Entertaining chess and chess

Best game by a 4-year-old?
R Iglesias vs Capablanca, 1893 
(000) Chess variants, 38 moves, 0-1

Best game by an 8-year-old?
Judit Polgar vs Szendrei, 1984 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 21 moves, 1-0

Best game by an 11-year-old?
Morphy vs Le Carpentier, 1849 
(000) Chess variants, 13 moves, 1-0

Best game by a 12-year-old?
Capablanca vs J Corzo, 1901 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 60 moves, 1-0

Best game by a 13-year-old?
Smyslov vs Bacrot, 1996 
(B25) Sicilian, Closed, 62 moves, 0-1

No, THIS is the best game by a 13-year-old!
D Byrne vs Fischer, 1956  
(D92) Grunfeld, 5.Bf4, 41 moves, 0-1

Best game by a 14-year-old?
Carlsen vs S Ernst, 2004 
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 29 moves, 1-0

Or is this the best game by a 14-year-old?
Karjakin vs Kramnik, 2004 
(C67) Ruy Lopez, 90 moves, 1-0

Crushing Blindfold Win for Capa
Capablanca vs J Baca Arus, 1912 
(D00) Queen's Pawn Game, 25 moves, 1-0

Gorgeous finish!
Capablanca vs M Fonaroff, 1918 
(C66) Ruy Lopez, 22 moves, 1-0

Let's see how many pieces I can sacrifice and still win!
Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard, 1858  
(C41) Philidor Defense, 17 moves, 1-0

One of Kasparov's finest hours.
Karpov vs Kasparov, 1985 
(B44) Sicilian, 40 moves, 0-1

So what if this is rapid! It's awesome!
Shirov vs Morozevich, 2004 
(C11) French, 40 moves, 1-0

Bet you'll take my queen this time!
Sutovsky vs D Sermek, 1993 
(B45) Sicilian, Taimanov, 65 moves, 1-0

Gorgeous combination!
J Saksis vs Shirov, 1985 
(B99) Sicilian, Najdorf, 7...Be7 Main line, 37 moves, 0-1

Typical Tal
Tal vs Larsen, 1965  
(B82) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 37 moves, 1-0

Stunning Simul!
Tal vs Jack Miller, 1988 
(C55) Two Knights Defense, 33 moves, 1-0

Wonderful Complications!
Tal vs Smyslov, 1959 
(B10) Caro-Kann, 26 moves, 1-0

More Typical Tal
Tal vs Hjartarson, 1987 
(C97) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 43 moves, 1-0

Excellent and Entertaining!
Spielmann vs J Mieses, 1910 
(D52) Queen's Gambit Declined, 41 moves, 1-0

Hurrah Ivanchuk!
Ivanchuk vs Kasparov, 1991 
(B51) Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky (Rossolimo) Attack, 38 moves, 1-0

Kasparov's Immortal?
Kasparov vs Topalov, 1999 
(B07) Pirc, 44 moves, 1-0

Taking the king for a long walk!
Ed. Lasker vs G A Thomas, 1912 
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 18 moves, 1-0

A glorious finish!
Shabalov vs Aronian, 2004 
(C89) Ruy Lopez, Marshall, 47 moves, 0-1

Kasparov serves up a crushing finish seemingly out of nowhere
Adams vs Kasparov, 2005 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 26 moves, 0-1

Fantastic Finish
Harikrishna vs Shabalov, 2004 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 38 moves, 1-0

Elegant slaughter!
Rotlewi vs Rubinstein, 1907  
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 25 moves, 0-1

A somewhat unheralded masterpiece!
Schlechter vs Meitner, 1899 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 34 moves, 1-0

One of my all-time favorite miniatures
Dubois vs Steinitz, 1862 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 37 moves, 0-1

Steinitz' immortal?
Steinitz vs Von Bardeleben, 1895 
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 25 moves, 1-0

Fantastic comeback
Petrosian vs Spassky, 1966 
(E63) King's Indian, Fianchetto, Panno Variation, 30 moves, 1-0

A fantastic swindle!
S Bouaziz vs Miles, 1979 
(B42) Sicilian, Kan, 49 moves, 0-1

Stunning sacrificial attack!
S Savchenko vs Savon, 1999 
(A54) Old Indian, Ukrainian Variation, 4.Nf3, 19 moves, 1-0

Inspired play from one of the grand old men of chess!
Staunton vs NN, 1855 
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0

Complex and well fought
Ponomariov vs Judit Polgar, 2005 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 56 moves, 1-0

Fireworks all over the board!
Marshall vs G Marco, 1904 
(C45) Scotch Game, 76 moves, 1-0

One of the Best Draws I've Ever Seen
Anand vs Topalov, 2005 
(B80) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 60 moves, 1/2-1/2

Pushing the king all over the board!
Schiffers vs Nolde, 1872 
(C51) Evans Gambit, 27 moves, 1-0

14. Rxd5!
E Torre vs B Ivanovic, 1977 
(B62) Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer, 25 moves, 1-0

19. dxe6!!
Maroczy vs Schiffers, 1898 
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 32 moves, 1-0

Amazing finish!
Larry Evans vs Reshevsky, 1963 
(E55) Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation, 50 moves, 1/2-1/2

Preview of the later masterpiece
G Marco vs Marshall, 1902 
(C63) Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense, 40 moves, 1-0

Fantastic Rook and Pawn Ending! Great for Study!
A Chernin vs Drasko, 1988 
(D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 71 moves, 1-0

Excellent Game All the Way Around!
Topalov vs Anand, 2005 
(E15) Queen's Indian, 52 moves, 1-0

Another Great Performance From My New Favorite
Topalov vs Kasparov, 1996 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 66 moves, 1-0

Marshall Forks Over Another Masterpiece!
S Levitsky vs Marshall, 1912 
(B23) Sicilian, Closed, 23 moves, 0-1

Fantastic Ending Combination!
Anderssen vs Dufresne, 1852 
(C52) Evans Gambit, 24 moves, 1-0

Tactical Genius!
Kupreichik vs Tal, 1970 
(B57) Sicilian, 31 moves, 1-0

Another tactical masterpiece!
Kupreichik vs G Danner, 1966 
(B94) Sicilian, Najdorf, 27 moves, 1-0

Awesome Chaos!!
Belov vs V Prohorov, 1991 
(E97) King's Indian, 82 moves, 0-1

Knightmare in South Wales!
R A Ziatdinov vs V M Mikhalevski, 2005 
(C80) Ruy Lopez, Open, 91 moves, 1/2-1/2

Awesome finish!
Tal vs R Forbis, 1988 
(B77) Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 30 moves, 1-0

Another Tal Masterpiece!
Fischer vs Tal, 1959 
(B87) Sicilian, Fischer-Sozin with ...a6 and ...b5, 52 moves, 0-1

Highly Unusualy Underpromotion!
A Reshko vs O Kaminsky, 1972 
(A29) English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto, 71 moves, 1-0

Worthy of deep study!
Reshevsky vs Mecking, 1967 
(E96) King's Indian, Orthodox, 7...Nbd7, Main line, 71 moves, 1-0

Gorgeous finish!
Skripchenko vs Fressinet, 2002 
(B06) Robatsch, 37 moves, 1-0

Obliterated!
Anderssen vs Zukertort, 1865 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 17 moves, 1-0

M Mitso vs T Gelashvili, 2000 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 24 moves, 0-1

Wild attacking game!
Jobava vs Bareev, 2003 
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 34 moves, 1-0

Killer combination!
Hoi vs Gulko, 1988  
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 31 moves, 1-0

Another great finish!
Fedorov vs N Miezis, 2000 
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 33 moves, 0-1

Wish these two played every single day!
Topalov vs Morozevich, 1996 
(E04) Catalan, Open, 5.Nf3, 66 moves, 1-0

Make these two play every day also!
V Zvjaginsev vs Topalov, 1995 
(A57) Benko Gambit, 48 moves, 1-0

Who said draws are boring?
V Zvjaginsev vs Morozevich, 1995 
(E92) King's Indian, 44 moves, 1/2-1/2

Simply amazing!
R Cifuentes vs V Zvjaginsev, 1995 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 35 moves, 0-1

Abandon all defense, full speed ahead!
Marshall vs Moreau, 1903 
(C37) King's Gambit Accepted, 29 moves, 1-0

Supreme Endgame Study!
Smyslov vs Filip, 1958 
(A14) English, 109 moves, 1-0

Great old-fashioned fun!
Steinitz vs Chigorin, 1892 
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

Super unbalanced game!
L Shytaj vs R S Jones, 2006 
(B96) Sicilian, Najdorf, 62 moves, 0-1

Gorgeous draw!
I A Nataf vs M Vachier-Lagrave, 2006 
(B50) Sicilian, 31 moves, 1/2-1/2

Sadvakasov vs T Luther, 2007 
(C11) French, 53 moves, 1-0

Nijboer vs V Gashimov, 2006 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 82 moves, 1-0

Fedorov vs A Yashtylov, 2000 
(D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 46 moves, 0-1

Excellent finish!
V Pina vs D Duarte, 2001 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 32 moves, 1-0

Unusual and brilliant!
V Zvjaginsev vs Zhang Pengxiang, 2006 
(C00) French Defense, 38 moves, 1-0

Run-of-the-mill Morphy magic!
Morphy vs Schrufer, 1859 
(C56) Two Knights, 24 moves, 1-0

Two sluggers go for broke!
Morozevich vs Topalov, 1999 
(B80) Sicilian, Scheveningen, 75 moves, 0-1

Exciting and tactical Petrov!
Svidler vs Topalov, 2004 
(C42) Petrov Defense, 31 moves, 1-0

Marshall Arts!
Marshall vs Leonhardt, 1912 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 32 moves, 1-0

Deep, Wild Finish!
T Catalan vs N Saeed, 1983 
(E77) King's Indian, 30 moves, 1-0

Great fun! Unbalanced material throughout
H Pusch vs V Gassmann, 2001 
(B02) Alekhine's Defense, 68 moves, 1-0

Weird, Wild Stuff!
R Tiggelman vs G Welling, 1989 
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 38 moves, 0-1

Fighting, scratching, clawing, biting chess!
K G Shirazi vs Kamsky, 1989 
(A25) English, 105 moves, 0-1

More wild stuff!
Shirov vs T Thorhallsson, 1992 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 38 moves, 1-0

More amazing finishes!
Baburin vs Adianto, 1993 
(D25) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 24 moves, 0-1

Highly unusual
Morozevich vs Ivanchuk, 2004 
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 30 moves, 0-1

Strange!
A Lehtinen vs J Sietio, 1996 
(A04) Reti Opening, 47 moves, 1-0

Another unbalanced epic!
V Yandemirov vs A Feoktistov, 2003 
(B07) Pirc, 74 moves, 1-0

Queens, schmeens. Watch this!
Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1994 
(E12) Queen's Indian, 72 moves, 0-1

WOW!!
Tal vs W R Chandler, 1974 
(B01) Scandinavian, 22 moves, 1-0

Bar-room Brawl of a Chess Game!
Gelfand vs Shabalov, 2004 
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 25 moves, 1-0

Larsen vs Petrosian, 1966 
(B39) Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto, Breyer Variation, 30 moves, 1-0

Sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice!
Landa vs E Shaposhnikov, 2005 
(B18) Caro-Kann, Classical, 24 moves, 1-0

Unusual as usual from Z-man!
V Zvjaginsev vs Seirawan, 1997 
(D51) Queen's Gambit Declined, 34 moves, 1-0

Aronian vs Morozevich, 2006 
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 42 moves, 1-0

R Hewitt vs B Copley, 1949 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 18 moves, 1-0

Gruenfeld vs Alekhine, 1923 
(D64) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 34 moves, 0-1

Brass Pelotas!
Topalov vs Kramnik, 2008 
(D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 45 moves, 1-0

P H Nielsen vs Larsen, 1997 
(A31) English, Symmetrical, Benoni Formation, 38 moves, 0-1

What a fantastic ending!
V Zurakhov vs Koblents, 1956 
(C11) French, 80 moves, 1-0

Zukertort vs Blackburne, 1883 
(A13) English, 33 moves, 1-0

Timman vs C van Wijgerden, 1977 
(A56) Benoni Defense, 24 moves, 1-0

102 games

1. Slow Down

chess clock with symbolic time by Kristoffersonschach |CC

Blitz and bullet chess are great fun, but can you really appreciate the subtle beauty of the game when you're making a move every two seconds? Maybe if you’re Hikaru Nakamura, you can.

We mortals, though, need to take some time to consider move candidates, plan a complete opening, check and re-check tactics, and formulate a long-term strategy. Only then can we truly enjoy the deepness of chess. 

It’s only when playing real, thinking chess that we get a look at its elegant complexity. If you're getting a little tired of blitz matches with three minutes per game, why not try a correspondence-style online game with a time control of three days per move? This allows for a depth of analysis that's simply not possible over the board -- no matter how good you are. 

Keep in mind, slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean playing with a long time control. It can simply mean using the time you have to think about your move instead of relying on intuition. Time and again, players find themselves blitzing out unsound moves with plenty of time on their clocks just because it's easier to play a move that looks O.K. than to check if it really is.

Though this style requires less effort, in the end it also brings less enjoyment than playing a full thinking game of chess. Take the time to appreciate the finer details of the positions you're playing, and you might find a deeper appreciation for the game you love!

2. Relax

Relax /1 by Gianluca Neri |CC

Chess is certainly one of the greatest games ever invented. But you should remember that it is just a game. Taking some time to relax and clear your head is essential to keeping a positive outlook on what, at times, can be the very stressful pursuit of chess perfection.

Even the world's best players take breaks from time to time. From the greatest chess talents on down to beginners, one thing is true: if you're not enjoying the process of trying to get better, then you won't get better. 

When you do go back to the game, relax and settle into your chess positions. Live in the moment, enjoy it, and make the best decisions indepedent of outcome or result. That's good advice for practically any aspect of life, and it applies to chess as well. 

3. Get Out

Touch & Go Chess Party by Seth Anderson | CC

Everyone needs to get out once in a while, right? Visiting a local chess club is a great way to get some valuable social interaction with other chess players who are also trying to enjoy chess and improve their games. It's easy to feel isolated and that you're the only one struggling to get better when you're alone, playing at your computer. Find a club and enjoy the camaraderie and fun of a shared interest! 

Enjoying the company of other chess players is not only fun itself, but it can also rekindle your fire and motivate you to improve your game. The more time you spend building relationships with the local chess community, the better it will be, and the stronger the friendships will get. It's a powerful positive-feedback loop you can use to add a whole new social dimension to your chess hobby.

If your area doesn't have an active chess club, consider starting one. There might be more chess players around than you think, and organizing club meetings and agenda is easier than ever with today's technology.

4. Speed Up

Wait, didn't I just suggest slowing down? Sometimes, instead of slowing down, you need to speed up to get your blood flowing!

If you find yourself taking chess too seriously, and you are a player who generally only wants to play correspondence-style games, then a blitz session could inject some fun into the game. Rather than spend one hour on a single game, you could play 10 or more blitz games, or even 30 or more bullet games in that same hour.

Sure, you won't enjoy the benefits of a fully conceived and executed chess plan, but you will be sharpening your tactical skills through sheer volume alone.

More important, blitz and bullet marathons are just plain fun. Stringing together win after win against a well-matched opponent adds a rush of adrenaline to the otherwise serene, cerebral game of chess.  

There is a secret to taking a blitz session to the next level, though. Review every single game you play to see what tactical opportunities you and your opponent missed. There are sure to be several huge moves overlooked in each game.

Oftentimes it's more enjoyable to review your blitz games than to play them. Which brings us to our last point:

5. Love the Post-Mortem

Checkmate by Alan Light |CC

Modern chess players are spoiled. Sitting inside every laptop, tablet, or even cell phone is the strongest chess player who ever lived. In two minutes, you could review your game's tactics move-by-move more accurately than the world champions of years past.

It takes 30 seconds to check Chess.com's Opening Explorer to see where you (or your opponent) first strayed from well-known theory. Knowing where you first went wrong can be an important building block for future games.

Win or lose, you should look forward to analyzing your game with a computer chess engine. If you won, you can gleefully watch the engine's evaluation of the position increase in your favor. If you lost, you can look for moves you could have missed to save the game. In either case, you'll almost always be surprised what elegant moves the virtual GM found that you never even considered. 

Chess.com offers an excellent computer analysis feature for its games. You could also download a free chess engine like Stockfish and run it on your own computer. Don't let the price fool you: Stockfish is widely considered the strongest chess playing program in the world.

Another enjoyable way to analyze your games is with your opponent. Did you know at the end of every live Chess.com game you play, there is an option to "Review Your Game"? You can do this alone or invite your opponent to join in the learning fun!

If your opponent is willing to discuss the game with you, you can exchange your ideas and find out what your opposition was planning. This is a great way to wring further enjoyment out of a finished game.

Victoria Cmilyte smiling by Andreas Kontokanis |CC

Do you need to slow down, relax, get out, speed up, or do more post-mortems in your own games? What are some other ways you can enjoy the great game of chess? Let us know in the comment section.

The pleasure of different of forms of chess

I use chess variants during my chess lessons because I believe in having a laugh now and then! And then dive into the depths of standard chess again. Moreover, how do you keep the interest in chess going if your student doesn't find solving chess puzzles (one after another) as entertaining as you do?

What if your students make the moves in standard chess just for the sake of it? They may not even have a clue that in chess we try to predict what's going to happen next. Or that we do quite a bit of planning. That's where a Double-Move game would come in handy!

I use chess variants as I believe in getting out of the comfort zone and giving the mind some work to do. In my Four-Way chess event, we don't even have the time control! I want to give players a chance to enjoy the challenge of playing against each without being a rush.

Do you struggle to calculate and to visualize positions? Play blindfold chess.

Still too hard? Try Half-Blindfold!

In any variant of chess, I recommend following the rules below.

1) The king can never be captured.

2) A check has to be parried with your next move.

1. Marseillais chess or Double-Move game

Rules:

Players get two moves per turn.

If a check is given in the first of the two moves, the player loses his/her right to play the second move.

The player who is in check has to deal with it immediately before doing anything else. The king can not walk into check on the first move even if the second move would get it out of check again.

Pros:

• Encourages you to plan ahead!
• The games are faster than standard games.
• Helps to improve planning skills.
• Helps to improve defensive skills as the pieces can be attacked and captured in the same turn.

2. Four-Player or Four-Way chess

A 4-Way chess board

Rules:

Four-Way chess is a fun version of standard chess. Four players play on a special board.

Normal chess rules apply, except:

1. The game is over and the winner is the one who checkmates any of the other three kings!

2. Your pawns promote on your 8th rank!

3. One player moves after the next, clockwise.

4. Partnering between any of the four players is not allowed. Everyone should play for himself/herself!

Pros:

• It is social but slower than standard chess. But four players can play the same game.
• The game improves patience – you have to wait for three others before you can make a move!

3. FischerRandom

One possible starting position in FischerRandom Chess

Rules:

FischerRandom chess is a fun version of classical chess where normal chess rules apply except:

1. The starting position of the pieces is random (generated by a chess program). There are 960 unique starting positions.

2. The two bishops of both players move on squares of opposite colours.

3. The castling rules of standard chess apply, however, the starting position of kings and rooks might differ from what we are used to. When castling kingside the king moves to g1 (g8) and the rook to f1 (f8), just like castling kingside in standard chess.

When castling queenside the king moves to c1 (c8) and the rook to d1 (d8), just like castling queenside in standard chess.

4. Coming Out from Invisibility or Half-Blindfold chess

You may come across something like this in Half-Blindfold chess

Rules:

Players start their game on an empty chessboard, visualising the starting position. Every time they make a move, the piece they moved appears on the board. All other pieces remain invisible to the players.

Pros:

• easier than Blindfold chess,
• enhances visualisation
• helps concentration skills,
• encourages beginners to develop their pieces
• a good diagnostic tool of a level of play:

1. As the game progresses it is easy to spot pecularities of a player: is she/he hopping around with one piece; occupies the centre with pawns or plays with as many pieces as possible.

2. It is interesting to see who keeps track of all invisible pawns, especially when the middlegame is reached.

5. Blindfold chess

This is what you will see for the entire game!

Rules:

Two levels of difficulty:

1. It is easier to play with an empty chessboard in front of the players,

2. Advanced: no chess equipment is used. You announce your moves to your opponent.

Pros:

• Harder than Half-Blindfold as you do not see one single piece during the entire game.
• You should record the game to be able to reconstruct in case of a dispute.
• Improves visualization skills.
• Improves calculation skills.
• Helps to master the name of the squares because you have to announce your moves.

6. Bughouse Chess

Rules:

Two players (Team A) play on two boards against another two players (Team B). In both teams one player plays with White, the other with Black. Captured pieces are given to one's teammate. The captured pieces and pawns you do receive from your teammate can be placed on the board in your game. Normal chess rules apply, except:

1. The captured pieces on one board are passed to your teammate.

2. Instead of making a move you can put/’drop’ any captured piece onto any vacant square, though pawns may not be dropped onto the first or the eighth rank.

3. Dropped pawns can be promoted. The pawn goes to your teammate after a promotion is completed.

4. A rook that is put to the original square of the rook is considered not to have moved and you can castle with such a rook.

5. The pieces you receive from your teammate should not be hidden from your opponent.

6. Pieces can NOT be dropped to give checkmate.

7. Checkmate or flagging on either board ends the match.

8. Clocks should be placed at each end so that all four players can see the time on both clocks.

9. Players should not help their teammates during the games. But a friendly chat is allowed!

Pros:

• Extreme fun and a social variant of chess.
• Encourages playing with more pieces.
• Emphasizes the importance of king's safety. It is very hard to lose if you surround your king with defenders.

Hikaru Nakamura, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Levon Aronian and Maxim Dlugy have fun playing bughouse.

7. Giveaway or Losing, or Capture, or Take-It chess

Rules:

The aim of this game is to lose all of your pieces except for your king!

Capturing the enemy pieces is compulsory. The players do their best to give their pieces away as soon as possible.

Pros:

• Improves awareness of possible captures.
• Encourages paying attention to the moves your opponent has!
• Improves problem-solving skills.

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