Choose a game and explore the ideas behind its decisions.
London, 1851. Informal game. The exact date and venue remain disputed.
Play as Adolf Anderssen, White
Lionel Kieseritzky, Black
Coordinate pawns and pieces against an exposed queen while tracking the cost of sacrifices.
1852. Traditionally placed in Berlin as an informal game; the venue is not established by the earliest accounts examined in the historical research.
Play as Adolf Anderssen, White
Jean Dufresne, Black
Turn development tempi into central activity and calculate an attack with both kings under threat.
Paris, 1858
Play as Paul Morphy, White
Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard, Black
Connect the development and coordination of your pieces with the calculation of threats.
New Orleans, 1886. World Championship, game 20.
Play as Wilhelm Steinitz, White
Johannes Zukertort, Black
Seek activity with an exposed king and use your pieces' coordination.
Łódź triangular tournament, 1908.
Play as Akiba Rubinstein, White
Georg Salwe, Black
Restrain the opposing pawns and coordinate your pieces to turn pressure into a passed pawn.
Breslau, July 20, 1912. German Chess Federation Congress.
Play as Frank Marshall, Black
Stepan Levitsky, White
Track the pins and coordinate the rooks to meet counterplay with threats.
St. Petersburg tournament, 1914.
Play as Emanuel Lasker, White
José Raúl Capablanca, Black
Connect the pawn structure with the activity of your pieces.
Buenos Aires, game 11. October 1927.
Play as Alexander Alekhine, Black
José Raúl Capablanca, White
Turn central pressure into a passed pawn and coordinate the major pieces in a promotion race.
Neuhausen, 1953. Second round of the Zurich Candidates Tournament.
Play as Tigran Petrosian, Black
Samuel Reshevsky, White
Defend a cramped center through blockades and pawn counterplay.
New York, October 17, 1956. Rosenwald tournament, Round 8.
Play as Bobby Fischer, Black
Donald Byrne, White
Use development and piece cooperation to sustain the initiative.
Moscow, game 6. March 26, 1960.
Play as Mikhail Tal, Black
Mikhail Botvinnik, White
Connect central pressure, an attack on the king and a passed pawn in the ending.
Varna, October 7, 1962. 15th Olympiad, Final A, round 10.
Play as Mikhail Botvinnik, White
Bobby Fischer, Black
Combine piece activity and pawn resources to defend an inferior position.
Belgrade, 1970. USSR vs. Rest of the World.
Play as Boris Spassky, Black
Bent Larsen, White
Connect central control with an attack on the king.
1972 World Championship. Sixth game.
Play as Bobby Fischer, White
Boris Spassky, Black
Transform the center and coordinate your pieces to attack the king.
Nice, June 18, 1974. 21st Olympiad, Final A.
Play as Anatoly Karpov, White
Wolfgang Unzicker, Black
Restrict the opposing pieces, coordinate your forces and create a second front.
Moscow, December 12, 1984. World Championship, game 32.
Play as Garry Kasparov, White
Anatoly Karpov, Black
Coordinate central and flank threats before entering a queen ending.
Linares, February 23, 1991. First round.
Play as Vassily Ivanchuk, White
Garry Kasparov, Black
Connect restriction, defense and activity to shift the direction of the attack.
Hoogovens tournament, Wijk aan Zee. Fourth round, January 20, 1999.
Play as Garry Kasparov, White
Veselin Topalov, Black
Connect preparation, threats against the king, and the recovery of material.
Wijk aan Zee, round 12. January 29, 2005.
Play as Judit Polgár, White
Ivan Sokolov, Black
Coordinate an attack while attending to threats against your own king.
Bonn, October 20, 2008. World Championship, game 5.
Play as Viswanathan Anand, Black
Vladimir Kramnik, White
Connect central pawn breaks with piece activity and king safety.
Gibraltar, January 30, 2012. Masters tournament, round 7.
Play as Hou Yifan, White
Judit Polgar, Black
Combine threats, improve your pieces and switch targets while converting an advantage.
Chennai, game 6. November 16, 2013.
Play as Magnus Carlsen, Black
Viswanathan Anand, White
Pressure weaknesses and turn king and rook activity into promotion threats.
Chongqing, July 22, 2023. Women’s World Championship, game 12.
Play as Ju Wenjun, White
Lei Tingjie, Black
Coordinate pieces of different values to blockade pawns and escort a passer.
Astana, tiebreak game 4. April 30, 2023.
Play as Ding Liren, Black
Ian Nepomniachtchi, White
Coordinate king defense with passed pawns and exploit restrictions on the opposing pieces.
