ChessRules

Description: Alexey Shirov versus Judit Polgar, Buenos Aires, 1994. Polgar’s knight move is an exceptionally imaginative move from one of the very best attackers to have ever played the game.

Description: Ian Nepomniachtchi versus Sergei Rublevsky, Moscow, 2006. Nepomniachtchi’s knight went walkabout and jumped straight into the lion’s mouth where it could be taken by three pieces. This is play full of swagger from a young lad who went onto win. Here at ChessRules we’re big fans of Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Description: Henry Bird versus Paul Morphy, London, 1858. Morphy’s visionary rook sacrifice against Bird opens up the third rank allowing the queen to slide across the board with the intention of itself being sacrificed on a3. Sacrificing both queen and rook to win the game is pure class.

Description: Alexey Shirov versus Judit Polgar, Buenos Aires, 1994. Polgar’s knight move is an exceptionally imaginative move from one of the very best attackers to have ever played the game.

Description: Ding Liren versus Ian Nepomniachtchi, Astana, 2023. Nobody could see it. Nobody could see the significance of d5. Nobody except Liren. He blocked an escape route for his opponent’s king. Three moves later Nepomniachtchi resigns. Unbelievable calculation from Liren making him Chess World Champion.

Description: Ossip Bernstein versus José Raúl Capablanca. When you find the perfect square and the game ends instantly; Capablanca throws and hits the bullseye!

Description: Magnus Carlsen versus Sergey Karjakin, New York, 2016. Carlsen sacrifices his queen to become World Champion! Absolute class. There were no such flamboyant moves in Carlsen's world championship match but what he showed was that his mental stamina is phenomenal. (We are aware here at ChessRules that Hikaru Nakamura played this exact same tactic in 2002.)

Description: Judit Polgar versus Nona Gaprindashvili, Novi Sad, 1990. The brutal rook sacrifice by Gaprindashvili resulted in an instant resignation from Polgar. Both of these players are genuinely inspirational.

Description: Magnus Carlsen versus Hans Harestad, Copenhagen, 2003. Carlsen sacrifices the queen which leads to a forced checkmate. Carlsen was 12. Harestad’s rating was about 2250. Fast forward 20 years and surely Magnus Carlsen is the greatest ever chess player.

Description: Laurent Fressinet versus Alexandra Kosteniuk, Villandry, 2007. Endurance should also be celebrated in chess. Kosteniuk’s Rh2 was her 251st move that finally brought the game to an end. Epic!

Description: Hikaru Nakamura versus Vladimir Kramnik, Istanbul, 2012. Nakamura calculates that under-promoting gains him tempo to capture e2 scuppering Kramnik’s promotion. Nakamura goes onto win. Nakamura is immense.

Description: Daniil Dubov versus Anish Giri, Moscow, 2019. Dubov's queenside castle is a totally unintuitive move as it left the king completely exposed to Giri's attack. Dubov's ballsy tactic paved the way to victory.

Description: Laurent Fressinet versus Alexandra Kosteniuk, Villandry, 2007. Endurance should also be celebrated in chess. Kosteniuk’s Rh2 was her 251st move that finally brought the game to an end. Epic!

Description: Magnus Carlsen versus Hans Harestad, Copenhagen, 2003. Carlsen sacrifices the queen which leads to a forced checkmate. Carlsen was 12. Harestad’s rating was about 2250. Fast forward 20 years and Magnus Carlsen is surely the greatest ever chess player.

Description: Mikhail Tal versus Hans-Joachim Hecht, Varna, 1962. The pawn is mightier than the queen! Tal ignores the threat to his queen and marches forth with his pawn and marches forth to victory. Incredible!

Description: Hikaru Nakamura versus Vladimir Kramnik, Istanbul, 2012. Nakamura calculates that under-promoting gains him tempo to capture e2 scuppering Kramnik’s promotion. Nakamura goes onto win. Nakamura is immense.

Description: Stefan Levitsky versus Frank Marshall, Breslau, 1912. Marshall moves queen to g3 threatening checkmate next move. It's a stunning play because the queen can be taken by three different pieces but regardless of the sacrifice each move will lead to Levitsky being checkmated. Astonishing!

Description: Boris Spassky versus Bobby Fischer, Reykjavik, 1972. The pressure on these two players at that time is hard to comprehend. The eyes and ears of the spies of the world were watching! So to be able to still play incredible moves is testament to the brilliance of both Spassky and Fischer, but on this occasion Fischer’s Bxa4 was the winner.

Description: Mikhail Tal versus Hans-Joachim Hecht, Varna, 1962. The pawn is mightier than the queen! Tal ignores the threat to his queen and marches forth with his pawn and marches forth to victory. Incredible!

Description: Magnus Carlsen versus Sergey Karjakin, New York, 2016. Carlsen sacrifices his queen to become World Champion! Absolute class. There were no such flamboyant moves in the recent world championship match but what Carlsen showed was that his mental stamina is phenomenal. (We are aware here at ChessRules that Hikaru Nakamura played this exact same tactic in 2002!)

Description: Rashid Nezhmetdinov versus Oleg Chernikov, Rostov-on-Don, 1962. Nezhmetdinov’s queen sacrifice is astonishing; a zen-like understanding of his position. Simply outstanding.

Description: Henry Bird versus Paul Morphy, London, 1858. Morphy’s visionary rook sacrifice against Bird opens up the third rank allowing the queen to slide across the board with the intention of itself being sacrificed on a3. Sacrificing both queen and rook to win the game is pure class.

Description: N. Kosolapov versus Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Kazan, 1936. Nezhmetdinov's Qxh2* is an absolutely explosive queen sacrifice, a knockout blow, devastating, brutal.

Description: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave versus Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wijk aan Zee, 2011. Vachier-Lagrave places his rook on an empty square to be captured freely. However, if it is captured then it’s checkmate next move but if it’s not captured then it’s checkmate in two moves. Ooft!

Description: Gunnar Gundersen versus A. H. Faul, Melbourne, 1928. Gundersen’s move celebrates all things beautiful, checkmate with en passant.

Description: Richard Reti versus Savielly Tartakower. This incredible queen sacrifice by Reti leads to an undiscovered check and a forced checkmate in two moves. Brilliant!

Description: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa versus Volodar Murzin, New York, 2024. The penultimate game in the 2024 World Rapid Championship sees Murzin’s king go marching up the board. Under immense time pressure Praggnanandhaa was flummoxed. Murzin had the nerve to place his king in the mouth of the lion knowing that his bishop will block the check and lead to an astonishing victory and ultimately becoming the second youngest player to win the tournament. Mindblowing!

Description: Veselin Topalov versus Alexei Shirov, Linares, 1998. Shirov drops his bishop onto h3. He spotted that tempo was fundamental and sacrificed his bishop to create game winning tempo. Genius. Considered one of the greatest moves ever.

Description: Bobby Fischer versus Pal Benko. Fischer places his sacrificial rook on an empty square to block a pawn defence. Ultimately this move leads to Benko’s resignation.

Description: Luis Paulo Supi versus Magnus Carlsen, www, 2020. Admittedly this is an online blitz game played for fun however, Qc6 is an astonishing move against the greatest chess player of all time. Carlsen’s reaction said it all, “Ooft! That is dirty! Wow! Wow! Wow! That is awesome!”

Description: Gunnar Gundersen versus A. H. Faul, Melbourne, 1928. Gundersen’s move celebrates all things beautiful, checkmate with en passant.

Description: Gata Kamsky versus Anatoly Karpov, Dortmund, 1993. Karpov places his king on what seems a completely absurd square. A few moves later though his pieces have been given space to attack.

Description: Andrey Esipenko versus Magnus Carlsen, Wijk aan Zee, 2021. Esipenko’s g4 on move eight signalled his intent; the 18-year-old was not to be intimidated. Ncxb5 had Carlsen on the back foot for the rest of the game. Outstanding play from Esipenko.

Description: Bobby Fischer versus Pal Benko. Fischer places his sacrificial rook on an empty square to block a pawn defence. Ultimately this move leads to Benko’s resignation.

Description: Fabiano Caruana versus Ruslan Ponomariov. Re7 is a bonafide visionary move. Caruana forces Ponomariav to take his sacrificial rook and again Ponomariav is forced to take Caruana’s sacrificed bishop and then finally is forced to accept checkmate.

Description: Bai Jinshi versus Ding Liren, Tianjin, 2017. After having sacrificed his queen Liren had to keep applying the pressure. Rd4 is sublime. Right this moment Ding Liren is World Champion. Bravo!