English Chess Forum

Penrose vs Tal at the 1960 Olympiad:
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1105990

'Top' is an ill-defined word. Quality of the game? Importance of the occasion? Strength of the opponent?

Penrose himself described his win over Tal as feeling like an Essex v Middlesex county match. Objectively, Tal fell headfirst into a prepared variation. I know, because I showed the line to Jonathan on the morning of the game.

I suggest Alekhine v Yates, Carlsbad 1923. Wonderfully deep combination, major international tournament, world No2 the opponent.

Others are better qualified than me to suggest candidate games from the last 30 years.

Top is a bit vague. But maybe that is good . I'll get in first with some of the other obvious choices!

I agree with Penrose-Tal.

I'm a bit prejudiced against earlier games. I feel the British player is often just throwing big punches against a superior opponent and occasionally gets lucky. But Alekhine-Yates is indeed a good game:
[Event "Karlsbad"] [Site "Karlsbad"] [Date "1923.05.06"] [Round "7"] [White "Alekhine, Alexander"] [Black "Yates, Frederick"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E62"] [PlyCount "100"] [EventDate"1923.04.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "17"] [EventCountry "CSR"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d5 Nb8 8. O-O Nbd7 9. e4 a5 10. Be3 Ng4 11. Bd4 Nge5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. c5 dxc5 14. Bxc5 b6 15. Bd4 Ba6 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Bf1 Bxf1 18. Rxf1 c5 19. Bxe5 Qxe5 20. Qb3 Rab8 21. Qb5 f5 22. Rae1 f4 23. Qd7 Rbd8 24. gxf4 Qxf4 25. Qe6+ Kh8 26. f3 Qg5+ 27. Kh1 Rd6 28. Qh3 Be5 29. Re2 Rdf6 30. Nd1 Rf4 31. Ne3 Rh4 32. Qe6 Qh5 33. Ng4 Rxg4 34. fxg4 Rxf1+ 35. Kg2 Qxh2+ 36. Kxf1 Qh1+ 37. Kf2 Bd4+ 38. Kg3 Qg1+ 39. Kh3 Qf1+ 40. Rg2 Qh1+ 41. Kg3 Qe1+ 42. Kh3 g5 43. Rc2 Qf1+ 44. Kh2 Qg1+ 45. Kh3 Qh1+ 46. Kg3 Qd1 47. Rc3 Qg1+ 48. Kh3 Qf1+ 49. Kg3 Bf2+ 50. Kf3 Bg1+ 0-1

I think we have to include Short's most famous game, even if he is reportedly sick of talking about it:
[Event "Tilburg"] [Site "Tilburg"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "4"] [White "Short, Nigel D"] [Black "Timman, Jan H"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B04"] [WhiteElo "2660"] [BlackElo "2630"] [PlyCount "67"] [EventDate "1991.10.??"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "14"] [EventCountry "NED"] [EventCategory "17"] 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 Bg7 7. Qe2 Nc6 8. O-O O-O 9. h3 a5 10. a4 dxe5 11. dxe5 Nd4 12. Nxd4 Qxd4 13. Re1 e6 14. Nd2 Nd5 15. Nf3 Qc5 16. Qe4 Qb4 17. Bc4 Nb6 18. b3 Nxc4 19. bxc4 Re8 20. Rd1 Qc5 21. Qh4 b6 22. Be3 Qc6 23. Bh6 Bh8 24. Rd8 Bb7 25. Rad1 Bg7 26. R8d7 Rf8 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. R1d4 Rae8 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30. h4 h5 31. Kh2 Rc8 32. Kg3 Rce8 33. Kf4 Bc8 34. Kg5 1-0

Although, arguable more important to his career was this fine game:
[Event "Candidates qf1"] [Site "Brussels"] [Date "1991.??.??"] [Round "3"] [White "Short, Nigel D"] [Black "Gelfand, Boris"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B23"] [WhiteElo "2660"] [BlackElo "2665"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventDate "1991.08.??"] [EventType "match"] [EventRounds "8"] [EventCountry "BEL"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceDate "1999.07.01"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 Bg7 6. O-O e6 7. d3 Nge7 8. Qe1 Nd4 9. Nxd4 cxd4 10. Ne2 O-O 11. Bb3 Nc6 12. Bd2 d5 13. e5 f6 14. exf6 Bxf6 15. Kh1 a5 16. a4 Qd6 17. Ng1 Bd7 18. Nf3 Nb4 19. Qf2 Qc5 20. Bc3 Nc6 21. Rae1 b6 22. Bd2 Nb4 23. Qg3 b5 24. f5 exf5 25. Ne5 Be8 26. axb5 Qxb5 27. Rxf5 Kh8 28. Rxf6 Rxf6 29. Ng4 Rf5 30. Nh6 Rh5 31. Qf4 1-0

We also ought to have Miles' cheeky victory over the reigning world champion:
[Event "EU-chT (Men) 07th"] [Site "Skara"] [Date "1980.01.??"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Karpov, Anatoly"] [Black "Miles, Anthony J"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B00"] [WhiteElo "2725"] [BlackElo "2545"] [PlyCount "92"] [EventDate "1980.01.18"] [EventType "team-tourn"] [EventRounds "7"] [EventCountry "SWE"] [WhiteTeam "Soviet Union"] [BlackTeam "England"] [WhiteTeamCountry "URS"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. e4 a6 2. d4 b5 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. Qe2 e6 6. a4 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Nbd2 b4 9. e5 Nd5 10. Ne4 Be7 11. O-O Nc6 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. c4 bxc3 14. Nxc3 Nxc3 15. Bxc3 Nb4 16. Bxb4 Bxb4 17. Rac1 Qb6 18. Be4 O-O 19. Ng5 h6 20. Bh7+ Kh8 21. Bb1 Be7 22. Ne4 Rac8 23. Qd3 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Qxb2 25. Re1 Qxe5 26. Qxd7 Bb4 27. Re3 Qd5 28. Qxd5 Bxd5 29. Nc3 Rc8 30. Ne2 g5 31. h4 Kg7 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Bd3 a5 34. Rg3 Kf6 35. Rg4 Bd6 36. Kf1 Be5 37. Ke1 Rh8 38. f4 gxf4 39. Nxf4 Bc6 40. Ne2 Rh1+ 41. Kd2 Rh2 42. g3 Bf3 43. Rg8 Rg2 44. Ke1 Bxe2 45. Bxe2 Rxg3 46. Ra8 Bc7 0-1

I feel I should include an Adams game, but no one game jumping out. I can think of several classy Be3 Sicilian wins, and the Rossilimo win against Kramnik at Dortmund 2000 is nice. But I'm undecided.

Beliavsky-Nunn, Wijk aan Zee 1985 - pretty awesome

One could argue all year about the top five as beauty is in the
eye of the beholder. I'd most likely choose 4 Nunn games and
a Blackburne game. There are also a few of Keene's game which I like
and found inspiring.

I'd say the most famous are indeed Alekhine-Yates, Penrose-Tal, Karpov-Miles,
Short - Timman (that glorious King march up the board), Lasker - Napier
('The best game I played was a game I lost').

Perhaps the most famous game by an Englishman, in the eyes of the Americans at least,
is the game that never took place. Staunton v Morphy.

For an amateur player, how about Rumens - Franklin 1976 ?

Does Napier count as English, though??

If he does, then one might throw in Sultan Khan - Capablanca as well......

I've recently found Taulbut - Mikhalchishin (not in MegaBase) from the 1978 World U-26 Youth Championship.

A very good game indeed.

[Event "1st WTCh-U26 final A"]
[Site "Mexico City MEX"]
[Date "1978.09.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Taulbut, Shaun M"]
[Black "Mikhalchishin, Adrian URS"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C87"]
[WhiteElo "2405"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1978.08.19"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 d6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 8.
d4 exd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Qf3 Rb8 12. Rb1 Rb6 13. h3 g6 14. Nb3 Nh5
15. Be3 Rb8 16. e5 dxe5 17. Bh6 Re8 18. Rxe5 Ng7 19. Rd1 Ne6 20. Ne4 Rb5 21.
Rxe6 fxe6 22. Qc3 e5 23. Qc4+ Kh8 24. Qf7 Rg8 25. Nf6 Bxf6 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27.
Qxd7 1-0

Leonard Barden wrote:'Top' is an ill-defined word. Quality of the game? Importance of the occasion? Strength of the opponent?

Indeed. If we're talking "gargantuan stones in a must-win situation" I'd nominate Gurevich-Short from the last round of the Manila Interzonal 1990. Obviously by most criteria that wouldn't rate very highly but it's still one of my favourite games ever (and ... Qb6 one of my favourite individual moves).

I feel I should include an Adams game, but no one game jumping out. I can think of several classy Be3 Sicilian wins, and the Rossilimo win against Kramnik at Dortmund 2000 is nice. But I'm undecided.

Mickey Adams once described Ivanchuk-Adams, Terrassa 1991 as his 'most memorable' game. http://www.kingpinchess.net/?p=169#more-169

If we include amateurs and thrills and spills are the order of the day, then F Parr-Wheatcroft London 1938 and T Wall-Ippolito Hampstead 1998 always make me smile.

Other contenders - Short-Kasparov Brussels 1986, Tartakower-Burn Carlsbad 1911?

Warren Kingston wrote:I ask this because I have just gone through the game Markland - Hort @ Hastings 1970 and it made me think how good is this game compared to other English games?

It comes from an era when it was the exception rather than the rule that world top players were overturned by British players. Within not so many years, such wins were routine by Miles, Nunn, Speelman, Stean. Mestel and later generations.

Thanks for posting the Markland-Hort game, Warren. 23.Bd5 is a lovely move. Took me ages to see that the threat was Nxh5+, and after gxh5 and Qg2+ the "deer caught in the headlights" annotation would be very appropriate. (Er, maybe Rxh5 is needed before Qg2+ - anyway, clearly still haven't seen all the lines yet!)

I have to admit though I can think of lots of great Short games it is harder for me to think of Ones from Adams. Is it a stylistic thing?

Mark Hannon wrote:I have to admit though I can think of lots of great Short games it is harder for me to think of Ones from Adams. Is it a stylistic thing?

Partly that, and also Adams seems to have less scalps against the world top. He never beat Gazza at all, and has big minus scores v Anand, Shirov and Carlsen (among the very top it is only Kramnik against whom he seems to have a reasonable/good score).

Still, I will nominate five of my own favourites

W v Carlsen, Olympiad 2010 - ok, carlsen was messing around in the opening, but still a very measured performance and a rare win
B v Anand, Linares 2005 (last round, I think?) again a measured performance, a rare win and compliments from Gazza
W v Morozevic, Sarajevo 1999
B v Radjabov, Tripoli 2004
W v Leko, Linares 1998 (or 1999?)

And against lesser players:

W v Georgiev, 1993, Greece or Eastern Europe (I think) - 20 move win with the Tromp!
W v Levitt, Dublin 1993 (see contemporary annotations in CHESS by the loser)
B v Tiviakov 1995 or 1996 - crushing win with the Caro against a formerly difficult opponent
a win as Black with QGA in Olympiad 1996 - sorry, I forget the name of the GM opponent
B v Fressinet in last round of 4NCL, May 2006