chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing
 
Esoterica
Compiled by sevenseaman
--*--

Includes games, not widely known but with stuff not so easy to understand.

Adventure is fine but keep the structure!
Fine vs W Winter, 1936  
(D12) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 32 moves, 1-0

Creeping all over like worms
M Monticelli vs Fine, 1934 
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 23 moves, 0-1

Analyst's nightmare
Pillsbury vs Tarrasch, 1895 
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 52 moves, 1-0

Never a hint of impending disaster
Pillsbury vs Maroczy, 1900 
(C05) French, Tarrasch, 46 moves, 1-0

Ne fumez pas
Marshall vs Burn, 1900  
(D55) Queen's Gambit Declined, 18 moves, 1-0

Its good to ask 'why not 20. Qb4+'
Fischer vs Geller, 1961 
(C72) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 5.O-O, 22 moves, 1-0

Frustration in love leads to a tired defense
Fischer vs Benko, 1963 
(B09) Pirc, Austrian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0

Aiming at two ranks
Staunton vs Horwitz, 1851  
(A13) English, 46 moves, 1-0

What a hero! Go sleep in your bedroom.
Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849 
(000) Chess variants, 13 moves, 1-0

Reversal of role
Falkbeer vs Anderssen, 1851 
(C27) Vienna Game, 30 moves, 1-0

In the jaws of a giant stone-crusher.
Tarrasch vs K Eckart, 1889 
(C05) French, Tarrasch, 17 moves, 1-0

Exquisite R sac expedient to pull the K into the trap.
Fischer vs W Hook, 1970 
(C18) French, Winawer, 28 moves, 1-0

Only material is not material
J Schulten vs Horwitz, 1846 
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 17 moves, 0-1

An open lock-up!
Tarrasch vs Romberg, 1893 
(000) Chess variants, 21 moves, 1-0

The ants I release will eat you to the bare bone.
Gufeld vs Kavalek, 1962 
(C64) Ruy Lopez, Classical, 32 moves, 0-1

A massive attack comes to nothing
Beliavsky vs Kasparov, 1988 
(D97) Grunfeld, Russian, 29 moves, 0-1

Whirlwind gives you little leeway
J A Leonard vs T Loyd, 1861 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 31 moves, 1-0

An epaulette mate.
Morphy vs Worrall, 1857 
(000) Chess variants, 22 moves, 1-0

No point in waiting
Blackburne vs Anderssen, 1862  
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 24 moves, 1-0

Whitehot! Black is hotter still.
K Thompson vs F Rhine, 1992 
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 28 moves, 0-1

Walking wounded but full of beans
Van Wely vs J Torres, 1993 
(D17) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 35 moves, 1-0

Decipher at leisure
P Kranzl vs Blatny, 1991 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 33 moves, 0-1

Alive or dead, a thinking man's Q is a threat
G Janny vs L Steiner, 1922 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 15 moves, 1-0

Mate is many moves away from resignation.
Le Quang Liem vs Dominguez Perez, 2011 
(D16) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 29 moves, 1-0

I like to mind my own business.
Schlechter vs J Perlis, 1911 
(D12) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 10 moves, 1-0

Lasker's lesson in ornithology!
Bird vs Lasker, 1892 
(C21) Center Game, 12 moves, 1-0

In a hailstorm
B Molinari vs L Roux Cabral, 1943 
(D48) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran, 33 moves, 0-1

A tantalising dilemma at the end!
I Balanel vs A Pytlakowski, 1951 
(E32) Nimzo-Indian, Classical, 24 moves, 0-1

Clean and sedate. Friendly?
Marshall vs Schlechter, 1907 
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 29 moves, 1-0

Some mate in the air
Kasparov vs Lautier, 1994 
(B33) Sicilian, 28 moves, 1-0

Discover or uncover
H Hecht vs Keene, 1966 
(B17) Caro-Kann, Steinitz Variation, 30 moves, 1-0

40. Re7+ Kf5 41. Qg5#, but Larry chose to tarry.
L Christiansen vs Seirawan, 1978 
(B08) Pirc, Classical, 42 moves, 1-0

Herding the K to the abattoir.
Bird vs C Sfander, 1881 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 15 moves, 1-0

A midboard Night tango!
Kotov vs Bondarevsky, 1936 
(A90) Dutch, 27 moves, 0-1

Discovered checks are destructive
Ilyin-Zhenevsky vs F Bohatirchuk, 1924 
(C62) Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense, 52 moves, 0-1

Here comes le cousin
V Rauzer vs F Bohatirchuk, 1934 
(C75) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 55 moves, 0-1

The irrefutable Greek gift
Krasenkow vs Sveshnikov, 1992 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 23 moves, 1-0

That N toss looked direly speculative
Kaidanov vs Wojtkiewicz, 1994 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 26 moves, 1-0

There are ways to turn it in your favor
M Czerniak vs U Rueetschi, 1981 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 33 moves, 1-0

Keres played pure chess.
Keres vs Szabo, 1955 
(B64) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 23 moves, 1-0

A sculptured beauty.
Pillsbury vs Chigorin, 1896 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 38 moves, 0-1

Intrigue, drama and suspense
N Tegelman (Johansson) vs R Rey Ardid, 1933 
(C98) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 47 moves, 1-0

Legs of concrete!
Bird vs K Pitschel, 1878 
(A02) Bird's Opening, 36 moves, 1-0

Anderssen's battering ram
Anderssen vs B Suhle, 1860 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 23 moves, 1-0

Please get off my back
Ivanchuk vs Jobava, 2010 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 34 moves, 1-0

Teimur's comeuppance
Leko vs Radjabov, 2006 
(B33) Sicilian, 45 moves, 1-0

Look, no hands!
Alekhine vs A Cruz, 1941 
(C43) Petrov, Modern Attack, 20 moves, 1-0

An attack to produce utter desolation
Najdorf vs Glucksberg, 1929 
(C10) French, 21 moves, 1-0

Those who seek shall find
Hromadka vs K Treybal, 1912 
(C29) Vienna Gambit, 35 moves, 1-0

Sometimes you hit a jackpot of a move and you feel like a milli
A Haik vs S Skembris, 1981 
(E24) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch, 21 moves, 1-0

You wont know till you unravel the complexity
C Bielicki vs Smyslov, 1964 
(A28) English, 30 moves, 0-1

'Find the last move' is no ordinary dare.
Ivanchuk vs Morozevich, 1996 
(C11) French, 34 moves, 1-0

Sometimes we allow big names to become bigger!
L Rellstab vs Najdorf, 1950 
(E94) King's Indian, Orthodox, 25 moves, 0-1

Wise investments fetch big dividends
Botvinnik vs Euwe, 1948 
(D46) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 32 moves, 1-0

Clear headedness, that is what Fischer gave to chess.
Fischer vs J Rubinetti, 1970 
(B87) Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin with ...a6 and ...b5, 24 moves, 1-0

Force used as needed.
Anderssen vs Zukertort, 1869 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 29 moves, 1-0

To make a long story short.
Ivanchuk vs Anand, 1988 
(C42) Petrov Defense, 18 moves, 0-1

It took a bulldozer to put that pawn where it sits!
Bird vs Pinkerley, 1850 
(000) Chess variants, 24 moves, 1-0

It wasn't imperative for the N to leave E2
Ivanchuk vs Kamsky, 1994 
(B78) Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 10.castle long, 30 moves, 0-1

Walk into my parlor
Reti vs Capablanca, 1928 
(C74) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 18 moves, 0-1

Destination is known, the route will manifest itself.
Alekhine vs Lasker, 1934 
(D67) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line, 26 moves, 1-0

Caught by the 'trailing leg'!
J Reinisch vs Traxler, 1890  
(C57) Two Knights, 17 moves, 0-1

You gotta let Dadi have his way
Prince Dadian vs Boulitchoff, 1882 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 19 moves, 1-0

To Moro's brilliancy!
Morozevich vs Bologan, 2004 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

One thing about Adams. he could be mighty adamant
Adams vs Topalov, 2006 
(B84) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 42 moves, 1-0

Tartakower Cast away
V Castaldi vs Tartakower, 1937 
(C41) Philidor Defense, 16 moves, 1-0

Who ever wanted to go to g7?
E Karstens vs Friesicke, 1937 
(B32) Sicilian, 18 moves, 1-0

The birds know it first!
G Kieninger vs P Mross, 1941 
(B91) Sicilian, Najdorf, Zagreb (Fianchetto) Variation, 14 moves, 1-0

You're in the way R, go play with the Q says the B
S Kuemin vs R Staechelin, 2005 
(D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 20 moves, 1-0

Out-of -the-box thinking, well almost.
M Yeo vs A T Erdal-Smith, 1979 
(B06) Robatsch, 20 moves, 1-0

Getting impediments out of the way.
C Hartlaub vs Fleischer, 1913 
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 19 moves, 1-0

More to chess than just getting big guns.
T Helin vs J Kiltti, 1996 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 15 moves, 0-1

Try a pawnbroker!
F J Lee vs H W Shoosmith, 1904 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 61 moves, 0-1

I got a similar pair at home as well!
J Thompson vs Mackenzie, 1864 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 14 moves, 0-1

Mark it out for tent-pegging
K Georgiev vs Miles, 1992 
(B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 38 moves, 1-0

Intricate piece collaboration!
Wojtaszek vs E Sharapov, 2001 
(A57) Benko Gambit, 28 moves, 1-0

Claustrophobic compulsions
A Dusek vs Nepustil, 1915 
(C48) Four Knights, 14 moves, 0-1

The K may not step out of quarantine!
C Schultz vs C Carls, 1900 
(C45) Scotch Game, 28 moves, 0-1

More than 3 moves ahead is wizardry.
I Nataf vs Y Wang, 2004 
(B33) Sicilian, 41 moves, 1-0

Stuck in the gullet Nowotony!
Eliskases vs Hoelzl, 1929 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 43 moves, 1-0

This Stein too an Ein?
Stein vs V Lepeshkin, 1965 
(A29) English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto, 27 moves, 1-0

Tarrasch trashes all defense.
Tarrasch vs K Satzinger, 1914 
(A02) Bird's Opening, 24 moves, 1-0

Abracadabra; Black has only losing alternatives.
Santasiere vs R Draxl, 1960 
(A04) Reti Opening, 22 moves, 1-0

With Shirov, predictions take a tumble.
Shirov vs A Hauchard, 1990 
(A57) Benko Gambit, 32 moves, 1-0

'Out of the box' thinking for an 'in the box'.mate!
E Chukaev vs Tal, 1956 
(E75) King's Indian, Averbakh, Main line, 27 moves, 0-1

Naive Nei, hoist by his own petard!
Tal vs I Nei, 1958 
(C02) French, Advance, 21 moves, 1-0

What use is a column, if the head cannot move.
Kasparov vs F A Cuijpers, 1980 
(A67) Benoni, Taimanov Variation, 28 moves, 1-0

Polgar is a no nonsense girl.
J Costa vs Polgar, 1987 
(A31) English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation, 22 moves, 0-1

Decoding the end game is quite a job!
Topalov vs Anand, 2010 
(D86) Grunfeld, Exchange, 30 moves, 1-0

There's a kinda muscularity about Capa's games!
Capablanca vs L Molina Carranza, 1911 
(D51) Queen's Gambit Declined, 28 moves, 1-0

Lagrave's chess is without any fear.
Robson vs Vachier-Lagrave, 2009 
(B96) Sicilian, Najdorf, 33 moves, 0-1

A nobody doing it to Marshall is good enough!
Marshall vs Duras, 1908 
(D00) Queen's Pawn Game, 35 moves, 0-1

Some people know what they want.
Marshall vs Schlechter, 1907 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 30 moves, 1-0

Chuck Lafuente.
Ivanchuk vs P Lafuente, 2011 
(D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 36 moves, 1-0

A paralysis in the defense!
J Klein vs B Marcussi, 1963 
(B94) Sicilian, Najdorf, 26 moves, 1-0

A scintilla!
I Cheparinov vs I Salgado Lopez, 2011 
(E10) Queen's Pawn Game, 27 moves, 1-0

A pernicious pin!
Topalov vs Kamsky, 2011 
(D85) Grunfeld, 31 moves, 0-1

compelling
E Steflitsch vs H Penz, 2001 
(C43) Petrov, Modern Attack, 51 moves, 1-0

A weird move
Giri vs Aronian, 2012 
(D37) Queen's Gambit Declined, 43 moves, 0-1

Easy or hard?
G Mahia vs Quinteros, 1980 
(B97) Sicilian, Najdorf, 28 moves, 1-0

Out of thin air
Savon vs H Ree, 1965 
(E69) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Classical Main line, 21 moves, 1-0

101 games

 » View all game collections by sevenseaman PGN Download
 » Search entire game collection library
 » Clone this game collection (copy it to your account)
 » FAQ: Help with Game Collections
Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2023, Chessgames Services LLC