chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

NN
NN 
 

Number of games in database: 1,601
Years covered: 1497 to 2025
Overall record: +32 -780 =30 (5.6%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 759 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Sicilian (48) 
    B20 B21 B30 B56 B50
 Giuoco Piano (37) 
    C50 C53 C54
 King's Pawn Game (36) 
    C40 C20 C44
 King's Gambit Accepted (34) 
    C37 C33 C39 C35 C34
 Ruy Lopez (26) 
    C65 C78 C67 C83 C77
 Queen's Pawn Game (22) 
    A45 A46 D00 D02 A50
With the Black pieces:
 King's Gambit Accepted (155) 
    C37 C39 C33 C38 C34
 Sicilian (78) 
    B20 B21 B23 B32 B30
 Giuoco Piano (58) 
    C53 C50 C54
 Queen's Pawn Game (53) 
    D00 A40 D05 A45 A46
 Evans Gambit (53) 
    C51 C52
 King's Pawn Game (51) 
    C44 C20 C40
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   NN vs E Fossan, 1991 1-0
   NN vs Shearer, 1978 1-0
   NN vs Cornelissen, 1974 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 0-1
   Lasker vs NN, 1908 0-1
   NN vs C Jaenisch, 1842 1-0
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 0-1
   J Wilson vs NN, 1795 0-1
   Philidor vs NN, 1749 1/2-1/2
   NN vs A Karsayev, 1973 1-0

GAMES ANNOTATED BY NN: [what is this?]
   Lindemann vs Echtermeyer, 1893
   Blackburne vs C T Blanshard, 1891
   Khalifman vs Seirawan, 1991
   A Turing vs A Glennie, 1952
   Morphy vs J Schulten, 1857
   >> 52 GAMES ANNOTATED BY NN

RECENT GAMES:
   🏆 Online blitz
   NN vs F Rhine (Sep-13-25) 0-1, blitz
   F Rhine vs NN (Sep-13-25) 1-0, blitz
   F Rhine vs NN (Sep-04-25) 1-0, blitz
   F Rhine vs NN (Aug-17-25) 1-0, blitz
   F Rhine vs NN (Aug-16-25) 1-0, blitz

Search Sacrifice Explorer for NN
Search Google for NN

NN

[what is this?]

The abbreviation "NN" is used to signify an unknown player, usually an amateur. Although NN is sometimes thought to stand for "no name", that is a misconception: it is actually an abbreviation of the Latin nomen nescio which means 'I do not know the name.'

Chessgames.com uses "NN" to fill in spots in the database where a player's identity is completely unknown, and also for games on internet chess servers, where people often play anonymously.

Some of the first examples of NN's play were published by seminal chess authors such as Gioachino Greco and Pedro Damiano. In these cases, it is unclear if NN represents an actual adversary or if the games were composed for illustrative purposes.

References: (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_d... (see the unknown comic in action while he's not playing chess).

Last updated: 2023-10-14 04:42:21

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 65; games 1-25 of 1,601  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. P Damiano vs NN 1-0141497CasualC42 Petrov Defense
2. NN vs Lucena 0-1261497SalamancaA00 Uncommon Opening
3. P Damiano vs NN 1-0131512analyseC40 King's Knight Opening
4. Busnardo vs NN 1-0161570?C53 Giuoco Piano
5. Polerio vs NN 1-0131581RomeC54 Giuoco Piano
6. Busnardo vs NN 1-0141590RomeC53 Giuoco Piano
7. Polerio vs NN 1-0201606RomeC54 Giuoco Piano
8. NN vs Greco 0-181620UnknownC37 King's Gambit Accepted
9. Greco vs NN 1-0101620UnknownC34 King's Gambit Accepted
10. Greco vs NN 1-091620UnknownC33 King's Gambit Accepted
11. Greco vs NN 1-0111620UnknownC33 King's Gambit Accepted
12. Greco vs NN 1-0101620UnknownC33 King's Gambit Accepted
13. Greco vs NN 1-0101620UnknownC31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit
14. Greco vs NN 1-0121620UnknownC30 King's Gambit Declined
15. Greco vs NN 1-0231620Italy?C37 King's Gambit Accepted
16. Greco vs NN 1-0201620Miscellaneous gameC54 Giuoco Piano
17. Greco vs NN 1-0191620Miscellaneous gameC54 Giuoco Piano
18. Greco vs NN 1-0181620Miscellaneous gameC54 Giuoco Piano
19. Greco vs NN 1-0141620Miscellaneous gameC54 Giuoco Piano
20. Greco vs NN 1-071620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
21. Greco vs NN 1-091620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
22. Greco vs NN 1-0141620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
23. Greco vs NN 1-0171620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
24. Greco vs NN 1-0201620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
25. Greco vs NN 1-0141620Miscellaneous gameC53 Giuoco Piano
 page 1 of 65; games 1-25 of 1,601  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | NN wins | NN loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 22 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Aug-08-03  ughaibu: Kulla Tierchen's most recent post was on this thread. I never thought there was a special reason for his ceasing to post, we all (except Sneaky) have quiet spells.
Aug-08-03  Sylvester: He never said goodbye, and he seemed very tough, but you should read through pages 2 and 3 under Botvinnik. You can see that Vilkacis is really upset at the guy who was going after Kulla Tierchen and that the Ghoul was mad about how it was handled.
Aug-08-03  ughaibu: I vaguely remember the deleted posts, as Pawntificator says, who cares if they receive abusive posts from people they dont know over the internet? It certainly wouldn't stop me posting. It's a pity as Kulla Tierchen was one of the most erudite posters and usually interesting.
Aug-08-03  Ashley: I read over the Botvinnik pages. This happened the week before I registered. They are very interesting, and quite amusing. I agree with Sylvester, one can see that Vilkacis was upset and Ghoul was angry. However, Kulla Tierchen's posts do not give the impression of someone who would worry over a few ridiculous posts aimed at him.
Aug-11-03  sleepkid: You would think that after playing for 412 years that NN's chess would improve, but he still has a lousy winning percentage.

(by the way, what does he eat that's kept him alive so long? stuffed cabbage and mountain water 10 degrees below room temperature?)

Aug-11-03  Benjamin Lau: <sleepkid>

I would imagine all those chessgames keeps NN alive. ;-)

Aug-15-03  Marnoff Mirlony: I don't like NN's haircut. He leaves one strand of hair sticking up to spite me.
Aug-15-03  Danno: Kud this 4room really b a sychology experiment to see how far people wud go in spewing out hate under the cloak of anonimity?
Aug-15-03  pawntificator: Nah.
Aug-15-03  THE GENERAL: some people are crazy.
Aug-15-03  PaulMorphyisnotdead: Agreed Marnoff
Aug-16-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: So that's what the great NN looks like! I think I played this guy!!
Sep-05-03  PizzatheHut: Who or what the crap is this NN character? Is it just a name for a generic amateur?
Sep-06-03  Marnoff Mirlony: NN is an actual player. No one knows his true name, but he's a legendary figure in Chess. He's rumoured to have lived for 412 years. I would say more, but I have no solid evidence.
Sep-06-03  JOUEUR: He should be a better player! imagine, he has been playing chess for 412 years. He won only 3 times. there's so many other games!!
Sep-16-03  Yuri54: how do you live for 412 years? did he play his games in person or through a respiratory tube fun
Sep-24-03  AdrianP: He seems to be quite fond of playing gambits (King's Gambit, Vienna Gambit, Evans Gambit) which might explain his slightly dodgy score against decent players. Ah well, he certainly seems well travelled.
Dec-05-03  Master of Sacrifice: <Yuri54> Maybe he's God, and he just sucks at chess.
Dec-05-03  InspiredByMorphy: Lets give NN a round of applause! His games are so enjoyable to watch because you know hes going to get stomped. But more importantly, Ol' NN teaches us how not to play against a tough opponent. :) Oh and he deserves a point for being mysterious eh? I suppose I would hide my face in picture too if I was over 400 yrs old!
Dec-05-03  Reisswolf: Someone PLEASE tell me the deal with this guy! Who is he? How can someone have played a game against both Greco and Anand? Was he someone who lived during Greco's time, and then his sons and grandsons continued to play under the same name?

Let me see what I can learn from Google.

Dec-05-03  Quant: <reisswölfchen> too funny. lol.
Dec-05-03  technical draw: NN stands for Nicholas Nostradamus. He lets you win the chess game, but then he gets your soul! Beware!
Dec-05-03  Reisswolf: Quant, wie geht es dir?

technical draw, but someone is still playing those games under his name, isn't he? It's really a mystery to me!

I just did a Google search. Guess which page was returned as the first link? This one! And the others were not very helpful.

Dec-05-03  technical draw: Well it's probably Not Nown. Oder Niemand Namenlos.
Dec-06-03  Bears092: I believe it's a french phrase that loosely translates to "no name"
Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 22)
search thread:   
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 22 ·  Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific player only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC