Top 10 Best Chess Games Ever Played

January 18, 2022 By Sourav

Chess is a game of minds. Players with intelligent minds have clashed on the 8 by 8 board since medieval times. The players use their tricks to outwit their opponents within the as little number of moves as possible. Throughout the years, Chess legends like Garry Kasparov, Vishwanathan Anand, Antony Karpov, Boris Spassky have amazed us with their spellbound moves. Let us take a look at the list of Top 10 Best Chess Games Ever Played.

Best Chess Games Ever Played

10. Howard Staunton vs. Pierre Saint-Amant

We start our list of the top 10 best chess games ever played with this game. Considered as one of the earliest official matches conducted in the 1800s, Howard Staunton put up an exciting clash with Pierre Saint Amant.

In a game of 30 moves, Staunton was ahead of his time, with a better understanding of the importance of activating pieces quickly which was revolutionary then. He crushed Amant to pieces still mostly asleep in their bed.

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9. Stefan Levitsky vs. Frank Marshall

The next game to come to our list of the top 10 best chess games ever played was the clash of the Titans. The Soviet champion versus the U.S. Champion was a worthwhile watch. Marshall was a U.S. chess champion from 1909 to 1936, and one of the strongest players of his era.

Stefan Levitsky was an equal competitor to Marshall. In a game of 23 moves, Marshall made a very bold move putting his queen open to capture by two separate pawns which forced Levitsky to resign immediately.

8. Garry Kasparov vs. Veselin Topalov

Considered as the Match of the Century, The clash between Gary Kasparov and Veselin Topalov was a worthwhile match for viewers. The two former champions clashed in a game to prove their worth which lasted 44 moves.

The game was an attacking one with both players going offensive right from the first move. Kasparov chasing Topalov’s King all over the board and Topalov removing important pieces of Kasparov’s defense.

7. Astronaut Frank Poole vs. Hal

Well, Many of the readers might be wondering, why this virtual game is on the list of the top 10 best chess games ever played. But, Astronaut Frank Poole’s game against his own computer HAL in the 2001 film ‘A Space Odyssey’ was one of the most beautifully created Chess games.

The game lasts after only 15 moves with HAL announcing mate, attacking Poole's king with a bishop, a queen, and two knights, a formidable force. Poole doesn't survive the onslaught very well.

6. Bobby Fischer vs. Boris Spassky

With the Cold War overtones still lurking in the background, this game between Fischer and Spassky was a record-breaking one. In winning game six and the match against defending world champion Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer, the maverick's maverick, broke Russia's dominance in 1972.

Spassky was just unbeatable but the master card of Fischer was the Queen’s gambit, openings of the game that led Spassky on a back foot.

5. Adolf Anderssen vs. Lionel Kieseritzky

The next game to come into our list of the top 10 best chess games ever played is between Anderssen and Kieseritsky. Known as “The Immortal Game”, this took place at the first international chess tournament. Anderssen, a German master, faced Kieseritzky, the sole French master in the latter part of the 1800s. Anderssen was clearly the superior player - but its significance lies in the beauty of its finish.

He gave up all his pieces but saved the best for the last while Kieseritzky thought he had won the game. But in an astonishing about-turn, Anderssen went onto checkmate Kieseritzky using only a bishop and two knights.

4. Magnus Carlsen vs. The World

Norwegian Carlsen was the youngest Chess Grandmaster at the age of 19 and a match was decided for Carlsen against the world. The World comprised of the Hikaru Nakamura (U.S.), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), and Judit Polgar (Hungary).

On pen and paper, they were the better side but it was difficult to coherent three masterminds into a single plan. Carlsen finished in striking fashion, passing pawns on the queenside which proved to be unstoppable.

3. Boris Spassky vs David Bronstein

The next game in our list of the top 10 best chess games ever played took place when Russia dominated the game worldwide. I saw two Soviet Grandmasters clashing against each other. Both were creative and used certain flares in their moves.

The game was an exciting one with Spassky (white) using the King's Gambit opening while Bronstein operating from the flanks with the pawns. This game was the model for the chess scene in the iconic James Bond movie, 'From Russia With Love'.

2. Anatoly Karpov Vs Garry Kasparov

Featuring two of the greatest players of all time, Karpov and Kasparov, the two modern Russian giants clashed against each other. Karpov needed to win in order to retain his world title while Kasparov was a young talent who needed to show his worth.

For the first 23 moves, Karpov was the master dominating the halves but the games took an unusual turn when Kasparov put his rook on a square that on the face of it seemed to offer few prospects. He opened his other pieces with the rock move which turned on to be crucial for the match.

1. Garry Kasparov Vs Deep Blue

The winner in our list of the top 10 best chess games ever played was World Champion Garry Kasparov against a computer Deep Blue. Deep Blue was a mainframe computer, an experimental product of IBM.

Kasparov eventually lost to Deep Blue in this landmark clash. Eventually becoming the first world champion to lose to a computer. Although he currently retired from active international competitive games, Kasparov still holds his place among the best Chess players of modern times.