Hopefully, this post will serve as a motivation for the reader to find out more about Tal and to look for other wonderful Tal gems for themselves. Now, without further ado, let’s dive into the magical world of the magician from Riga.

 Mikhail Tal – Alexander Tolush, USSR Championship, 1957.

A very one-sided stomp of the King’s Indian Defence with the White pieces. Perhaps not the most spectacular game, but very instructive and a good introduction to the Tal style.

Mikhail Tal – Alexander Koblents, Riga, 1957.

A mind-boggling Sicilian skirmish against his own coach Alexander Koblents. One of those typical Tal games that makes your head dizzy with all the possibilities, tactics and reach ideas.

Milko Bobotsov – Mikhail Tal, World Championship U26, 1958.

A remarkable positional queen sacrifice in the Saemisch King’s Indian that has since become more-or-less standard. Not the typical Tal game, but a very beautiful one nevertheless.

Mikhail Tal – Vasily Smyslov, Candidates Tournament, 1959.

The famous clash against Vasily Smyslov from 1959. candidates where Tal managed to “trick” his very experienced opponent and defeat him in just 26 moves, with the help of some very exciting and flashy tactical shots.

Mikhail Tal – Mikhail Botvinnik, World Championship 1960., Game 1

The first game of the Tal’s 1960 World Championship Match against Botvinnik and the only instance in that match where Botvinnik dared to venture the French Defence.

Mikhail Botvinnik – Mikhail Tal, World Championship 1960., Game 6

Another very famous and celebrated game, in which Tal went for the speculative piece sacrifice in the King’s Indian which completely rattled the Patriarch.

Mikhail Tal – Hans-Joachim Hecht, Varna, 1962.

A famous game featuring a spectacular queen’s sacrifice, during which Miguel Najdorf allegedly kissed Tal after the latter made the tremendous 19.exf6 move!

Mikhail Tal – Lajos Portisch, Candidates Quarterfinal, 1965., Game 2

Another game with a very high competitive significance – played at the Quarterfinal Candidates match against Lajos Portisch – and another one of those amazing Tal attacks that makes you smile :).

Mikhail Tal -Michael Stean, Alekhine Memorial, 1975.

A very instructive and also attractive game where Tal displayed his understanding of the White side of the Tarrasch Defence, apart from the usual genius tactical stuff.

Mikhail Tal – Johann Hjartarson, Reykjavik, 1987.

Last but not least – a sort of swansong game by Mikhail Tal against Johann Hjartarson, during which he displayed a masterful understanding of the Ruy Lopez structures and topped it with a spectacular sacrificial finish.

 

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]]> https://chessentials.com/mikhail-tal-best-games/feed/ 0 Mikhail Botvinnik Best Games https://chessentials.com/mikhail-botvinnik-best-games/ https://chessentials.com/mikhail-botvinnik-best-games/#comments Tue, 01 May 2018 21:25:05 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=4366 The patriarch Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth world champion, is widely regarded as the “most instructive chess player ever” (you heard it here first). And indeed, in a number of his games, he exerted his plans...

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]]> The patriarch

Mikhail Botvinnik, the sixth world champion, is widely regarded as the “most instructive chess player ever” (you heard it here first).

And indeed, in a number of his games, he exerted his plans with rigorous discipline and very often crushed his opponents with the iron logic. Not without reason did Paul Keres, his greatest competitor, once compared young Botvinnik with the bulldozer who swept everything on his path.

Botvinnik’s impact on chess was enormous. He was the first to introduce the meticulous and rigorous opening preparation, he discovered a number of inovative ideas (like playing with the isolated pawn – see his game against Vidmar below). Also, let’s not forget that a number of top players went through the famous Botvinnik school of chess, the most notable being the 13th World Champion, Garry Kasparov.

Botvinnik was trully a great champion.

1. Botvinnik – Capablanca, AVRO 1938

Botvinnik’s probably most famous game. Who doesn’t know the remarkable Ba3!! and Nh5!! combo?

2. Botvinnik – Alekhine, AVRO, 1938

Another victory from the AVRO tournament in which the new generation overthrew the old one. This time against another great champion, Alekhine himself.

3. Botvinnik – Vidmar, Nottingham, 1936

Notable game in which Botvinnik demonstrated method of play with the isolani which has become one of the standard plans.

4. Botvinnik – Tal, World Championship, 1961

In 1961, Botvinnik solved the riddle of the magician from Riga. This is his best creative achievement from that match.

5. Botvinnik – Portisch, Monte Carlo, 1968

One from the older days – a fantastic game including a double rook sacrifice.

6. Smyslov – Botvinnik, World Championship, 1954

A lesson with the title “How to crush the Closed Sicilian”.

7. Botvinnik – Keres, Soviet Team Championship, 1966

A game between old rivals demonstrating the best aspects of Botvinnik’s play – strong strategical play and tactical execution resulting from the superior position.

8. Taimanov – Botvinnik, Moscow, 1963

This game demonstrates Botvinnik’s resourcefullness in inferior positions and how quickly he is able to seize the initative.

9. Botvinnik – Robatsch, Amsterdam, 1966

Final two games display Botvinnik’s masterful handling of the famous Karlsbad structure. Kasparov once wrote handling of the Carlsbad’s structure determines the quality of a player. Judge for yourselves.

10. Botvinnik – Larsen, Noteboom Memorial, 1965

Ra1 and Qb1??I mean, seriousy Botvinnik?

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]]> https://chessentials.com/mikhail-botvinnik-best-games/feed/ 2 Max Euwe best games https://chessentials.com/max-euwe-best-games/ https://chessentials.com/max-euwe-best-games/#comments Mon, 13 Nov 2017 14:18:27 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=2765 The Man Who Beat Alekhine In 1935, the chess World was struck with a shock of epic proportions. Alexander Alekhine, celebrated World Champion, has been defeated in a World Championship Match by relatively lesser known...

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]]> The Man Who Beat Alekhine

In 1935, the chess World was struck with a shock of epic proportions. Alexander Alekhine, celebrated World Champion, has been defeated in a World Championship Match by relatively lesser known Dutch master, Max Euwe.

Although Euwe is known as the ‘Man Who beat Alekhine’, it seems to me that even today he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for accomplishing that feat. Many people try to diminish that feat. Most often, people say that Alekhine was already getting quite old, that his peak has already passed, that he had a drinking problem during this match and that in 1937 in the return match, he showed who is the boss.

I think that by doing so, people don’t give enough credit to Euwe, who has been really playing some good chess and scored a deserving victory.

Also, many people criticize Euwe because he was unable to assert any sort of dominance in tournaments of those era. And I have to admit, this criticism has some ground; he wasn’t able to dominate tournaments like Alekhine in the early 30s, or Botvinnik in the post-war era.

However, his tournament results were not lacklustre either. Kasparov himself wrote that Euwe was “A Worthy Champion”; I think that this is the best description of Euwe’s tournament career.

Some of his notable results are:

  • Hastings 1930/1931 – Clear 1st, ahead of Capablanca
  • Zürich 1934, – Shared 2nd, 1 point behind Alekhine
  • Bad Neuheim 1937 – Clear 1st, ahead of Alekhine
  • Maastricht 1946, Clear 1st, 2 points ahead of competition
  • Gröningen 1946, Clear 2nd, half a point behind Botvinnik

Finally, most people who don’t know much about Euwe in general claim that he played boring, positional chess. That he was primarly a strategist. However, it couldn’t be further from truth. Euwe was described by Alekhine as “primarly a tactician”. His games are wonderful, they are fighting, they are complicated, they are intriguing and there are tactical complications going on.  While annotating the games (with the help of Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors, part two), I was struck by the fact that Euwe’s play often had some sort of ‘Tal element’ .

All in all, I think that Euwe is the most underrated champion of them all.

Take a look at the games and judge for yourself. I hope that this list of Euwe’s best games will change a couple of minds.

Slikovni rezultat za max euwe YOUNG

1. Geller – Euwe, Zürich Candidates, 1953

Zürich 1953 was sort of a swan song for Euwe on the international level. He scored a number of fascinating victories and the game against Geller is one of them. It features a fascinating attacking – defensive shot, 22 Rh8!!?.

2. Euwe – Alekhine, 26th game, World Championship Match, 1935

A game from the match against Alekhine and Euwe’s most creative achievement. He gives up a piece for three pawns and outwitts Alekhine in a grand struggle. This game would later be known as the ‘Pearl of Zandvoort’, named after the Dutch town in which it was played.

3. Euwe – Fischer, New York, 1957

A miniature against young Fischer, definitely worth a closer look.

4. Euwe – Maroczy, Zandvoort, 1936

The second ‘Pearl of Zandvoort’, although much less clear one.

5. Euwe – Najdorf, Zürich Candidates, 1953

Another gem from the Zürich candidates. A sacrifice of the full rook, a dashing attack on the kingside. One of my favourite Euwe games.

6. Euwe – Loman, Rotterdam, 1923

A miniature from Euwe’s early years, notable for the concluding sacrifice. But I also like the way he extracted advantage in the opening.

7. Euwe – Landau, Amsterdam, 1939

8. Keres – Euwe, Match, 1940

Another wonderful creative achievement by Euwe. The bishop sacrifice on f3 is one of the most beautiful moves I have ever seen. Make sure to check it out.

9. Szabo – Euwe, Groningen, 1946

Another game in the same variation of the QGA, and another victory for Euwe.

10. Tartakower – Euwe, Venice, 1948

Last, but not the least, a Tal like sacrifice followed by a king chase. One of the more famous Euwe games, but beautiful nevertheless.

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]]> https://chessentials.com/max-euwe-best-games/feed/ 1 Alexander Alekhine best games https://chessentials.com/alexander-alekhine-best-games/ https://chessentials.com/alexander-alekhine-best-games/#comments Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:25:02 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=2669 Alexander Alekhine – Alexander the Great The fourth World Champion, Alexander Alekhine is widely regarded, together with Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov, as the World Champion with the most combative, tactical and attacking style. Although he...

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]]> Alexander Alekhine – Alexander the Great

The fourth World Champion, Alexander Alekhine is widely regarded, together with Mikhail Tal and Garry Kasparov, as the World Champion with the most combative, tactical and attacking style.

Although he was a sort of late bloomer, after his surprising victory over Jose Raul Capablanca, he dominated world chess for decades, won a number of tournaments and left a very rich chess heritage.

His games are full of rich tactical ideas, beautiful combinations and flights of imaginations. But his combinations didn’t arise from the thin air; his strategical understanding and his endgame skills were also superior then those of his contemporaries.

However, he is rightly famous for his cominative vision and his fighting chess over the board. With this choice of ten games, I have tried depicting it to an extent. And even though the policy of this blog is not to focus on the maisntream games, some of Alekhine’s gems very much deserve recognition.

Alekhine_2

1. Bogoljubow – Alekhine, Hastings, 1922

One of those grandiose Alekhine canvases that granted him permanent immortality.

2. Alekhine – NN, Moscow, 1915

Another flight of fantasy; a famous five queen game. It is debatable whether this game was actually played, or merely invented by Alekhine, but to tell you the truth, I don’t really care.

3. Alekhine – Flohr, Bled, 1931

A game from the “Golden Era”. The best example of Alekhine’s strategical mastery. A beautiful positional win against Salo Flohr, who was a great positional master himself.

4. Alekhine – Yates, London, 1922

Game I first picked up from Irving Chernev’s The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played (see this post for more details). Perhaps not the most spectacular game, but highly instructive one. The final combination is also worth taking another look.

5. Alekhine – Reti, Vienna, 1922

The so called Immortal Draw. See for yourself why.

6. Vidmar – Alekhine, San Remo, 1930

Another vintage Alekhine game and another demonstration of great chess he played in the early 30s.

7. Alekhine – Tartakower, London, 1932

What happens when you try incorrect gambits against Alekhine.

8. Alekhine – Hoelscher, Simul, 1933

Not an outstanding game by Alekhine’s standards, but the final combination is extremely pretty.

9. Pirc – Alekhine, Bled, 1931

What happens when Alekhine plays incorrect gambits against you.

10. Reti – Alekhine,Baden-Baden, 1925

One of the most celebrated and famous games of the 20th century. (Commentary by Kasparov taken from My Great Predecessors Part One).

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]]> https://chessentials.com/alexander-alekhine-best-games/feed/ 2 Jose Raul Capablanca best games https://chessentials.com/jose-raul-capablanca-best-games/ https://chessentials.com/jose-raul-capablanca-best-games/#comments Sat, 12 Aug 2017 19:27:03 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=2551 Jose Raul Capablanca – The Cuban Genius Jose Raul Capablanca, the third world champion, is widely regarded as the greatest natural talent that ever played our ancient game. Already from his early days his gift...

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]]> Jose Raul Capablanca – The Cuban Genius

Jose Raul Capablanca, the third world champion, is widely regarded as the greatest natural talent that ever played our ancient game.

Already from his early days his gift for the game was apparent. He learnt the rules of chess by watching his father play. At the age of five he already beat all the player in the Havana Chess Club and at the age of thirteen he was already the Cuban Champion, after beating the previous champion Corzo in a one sided match.

During his peak, he didn’t lose a single game between 1916 and 1924 (and  astounding 8 years without defeat).

His style reflected his talent perfectly. He was known for tendencies toward clarity and simplicity; he would often make his victories seem effortless. Moreover, his mastery of the endgame was unmatched during those times; instead of calculating variations he would simply “see” through the position and immediately “feel” where his pieces belong.

In this post, I have assembled a list of ten Capablancas games that I regard as his most beautiful achievements. Hope you will enjoy it.

Slikovni rezultat za jose raul capablanca

1. Capablanca – Tartakower, New York, 1924.

2. Capablanca – Fonaroff, New York, 1918.

3. Capablanca – Corzo, Havana, 1901.

4. Capablanca – Marshall, New York, 1909.

5. Tartakower – Capablanca, New York, 1924.

6. Nimzowitsch – Capablanca, New York, 1927.

7. Sergeant – Capablanca, Margate, 1935,

8. Lasker – Capablanca, Moscow, 1936

9. Capablanca – Yates, Hastings, 1919.

10. Alekhine – Capablanca, New York, 1927.

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]]> https://chessentials.com/jose-raul-capablanca-best-games/feed/ 1 Best games of Emanuel Lasker https://chessentials.com/best-games-emanuel-lasker/ https://chessentials.com/best-games-emanuel-lasker/#respond Sun, 23 Jul 2017 08:18:22 +0000 https://chessentials.com/?p=2465 Emanuel Lasker – The Fearless Fighter Emanuel Lasker, the second World Champion, has accomplished numerous feats that will probably never be surpassed. First of all, he held the title of the World Champion longer than...

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]]> Emanuel Lasker – The Fearless Fighter

Emanuel Lasker, the second World Champion, has accomplished numerous feats that will probably never be surpassed.

First of all, he held the title of the World Champion longer than anyone else in the history. When he lost his crown to Jose Raul Capablanca in 1921, it was the 27th year of his tenure as a World Champion.

And even after his loss, he continued playing successfully, winning numerous tournaments and remaining a member of the world elite for almost a decade afterward.

Secondly, apart from being a great chess player, Lasker was a prominent mathematician. Apart from being a doctor of philosophy, he was also a top notch scientist; some of his theorems are topical even today, such as Lasker – Noether theorem.

It is hard to pinpoint a single factor that contributed to his universality and chess longevity. However, if one would have to pick one trait that distinguished him from other players of his generation, that would definitely be psychology.

Lasker was one of the first players that realized that a chess game is much more than a battle on the chess board. The number of games he managed to win from the inferior positions is unprecedented. By maintaining his composure and his will to fight, he would often induce errors from his opponents and then exploit them mercilessly.

However, Lasker wasn’t only relying on tricks and psychology throughout his career. He was the first prototype of the modern grandmaster. He could play it all, quiet strategical positions, sharp tactical middlegames, equal endgames. Whatever the position was, the main motto was to fight, to continue the struggle, to set problems for the opponents.

In this overview of the highlights of Lasker’s career, I have tried including it all. Hope you will enjoy it 🙂

1. Lasker – Bauer, Amsterdam, 1889.

2. Lasker – Capablanca, 1914.

3. Pillsbury – Lasker, St. Petersburg, 1896.

4. Lasker – Napier, Cambridge Springs, 1904.

5. Lasker – Steinitz, World Championship, 1894.

6. Lasker – Schlechter, World Championship, 1910.

7. Lasker – Pillsbury, New York, 1893.

8. Lasker – Steinitz, World Championship, 1894.

9. Lasker – Pillsbury, Paris, 1900

10. Lasker – Steinitz, Hastings, 1895

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