100 Greatest Chess Games of All Time

Paris 1858. Paul Morphy demolished the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard during a performance of The Barber of Seville. A masterclass in rapid development and sacrificial attack — still the first complete game shown to chess students worldwide, 165 years later.

New York 1956. A 13-year-old Bobby Fischer stunned the chess world with a queen sacrifice against Donald Byrne that was so deep and beautiful it earned this game its legendary title. The move 17...Be6!! announced the arrival of an era-defining genius.

Wijk aan Zee 1999. Kasparov unleashed one of the most spectacular king hunts in history — sacrificing a rook to drag Topalov's king across the entire board. The computer age confirmed what the audience already knew: this was pure genius, a combination lasting over 15 moves.

Lodz 1907. Akiba Rubinstein, arguably the greatest player never to become World Champion, played one of the most beautiful combinations ever seen. His queen sacrifice and rook manoeuvres against Rotlewi remain a benchmark for combinative chess.

Hastings 1895. Wilhelm Steinitz, the first World Champion, played a combination so devastating that Von Bardeleben simply walked away from the board rather than face the forced mate. Steinitz demonstrated the mating sequence to the audience himself.

Moscow 1925. Carlos Torre Repetto played the most famous tactical motif in chess history — a 'windmill' of discovered checks that stripped Emanuel Lasker of all his pieces. The repeated alternation of discovered check and capture remains one of chess's most elegant patterns.

Sochi 1958. Rashid Nezhmetdinov, who never earned the Grandmaster title, played an exchange sacrifice and attacking combination against the elite GM Polugaevsky that is still considered one of the most beautiful games ever played. His sacrificial style terrified the Soviet chess establishment.

Tilburg 1991. Nigel Short marched his king from g1 all the way to h6 — in the middle of an attack. The king led the charge instead of hiding from it, an audacious and almost absurd idea that worked perfectly against Jan Timman.

Linares 1998. Alexei Shirov played the astonishing Bh3!! — a bishop sacrifice into thin air that still makes engines pause. One of the most counterintuitive and beautiful moves ever played. Nobody in the audience, and no computer at the time, could believe it was correct.

Linares 1994. Anatoly Karpov played one of the most astonishing positional sacrifices in history, giving up multiple pieces to create an unstoppable passed pawn. The 12th World Champion proved that brilliance doesn't always require tactical fireworks.

Portoroz 1958. The young Mikhail Tal announced himself to the world with a dazzling attacking display against Bent Larsen at the Interzonal. His wild sacrificial style earned him the nickname 'the Magician from Riga' — a style that would carry him to the World Championship just two years later.

1886. The game that started it all — Steinitz vs Zukertort in the first official World Chess Championship match. This contest defined what it meant to be World Champion and established competitive chess as we know it.

St Petersburg 1895. Harry Nelson Pillsbury, America's great hope after Morphy, battled Emanuel Lasker in one of the era's most celebrated encounters. Pillsbury's tragic early death makes his brilliant games all the more poignant.

1894. The young Emanuel Lasker challenged the ageing Steinitz for the World Championship — and won decisively. Lasker would hold the title for 27 years, the longest reign in chess history.

1892. The Russian champion Mikhail Chigorin challenged Steinitz for the World Championship. Their clash represented a battle between romantic, attacking chess and Steinitz's revolutionary scientific approach to the game.

Paris 1858. The two greatest players of the Romantic Era met in a match that electrified the chess world. Morphy's victory over Anderssen confirmed him as the unofficial World Champion — a player ahead of his time by decades.

Baden-Baden 1925. In a landmark game that helped define the hypermodern movement, Alekhine demolished Reti with a counterattacking masterclass. The game showed that controlling the centre from a distance could be just as powerful as occupying it.

New York 1918. Frank Marshall had been saving a devastating gambit for years, waiting for the perfect moment to spring it on Capablanca. The Cuban genius refuted it over the board — but the 'Marshall Attack' lives on as one of the sharpest lines in the Ruy Lopez, played at the highest level to this day.

St Petersburg 1914. The reigning World Champion Lasker faced the young Cuban prodigy Capablanca in what many consider one of the greatest tournament games ever played. Their rivalry would define an era.

AVRO 1938. Mikhail Botvinnik's victory over Capablanca in the Nimzo-Indian Defence became one of the most analysed games in history. It launched the career of the 'patriarch of Soviet chess' and demonstrated the power of deep strategic preparation.

St Petersburg 1914. The bitter rivalry between Nimzowitsch and Tarrasch — the hypermodernist vs the classicist — produced some of the most theoretically important games in chess history. Their battles shaped how generations understood chess strategy.

New York 1924. José Raúl Capablanca demonstrated why he was called 'the chess machine' — grinding down Tartakower with flawless technique in a game that endgame students still study. His play was so precise it seemed effortless.

San Remo 1930. Alexander Alekhine demolished Aron Nimzowitsch with a display of ruthless attacking chess. The fourth World Champion's combinative style produced one of the most violent brilliancies in chess history — a game of breathtaking beauty.

1929. Alekhine defended his World Championship title against Bogoljubow in a match that showcased his deep combinative genius. His preparation and tactical vision were ahead of their time.

St Petersburg 1909. Akiba Rubinstein defeated the World Champion Lasker with his trademark precision. Rubinstein's rook endgames were so perfect that the term 'Rubinstein endgame' became synonymous with flawless technique.

1912. Rudolf Spielmann, known as 'the last romantic', faced the precise Rubinstein. The clash of styles — sacrificial attack vs iron defence — produced a game that epitomises the transition from romantic to modern chess.

St Petersburg 1914. Nimzowitsch dispatched Alapin in just 18 moves with a display of positional mastery. The game perfectly illustrated his revolutionary ideas about prophylaxis and overprotection that he later codified in 'My System'.

1921. The World Championship match that ended Lasker's 27-year reign. Capablanca's relentless positional pressure proved unstoppable — a passing of the torch from the old world to the new.

1935. Max Euwe, an amateur mathematician from the Netherlands, achieved one of the greatest upsets in chess history by defeating Alekhine for the World Championship. Proof that dedication and deep preparation could overcome raw genius.

Vienna 1922. The creative clash between two Russian émigrés produced memorable chess. Alekhine's combinative vision against Bogoljubow's solid positional play made for a fascinating strategic battle in one of the era's great tournaments.

1937. Alekhine came back to reclaim his title from Euwe, proving that his loss had been an aberration. The rematch showed a reformed, determined Alekhine — sober and focused — at his devastating best.

Zurich 1953. The legendary Candidates Tournament — documented in Bronstein's masterwork — produced some of the greatest games of the 20th century. Geller vs Euwe was a highlight, showcasing the depth and dynamism of Soviet chess.

Gothenburg 1955. Two of the most brilliant players never to become World Champion clashed in the Interzonal. Bronstein's creative genius met Keres's tactical prowess in a game that showcased the incredible depth of Soviet chess.

Gothenburg 1955. The experienced Paul Keres faced a young Boris Spassky in a game that hinted at the latter's future greatness. Spassky would go on to become the 10th World Champion — a universal player equally brilliant in attack and defence.

1960. The 'Magician from Riga' Mikhail Tal challenged the methodical Botvinnik in one of the most dramatic World Championship matches ever. Tal's wild sacrifices defied calculation, daring Botvinnik to find the refutation over the board.

1966. Tigran Petrosian, the 'Iron Tigran', defended his World Championship title against Boris Spassky. Petrosian's prophylactic style — seeing threats before they appeared — frustrated even the supremely talented Spassky.

1959. Two of the most exciting players in chess history clashed in the Candidates Tournament. Tal's mystical sacrificial style against Fischer's concrete precision — the Magician vs the Machine — produced unforgettable chess.

1954. The patriarch of Soviet chess, Botvinnik, faced Smyslov in a World Championship match that pushed both players to their limits. Their rivalry defined the 1950s — scientific preparation vs natural harmony.

1954. Vassily Smyslov's game against Botvinnik showcased his unique gift — an almost supernatural feel for piece harmony and endgame technique. His play had a musical quality that set him apart from every other grandmaster.

USSR Championship 1960. Boris Spassky played a King's Gambit — that most romantic of openings — against Bronstein and won brilliantly in just 23 moves. A reminder that even in the age of the Soviets, swashbuckling chess could still triumph.

Zurich 1953. Miguel Najdorf — whose name lives on in the Sicilian Najdorf, the most popular opening in modern chess — faced the Yugoslav star Gligoric in one of the century's most important tournaments.

1958. After losing his World Championship title to Smyslov the year before, Botvinnik exercised his rematch clause and won it back. His iron will and meticulous preparation allowed him to reclaim the throne — a feat he would repeat against Tal three years later.

1961. Botvinnik proved that preparation beats inspiration by defeating Tal in their rematch. He had systematically analysed Tal's weaknesses and neutralised the young champion's sacrificial style. The patriarch of Soviet chess reclaimed his crown for the second time.

1963. Tigran Petrosian finally ended Botvinnik's era by defeating the patriarch in their World Championship match. 'Iron Tigran' used his prophylactic mastery to neutralise every threat, becoming the ninth World Champion — and Botvinnik never played a title match again.

1969. On his second attempt, Boris Spassky overcame Petrosian's legendary defensive fortress to win the World Championship. His versatile brilliance — equally at home in sharp tactics or quiet positional play — made him the perfect player for his time.

1971. Bobby Fischer's march to the World Championship was unprecedented — he demolished Larsen 6-0. This game from their Candidates semifinal shows Fischer at his terrifying best: precise, relentless, and absolutely merciless.

Leiden 1970. In the famous USSR vs Rest of the World match, Spassky's devastating victory over Larsen — played with the rare 1...b6 — became one of the most famous miniatures in history.

US Championship 1963. Part of Fischer's legendary 11-0 sweep of the US Championship — one of the most dominant tournament performances in history. His play against Benko demonstrated the effortless precision that defined his style.

1971. The Candidates Final that decided who would challenge Spassky. Petrosian's defensive genius against Fischer's relentless attacking style — two fundamentally different chess philosophies in collision.

1971. Fischer overcame 'Iron Tigran' Petrosian in their Candidates Final to earn the right to challenge Spassky. The victory was the climax of Fischer's extraordinary Candidates campaign — 20 wins in his last 21 games.

1971. Fischer defeated Taimanov 6-0 in their Candidates quarterfinal — a result so shocking that Taimanov was punished by Soviet authorities who assumed he must have thrown the match. He hadn't; Fischer was simply that good.

Varna Olympiad 1962. Fischer played the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian Defence against the man it was named after — and won brilliantly. The irony was not lost on the chess world.

Reykjavik 1972. The most famous chess match in history. Fischer vs Spassky wasn't just a chess match — it was a Cold War proxy battle that captivated the entire world. Fischer's victory made him an American icon and transformed chess forever.

1961. The generational clash between Samuel Reshevsky — America's longtime #1 — and the teenage Fischer who was about to supplant him. Their bitter rivalry produced intense, combative chess.

1969. Boris Spassky finally overcame Tigran Petrosian to win the World Championship on his second attempt. His versatile playing style — equally comfortable in sharp tactics or positional grinds — made him one of the most complete players ever.

Reykjavik 1972. Game 6 of the Match of the Century is widely regarded as the greatest game Fischer ever played. With the Queen's Gambit Declined, Fischer produced a positional masterpiece of such depth and beauty that Spassky himself joined the audience in applauding. The game that broke Spassky's spirit.

St Stefan/Belgrade 1992. After 20 years of silence, Bobby Fischer returned to play Spassky in a rematch that captivated the world. Despite violating UN sanctions against Yugoslavia, Fischer proved he could still compete at an elite level — beating Spassky convincingly. It would be his last competitive match.

1985. The greatest rivalry in chess history. Karpov vs Kasparov's World Championship battles spanned five matches and 144 games over five years. Their contrasting styles — Karpov's boa constrictor positional play vs Kasparov's dynamic attacking genius — produced some of the deepest chess ever played.

Seville 1987. The fourth Karpov-Kasparov match went down to the final game. Kasparov needed to win the last game to retain his title — and he did. One of the most dramatic climaxes in World Championship history.

1984. The most controversial World Championship match ever. After 48 games over 159 days — with Karpov leading 5-0 before Kasparov clawed back — FIDE President Campomanes controversially terminated the match 'without result'. The chess world was outraged.

New York 1997. The rematch that changed everything. Kasparov's loss to IBM's Deep Blue was a watershed moment for humanity — the first time a reigning World Champion lost a match to a computer. It marked the beginning of the computer age in chess.

Philadelphia 1996. Deep Blue's first battle against Kasparov. The computer won Game 1 — shocking the world — but Kasparov adapted and won the match. His ability to find the machine's weaknesses showed the power of human creativity.

New York 1997. The decisive Game 6 where Deep Blue crushed Kasparov's Caro-Kann in just 19 moves. A visibly shaken Kasparov accused IBM of cheating, but the result stood — humanity's champion had fallen. The machine age had begun, and chess would never be the same.

Nice Olympiad 1974. Karpov's smooth positional victory exemplified his 'boa constrictor' style — slowly squeezing the life out of his opponent's position without any obvious tactical fireworks. The most dangerous kind of chess.

1995. Kasparov defended his World Championship against India's Viswanathan Anand in New York's World Trade Center. The match showcased two of the greatest players of all time at the peak of their powers.

Niksic 1983. The young Kasparov — not yet World Champion — destroyed the Hungarian legend Portisch with a devastating queen sacrifice. The game announced to the world that a new force had arrived in chess.

London 1993. The first World Championship match played outside FIDE's control, after Kasparov and Short broke away to form the PCA. The political fallout split the chess world for over a decade, but the chess was superb.

Linares 1994. Kasparov at the peak of his powers in the strongest tournament in the world. His games from Linares in the 1990s are considered among the finest chess ever played by a human being.

1974. The rising Karpov eliminated the former World Champion Spassky on his way to the World Championship match against Fischer — who would forfeit rather than play. Karpov became champion without playing the title match.

London 2000. Vladimir Kramnik achieved what no one thought possible — he defeated Kasparov in a World Championship match. His Berlin Defence strategy neutralised Kasparov's attacking play, ushering in a new era of computer-influenced preparation.

1985. The game where Kasparov demonstrated his dynamic attacking style against Karpov's positional mastery. Their clash of styles produced the deepest and most theoretically important chess of the 20th century.

Monte Carlo 1998. Played blindfolded at the famous Amber Tournament, this game showcased the incredible calculating abilities of elite players. Playing without sight of the board, both players produced chess of remarkable quality.

Leningrad/London 1986. Their third World Championship match saw Karpov at his most dangerous. After losing his title the year before, the 12th World Champion showed he was far from finished, winning games of extraordinary depth and complexity in one of the most closely fought matches in history.

New York/Lyon 1990. The fifth and final Karpov-Kasparov World Championship match was a worthy conclusion to the greatest rivalry in chess. After 144 games across five matches over six years, Kasparov retained his title — ending the most intense competitive battle the game has ever seen.

Linares 1997. A preview of their future World Championship clash. Kasparov's victory over the young Kramnik in what was then the strongest tournament ever held showed why he was rated #1 — but Kramnik was taking notes for their 2000 showdown.

London 2000. In Game 2 of their World Championship match, Kramnik demonstrated the Berlin Defence strategy that would neutralise Kasparov's greatest weapon — the Ruy Lopez. This game fundamentally changed elite chess opening theory and helped Kramnik achieve the impossible: dethroning Kasparov.

Wijk aan Zee 2013. Viswanathan Anand played a Meran Variation masterpiece against Levon Aronian that is widely considered one of the greatest games of the 21st century. Anand's deep preparation and precise calculation were breathtaking.

Sochi 2014. Magnus Carlsen defended his World Championship title against Anand in their rematch. Carlsen's universal playing style — equally dangerous in any type of position — had redefined what it meant to be the best.

Chennai 2013. Magnus Carlsen won the World Championship at age 22, defeating the legendary Anand in his home country. The Norwegian prodigy's coronation was the most anticipated chess event in decades.

Brissago 2004. Peter Leko came agonisingly close to winning the World Championship, needing only a draw in the final game. Kramnik won it instead, retaining his title in one of the most dramatic finishes in championship history.

Sofia 2010. Anand defended his title against Topalov despite the enormous pressure of playing in Bulgaria, Topalov's home country. His calm under fire and deep preparation proved decisive.

New York 2016. Sergey Karjakin pushed Carlsen to tiebreaks in a tense World Championship match. Karjakin's stubborn defence earned him the nickname 'the Minister of Defence' — but Carlsen's class told in the rapid tiebreaker.

New York 2016. The decisive tiebreak game where Carlsen retained his World Championship. Under immense pressure, with the entire match on the line, Carlsen's rapid play was clinical and devastating.

Elista 2006. The reunification World Championship match was marred by the infamous 'Toiletgate' scandal, but the chess was exceptional. Kramnik unified the classical and FIDE titles in a match that was as controversial as it was brilliant.

Bonn 2008. Viswanathan Anand won the undisputed World Championship, unifying the title for good. His victory against Kramnik — featuring superb preparation in the Meran Variation — was a triumph of deep strategic understanding.

Moscow 2012. Anand's final successful World Championship defence before losing to Carlsen. Boris Gelfand, a lifelong elite player, came closer than anyone expected — the match went to tiebreaks.

Dubai 2021. Carlsen's dominant defence of his World Championship featured the longest game in WCh history — a 136-move marathon that broke Nepomniachtchi's spirit. After that game, the match was effectively over.

Dubai 2021. Game 6 — the longest game in World Championship history at 136 moves and nearly 8 hours of play. Carlsen ground down Nepomniachtchi in an epic rook and knight endgame, converting a minimal advantage with superhuman technique. The psychological blow destroyed Nepo's resistance for the rest of the match.

Dubai 2021. After the devastating Game 6 marathon, Nepomniachtchi's play deteriorated dramatically. This game captured the cruel psychological dimension of World Championship chess — how one loss can unravel even a world-class player's composure.

Astana 2023. After Carlsen declined to defend his title, Ding Liren and Nepomniachtchi played one of the most dramatic World Championship matches ever. Ding won the final tiebreak game to become China's first World Chess Champion.

Astana 2023. The rollercoaster World Championship match saw huge swings of momentum. Nepomniachtchi's aggressive style clashed with Ding's resilient defence in what many called the most exciting WCh match in decades.

Astana 2023. The decisive rapid tiebreak game where Ding Liren became China's first World Chess Champion. After an emotionally draining classical match, Ding found the strength to win when it mattered most — collapsing in tears of joy as he made history.

London 2018. Fabiano Caruana became the first American since Fischer to challenge for the World Championship. All 12 classical games were drawn — the first time in history — before Carlsen dominated the rapid tiebreaks.

London 2018. One of the tensest World Championship games ever played. The depth of modern preparation meant neither player could find an advantage in classical time controls — testament to the incredible level of modern elite chess.

Elista 2006. The most controversial World Championship match since Fischer-Spassky. Topalov's team accused Kramnik of using computer assistance in the bathroom, leading to a forfeited game and diplomatic crisis. The chess, remarkably, was excellent.

Chennai 2013. Anand fought valiantly to retain his World Championship in his home city, but the 22-year-old Carlsen was relentless. The passing of the torch from one era to another — played out before Anand's home crowd.

Norway Chess 2021. A preview of their World Championship match later that year. Nepomniachtchi showed he could compete with Carlsen at the very highest level, setting the stage for their dramatic Dubai encounter.

Moscow 2012. The World Championship rapid tiebreak where Anand's superior speed chess skills proved decisive. Gelfand had pushed the defending champion to the limit — proof that in chess, anything can happen.

Sofia 2010. Topalov's attempt to use home advantage against Anand produced intense fighting chess. The match was overshadowed by the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption that nearly prevented Anand from reaching Sofia.

Zurich 2014. A rematch appetiser before their official World Championship return match. The Zurich Chess Challenge brought together the world's elite in one of the most prestigious invitational tournaments.