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Losing At Their Own Game
Compiled by Nimzophile
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This just a big list of games where someone has lost while playing the opening named after them.

Nimzovich succumbs to the mighty 2...f6 against 1. b3
Nimzowitsch vs W Winter, 1927 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 45 moves, 0-1

A Rook Sacrifice is Larsen's undoing here.
Larsen vs Portisch, 1970 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 22 moves, 0-1

Larsen is disposed of rather quickly by Spassky.
Larsen vs Spassky, 1970 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 17 moves, 0-1

Karpov grinds his material advantage into a victory.
Larsen vs Karpov, 1992 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 57 moves, 0-1

Larsen unsuccessfully transposes to Bird's Opening.
Larsen vs Piket, 1992 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 62 moves, 0-1

Bird is beaten by a lightning-quick kingside attack.
Bird vs Blackburne, 1886  
(A02) Bird's Opening, 17 moves, 0-1

Bird's speculative sacrifice fails.
Bird vs Taubenhaus, 1889  
(A02) Bird's Opening, 32 moves, 0-1

The immortal Emmanual Lasker gives us another game to enjoy.
Bird vs Lasker, 1895  
(A02) Bird's Opening, 34 moves, 0-1

Another quick defeat in From's Gambit.
Bird vs Steinitz, 1866 
(A02) Bird's Opening, 18 moves, 0-1

Marshall's knight invades Reti's formation.
Reti vs Marshall, 1924 
(A15) English, 30 moves, 0-1

Szabo beats Keres in this sparkling game.
Szabo vs Keres, 1956 
(A23) English, Bremen System, Keres Variation, 77 moves, 1-0

Reshevsky slowly crushes Keres' plans, including an early ...e4
Reshevsky vs Keres, 1963 
(A23) English, Bremen System, Keres Variation, 42 moves, 1-0

Even with the bishop, Alekhine loses to a dark-squared invasion
L S Leif-Jones vs Alekhine, 1923 
(B04) Alekhine's Defense, Modern, 28 moves, 1-0

Nimzovich shows Alekhine how it's done.
Nimzowitsch vs Alekhine, 1926 
(B02) Alekhine's Defense, 46 moves, 1-0

Botvinnik loses with the IQP
Botvinnik vs Flohr, 1933 
(B13) Caro-Kann, Exchange, 40 moves, 0-1

Tal opens the Queenside to beat Bronstein
Tal vs Bronstein, 1982 
(B16) Caro-Kann, Bronstein-Larsen Variation, 19 moves, 1-0

Despite having tripled pawns most of the game, Yates wins.
Yates vs Nimzowitsch, 1929 
(B29) Sicilian, Nimzovich-Rubinstein, 43 moves, 1-0

Bishev's bishops dine on Kan's rooks on the long diagonals.
V Byvshev vs I Kan, 1952 
(B28) Sicilian, O'Kelly Variation, 57 moves, 1-0

Simagin ends this game with a rather strange queen trap.
Simagin vs I Kan, 1955 
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 26 moves, 1-0

Bronstein finds an incredible forced mate.
Bronstein vs Taimanov, 1961 
(B48) Sicilian, Taimanov Variation, 34 moves, 1-0

Karpov methodically picks apart Taimanov
Karpov vs Taimanov, 1983 
(B46) Sicilian, Taimanov Variation, 56 moves, 1-0

Evans demonstrates how to use the two bishops in the open board
E Canal vs Evans, 1967
(B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 25 moves, 0-1

Najdorf exploits Canal's loss of tempo in the opening.
E Canal vs Najdorf, 1948 
(B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 54 moves, 0-1

Botvinnik highlights the weakness of the light squares.
Sokolsky vs Botvinnik, 1947 
(B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 51 moves, 0-1

Botvinnik shows how two rooks can be superior to a queen.
Botvinnik vs Boleslavsky, 1943 
(B59) Sicilian, Boleslavsky Variation, 7.Nb3, 52 moves, 1-0

Robert James loses to one of the all-time great tacticians.
Fischer vs Tal, 1959 
(B87) Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin with ...a6 and ...b5, 52 moves, 0-1

Fischer underestimates an opponent in a simul.
Fischer vs S King, 1964 
(B89) Sicilian, 24 moves, 0-1

Fine's two bishops decisively scissor Najdorfs position.
Fine vs Najdorf, 1948 
(B91) Sicilian, Najdorf, Zagreb (Fianchetto) Variation, 44 moves, 1-0

Bronstein trades a piece for three pawns in the opening.
Bronstein vs Najdorf, 1954 
(B95) Sicilian, Najdorf, 6...e6, 42 moves, 1-0

Yanofsky uses the open f-file to launch a crushing attack.
Yanofsky vs C Guimard, 1946 
(C04) French, Tarrasch, Guimard Main line, 28 moves, 1-0

Tartakower demonstrates a windmill.
Tartakower vs C Guimard, 1946
(C04) French, Tarrasch, Guimard Main line, 43 moves, 1-0

Najdorf uses his excellent endgame technique.
Najdorf vs C Guimard, 1953
(C04) French, Tarrasch, Guimard Main line, 64 moves, 1-0

Anderssen provided Falkbeer with his first namesake loss.
Anderssen vs Falkbeer, 1851 
(C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 26 moves, 1-0

Falkbeer's carelessness costs him the game.
J Schlesinger vs Falkbeer, 1851 
(C31) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 35 moves, 1-0

Baird vs. Bird
J W Baird vs Bird, 1889  
(C61) Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense, 24 moves, 1-0

Defend your king with pawns, not pieces!
Anderssen vs Bird, 1873 
(C61) Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense, 31 moves, 1-0

A pretty model mate by Schlechter
Schlechter vs Steinitz, 1899 
(C62) Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense, 38 moves, 1-0

Chigorin outlasts Steinitz for this victory.
Chigorin vs Steinitz, 1889 
(C62) Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense, 83 moves, 1-0

Veresov is crushed by Korchnoi's huge pawn roller.
Veresov vs Korchnoi, 1967
(D01) Richter-Veresov Attack, 45 moves, 0-1

Sosenko force Torre into an utterly lost ending.
E Torre vs Sosonko, 1987 
(D03) Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation), 57 moves, 0-1

Savielly's doubled pawns are his undoing here.
Tartakower vs Euwe, 1945 
(D03) Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation), 45 moves, 0-1

Two Pawns are stronger than a rook at times.
Tartakower vs Najdorf, 1950 
(D03) Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation), 73 moves, 0-1

Chigorin is made short work of my the tactics expert Marshall.
Marshall vs Chigorin, 1902 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 20 moves, 1-0

Chigorin's kingside comes under decisive attack.
Showalter vs Chigorin, 1896 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 29 moves, 1-0

Chigorin's lost time in the opening comes back to haunt him.
Pillsbury vs Chigorin, 1895 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 57 moves, 1-0

Chigorin works around Albin's wedge on d3.
Chigorin vs Albin, 1896 
(D09) Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit, 5.g3, 62 moves, 1-0

Reti stirs up a problem on the long diagonal.
Reti vs Tarrasch, 1922 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 20 moves, 1-0

Tarrasch's weakened kingside causes his defeat.
Schlechter vs Tarrasch, 1900 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 25 moves, 1-0

Marshall pins down Tarrasch's king for the kill.
Marshall vs Tarrasch, 1905 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 39 moves, 1-0

Vidmar takes down the TMD variation.
Vidmar vs Tartakower, 1926 
(D57) Queen's Gambit Declined, Lasker Defense, 65 moves, 1-0

Reti grinds Tartakower into a winning ending.
Reti vs Tartakower, 1928 
(D58) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst, 54 moves, 1-0

Colle shows Grunfeld the strength of doubled rooks on the 7th.
Colle vs Gruenfeld, 1925 
(D82) Grunfeld, 4.Bf4, 57 moves, 1-0

Beliavsky's piece beats Spassky's two pawns.
Spassky vs Beliavsky, 1975 
(D87) Grunfeld, Exchange, 54 moves, 0-1

Euwe finds a resource to score the point.
Euwe vs Smyslov, 1948 
(D99) Grunfeld Defense, Smyslov, 42 moves, 1-0

Andersson falls to Morphy with 1. a3
Anderssen vs Morphy, 1858 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 42 moves, 0-1

Alexey vs. Alexey
Sokolsky vs Suetin, 1953 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 40 moves, 0-1

1. d3 is the Mieses Opening
J Mieses vs Teichmann, 1910 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 29 moves, 0-1

This Benko Gambit isn't quite as successful.
Benko vs Keres, 1962
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 56 moves, 0-1

The Wade defense falters against the Reti.
Taimanov vs R G Wade, 1994
(A04) Reti Opening, 44 moves, 1-0

The "Z"s have it here in the double Barcza Opening.
Barcza vs Szabo, 1961
(A49) King's Indian, Fianchetto without c4, 51 moves, 0-1

Spassky loses to a relativeunknown playing the offbeat 2...b5
V Sergievsky vs Spassky, 1966 
(A05) Reti Opening, 57 moves, 1-0

Two hypermoderns duke it out in Nimzo's line.
Nimzowitsch vs Tartakower, 1925 
(A06) Reti Opening, 41 moves, 0-1

Benko squeezes out a win v. Keres.
Benko vs Keres, 1962 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 47 moves, 1-0

The venerable Korchnoi takes out Pachman's pet opening.
Korchnoi vs Pachman, 1960 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 40 moves, 1-0

Keres loses in his line as black...
Geller vs Keres, 1963 
(A09) Reti Opening, 39 moves, 1-0

Adorjan's weak kingside comes back to haunt him.
Polugaevsky vs Adorjan, 1976 
(A10) English, 46 moves, 1-0

Reti's masterpiece spoils Bogo's fun.
Reti vs Bogoljubov, 1925 
(A12) English with b3, 44 moves, 1-0

Botwinnik beats Smyslov in the 14th round of their match.
Botvinnik vs Smyslov, 1958 
(A16) English, 68 moves, 1-0

Again, Botwinnik takes out Smyslov
Botvinnik vs Smyslov, 1964 
(A22) English, 44 moves, 1-0

Hort can't be tricked in this one.
Quinteros vs Hort, 1970
(A25) English, 37 moves, 1-0

Not even the great Akiba can handle an ending down three pawns
S Takacs vs Rubinstein, 1929 
(A34) English, Symmetrical, 32 moves, 1-0

close enough
Ruy Lopez vs IsiChess, 2001
(C80) Ruy Lopez, Open, 52 moves, 0-1

72 games

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