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What is your favourite master game of all time?

Standard memberMarinkatomb
Only Chess 21 Feb '18 16:29
  1. s
    Subscribersonhouse
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    slatington, pa, usa
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    24 Feb '18 17:191 edit
    Originally posted by @marinkatomb
    Mine is definitely Kramnik v Carlsen corus 2008. This was just before Magnus became World number one. I believe this is his first classical win against Kramnik. I just love the way black provokes white into over stretching and then unleashes the kingside pawns! The whole game has a really nice flow. 🙂

    [pgn][Event "Corus"]
    [Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"] ...[text shortened]... xd2 Nxd2 55. Rb2 Nf3
    56. Kf1 b3 57. Kg2 Rc2 0-1
    [/pgn]

    What is your favourite game and why?
    When I first saw that rook move, I was thinking white was forced to take and then pawn takes but then I saw an intermediate move that keeps the pawn on the B file, RXR, N-E1 + forking king and rook and allowing knight to take the rook and thus keep the pawn on the b file which looks to me like an easier job to get a queen. If pawn takes rook the white knight goes to c1 which is a bit of a pain but I don't think the black king gets there in time to support the pawn. With the white knight on c1, the white king has a hole to get into the action whereas before, the white knight where it was and be black knight where it is keeps the white king confined. When the white knight moves the king has a hole to crawl through to get to attack the black pawn but it looks like the pawn pushes through after the black knight forks rook and king.

    Looking further, not so sure about that. If bxR, N-c1, N-e1+ and k-f1, then N-d3 attacking the c1 knight and king is not close enough to defend so NXN, e4XN, king is helpless to get there in time, K-e1, e-c1, queens. So I guess that is more exact than immediate knight forking rook and king.
  2. Standard memberBuzz Meeks
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    08 Mar '18 05:13
    Favorite: Unzicker-Tal, West Germany vs USSR, Hamburg, 1960.
    Why? A rather calm Ruy Lopez is ripped apart by a double knight sac by Tal but it was also the first game I ever saw after I leaned to read chess notation. It's the first game in Tal's 100 Best Games by Bernard Cafferty which was my first chess book. A lesser game may not have encouraged me to want to be a chess player. The game fascinated me.
  3. Standard memberMarinkatomb
    wotagr8game
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    08 Mar '18 10:001 edit
    Originally posted by @buzz-meeks
    Favorite: Unzicker-Tal, West Germany vs USSR, Hamburg, 1960.
    Why? A rather calm Ruy Lopez is ripped apart by a double knight sac by Tal but it was also the first game I ever saw after I leaned to read chess notation. It's the first game in Tal's 100 Best Games by Bernard Cafferty which was my first chess book. A lesser game may not have encouraged me to want to be a chess player. The game fascinated me.
    Invert BoardPGNHeaders


    Nice game! Unzicker started opening up the centre a little too soon perhaps? Maybe there is a way to get Bc1 and Ra1 into the game before start on a central expansion? One thing is for sure, you don't want to leave even the slightest hint of a tactic in the position against Tal. The guy was a BEAST in that department!! 🙂

    EDIT: Maybe try 18.dxc6 ..Bxc6 19. Bb2
    The Rook isn't trapped in the corner, and he can finish his development. ALso blacks d-pawn is backward (though i'm not sure that that is so terrible, a timely advance could be quite strong for black).
  4. Standard memberBuzz Meeks
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    09 Mar '18 02:22
    EDIT: Maybe try 18.dxc6 ..Bxc6 19. Bb2
    The Rook isn't trapped in the corner, and he can finish his development. ALso blacks d-pawn is backward (though i'm not sure that that is so terrible, a timely advance could be quite strong for black).[/b]

    The book notes give 17.Qe2 a ? and state Black was going to undermine the center with c6 so White should have played 17.Bd3 or 17.Rb1..c6, 18.c4 with a level game.
  5. J
    SubscriberJayboman1579online
    Curmudgeon Supreme
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    15 Mar '18 21:06
    Originally posted by @marinkatomb
    That's a shame, do you remember one of the players? If it is a brilliancy then it would probably appear in their "best games" section on chessgames.com.
    There is one great game out there like what you're thinking. It involved Thomas and Ed Lasker. It was a brilliant performance by Lasker, walking Thomas' king up the board. After playing, Lasker found out he just beat the champ. of the London Chess Club. It happened in the mid-1920's, I believe.
    The things one remembers...
  6. Donationketchuplover
    Isolated Pawn
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    17 Mar '18 04:38
    https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008419

    I like it mostly for the partial quote by K.F. Kirby "more witchcraft than chess" and how Fischer made two commentators look like fools.

    Sorry about the link. It's the 2nd game listed under notable games on Fischer's profile page at chessgames.com
  7. Subscribermoonbus
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    17 Mar '18 19:03
    Ed. Lasker - G.A. Thomas, 1912

    Invert BoardPGNHeadersComments
  8. J
    SubscriberJayboman1579online
    Curmudgeon Supreme
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    17 Mar '18 19:36
    Thanks a lot for posting that! For some reason I thought sure the mating move was 0-0-0. When I was a LOT younger I enjoyed reading Ed Lasker's books. He was famous for something very much outside the area of chess. Do you know what it was?😉
  9. Subscribermoonbus
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    17 Mar '18 21:27
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lasker
  10. Standard memberMarinkatomb
    wotagr8game
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    18 Mar '18 11:32
    Originally posted by @moonbus
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Lasker
    He invented wikipedia?? Who knew!
  11. Subscribermoonbus
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    18 Mar '18 13:41
    Um, no. He invented a pump. It is mentioned in the wiki article.
  12. Subscribermoonbus
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    18 Mar '18 15:38
    Originally posted by @jayboman1579
    Thanks a lot for posting that! For some reason I thought sure the mating move was 0-0-0. When I was a LOT younger I enjoyed reading Ed Lasker's books. He was famous for something very much outside the area of chess. Do you know what it was?😉
    0-0-0 works, too.
  13. Subscriber64squaresofpain
    The drunk knight
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    18 Mar '18 20:14
    Originally posted by @moonbus
    Um, no. He invented a pump. It is mentioned in the wiki article.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm


    On topic,
    I'm guessing what you mean by "favourite master game" is in terms of chess quality and/or it's instructive value.

    In that case, when first learning chess I was very keen on studying Kasparov and Fisher,
    their dominant attacking styles just shredding people apart.

    Kasparov's "Immortal" vs. Topalov is a memorable contender, from Wijk an Zee 1999.
    YouTube

    For entertainment value, however, you can't go wrong with Kasparov vs Short!
    See thread: Thread 176247
  14. Standard memberMarinkatomb
    wotagr8game
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    18 Mar '18 20:38
    Originally posted by @64squaresofpain
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm


    On topic,
    I'm guessing what you mean by "favourite master game" is in terms of chess quality and/or it's instructive value.

    In that case, when first learning chess I was very keen on studying Kasparov and Fisher,
    their dominant attacking styles just shredding people apart.

    Kasparov's "Immortal" vs. ...[text shortened]... ue, however, you can't go wrong with Kasparov vs Short!
    See thread: Thread 176247
    I've seen this game before and remember posting it here years ago. Cracking game! It's an advertisement for Kasparov's style, no doubt about it. It is amazing how much chess has changed in the short years since his retirement. 20 years ago everyone was trying to play this super sharp "grab the initiative" style of chess. Computers have taken some of the romance away from the opening.
  15. J
    SubscriberJayboman1579online
    Curmudgeon Supreme
    Jackson, Michigan
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    21 Mar '18 15:34
    Originally posted by @moonbus
    Um, no. He invented a pump. It is mentioned in the wiki article.
    It was a very important invention for mothers with babies. It allows mothers to express milk and then save for later feedings. Our daughter- in-law uses one. I bet women thank the inventor of that each time they use it.
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