Black's pawns leave a strong impression in the final position McDonnell vs La Bourdonnais, 1834  (B32) Sicilian, 37 moves, 0-1 Very famous classic game with a great mating finish Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858   (C41) Philidor Defense, 17 moves, 1-0 The first known game with Bxh7+ and Bxg7 Lasker vs J Bauer, 1889  (A03) Bird's Opening, 38 moves, 1-0 d5 is a great pawn sacrifice, and the stairway checks are showy Steinitz vs Von Bardeleben, 1895  (C54) Giuoco Piano, 25 moves, 1-0 Strong and direct attacking play by Schlechter Schlechter vs Gunsberg, 1901  (D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 44 moves, 1-0 Strong pawn chain play by Maroczy. Maroczy vs H Suechting, 1905   (D61) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 48 moves, 1-0 Schlechter dominates the weak dark squares in Black's position Schlechter vs W John, 1905  (D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 50 moves, 1-0 White plays the sliding move Rd6! to get a passed pawn. Janowski vs Alapin, 1905  (D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 47 moves, 1-0 Alekhine sacrifices with power. Alekhine vs Breyer, 1914  (C50) Giuoco Piano, 53 moves, 1-0 Impressive outplay by Capablanca Capablanca vs Kostic, 1919  (C42) Petrov Defense, 86 moves, 1-0 Euwe's attack is very powerful, showing White French play Euwe vs Maroczy, 1921  (C12) French, McCutcheon, 28 moves, 1-0 Powerful attack by Euwe in the MacCutcheon Euwe vs Bogoljubov, 1921  (C12) French, McCutcheon, 36 moves, 1-0 White walks the king up with his knight dominating the bishop Alekhine vs Yates, 1922   (D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 38 moves, 1-0 Great technique by Capablanca. H E Atkins vs Capablanca, 1922   (B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 67 moves, 0-1 The first known execution of Reti's main plan with Qa1 Reti vs F Fischer, 1923  (A13) English, 39 moves, 1-0 White took a piece, but could barely move after that Saemisch vs Nimzowitsch, 1923   (E18) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 7.Nc3, 25 moves, 0-1 The plan of d5, Nd4 and Nc6 is worth studying closely Reti vs Rubinstein, 1923  (A06) Reti Opening, 50 moves, 1-0 Alekhine advances the IQP and presses against a backward pawn Tarrasch vs Alekhine, 1923  (C60) Ruy Lopez, 54 moves, 0-1 White's endgame play is famous Capablanca vs Tartakower, 1924   (A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 52 moves, 1-0 Alekhine's kingside majority advances through Marshall. Alekhine vs Marshall, 1925  (D06) Queen's Gambit Declined, 30 moves, 1-0 The 33. Ng6+ knight sacrifice is surprisingly strong. Nimzowitsch vs Alekhine, 1926  (B02) Alekhine's Defense, 46 moves, 1-0 Capablanca slowly builds up and wins, preventing counterplay. Capablanca vs K Treybal, 1929  (D11) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 58 moves, 1-0 20. Qe3 is a studylike move, even though 20. Rd6 is stronger Botvinnik vs N Sorokin, 1931  (D60) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 55 moves, 1-0 This game is a positional masterpiece. Bc5 is a great move Alekhine vs Flohr, 1931  (D26) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0 Euwe sacrifices a pawn and breaks down the QGA Euwe vs Flohr, 1932  (D26) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 28 moves, 1-0 This is a classic queen sacrifice, attacking the exposed king Lilienthal vs Capablanca, 1935  (E24) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch, 26 moves, 1-0 Alekhine dominates with the bishop pair and e6 square Alekhine vs C H Alexander, 1936   (E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 27 moves, 1-0 Capablanca executed Reti's Qa1 plan and played calmly to win Capablanca vs Lilienthal, 1936  (A12) English with b3, 54 moves, 1-0 Botvinnik defeats Black's hanging pawns. Botvinnik vs Levenfish, 1937  (D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 68 moves, 1-0 Alekhine's c2 knight is dominated by Euwe's c3 bishop pre-match Euwe vs Alekhine, 1937  (D29) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 37 moves, 1-0 Botvinnik overpowers Reshevsky with his two bishops. Botvinnik vs Reshevsky, 1938  (A25) English, 37 moves, 1-0 Classic Alekhine aggressive positional play. Alekhine vs E E Book, 1938  (D26) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 25 moves, 1-0 Botvinnik gives up the exchange in a Winawer and wins. I Rabinovich vs Botvinnik, 1939  (C19) French, Winawer, Advance, 67 moves, 0-1 Lilienthal uses far advanced pawns to outpost over Botvinnik Lilienthal vs Botvinnik, 1940  (E19) Queen's Indian, Old Main line, 9.Qxc3, 43 moves, 1-0 Botvinnik blockades, sacrifices the exchange and wins. Botvinnik vs Boleslavsky, 1940  (E67) King's Indian, Fianchetto, 49 moves, 1-0 This is a classic good knight versus bad bishop game. Smyslov vs I Rudakovsky, 1945  (B83) Sicilian, 29 moves, 1-0 Probably the deepest queen sacrifice ever played Y Gusev vs E Auerbach, 1946  (B72) Sicilian, Dragon, 37 moves, 1-0 Black's sacrifice on a1 and dark square play is studylike F Zita vs Bronstein, 1946  (E64) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Yugoslav System, 30 moves, 0-1 Petrosian breaks down the Stonewall and maneuvers well. Petrosian vs Korchnoi, 1946  (A94) Dutch, Stonewall with Ba3, 23 moves, 1-0 17. Ne5 sacrifices a pawn to open up the bishop pair with power Botvinnik vs Euwe, 1948  (D46) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 32 moves, 1-0 Dutch breakdown, strong outposts, and a queen sacrifice. Taimanov vs Lisitsin, 1949  (D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 38 moves, 1-0 Spassky wins beautifully with the IQP pawn sacrifice. Spassky vs S Avtonomov, 1949  (D28) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 21 moves, 1-0 14. Be3 damages the structure, but wins the d6 square Boleslavsky vs Smyslov, 1950  (D16) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 22 moves, 1-0 Smyslov temporarily sacrifices his queen Smyslov vs Tolush, 1951  (A62) Benoni, Fianchetto Variation, 40 moves, 1-0 This is a great example of running away to safety Geller vs Euwe, 1953  (E26) Nimzo-Indian, Samisch, 26 moves, 0-1 16. Na2, the knight tour, and the sacrifices after are classic Petrosian vs C Guimard, 1955  (D37) Queen's Gambit Declined, 62 moves, 1-0 This is regarded as the "Game of the Century" D Byrne vs Fischer, 1956   (D92) Grunfeld, 5.Bf4, 41 moves, 0-1 Petrosian sacrifices the exchange and gets it back later. Polugaevsky vs Petrosian, 1956  (E63) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation, 35 moves, 0-1 This is a backward pawn masterpiece. Petrosian vs Geller, 1956  (D34) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 73 moves, 1-0 A nice queen sacrifice by Larsen wins the game. Larsen vs B Soderborg, 1957 (D86) Grunfeld, Exchange, 40 moves, 1-0 Rxf4!! was a great queen sacrifice Polugaevsky vs R Nezhmetdinov, 1958  (A54) Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3, 33 moves, 0-1 Petrosian's pieces dominate Pachman's queen. Pachman vs Petrosian, 1958  (A54) Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3, 36 moves, 0-1 Fischer toughs out a Ruy Lopez grind. Fischer vs Unzicker, 1959  (C97) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 65 moves, 1-0 Enticing king walk and breakthrough by Petrosian. Petrosian vs Unzicker, 1960  (D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 55 moves, 1-0 Same-colored bishop clear win at the end. Averbakh vs A Matanovic, 1961  (A17) English, 42 moves, 1-0 Korchnoi creates two isolated pawns with c4! and wins. Korchnoi vs Petrosian, 1961  (C11) French, 68 moves, 1-0 Backward pawn exploitation masterpiece by Fischer Fischer vs Reshevsky, 1962  (B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 54 moves, 1-0 This is one of Fischer's nicest wins. R Byrne vs Fischer, 1963   (E60) King's Indian Defense, 21 moves, 0-1 Rf6!! is a great blocking sacrifice. Fischer vs Benko, 1963  (B09) Pirc, Austrian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0 Thematic KIA play and a nice mate at the end. Fischer vs Myagmarsuren, 1967  (A07) King's Indian Attack, 31 moves, 1-0 The 19. ...e4! pawn sacrifice ripped the White king open. Polugaevsky vs Petrosian, 1970  (A14) English, 36 moves, 0-1 Petrosian breaks through the closed position with pawn breaks. Petrosian vs T Ledic, 1970  (D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 44 moves, 1-0 Petrosian's king marches through the position. Petrosian vs Mecking, 1971  (A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 57 moves, 1-0 Beliavsky's backward pawn costs him a pawn Petrosian vs Beliavsky, 1973  (A30) English, Symmetrical, 43 moves, 1-0 Shashin's king run is very unique A Shashin vs Korchnoi, 1973  (E56) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Main line with 7...Nc6, 35 moves, 1-0 Ruy Lopez masterpiece with Karpov dominating the bishop pair Karpov vs Gligoric, 1973  (C95) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Breyer, 63 moves, 1-0 24. Ba7!! is a fantastic blocking idea to dominate the file Karpov vs Unzicker, 1974  (C98) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 44 moves, 1-0 Nb1 and the finale Rxd8 are moves every player should see Karpov vs Spassky, 1974  (B83) Sicilian, 35 moves, 1-0 Rd5 showed players how to play Rauzer structures with White Kasparov vs A Sokolov, 1975  (B67) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer Attack, 7...a6 Defense, 8...Bd7, 32 moves, 1-0 Petrosian tried to attack Tal, but his attack was refuted Petrosian vs Tal, 1976  (A15) English, 28 moves, 0-1 Petrosian's calmness and his king walk make this memorable. Petrosian vs J Peters, 1976  (A34) English, Symmetrical, 50 moves, 1-0 This game is known as the pearl of Sochi. Superb attack Gufeld vs B Ivanovic, 1979  (B33) Sicilian, 34 moves, 1-0 Groszpeter sacrifices his queen to mate. Gross White king J Diaz vs A Groszpeter, 1980  (B93) Sicilian, Najdorf, 6.f4, 22 moves, 0-1 Do not give up when you have a strong passed pawn L Day vs S Barbeau, 1980 (B25) Sicilian, Closed, 52 moves, 0-1 A rook sacrifice for pawns that redefined a variation Polugaevsky vs E Torre, 1981  (D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 40 moves, 1-0 White defends by covering all key focal points near his king G Kraehenbuehl vs R Akesson, 1981 (A86) Dutch, 38 moves, 1-0 One of the best defensive games, involving a queen sacrifice H B Pedersen vs C Hansen, 1981  (B02) Alekhine's Defense, 42 moves, 0-1 Defensive queen sacrifice, then solid g4 knight blocks checks Ljubojevic vs J Szmetan, 1981 (E97) King's Indian, 44 moves, 1-0 Larsen covers all of the squares near his king and wins J Bellon Lopez vs Larsen, 1981 (C47) Four Knights, 39 moves, 0-1 Direct play pushing the queenside majority and queening. Power Karpov vs Portisch, 1982  (B92) Sicilian, Najdorf, Opocensky Variation, 40 moves, 1-0 A very hard-fought and well-played draw. Oll vs Salov, 1982  (B82) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 39 moves, 1/2-1/2 22. Rxb4! is a deep and impressive exchange sacrifice Andersson vs Seirawan, 1983  (A37) English, Symmetrical, 41 moves, 1-0 Beautiful long-term outplay. Karpov vs A J Mestel, 1984  (C05) French, Tarrasch, 61 moves, 1-0 Karpov grinds out a nice win against the IQP. Karpov vs Timman, 1986  (A15) English, 70 moves, 1-0 Dreev wins the quintessential French Defense endgame Dreev vs Bareev, 1986  (C11) French, 41 moves, 1-0 This is the most famous king walk in chess history Short vs Timman, 1991  (B04) Alekhine's Defense, Modern, 34 moves, 1-0 23. c5! steamrolled Kasparov Ivanchuk vs Kasparov, 1991  (B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 38 moves, 1-0 Yusupov's mating idea was very unique Ivanchuk vs Yusupov, 1991  (E67) King's Indian, Fianchetto, 39 moves, 0-1 Classic Ruy Lopez play crowned with a piece sacrifice Fischer vs Spassky, 1992  (C95) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Breyer, 50 moves, 1-0 Anand brilliantly damages his own pawn structure to advance it. Ivanchuk vs Anand, 1992  (B62) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer, 45 moves, 0-1 This was a superb case of domination Karpov vs Kasparov, 1993  (E86) King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox, 7.Nge2 c6, 27 moves, 0-1 Serper's piece sacrifices for mobile pawns are amazing Serper vs I Nikolaidis, 1993  (E70) King's Indian, 48 moves, 1-0 Karpov sacrificed both of his rooks, creating an immortal game Karpov vs Topalov, 1994  (A32) English, Symmetrical Variation, 39 moves, 1-0 Zvjaginsev sacs a rook to put the king in a mating net Cifuentes Parada vs Zvjaginsev, 1995  (D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 35 moves, 0-1 White's Qg7!! idea is extremely in-your-face Ivanchuk vs Shirov, 1996  (D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 35 moves, 1-0 White had two killer outposts Ivanchuk vs Kramnik, 1996  (E81) King's Indian, Samisch, 34 moves, 1-0 This game made Kasparov quit playing the King's Indian. Kramnik vs Kasparov, 1997  (E97) King's Indian, 32 moves, 1-0 Bh3! in the endgame is a stunning sacrifice for time Topalov vs Shirov, 1998  (D85) Grunfeld, 53 moves, 0-1 Rxd4! was a practical sacrifice, confusing Topalov Kasparov vs Topalov, 1999  (B07) Pirc, 44 moves, 1-0 The most famous exchange sacrifice ever played, shaming a 2700 Movsesian vs Kasparov, 2000  (B80) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 32 moves, 0-1 100 games