https://chessgames.info/Great games. Lasting lessons.enhttps://chessgames.info/games/ding-nepomniachtchi-2023-6/https://chessgames.info/games/ding-nepomniachtchi-2023-6/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn game six of the 2023 championship in Astana, Ding’s London System becomes a struggle over active pieces and Black’s advancing a-pawn. Follow the rook routes and knight jumps before studying the quiet d-pawn move. The recorded finish shows a king attack competing with promotion, rather than a simple race of two pawns.https://chessgames.info/games/anand-carlsen-2013-6/https://chessgames.info/games/anand-carlsen-2013-6/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTGame six of the 2013 championship in Chennai reaches a rook ending after a long struggle for activity and pawns. Carlsen’s black pieces keep creating practical problems. The final h-pawn advance is especially instructive: a capture can move a defender away from the file of a different pawn.https://chessgames.info/games/aronian-anand-2013/https://chessgames.info/games/aronian-anand-2013/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAnand’s 2013 Wijk aan Zee game against Aronian rewards careful attention to lines. A knight counterattack, a bishop on c5 and a central knight jump combine against White’s king. The bishop can be captured in one variation, so calculate that resource too: recognizing a pin is the beginning of the analysis, not the end.https://chessgames.info/games/krush-ushenina-2013/https://chessgames.info/games/krush-ushenina-2013/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAt the 2013 women’s world team event in Astana, Krush’s kingside play includes both pawn advances and a knight retreat. The open g-file becomes useful only after the pieces are reorganized. Follow the route back from g1 to e2 and g3, then compare how the rooks and queen support the final knight jump.https://chessgames.info/games/kosteniuk-hou-2008-final-2/https://chessgames.info/games/kosteniuk-hou-2008-final-2/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe second game of the 2008 women’s championship final in Nalchik finishes in a draw after an active, changing struggle. Exchanges transform the middlegame into a rook ending with dangerous pawns. Study how both players keep their pieces useful, then work through the repeated checking pattern instead of treating the result as an absence of ideas.https://chessgames.info/games/ivanchuk-yusupov-1991/https://chessgames.info/games/ivanchuk-yusupov-1991/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn their Brussels Candidates tiebreak in 1991, Ivanchuk and Yusupov create a position where material on one wing competes with a king attack on the other. Black’s pawn on e3, active queen and knight routes are the key landmarks. Study how the rook joins the attack before deciding which side’s extra material matters.https://chessgames.info/games/karpov-unzicker-1974/https://chessgames.info/games/karpov-unzicker-1974/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTKarpov’s game against Unzicker at the Nice Olympiad in 1974 is a lesson in giving the opponent fewer useful choices. White first restricts the queenside, then changes direction toward the king. Study the bishop routes and the timing of the f-pawn advance before looking at the final queen and knight pressure.https://chessgames.info/games/fischer-benko-1963/https://chessgames.info/games/fischer-benko-1963/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn this US Championship game from 1963, Fischer’s attack depends on the order of the moves. The queen approaches h7, but a pawn still blocks the bishop’s diagonal. The celebrated rook move on f6 interferes with a defensive pawn move before White opens that diagonal.https://chessgames.info/games/spassky-bronstein-1960/https://chessgames.info/games/spassky-bronstein-1960/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTSpassky and Bronstein’s 1960 USSR Championship game puts an attack beside an urgent promotion threat. It is an especially useful lesson in separating a beautiful historical continuation from the defender’s best resources. Compare the saved alternatives at the moment Black’s pawn reaches e2, then follow the coordination of the queen, knights and bishop.https://chessgames.info/games/reti-capablanca-1924/https://chessgames.info/games/reti-capablanca-1924/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTRéti begins this New York 1924 game by developing around the centre. The flank pawns and bishops are preparation for a later central break, not a reason to ignore the middle of the board. Follow the change from pawn pressure to rook activity, then notice how the knight gains time against a rook.https://chessgames.info/games/anand-carlsen-2013-9/https://chessgames.info/games/anand-carlsen-2013-9/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn the ninth game of the 2013 world championship in Chennai, Anand’s kingside attack raced Carlsen’s queenside passed pawn. Track both threats at once. The final position is especially useful for learning why a natural defensive move can fail when the opponent’s queen gains a new route.https://chessgames.info/games/hou-kosteniuk-2008-final-1/https://chessgames.info/games/hou-kosteniuk-2008-final-1/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAlexandra Kosteniuk won with Black against Hou Yifan in the opening game of the 2008 women’s world championship final in Nalchik. Study the changing balance between activity, weaknesses and conversion. This is a full game, with the decisive moments placed in the context of the earlier manoeuvring.https://chessgames.info/games/kramnik-leko-2004-14/https://chessgames.info/games/kramnik-leko-2004-14/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe fourteenth game of Kramnik and Leko’s 2004 world championship in Brissago becomes an instructive ending after the queens leave. White gains space on the queenside, keeps the rooks active, and eventually sends the king toward Black’s position. Study the coordination of king, rook and knight rather than looking for a single spectacular move.https://chessgames.info/games/polgar-kasparov-2002/https://chessgames.info/games/polgar-kasparov-2002/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTJudit Polgár and Garry Kasparov exchange queens early in this Moscow game from 2002. The struggle stays lively: an active knight forces a bishop back, the rooks invade, and White’s king steps out of checks instead of hiding. Follow how a modest lead in activity becomes a concrete threat against pawns and king.https://chessgames.info/games/kasparov-topalov-1999/https://chessgames.info/games/kasparov-topalov-1999/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTGarry Kasparov’s 1999 Wijk aan Zee game against Veselin Topalov sends the black king on a remarkable journey. The rook sacrifice starts a forcing pursuit, but each follow-up depends on exact squares. This is a lesson in calculation and resisting the temptation to stop after finding one brilliant move.https://chessgames.info/games/karpov-kasparov-1985-16/https://chessgames.info/games/karpov-kasparov-1985-16/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn game sixteen of the 1985 world championship in Moscow, Kasparov’s active pieces made White’s extra central pawn difficult to enjoy. Study the knight’s influence and how the rooks acquire open lines. The tactical finish grows from restrictions imposed much earlier.https://chessgames.info/games/fischer-spassky-1972-6/https://chessgames.info/games/fischer-spassky-1972-6/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn the sixth game of the 1972 world championship in Reykjavík, Bobby Fischer used a quiet opening to reach a position of lasting pressure against Boris Spassky. The lesson is how structural weaknesses, active rooks and well-timed pawn breaks reinforce one another.https://chessgames.info/games/petrosian-spassky-1966-10/https://chessgames.info/games/petrosian-spassky-1966-10/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTTigran Petrosian’s tenth game against Boris Spassky in the 1966 world championship illustrates why a rook’s nominal value does not tell the whole story. Piece activity and weak squares shape the position, and the later tactics grow from that imbalance.https://chessgames.info/games/botvinnik-tal-1960-6/https://chessgames.info/games/botvinnik-tal-1960-6/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn game six of the 1960 world championship in Moscow, Mikhail Tal created difficult decisions for Mikhail Botvinnik with a knight sacrifice. Modern engine evidence and the historical result answer different questions: distinguish an objectively best defence from the practical difficulty of finding it at the board.https://chessgames.info/games/byrne-fischer-1956/https://chessgames.info/games/byrne-fischer-1956/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTThirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer’s win against Donald Byrne at the 1956 Rosenwald tournament became known as the Game of the Century. The queen sacrifice is memorable, but the deeper lesson is piece coordination: checks, tempo and vulnerable squares give Black’s smaller pieces an extraordinary reach.https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-marshall-1924/https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-marshall-1924/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTCapablanca and Marshall’s drawn game at New York 1924 belongs in a learning collection precisely because no one won. Follow the exchanges and defensive resources rather than searching for a spectacular finish. Good judgement includes knowing when simplification removes the opponent’s winning chances.https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-tartakower-1924/https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-tartakower-1924/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTJosé Raúl Capablanca’s New York 1924 game against Savielly Tartakower offers a practical lesson in rook endings. An active rook and an advancing king can matter more than a pawn count. Watch how the king becomes an attacking piece once the queens have left the board.https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-marshall-1918/https://chessgames.info/games/capablanca-marshall-1918/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTFrank Marshall introduced a dangerous pawn sacrifice against Capablanca in New York in 1918. Capablanca’s task was practical: meet the threats without letting material gain distract from king safety. The game is a study in defence under sustained pressure, not a recommendation to memorize a long opening line.https://chessgames.info/games/lasker-bauer-1889/https://chessgames.info/games/lasker-bauer-1889/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTLasker’s game against Bauer at Amsterdam in 1889 is a classic illustration of two bishop sacrifices against a castled king. Study the queen and rook routes before looking at the captures. The bishops open lines, but the remaining pieces must be ready to use them.https://chessgames.info/games/morphy-opera-1858/https://chessgames.info/games/morphy-opera-1858/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTIn Paris in 1858, Paul Morphy played a consultation game against the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard. In just seventeen moves, an ordinary-looking opening became an unforgettable lesson in development. Follow how open lines and active pieces make material a secondary concern.https://chessgames.info/games/anderssen-evergreen-1852/https://chessgames.info/games/anderssen-evergreen-1852/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAnderssen’s Berlin game against Jean Dufresne is remembered as the Evergreen Game. The spectacular finish grows out of open lines and coordinated pieces, but Black has counterplay too. Study both kings rather than assuming that the side attacking first is automatically safe.https://chessgames.info/games/anderssen-immortal-1851/https://chessgames.info/games/anderssen-immortal-1851/Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMTAdolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky played this casual game in London in 1851. Later known as the Immortal Game, its lasting value lies in the contrast between material won and pieces able to defend. The score rewards calculation, while modern analysis also reminds us that beauty and objective accuracy are different questions.