In the beginning...
Ruy Lopez vs G da Cutri, 1560  (C30) King's Gambit Declined, 12 moves, 1-0
The first theory appeared...
Greco vs NN, 1623  (B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 8 moves, 1-0
A great proved to be a giant.
McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834  (B32) Sicilian, 37 moves, 0-1
The only threat.
La Bourdonnais vs McDonnell, 1834  (C23) Bishop's Opening, 39 moves, 0-1
The best of his time...
Saint-Amant vs Staunton, 1843  (D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 34 moves, 1-0
The pawns are the soul of chess.
Philidor vs NN, 1790  (C32) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 23 moves, 1-0
The romantic world champion.
J Schulten vs Kieseritzky, 1850  (C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 18 moves, 0-1
Natural talent for chess.
Paulsen vs Owen, 1862  (A07) King's Indian Attack, 24 moves, 1-0
The father of our theory.
Steinitz vs Rock, 1863  (000) Chess variants, 18 moves, 1-0
Always and everywhere: Attack!
Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849  (000) Chess variants, 13 moves, 1-0
What's a "linkmiechel"?
NN vs Blackburne, 1871  (C50) Giuoco Piano, 21 moves, 0-1
Anderssen's best pupil.
Zukertort vs Blackburne, 1883  (A13) English, 33 moves, 1-0
Nearly a world champion.
Chigorin vs Znosko-Borovsky, 1903  (C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 31 moves, 1-0
Blackburne's graetest rival.
Blackburne vs Gunsberg, 1895  (C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 32 moves, 0-1
He loved the beauty of chess.
Nimzowitsch vs Tarrasch, 1914  (D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 32 moves, 0-1
Specialized in brilliancy prizes.
J Mieses vs J W Ohquist, 1895  (B01) Scandinavian, 11 moves, 1-0
As long as there are pieces, there are chances.
Janowski vs J N Berger, 1907  (D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 33 moves, 1-0
The lord of the kings.
Lasker vs J Bauer, 1889  (A03) Bird's Opening, 38 moves, 1-0
Too lazy to become worldchampion...
Teichmann vs Allies, 1905  (C56) Two Knights, 35 moves, 1-0
Master of defences.
Maroczy vs Marshall, 1907  (C48) Four Knights, 60 moves, 1-0
Master of the breakthrough
Pillsbury vs Gunsberg, 1895  (D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 40 moves, 1-0
Too brief carreer
Charousek vs J Wollner, 1893  (C21) Center Game, 19 moves, 1-0
Too kind to become worldchampion.
Schlechter vs Meitner, 1899  (C54) Giuoco Piano, 34 moves, 1-0
Attack!
Marshall vs Stodie, 1920  (B20) Sicilian, 13 moves, 1-0
Position & combination
Rubinstein vs Salwe, 1908  (D33) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 38 moves, 1-0
"A good chessplayer has to be a good person."
Duras vs Spielmann, 1907  (B01) Scandinavian, 26 moves, 1-0
Vitality and love for the game.
O Bernstein vs Najdorf, 1954  (A55) Old Indian, Main line, 37 moves, 1-0
The last romantic player...
Spielmann vs R L'hermet, 1927  (C10) French, 24 moves, 1-0
The Rosenthal game.
Nimzowitsch vs Vidmar, 1927  (A00) Uncommon Opening, 35 moves, 0-1
Always searching complications...
Maroczy vs Tartakower, 1922  (A84) Dutch, 35 moves, 0-1
Always 1.c4.
C Carls vs Spielmann, 1912  (A25) English, 27 moves, 1-0
Block it!
P Johner vs Nimzowitsch, 1926  (E47) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Bd3, 40 moves, 0-1
Chess machine.
Capablanca vs K Treybal, 1929  (D11) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 58 moves, 1-0
1.Nf3: The opening of the future.
Reti vs Capablanca, 1924  (A15) English, 31 moves, 1-0
Optimistic until he died.
Bogoljubov vs Spielmann, 1919  (C13) French, 27 moves, 1-0
Mastering the pawns.
Bogoljubov vs Yates, 1925  (E91) King's Indian, 55 moves, 0-1
A high beauty - concentration.
Bogoljubov vs Alekhine, 1922  (A90) Dutch, 53 moves, 0-1
Flexibility.
Tartakower vs Euwe, 1948  (C53) Giuoco Piano, 42 moves, 0-1
Trainer & teacher.
Flohr vs V Mikenas, 1938 (D18) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Dutch, 31 moves, 1-0
The Flamish lion keeps clawing.
Colle vs Euwe, 1924  (D12) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 25 moves, 1-0
The best in the west?
Najdorf vs NN, 1942  (C26) Vienna, 20 moves, 1-0
Talent from Russia.
Botvinnik vs Keres, 1966  (A29) English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto, 27 moves, 1-0
First "wonder-kid" ever.
Reshevsky vs A Vasconcellos, 1944  (C02) French, Advance, 26 moves, 1-0
Basic chess endings...
Fine vs R Levenstein, 1932  (A53) Old Indian, 63 moves, 1-0
Never worldchampion, but one of the best.
A Karu vs Keres, 1931  (D08) Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit, 27 moves, 0-1
The sharpest player ever?
Smyslov vs Szabo, 1949  (A07) King's Indian Attack, 34 moves, 0-1
A practical theorist.
Boleslavsky vs Dzindzichashvili, 1967  (D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 25 moves, 1-0
Opening prophet.
O'Kelly vs Denker, 1948  (C63) Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense, 20 moves, 1-0
Mastering the endgame.
Eliskases vs Gruenfeld, 1933  (C53) Giuoco Piano, 53 moves, 1-0
Attacking pacifist.
Pachman vs Kholmov, 1947  (D50) Queen's Gambit Declined, 31 moves, 1-0
Botvinnik beated.
Smyslov vs I Rudakovsky, 1945  (B83) Sicilian, 29 moves, 1-0
"A future worldchampion" - Alekhine.
Alekhine vs K Junge, 1942  (D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 69 moves, 0-1
Funny man, funny games.
A Medina Garcia vs Gligoric, 1968  (C93) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Smyslov Defense, 29 moves, 0-1
Nearly worldchampion (no inspiration).
Bronstein vs M20, 1963  (C34) King's Gambit Accepted, 23 moves, 1-0
'Draufgänger' in action.
Geller vs Polugaevsky, 1961  (B92) Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation, 31 moves, 1-0
Attacking position player.
Petrosian vs Pachman, 1961  (A07) King's Indian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0
The man of 1955.
Ivkov vs Portisch, 1961  (C18) French, Winawer, 31 moves, 1-0
The lonely Danish topplayer.
Larsen vs Petrosian, 1966  (B39) Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto, Breyer Variation, 30 moves, 1-0
Wonderboy who stopped.
Panno vs Spassky, 1955  (A04) Reti Opening, 33 moves, 1-0
Solid drawingmaster.
Unzicker vs Filip, 1955  (B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 19 moves, 0-1
Humour in chess.
Szabo vs J H Donner, 1968  (A69) Benoni, Four Pawns Attack, Main line, 24 moves, 0-1
A gentle boy with a demonical playstyle.
O Rodriguez Vargas vs F Olafsson, 1978  (E59) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line, 26 moves, 0-1
Put your pieces in the centre and sacrifiece them.
Tal vs Larsen, 1965  (B82) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 37 moves, 1-0
Tal II.
Larsen vs Spassky, 1970  (A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 17 moves, 0-1
Crazy genuine.
Fischer vs Benko, 1963  (B09) Pirc, Austrian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0
Hungarian giant.
Portisch vs Petrosian, 1967  (D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 24 moves, 1-0
Great old Viktor.
Averbakh vs Korchnoi, 1965  (A49) King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4, 39 moves, 0-1
Best Swedish player ever
Andersson vs Karpov, 1995  (D28) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 18 moves, 1-0
Can't pass that Dutch.
E Torre vs Timman, 1982  (D17) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 28 moves, 0-1
One of the K's.
Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1974  (B77) Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 27 moves, 1-0
Strategy on a high level.
Keene vs Miles, 1976  (D42) Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 7.Bd3, 26 moves, 1-0
Always fighting.
Minic vs A Planinc, 1975  (C78) Ruy Lopez, 30 moves, 0-1
Polu = Great sicilian line.
Polugaevsky vs Tal, 1969  (D41) Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 37 moves, 1-0
More than Kasparov's second.
Beliavsky vs Larsen, 1981  (B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 23 moves, 1-0
Never even candidate, but...
Ljubojevic vs J Durao, 1974  (C64) Ruy Lopez, Classical, 25 moves, 1-0
Asia's first grandmaster.
E Torre vs Gheorghiu, 1972  (B31) Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation, 36 moves, 1-0
Fond of the "uncommon opening".
Karpov vs Miles, 1980  (B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 46 moves, 0-1
Dynamic dynamite.
Speelman vs Short, 1988  (D37) Queen's Gambit Declined, 27 moves, 1-0
Gazza the great.
Kasparov vs Csom, 1980  (E42) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 c5, 5.Ne2 (Rubinstein), 29 moves, 1-0
Inventive attacking player.
Short vs Timman, 1991  (B04) Alekhine's Defense, Modern, 34 moves, 1-0
Worldchampion chess books writing?
Seirawan vs Spassky, 1990  (B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 23 moves, 1-0
Another great Englishman.
Adams vs Bareev, 2004  (C07) French, Tarrasch, 25 moves, 1-0
He knew what he was worth.
Korchnoi vs Salov, 1991  (B10) Caro-Kann, 21 moves, 0-1
Agressive drawmaster.
Gelfand vs Anand, 1993  (D47) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 29 moves, 1-0
Idem dito.
Topalov vs Bareev, 1994  (C11) French, 23 moves, 0-1
Fire on the board!
Shirov vs T Thorhallsson, 1992  (D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 38 moves, 1-0
Speedy Vishy.
Anand vs I Sokolov, 1992  (B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 26 moves, 1-0
Dreaming killer.
Ivanchuk vs Kasparov, 1991  (B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 38 moves, 1-0
FIDE worldchampion: A worthless title?
Ponomariov vs Kramnik, 2003  (E46) Nimzo-Indian, 38 moves, 1-0
Best woman ever.
Polgar vs Karpov, 2003  (C42) Petrov Defense, 26 moves, 1-0
Another K
Leko vs Kramnik, 2004  (B33) Sicilian, 36 moves, 0-1
The courage to PLAY.
Topalov vs Bareev, 1997  (C02) French, Advance, 37 moves, 1-0
Varied openings.
Svidler vs Bareev, 2004  (C10) French, 17 moves, 1-0
Fire on the board.
Morozevich vs E Alekseev, 2004  (B56) Sicilian, 32 moves, 1-0
Winning equalizer.
Leko vs Radjabov, 2003  (C12) French, McCutcheon, 32 moves, 1-0
Promising future.
Anand vs Radjabov, 2003  (B32) Sicilian, 39 moves, 0-1
Another wonderchild.
Karjakin vs Malinin, 2002  (C45) Scotch Game, 20 moves, 1-0
The hope of the future.
Carlsen vs S Ernst, 2004  (B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 29 moves, 1-0
He made the best problems ever.
C Golmayo vs Loyd, 1867  (C45) Scotch Game, 36 moves, 0-1
Everybody is a grandmaster in his best moments.
NN vs E Fossan, 1991  (C42) Petrov Defense, 5 moves, 1-0
100 games |