Top 10 of the greatest chess games of all time!!
Chess is a rich game, dating back over a millennia. Today we are going to see the top 10 of the greatest chess games of all time.
Here are the Top 10 of the greatest games.
1: Kasparov vs. Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999
Despite losing a historic match to the computer engine Deep Blue on May 11 1997, Garry Kasparov was at the height of his powers in 1999, winning tournaments by big margins and recording the highest Elo rating ever at that time (2851). Kasparov has a long list of brilliancies to his credit, but this game is his virtually undisputed masterpiece.
Kasparov vs. Topalov is everything a chess game should be, a ferocious fight with brilliance from both players, numerous tactical themes, and a king hunt that drives the king all the way from one side of the board to the other! It's difficult to imagine any other game atop this list but we eagerly await new contenders in the coming years.
2: Morphy vs. Allies, Paris Opera 1858
Often called the "Opera Game," Paul Morphy's informal masterpiece played against the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard is the first complete game shown to many beginning and intermediate players. It illustrates the value of development, centralization, and king safety, but most important, it is the perfectly concise game to illustrate the beauty of chess. What chess player can fail to smile at 10.Nxb5!, 13.Rxd7!, and 16.Qb8+!!?
Morphy won this game in the midst of his European Tour where he easily defeated the other great players of his day before virtually retiring from chess to pursue law in New Orleans.
3: Aronian vs. Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2013
Undisputed world champion from 2007 to 2013, Viswanathan Anand is one of the most fluid and intuitive players in chess history. Where Jose Capablanca's intuition served him best in the endgame, Anand's serves him best in the middlegame.
Played in advance of his coming 2013 world championship match against Magnus Carlsen (though Carlsen would not qualify for several months), Anand showed in this game the attacking skill that makes him such a beloved player; particularly 16...Nde5!! sticks in the memory as Black's pieces burst forth and cannot be contained.
4: Karpov vs. Kasparov, World Championship 1985, game 16
There is no greater rivalry in chess history than that between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. The brilliant games they have contested could fill a substantial book.
This game from their world championship match in 1985 demonstrates Kasparov at his very best, offering a pawn sac in the opening, establishing a tremendous knight on d3, clamping down with 21...g5!! and always performing crisp calculation and tactics.
5: Byrne vs. Fischer, New York 1956
At the age of 13, Bobby Fischer alerted the world to his presence, winning one of the finest games of all time against IM Donald Byrne with the black pieces. Fischer's 11...Na4!! and 17...Be6!! constitute two of the great hammer-blows in chess history; together they decimated the white position.
6: Ivanchuk vs. Yusupov, Brussels 1991
The stakes could hardly be higher as this game was played in a rapid tiebreak in the world championship Candidates' cycle. Needing to win, Artur Yusupov gave it his all, swinging each piece he could into the assault and eventually overcoming Vassily Ivanchuk's best resistance with multiple fine attacking ideas.
7: Short vs. Timman, Tilburg 1991
King walks are not unheard of in chess, but the seemingly out-of-the-blue advance of Nigel Short's king with 31.Kh2!!, 32.Kg3!!, 33.Kh4!!, and 33.Kg5!! intending 34.Kh6!! with mate on g7 is unique in the annals of chess.
8: Bai Jinshi vs. Ding Liren, Chinese League 2017
It's mind over matter in this, the most recent game on the list, as Ding Liren continually places his pieces en prise to achieve relentless pressure against the white king, who proves unable to escape the center of the board. The game is filled with beautiful moves, but it is particularly 20...Rd4!! that makes a striking impression on the viewer.
9: Rotlewi vs. Rubinstein, Lodz 1907
Akiba Rubinstein is arguably the greatest player to have never become world champion. His tournament victories in 1911 marked one of the most dominant years by any chess player. In this game against a fellow Polish player, he reeled off one of the most inspiring combinations of all time. What chess player can forget 22...Rxc3!! and 23...Rxd2!! followed by the patient 25...Rh3!! with inevitable mate?
10: Geller vs. Euwe, Zurich 1953
It is rare for a defensive game to be celebrated as a brilliancy, but Max Euwe's prize-winning effort against Geller from the famous Zurich 1953 tournament has more than stood the test of time. Euwe seems to have his back to the wall when his sudden sacrifice 22...Rh8!! creates disorder in the white camp and allows his queen and rook to infiltrate.
These where the top 10 greatest games of all time!!
