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Famous chess games, annotated

Famous games explained move by move: replay them or play them out on the board, no sign-up.

Morphy's Opera Game (1858)
Paul Morphy vs Duke of Brunswick & Count Isouard · 1858 · Philidor Defense
Paul Morphy's famous Opera Game, explained move by move in plain English — develop fast, open lines, attack the king. Step through it or play it out on the board, no sign-up.
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The Immortal Game (1851)
Adolf Anderssen vs Lionel Kieseritzky · 1851 · King's Gambit
Anderssen vs Kieseritzky, London 1851 — the Immortal Game. A King's Gambit where White gives up both rooks, a bishop and the queen to checkmate with minor pieces. Replay it or play the finish.
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The Evergreen Game (1852)
Adolf Anderssen vs Jean Dufresne · 1852 · Evans Gambit
Anderssen vs Dufresne, Berlin 1852 — the Evergreen Game. An Evans Gambit finished by a queen sacrifice and a forced king hunt. Replay it or try to find the mating combination yourself.
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The Game of the Century (1956)
Donald Byrne vs Bobby Fischer · 1956 · Grünfeld Defence
Donald Byrne vs Bobby Fischer, New York 1956 — the Game of the Century. A 13-year-old Fischer plays a stunning queen sacrifice (17…Be6!!) and mates. Replay it or try the sacrifice yourself.
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Lasker vs Thomas: the king hunt (1912)
Edward Lasker vs George Thomas · 1912 · Dutch Defence
Edward Lasker vs George Thomas, London 1912 — a queen sacrifice on move 11 chases the king the length of the board to a checkmate by castling. Replay it or try the king hunt yourself.
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Kasparov's Immortal (1999)
Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov · 1999 · Pirc Defence
Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999 — 'Kasparov's Immortal'. A stunning rook sacrifice (24.Rxd4!) starts a king hunt across the whole board. Replay it or try the sacrifice yourself, no sign-up.
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Rubinstein's Immortal (1907)
Georg Rotlewi vs Akiba Rubinstein · 1907 · Tarrasch Defence
Georg Rotlewi vs Akiba Rubinstein, Łódź 1907 — 'Rubinstein's Immortal'. A combination Carl Schlechter called 'perhaps the most magnificent of all time', built on two bishops and a rook. Replay it or try the finish.
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Marshall's Gold Coins Game (1912)
Stepan Levitsky vs Frank Marshall · 1912 · Queen's Pawn Game
Stepan Levitsky vs Frank Marshall, Breslau 1912 — the famous 23...Qg3!!, a queen offered on a square where three pieces can take it, and none can. Legend says spectators showered the board with gold coins. Replay it or try it.
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Steinitz vs von Bardeleben (1895)
Wilhelm Steinitz vs Curt von Bardeleben · 1895 · Italian Game
Wilhelm Steinitz vs Curt von Bardeleben, Hastings 1895 — a rook hangs on e7 for four moves of checks while every black piece is paralysed, ending in a forced mate in ten. Von Bardeleben walked out rather than resign. Replay it.
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Tal's Knight Sacrifice vs Larsen (1965)
Mikhail Tal vs Bent Larsen · 1965 · Alekhine Defence
Mikhail Tal vs Bent Larsen, Candidates 1965 — the 'Magician from Riga' offers a knight with 16.Nb5!! to strand the black king in the centre, then squeezes a win. Replay it or try the sacrifice yourself, no sign-up.
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Kasparov's Octopus Knight (1985)
Anatoly Karpov vs Garry Kasparov · 1985 · Sicilian Defence
Anatoly Karpov vs Garry Kasparov, World Championship 1985 Game 16 — Kasparov plants an 'octopus' knight on d3 that paralyses White for nearly twenty moves. Voted one of the greatest games ever. Replay it or try the key move.
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Paulsen vs Morphy (1857)
Louis Paulsen vs Paul Morphy · 1857 · Four Knights Game
Paulsen vs Morphy, New York 1857 — Morphy's famous queen sacrifice 17...Qxf3!! tears open the white king. Replay the whole game or try the combination yourself, no sign-up.
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Bird vs Morphy (1858)
Henry Bird vs Paul Morphy · 1858 · Philidor Defence, Philidor Countergambit
Bird vs Morphy, London 1858 — Morphy's daring 17...Rxf2 rook sacrifice and king hunt. Replay this casual masterpiece or try the combination yourself, no sign-up.
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McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais (1834)
Alexander McDonnell vs Louis de La Bourdonnais · 1834 · Sicilian Defence (Old Sicilian)
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, London 1834 — chess's first immortal, finished by three connected passed pawns marching to the back rank. Replay it or play the famous finish.
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Anderssen vs Zukertort (1869)
Adolf Anderssen vs Johannes Zukertort · 1869 · Evans Gambit
Anderssen vs Zukertort, Barmen 1869 — the old master crushes his future rival in an Evans Gambit, sacrificing for a king-side breakthrough. Replay it or play the finish.
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Zukertort's Immortal (1883)
Johannes Zukertort vs Joseph Blackburne · 1883 · English Opening
Zukertort vs Blackburne, London 1883 — 'Zukertort's Immortal'. A slow positional build-up explodes into 28.Qb4! and a stunning queen sacrifice. Replay it or play the finish.
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Blackburne vs Schwarz (1881)
Joseph Blackburne vs Jacques Schwarz · 1881 · French Defence, Exchange Variation
Blackburne vs Schwarz, Berlin 1881 — the 'Black Death' doubles rooks on the h-file and finishes with a queen and rook sacrifice. Replay it or try the combination yourself.
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Staunton vs Horwitz (1846)
Howard Staunton vs Bernhard Horwitz · 1846 · Dutch Defence, Staunton Gambit
Staunton vs Horwitz, London 1846 — the opening that bears Staunton's name, played by the man himself. A long, instructive attacking win. Replay it move by move, no sign-up.
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Staunton vs Williams (1851)
Howard Staunton vs Elijah Williams · 1851 · English Opening
Staunton vs Williams, London 1851 — a patient strategic game from the first international tournament, won by Williams's central pawn play. Replay it move by move, no sign-up.
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Paulsen vs Schwarz (1879)
Louis Paulsen vs Adolf Schwarz · 1879 · French Defence, Advance Variation
Paulsen vs Schwarz, Leipzig 1879 — the great defensive master shows his attacking side with a classic Bxh7+ Greek-gift sacrifice. Replay it or try the combination yourself.
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Lasker's Double Bishop Sacrifice (1889)
Emanuel Lasker vs Johann Bauer · 1889 · Bird's Opening
Emanuel Lasker vs Johann Bauer, Amsterdam 1889 — the original double-bishop sacrifice. Two bishops crash through to expose the king. Replay it or try the combination, no sign-up.
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Rubinstein's Endgame Clinic (1912)
Akiba Rubinstein vs Carl Schlechter · 1912 · Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch
Akiba Rubinstein vs Carl Schlechter, San Sebastian 1912 — a game Capablanca adored. Rook to the seventh, an active king, and flawless technique decide a level ending. Replay it, no sign-up.
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Lasker's Counterattack (1896)
Harry Nelson Pillsbury vs Emanuel Lasker · 1896 · Queen's Gambit Declined
Harry Pillsbury vs Emanuel Lasker, St. Petersburg 1896 — opposite-side castling and a race of attacks. Lasker's …Rxc3! cracks open the white king first. Replay it or try the breakthrough.
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The Pipe Game (1900)
Frank Marshall vs Amos Burn · 1900 · Queen's Gambit Declined
Frank Marshall vs Amos Burn, Paris 1900 — a famous 18-move miniature. Marshall storms the h-file with sacrifices on g6 and finishes with mate. Replay it or try the attack, no sign-up.
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Chigorin's King's Gambit (1892)
Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz · 1892 · King's Gambit
Mikhail Chigorin vs Wilhelm Steinitz, Havana 1892 World Championship — the Romantic Chigorin's King's Gambit against the positional champion. Steinitz defends and counters. Replay it.
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Rubinstein's Positional Squeeze (1908)
Akiba Rubinstein vs Georg Salwe · 1908 · Tarrasch Defence
Akiba Rubinstein vs Georg Salwe, Łódź 1908 — a model game against the isolated queen's pawn. Rubinstein blockades, trades down, and wins by pure technique. Replay it, no sign-up.
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Lasker's Strategic Masterpiece (1914)
Emanuel Lasker vs Jose Raul Capablanca · 1914 · Ruy Lopez, Exchange
Emanuel Lasker vs Capablanca, St. Petersburg 1914 — needing a win, Lasker chose the quiet Exchange Ruy Lopez and outplayed the young Capablanca positionally. Replay it, no sign-up.
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Capablanca Refutes the Marshall (1918)
Jose Raul Capablanca vs Frank Marshall · 1918 · Ruy Lopez, Marshall Attack
Capablanca vs Marshall, New York 1918 — the debut of the Marshall Attack. Marshall sacrifices a pawn for a furious attack; Capablanca defends precisely and wins. Replay it, no sign-up.
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Tarrasch's Central Bind (1895)
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Karl Walbrodt · 1895 · Ruy Lopez
Siegbert Tarrasch vs Karl Walbrodt, Hastings 1895 — the 'Teacher of Germany' builds a textbook central clamp, opens the kingside and wins. Replay it or try the finish, no sign-up.
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Capablanca's Rook Endgame (1924)
José Raúl Capablanca vs Savielly Tartakower · 1924 · Dutch Defence
José Raúl Capablanca vs Savielly Tartakower, New York 1924 — one of the greatest rook endgames ever. Capablanca gives up pawns to activate his king and rook, and wins. Replay it or play the finish.
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Réti vs Bogoljubov (1924)
Richard Réti vs Efim Bogoljubov · 1924 · Réti / English Opening
Richard Réti vs Efim Bogoljubov, New York 1924 — the first-brilliancy-prize game. Réti undermines a big black centre and finishes with the quiet 25.Be8. Replay it or play the finish, no sign-up.
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Bogoljubov vs Alekhine (1922)
Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexander Alekhine · 1922 · Dutch Defence (Nimzo-Dutch)
Efim Bogoljubov vs Alexander Alekhine, Hastings 1922 — Alekhine sacrifices the queen and both rooks, then promotes pawn after pawn. One of the greatest combinations ever. Replay it or play the finish.
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The Immortal Zugzwang Game (1923)
Friedrich Sämisch vs Aron Nimzowitsch · 1923 · Queen's Indian Defence
Sämisch vs Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923 — the Immortal Zugzwang Game. Nimzowitsch squeezes White into total paralysis and wins with the quiet 25...h6. Replay this hypermodern classic move by move.
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Réti vs Alekhine (1925)
Richard Réti vs Alexander Alekhine · 1925 · Réti Opening
Richard Réti vs Alexander Alekhine, Baden-Baden 1925 — called the deepest combination with rooks and minor pieces ever played. A swirling knight sacrifice and king hunt. Replay it or play the finish.
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Alekhine vs Nimzowitsch (1930)
Alexander Alekhine vs Aron Nimzowitsch · 1930 · French Defence (Winawer)
Alexander Alekhine vs Aron Nimzowitsch, San Remo 1930 — the famous positional bind that gave its name to 'Alekhine's Gun'. Pins and pressure squeeze Black into zugzwang. Replay it move by move.
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The Pearl of Zandvoort (1935)
Max Euwe vs Alexander Alekhine · 1935 · Dutch Defence (Nimzo-Dutch)
Max Euwe vs Alexander Alekhine, World Championship 1935, game 26 — the 'Pearl of Zandvoort'. A deep knight manoeuvre and central break beat the champion. Replay this title-deciding classic move by move.
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Réti vs Tartakower (1910)
Richard Réti vs Savielly Tartakower · 1910 · Caro-Kann Defence
Richard Réti vs Savielly Tartakower, Vienna 1910 — perhaps the most famous miniature ever. A queen sacrifice (9.Qd8+!!) on move 9 forces mate in 11. Replay it or try to find the sacrifice yourself.
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Botvinnik's AVRO Masterpiece (1938)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs José Raúl Capablanca · 1938 · Nimzo-Indian Defence
Botvinnik vs Capablanca, AVRO 1938 — a famous game. A passed pawn, then the stunning 30.Ba3!! queen sacrifice and a forced king hunt. Replay it or play it out.
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Tal's Knight Sacrifice (1960)
Mikhail Botvinnik vs Mikhail Tal · 1960 · King's Indian Defence
Botvinnik vs Tal, World Championship 1960 Game 6 — the famous 21…Nf4!! knight sacrifice. Tal, 23, storms the champion. Replay it or try the sacrifice yourself.
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Tal's Candidates Brilliancy (1959)
Mikhail Tal vs Vasily Smyslov · 1959 · Caro-Kann Defence
Tal vs Smyslov, 1959 Candidates — a brilliancy-prize win. Tal sacrifices into a king hunt against a former World Champion. Replay it or try Tal's combination.
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Petrosian's Championship Immortal (1966)
Tigran Petrosian vs Boris Spassky · 1966 · King's Indian / Fianchetto
Petrosian vs Spassky, World Championship 1966 Game 10 — 'Petrosian's Immortal'. The defensive genius turns attacker and crashes through. Replay it or play on.
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Petrosian's Queen Sacrifice (1961)
Tigran Petrosian vs Ludek Pachman · 1961 · King's Indian Attack
Petrosian vs Pachman, Bled 1961 — a stunning queen sacrifice. 19.Qxf6+ drags the king into a mating net built by two bishops. Replay it or try to find it.
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Spassky's King's Gambit (1960)
Boris Spassky vs David Bronstein · 1960 · King's Gambit
Spassky vs Bronstein 1960 — the King's Gambit recreated in the Bond film From Russia with Love. The 15.Nd6 shot decides it. Replay it or play the finish.
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Fischer's Positional Masterpiece (1972)
Bobby Fischer vs Boris Spassky · 1972 · Queen's Gambit Declined
Fischer vs Spassky, World Championship 1972 Game 6 — a flawless positional win Spassky himself applauded. Fischer plays the Queen's Gambit. Replay it.
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Fischer Crushes Larsen (1971)
Bobby Fischer vs Bent Larsen · 1971 · Sicilian Defence
Fischer vs Larsen, Candidates 1971 — part of Fischer's 6–0 sweep. A model Sicilian Sozin attack against the f7 point. Replay it or try the break here.
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Kasparov Wins the Crown (1985, Game 24)
Anatoly Karpov vs Garry Kasparov · 1985 · Sicilian Defence, Scheveningen
Karpov vs Kasparov, 1985 World Championship Game 24. Karpov had to win to keep the title; Kasparov out-attacked him to become the youngest champion ever. Replay it or take the board.
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Kramnik Cracks the Grünfeld (2000, Game 2)
Vladimir Kramnik vs Garry Kasparov · 2000 · Grünfeld Defence, Exchange
Kramnik vs Kasparov, London 2000 World Championship Game 2. Kramnik unveils a new idea against Kasparov's beloved Grünfeld and grinds out a model technical win. Replay it or play the finish.
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Anand's Catalan Crush (2010, Game 4)
Viswanathan Anand vs Veselin Topalov · 2010 · Catalan Opening
Anand vs Topalov, Sofia 2010 World Championship Game 4. Anand's Catalan preparation ties Black up, then a knight sacrifice on h6 rips open the king. Replay it or try the sacrifice.
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Anand's Immortal (2013)
Levon Aronian vs Viswanathan Anand · 2013 · Semi-Slav Defence, Meran
Aronian vs Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2013 — often called 'Anand's Immortal'. A flood of quiet-looking sacrifices in the Semi-Slav forces resignation by move 23. Replay it or try the finish.
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Polgar Beats Kasparov (2002)
Judit Polgar vs Garry Kasparov · 2002 · Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence
Judit Polgar vs Garry Kasparov, Moscow 2002. The first time a woman beat the world's top-rated player in a serious game — a Berlin Defence ground down with precise technique. Replay it.
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Nakamura's Queen Sacrifice (2007)
Michal Krasenkow vs Hikaru Nakamura · 2007 · English Opening
Krasenkow vs Nakamura, Barcelona 2007 — the game Nakamura calls his best ever. A queen sacrifice (21...Qxf2+!!) drives the white king up the board into a mating net. Replay it or try the sac.
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Caruana Stuns Carlsen (2014)
Magnus Carlsen vs Fabiano Caruana · 2014 · Bishop's Opening
Carlsen vs Caruana, Sinquefield Cup 2014. During his historic 7-0 start, Caruana defends a piece sacrifice from world champion Carlsen and wins. Replay it or take the board at the key moment.
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Carlsen's Queen Sac Decider (2016)
Magnus Carlsen vs Sergey Karjakin · 2016 · Sicilian Defence
Carlsen vs Karjakin, 2016 World Championship rapid tiebreak Game 4. Carlsen defends his title with a dazzling queen sacrifice, 50.Qh6+!!, forcing mate. Replay it or find the finish yourself.
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