The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played
Classic Commentary by Irving Chernev
Rooks1. Rook on the Seventh Rank
Capablanca – Tartakover, New York 1924 4. Aggressive Rook in the Ending Tarrasch – Thorold, Manchester 1890 10. Rook and Pawn Ending Smyslov – Reshevsky, Moscow 1948 Pawns5. The Passed Pawn
Rubinstein – Duras, Vienna 1908 8. Phalanx of Pawns Petrosian – Kozali, Montevideo 1954 9. Passed Pawns Expand Fischer – Berliner, New York 1960 10. Rook and Pawn Ending Smyslov – Reshevsky, Moscow 1948 March of the little Pawns Pillsbury vs Gunsberg, 1895 Irresistable Pawn-Roller Marshall vs Capablanca, 1909 |
BishopsThe Two Bishops
S Rosenthal vs Steinitz, 1873 Bishop and a Half Bondarevsky vs Smyslov, 1946 Bishop and Pawn Ending Deluxe Max Weiss vs Blackburne, 1889 QueensFilipina Aguilar vs Temahlubi Dlamini
Chess Olympiad, Tromso, Norway, 2014 Keres vs A Tarnowski, 1952 Helsinki, Finland, 1952. |
Knights3. Knight Outpost at d5
Boleslavsky – Lissitzin, Moscow 1956 6. Mighty, Mighty Knights Mattison – Nimzovich, Carlsbad 1929 Kings |
The Games in Order from Chernev's Collection
1. Rook on the Seventh Rank Capablanca – Tartakover, New York 1924 2. The King Is a Strong Piece Tal – Lissitzin, Leningrad 1956 3. Knight Outpost at d5 Boleslavsky – Lissitzin, Moscow 1956 4. Aggressive Rook in the Ending Tarrasch – Thorold, Manchester 1890 5. The Passed Pawn Rubinstein – Duras, Vienna 1908 6. Mighty, Mighty Knights Mattison – Nimzovich, Carlsbad 1929 7. Finesse in the Ending Domenech – Flohr, Rosas 1935 8. Phalanx of Pawns Petrosian – Kozali, Montevideo 1954 9. Passed Pawns Expand Fischer – Berliner, New York 1960 10. Rook and Pawn Ending Smyslov – Reshevsky, Moscow 1948 11. King in the Center Tartakover – Frentz, Paris 1933 12. The Shifting Attack Reshevsky – Najdorf, Dallas 1957 13. Every Move a Threat! Porges – Lasker, Nuremberg 1896 14. A Touch of Jujitsu Petrosian – Korchnoi, Leningrad 1946 15. The King-Side Attack Tarrasch – von Scheve, Leipzig 1894 16. Magnificent Outpost Smyslov – Rudakovsky, Moscow 1945 17. The Art of Exchanging Pieces Menchik – Capablanca, Hastings 1931 18. The Isolated Pawn Lasker – Tarrasch, St. Petersburg 1914 19. The See-Saw Check, Zugzwang, and Other Tactical Tricks Kupferstich – Andreassen, Denmark 1953 20. The Two Bishops Rosenthal – Steinitz, Vienna 1873 21. Variety of Themes Tartakover – Domenech, Sitges 1934 22. Systematic Strangulation Tarrasch – Showalter, Vienna 1898 23. Good Bishop and Bad Bishop Barden – Rossolimo, Hastings 1950 24. Coup de Grâce Alekhine – Yates, London 1922 25. The Powerful Passed Pawns Aganalian – Petrosian, Tiflis 1945 26. Bishop and a Half Bondarevsky – Smyslov, Moscow 1946 27. Prophetic Strategy Tarrasch, Schottlander, von Bardeleben, von Scheve – Mieses, Paulsen, Riemann, von Gottschall, Leipzig 1888 28. Problem-like Finale Foltys – Golombek, London 1947 29. A Pawn Is a Pawn Is a Pawn Kashdan – Steiner, Pasadena 1932 30. Board with Excitement Keres – Tarnowski, Helsinki 1952 31. Elegant Simplification Botvinnik – Boleslavsky, Moscow 1941 32. Four Endings in One Blackburne – Weiss, New York 1889 33. Bishop and Pawn Ending Deluxe Weiss – Blackburne, New York 1889 34. Brilliant Career of a Pawn Panov – Taimanov, Moscow 1952 35. Dispatching the King’s Musketeers Petrosian – Smyslov, Moscow 1961 36. The Sheltering Pawn Schlage – Réti, Berlin 1928 37. The Power of Position Play Capablanca – Germann, Miller, Skillicorn, London 1920 38. That Old Black Magic Bernstein – Mieses, Coburg 1904 39. The Singular Strategy of Steinitz Steinitz – Sellman, Baltimore 1885 40. The Odyssey of an Isolated Pawn Burn – Znosko-Borovsky, Ostend 1906 41. Zugzwang, the Invincible Weapon Marshall – Lasker, New York 1907 42. Symphony of Combinations Eliskases – Grunfeld, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1933 43. Escorting the Potential Queen Schlechter – Mason, Monte Carlo 1903 44. The Pillsbury Bind Chekhover – Rudakovsky, Moscow 1945 45. The Galloping Knight Tarrasch – Vogel, Nuremberg 1910 46. The Roving Rook Pillsbury – Showalter, Brooklyn 1897 47. Web of Black Squares Schlechter – John, Barmen 1905 48. Endgame Arithmetic Mieses – Reshevsky, Margate 1935 49. In the Grand Manner Janowsky – Capablanca, New York 1916 50. March of the Little Pawns Pillsbury – Gunsberg, Hastings 1895 51. Irresistible Pawn-Roller Marshall – Capablanca, New York 1909 52. Quiet, Like a Tiger Botvinnik – Kann, Moscow 1931 53. Cornucopia of Ideas Zagoryansky – Romanovsky, Moscow 1943 54. Endgame Duel – Knight against Rook Botvinnik – Vidmar, Groningen 1946 55. Perennial Favorite Bogolyubov – Réti, Mahrisch-Ostrau 1923 56. Command of the Board Rubinstein – Schlechter, San Sebastian 1912 57. The King Takes a Walk Botvinnik – Kann, Sverdlovsk 1943 58. Surprise! Surprise! Petrosian – Pachman, Bled 1961 59. Bolt from the Blue Andric – Daja, Belgrade 1949 60. Lured into Zugzwang Marshall – Capablanca, New York 1918 61. The Flash of a Mighty Surprise Olafsson – Fischer, Portoroz 1958 62. Symphony of Heavenly Length Evans – Opsahl, Dubrovnik 1950 |
Rook on the Seventh Rank Capablanca vs Tartakower, 1924 (A80) Dutch, 52 moves, 1-0 The King Is a Strong Piece Tal vs Lisitsin, 1956 (B71) Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation, 54 moves, 1-0 Knight Outpost at d5. Boleslavsky vs Lisitsin, 1956 (B76) Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 30 moves, 1-0 Aggresive Rook in the Ending Tarrasch vs E Thorold, 1890 (C07) French, Tarrasch, 56 moves, 1-0 The Passed Pawn Rubinstein vs Duras, 1908 (D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 39 moves, 1-0 Weak Pawns, Weak Squares and Mighty, Mighty Knights H K Mattison vs Nimzowitsch, 1929 (E21) Nimzo-Indian, Three Knights, 23 moves, 0-1 Finesse in the Ending R Domenech vs Flohr, 1935 (B40) Sicilian, 30 moves, 0-1 Phalanx of Pawns Petrosian vs H Corral, 1954 (D35) Queen's Gambit Declined, 29 moves, 1-0 Passed Pawn's Lust to Expand Fischer vs Berliner, 1960 (B03) Alekhine's Defense, 36 moves, 1-0 Rook and Pawn Ending Smyslov vs Reshevsky, 1948 (C75) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 52 moves, 1-0 King in the Center Tartakower vs R Frentz, 1933 (A18) English, Mikenas-Carls, 35 moves, 1-0 The Shifting Attack Reshevsky vs Najdorf, 1957 (E42) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 c5, 5.Ne2 (Rubinstein), 33 moves, 1-0 A Touch of Jujitsu Petrosian vs Korchnoi, 1946 (A90) Dutch, 23 moves, 1-0 The King-Side Attack Tarrasch vs Von Scheve, 1894 (D37) Queen's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0 Magnificent Outpost Smyslov vs I Rudakovsky, 1945 (B83) Sicilian, 29 moves, 1-0 The See-Saw Check, Zugzwang, and Other Tactical Tricks M Kupferstich vs H Andreasen, 1953 (C27) Vienna Game, 34 moves, 1-0 The Two Bishops S Rosenthal vs Steinitz, 1873 (C46) Three Knights, 38 moves, 0-1 Variety of Themes Tartakower vs R Domenech, 1934 (A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 37 moves, 1-0 Coup de Grace Alekhine vs Yates, 1922 (D64) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 38 moves, 1-0 The Powerful Passed Pawns Aganalian vs Petrosian, 1945 (A54) Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3, 34 moves, 0-1 Bishop and a Half Bondarevsky vs Smyslov, 1946 (C85) Ruy Lopez, Exchange Variation Doubly Deferred (DERLD), 42 moves, 0-1 Problem-like Finale Foltys vs Golombek, 1947 (B73) Sicilian, Dragon, Classical, 42 moves, 1-0 Board with Excitement Keres vs A Tarnowski, 1952 (C86) Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack, 40 moves, 1-0 Elegant Simplification Botvinnik vs Boleslavsky, 1941 (C07) French, Tarrasch, 65 moves, 1-0 Four Endings in One Blackburne vs Max Weiss, 1889 (C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 70 moves, 0-1 Bishop and Pawn Ending Deluxe Max Weiss vs Blackburne, 1889 (B01) Scandinavian, 57 moves, 0-1 Dispatching the King's Musketeers Petrosian vs Smyslov, 1961 (E12) Queen's Indian, 32 moves, 1-0 Odyssey of an Isolated Pawn Burn vs Znosko-Borovsky, 1906 (D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 39 moves, 0-1 Zugzwang, the Invincible Weapon Marshall vs Lasker, 1907 (C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 50 moves, 0-1 Symphony of Combinations E Eliskases vs Gruenfeld, 1933 (C53) Giuoco Piano, 53 moves, 1-0 Escorting the Potential Queen Schlechter vs J Mason, 1903 (C41) Philidor Defense, 47 moves, 1-0 Web of Black Squares Schlechter vs W John, 1905 (D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 50 moves, 1-0 Endgame Arithmetic J Mieses vs Reshevsky, 1935 (B15) Caro-Kann, 40 moves, 0-1 In the Grand Manner Janowski vs Capablanca, 1916 (D15) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 46 moves, 0-1 March of the little Pawns Pillsbury vs Gunsberg, 1895 (D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 40 moves, 1-0 Irresistable Pawn-Roller Marshall vs Capablanca, 1909 (D33) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 49 moves, 0-1 Quiet, Like a Tiger Botvinnik vs Kan, 1931 (A96) Dutch, Classical Variation, 38 moves, 1-0 Endgame Duel- Knight against Rook Botvinnik vs Vidmar, 1946 (D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 60 moves, 1-0 Perennial Favorite Bogoljubov vs Reti, 1923 (C11) French, 42 moves, 0-1 Command of the Board Rubinstein vs Schlechter, 1912 (D41) Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 39 moves, 1-0 Surprise! Surprise Petrosian vs Pachman, 1961 (A04) Reti Opening, 21 moves, 1-0 Lured into Zugzwang Marshall vs Capablanca, 1918 (D64) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 39 moves, 0-1 The Flash of a Mighty Surprise F Olafsson vs Fischer, 1958 (D38) Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Variation, 44 moves, 1-0 Symphony of Heavenly Length Larry Evans vs H Opsahl, 1950 (D51) Queen's Gambit Declined, 81 moves, 1-0 |