Under-Anthologized Games

A Collection of Games That Tickled My Fancy Somehow

Here's a collection of random interesting games. I'm not going to show you Morphy beating the Duke and the Count, or Anderssen grinding up Kieseritzky and Dufresne, because everybody's seen those games a thousand times.

These are games that you probably haven't seen, but should. They're not necessarily masterpieces. Some are, but others are just interesting. Why are they interesting? Well, it varies. Some are really great games (i.e. Torre-Lasker, 1925). Others have an interesting story behind them (i.e. Denker-Reshevsky, 1942. In fact, in many cases, the story itself is well known but the actual game isn't). Some have some special sporting significance (i.e. Benko-Keres, 1962, a loss to a man he'd beaten 7 straight times, which led to Keres' fourth straight second place finish in the Candidates) Some feature an outrageous and/or famous blunder (i.e. Petrosian-Bronstein, 1956).

It varies from game to game. The one thing all the games have in common is that they're interesting and they're not very well known. Okay, technically that's two things, so sue me.

# Year Game Res Description

1 1485 Castellvi-Vinoles 1-0 Oldest known modern chess game

# 1858 Morphy-Staunton 2-0 Who says Staunton never played Morphy?

# 1858 Anderssen-Morphy 1-0 Morphy losing to 1. a3???

# 1876 Blackburne-Steinitz 0-1 What would YOU do for a ~~Klondike Bar~~ Pawn?

# 1907 Wolf-Rubinstein ½-½ Rubinstein talks a little smack

# 1909 Cohn-Rubinstein 0-1 One of the most instructional endgames of all time.

# 1912 Ed Lasker - Thomas 1-0 One of the best Skittles games since Anderssen-Dufresne

# 1921 Lasker-Capablanca ½-½ Wildest game in a dull match

# 1922 Alekhine-Reti ½-½ The Immortal Draw

# 1925 Torre-Lasker 1-0 Torre's Windmill Combination

# 1925 Capablanca-Botvinnik 0-1 One World Champ beats another in a simul

# 1926 Marshall-Capablanca ½-½ A boring Danish?

# 1927 Alekhine-Capablanca ½-½ Doomsday Defense

# 1927 Capablanca-Alekhine ½-½ Spoiled brilliancy

# 1928 Rubinstein-Capablanca ½-½ A cardiac draw

# 1928 Kan-Botvinnik 1-0 Last time a World Champ lost to an Evans?

# 1936 Botvinnik-Winter ½-½ Winter loses his nerve

# 1938 Capablanca-Fine ½-½ Capa, Tartakover and Chess Review miss an easy win?

# 1942 Reshevsky-Denker 1-0 Highway Robbery

# 1942 Pilnick-Reshevsky ½-½ Great Stalemate Swindle

# 1944 Denker-Fine 1-0 Denker's Greatest Day

# 1945 Petrosian-Dzhaparidze 1-0 An offense against nature!

# 1951 1951 Tandem --- Petrosian & Geller spring a simultaneous novelty

# 1951 Botvinnik-Bronstein ½-½ Isn't a Rook usually enough to win?

# Year The Gothenburg Variatian --- Argentinian Disaster in triplicate

# 1956 Hearst-Mednis 0-0 The rarest result

# 1956 Petrosian-Bronstein 0-1 The Infamous Queen Hang

# 1956 Turner-Fischer 2½-½ The one American who could beat Bobby Fischer

# 1957 D. Byrne-Reshevsky ½-½ Rules Lawyer's Delight

# 1957 Kalme-Fischer 1-0 Fischer's last loss to an American for 3½ years

# 1958 Averbakh-Fischer ½-½ The Immortal Mutual Fear Game!

# 1958 Cardoso-Bronstein 1-0 Most famous upset in Interzonal history

# 1958 Korchnoi-Tolush 0-1 Revenge on Tal, taken out on Korchnoi!

# 1959 Keres-Fischer 0-1 An underwhelming game

# 1962 Aaron-Filip 0-1 The Royal Fork

# 1962 Fischer-Geller 1-0 Geller writes down a winner, plays a loser

# 1962 Benko-Keres 1-0 Keres falls short, Episode 4

# 1962 Uhlmann-Fischer ½-½ Illegal Grandmaster Draw, but so what?

# 1962 Fischer-Bisguier 1-0 Bisguier finds yet another way to lose to Fischer

# 1963 Evans-Reshevsky ½-½ The Swindle of the Century

# 1966 Petrosian-Spassky ½-½ Windmill Combination spoiled

# 1966 Petrosian-Spassky 1-0 The Polish Defense in a World Championship??

# 1967 Kavalek-Fischer ½-½ Hot Poisoned Pawn Action!

# 1968 Petrosian-Estrin 1-0 Petrosian in Tal's clothing

# 1969 Evans-Reshevsky 0-1 Reshevsky finally gets the US Championship back.

# 1970 Geller-Fischer 0-1 Grind, Grind, Grind...

# 1971 Fischer-Petrosian ½-½ Just when it was getting interesting, too...

# 1972 Huebner-Petrosian 1-0 Petrosian's only loss in Olympic Play

# 1973 Reshevsky-Byrne 0-1 Reshevsky gets Byrned

# 1974 Karpov-Korchnoi 1-0 Bard the Bowman has got nothing on Karpov

# 1974 Korchnoi-Karpov 1-0 Karpov blown off the board in 19 moves??

# 1976 Castro-Petrosian 1-0 Petrosian forgets a rule, Korchnoi talks smack

# 1976 Huebner-Petrosian 0-1 Houdini, eat your heart out

# 1977 Petrosian-Korchnoi 1-0 A rare Grandmaster checkmate

# 1977 Spassky-Hort 1-0 That game won't win itself, ya know!

# 1977 Korchnoi-Spassky 0-1 An incredible double blunder

# 1978 Silva-Rafael ½-½ Do you think this one might have been pre-arranged?

# 1980 Bradford-Byrne 1-0 Byrne gets Byrned

# 1988 Hackbart-Cree ½-½ The Immortal Mirror Game!

#	Year	Game	Res	Description
1	1485	Castellvi-Vinoles	1-0	Oldest known modern chess game
#	1858	Morphy-Staunton	2-0	Who says Staunton never played Morphy?
#	1858	Anderssen-Morphy	1-0	Morphy losing to 1. a3???
#	1876	Blackburne-Steinitz	0-1	What would YOU do for a ~~Klondike Bar~~ Pawn?
#	1907	Wolf-Rubinstein	½-½	Rubinstein talks a little smack
#	1909	Cohn-Rubinstein	0-1	One of the most instructional endgames of all time.
#	1912	Ed Lasker - Thomas	1-0	One of the best Skittles games since Anderssen-Dufresne
#	1921	Lasker-Capablanca	½-½	Wildest game in a dull match
#	1922	Alekhine-Reti	½-½	The Immortal Draw
#	1925	Torre-Lasker	1-0	Torre's Windmill Combination
#	1925	Capablanca-Botvinnik	0-1	One World Champ beats another in a simul
#	1926	Marshall-Capablanca	½-½	A boring Danish?
#	1927	Alekhine-Capablanca	½-½	Doomsday Defense
#	1927	Capablanca-Alekhine	½-½	Spoiled brilliancy
#	1928	Rubinstein-Capablanca	½-½	A cardiac draw
#	1928	Kan-Botvinnik	1-0	Last time a World Champ lost to an Evans?
#	1936	Botvinnik-Winter	½-½	Winter loses his nerve
#	1938	Capablanca-Fine	½-½	Capa, Tartakover and Chess Review miss an easy win?
#	1942	Reshevsky-Denker	1-0	Highway Robbery
#	1942	Pilnick-Reshevsky	½-½	Great Stalemate Swindle
#	1944	Denker-Fine	1-0	Denker's Greatest Day
#	1945	Petrosian-Dzhaparidze	1-0	An offense against nature!
#	1951	1951 Tandem	---	Petrosian & Geller spring a simultaneous novelty
#	1951	Botvinnik-Bronstein	½-½	Isn't a Rook usually enough to win?
#	Year	The Gothenburg Variatian	---	Argentinian Disaster in triplicate
#	1956	Hearst-Mednis	0-0	The rarest result
#	1956	Petrosian-Bronstein	0-1	The Infamous Queen Hang
#	1956	Turner-Fischer	2½-½	The one American who could beat Bobby Fischer
#	1957	D. Byrne-Reshevsky	½-½	Rules Lawyer's Delight
#	1957	Kalme-Fischer	1-0	Fischer's last loss to an American for 3½ years
#	1958	Averbakh-Fischer	½-½	The Immortal Mutual Fear Game!
#	1958	Cardoso-Bronstein	1-0	Most famous upset in Interzonal history
#	1958	Korchnoi-Tolush	0-1	Revenge on Tal, taken out on Korchnoi!
#	1959	Keres-Fischer	0-1	An underwhelming game
#	1962	Aaron-Filip	0-1	The Royal Fork
#	1962	Fischer-Geller	1-0	Geller writes down a winner, plays a loser
#	1962	Benko-Keres	1-0	Keres falls short, Episode 4
#	1962	Uhlmann-Fischer	½-½	Illegal Grandmaster Draw, but so what?
#	1962	Fischer-Bisguier	1-0	Bisguier finds yet another way to lose to Fischer
#	1963	Evans-Reshevsky	½-½	The Swindle of the Century
#	1966	Petrosian-Spassky	½-½	Windmill Combination spoiled
#	1966	Petrosian-Spassky	1-0	The Polish Defense in a World Championship??
#	1967	Kavalek-Fischer	½-½	Hot Poisoned Pawn Action!
#	1968	Petrosian-Estrin	1-0	Petrosian in Tal's clothing
#	1969	Evans-Reshevsky	0-1	Reshevsky finally gets the US Championship back.
#	1970	Geller-Fischer	0-1	Grind, Grind, Grind...
#	1971	Fischer-Petrosian	½-½	Just when it was getting interesting, too...
#	1972	Huebner-Petrosian	1-0	Petrosian's only loss in Olympic Play
#	1973	Reshevsky-Byrne	0-1	Reshevsky gets Byrned
#	1974	Karpov-Korchnoi	1-0	Bard the Bowman has got nothing on Karpov
#	1974	Korchnoi-Karpov	1-0	Karpov blown off the board in 19 moves??
#	1976	Castro-Petrosian	1-0	Petrosian forgets a rule, Korchnoi talks smack
#	1976	Huebner-Petrosian	0-1	Houdini, eat your heart out
#	1977	Petrosian-Korchnoi	1-0	A rare Grandmaster checkmate
#	1977	Spassky-Hort	1-0	That game won't win itself, ya know!
#	1977	Korchnoi-Spassky	0-1	An incredible double blunder
#	1978	Silva-Rafael	½-½	Do you think this one might have been pre-arranged?
#	1980	Bradford-Byrne	1-0	Byrne gets Byrned
#	1988	Hackbart-Cree	½-½	The Immortal Mirror Game!