Famous Chess Games
Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky, London 1851
The bold sacrifices made by Anderssen to secure victory have made this one of the most famous chess games of all time.
Adolf Anderssen vs. Jean Dufresne, Berlin 1852.
At the time, there was no formal title of "World Champion", but the German mathematics professor Adolf Anderssen was widely considered to be the best player in the world!
Karpov vs. Kasparov, World Championship 1985, game 16.
In one of the critical games in this world championship match, Kasparov repeats a daring gambit, knowing that Karpov's team has had over a week to prepare for it. The risk pays off, and his "octopus" knight on d3 prevents Karpov's pieces from getting into play. The result is a total bind, which Kasparov finishes off the masterpieces with a burst of tactics.
Byrne vs. Fischer, New York 1956.
The Game of the Century is a famous chess game that was won by the 13-year-old future world champion Bobby Fischer against Donald Byrne in the Rosenwald Memorial Tournament at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City on October 17, 1956.
In Chess Review, Hans Kmoch dubbed it "The Game of the Century" and wrote: "The following game, a stunning masterpiece of combination play performed by a boy of 13 against a formidable opponent, matches the finest on record in the history of chess prodigies."
Ivanchuk vs. Yusupov, Brussels 1991.
Yusupov sacrifices the house in his quest for the attack and breaks through Ivanchuk's defenses. In 1996, a jury of grandmasters and readers, voting in the Chess Informant, chose this game as the best game played in the years 1966–96.
Short vs. Timman, Tilburg 1991.
Short's famous king march is equally dazzling in its beauty and simplicity. Indeed, the monarch's outwardly audacious journey to h6 was actually quite uneventful, since all of Black's pieces were literally pinned to their spots.
Kasparov vs. Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999.
In a moment of inspiration, an amazing idea pops into Kasparov’s mind, and he embarks upon a sacrificial sequence.
Morphy vs. Allies, Paris Opera 1858.
Paul Morphy "The Pride and Sorrow of Chess," was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was also one of the first chess prodigies in the modern rules of chess era.
The "Opera game" - a casual game against unexperienced opponents, but at the same time one of the clearest and most beautiful attacking games ever. Often used by chess teachers to demonstrate how to use time, develop pieces and generate threats.
Aronian vs. Anand, Wijk aan Zee 2013.
Anand’s win over Levon Aronian in Tata Steel was universally deemed an instant classic, and many consider it his best game
Influential Series
Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov was a pair of six-game chess matches between world chess champion Garry Kasparov and an IBM supercomputer called Deep Blue.
The first match was played in Philadelphia in 1996 and won by Kasparov.
The second was played in New York City in 1997 and won by Deep Blue.
The 1997 match was the first defeat of a reigning world chess champion by a computer under tournament conditions.