Best games of 2023

[Christopher Kreuzer]

In an effort to revive this little-known area of the forum, here is an early contender for the game of the year (2023) according to Boris Avrukh:

[Event "Swedish Elitserien"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2023.03.10"] [Round "7"] [White "Blomqvist, Erik"] [Black "Tikkanen, Hans"] [Result "1-0"] [Board "4"] [WhiteTitle "GM"] [WhiteFideId "1709437"] [WhiteElo "2526"] [WhiteCountry "SWE"] [WhiteEloChange "4"] [BlackTitle "GM"] [BlackFideId "1706446"] [BlackElo "2490"] [BlackCountry "SWE"] [BlackEloChange "-4"] 1. e4 {[%clk 1:30:54]} c6 {[%clk 1:30:59]} 2. Nf3 {[%clk 1:31:00]} d5 {[%clk 1:31:27]} 3. Nc3 {[%clk 1:30:59]} Bg4 {[%clk 1:31:45]} 4. h3 {[%clk 1:31:19]} Bxf3 {[%clk 1:32:11]} 5. Qxf3 {[%clk 1:31:42]} e6 {[%clk 1:32:38]} 6. Be2 {[%clk 1:31:56]} Bc5 {[%clk 1:30:48]} 7. O-O {[%clk 1:32:05]} Nd7 {[%clk 1:29:32]} 8. exd5 {[%clk 1:31:56]} exd5 {[%clk 1:17:59]} 9. Re1 {[%clk 1:31:53]} Ne7 {[%clk 1:11:01]} 10. Na4 {[%clk 1:31:07]} Bd6 {[%clk 0:49:47]} 11. d4 {[%clk 1:31:20]} Qa5 {[%clk 0:50:06]} 12. Nc3 {[%clk 1:30:41]} Nf8 {[%clk 0:50:32]} 13. Bh6 {[%clk 1:07:29]} Rg8 {[%clk 0:37:08]} 14. Bd2 {[%clk 0:59:09]} Qb6 {[%clk 0:36:40]} 15. Qd3 {[%clk 0:41:26]} g6 {[%clk 0:32:53]} 16. Na4 {[%clk 0:38:49]} Qc7 {[%clk 0:33:18]} 17. Nc5 {[%clk 0:38:00]} b6 {[%clk 0:31:03]} 18. Na6 {[%clk 0:31:07]} Qd7 {[%clk 0:31:32]} 19. c4 {[%clk 0:29:00]} Ne6 {[%clk 0:30:14]} 20. Bf3 {[%clk 0:23:30]} O-O-O {[%clk 0:27:20]} 21. Rac1 {[%clk 0:21:54]} dxc4 {[%clk 0:20:37]} 22. Qxc4 {[%clk 0:16:54]} Nxd4 {[%clk 0:20:48]} 23. Qxd4 {[%clk 0:16:30]} Bh2+ {[%clk 0:21:11]} 24. Kxh2 {[%clk 0:16:47]} Qxd4 {[%clk 0:21:39]} 25. Rxe7 {[%clk 0:16:38]} Qd6+ {[%clk 0:21:59]} 26. Bf4 {[%clk 0:13:03]} Qxe7 {[%clk 0:20:23]} 27. Rxc6+ {[%clk 0:07:38]} Kd7 {[%clk 0:20:52]} 28. Rc7+ {[%clk 0:07:54]} Ke8 {[%clk 0:21:05]} 29. Bc6+ {[%clk 0:07:57]} Rd7 {[%clk 0:21:14]} 30. Nb8 {[%clk 0:06:49]} Qb4 {[%clk 0:21:06]} 1-0

Online chess24 engine analysis here:

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... 2023/7/1/4

What do people here think? Excessive praise from Avrukh, or genuine contender? Is 13.Bh6 a great spot, or obvious? Is 22.Qxc4 angling for the queen sacrifice or just plain inferior to 22.Rxc4? How much of the follow-up is calculable and how much is intuitive? What is going on after 28...Ke6 and the simplification into the rare material imbalance of 2R vs BBN? Is White really able to win that eventually (thus justifying the 'amazing game' tag)?

[IM Jack Rudd]

I wouldn't like to be black and trying to save my rooks after 28...Ke6 29.Rxe7+ Kxe7 30.Nb4, that's for sure.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Thanks Jack. I only just noticed that the move Nb8 at the end is White toying with Black. About the 2 rooks vs 3 minor pieces, I had that once in a game (draw agreed fairly soon after it arose) and I think RR vs BNN is more tricky, and it can depend on how open the position is and pawn weaknesses, etc.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

There are also some interesting lines after 25...Rd7 26.Rxc6+ Kd8 27.Rxd7+ Kxd7 that demonstrate how White's three minor pieces are better than Black's Queen.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Oh, I'm blind. We aren't going to get to three minors versus two rooks: white meets 28...Ke6 with 29.Bg4+, and it'll be two pieces for a rook one way or another.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I need to look at those positions with a proper engine. The online Stockfish at chess24 is suggesting that your first line was best. Is it possible that liquidating into 2 minors vs rook is sometimes best delayed and it may be better to keep grinding away with 3 minors vs 2 rooks? It is an instructive exercise to try and assess that position either way.

My gut feeling is that on an open board you need both bishops to maintain sufficient coordination with the knight against the 2 rooks. With two knights (and a bishop) instead, the 3 minor pieces probably need to have both the bishop of the right colour and/or pawns all on one side of the board.

[Simon Rogers]

Any more contenders?

[LawrenceCooper]

Any more contenders?

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tourn ... 023/2/1/44

[Ian Thompson]

Any more contenders?

Gumularz-Girel, annotated here by Jon Speelman, is pretty good.

[Nick Burrows]

https://lichess.org/broadcast/european- ... j/xqQ9jT9c