Favourite Five

Position after:

(5) Averbakh - Spassky Leningrad Leningrad, 1956         16...Nc6!? 1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 g6 3.e4 d6 4.d4 Bg7 5.Be2 0-0 6.Bg5 c5 7.d5 Qa5 8.Bd2 a6 9.a4 e5 10.g4 Ne8 11.h4 f5 12.h5 f4 13.g5 Qd8 14.Bg4 Nc7 15.Bxc8 Qxc8 16.Nf3 Nc6!? Wow. 17.dxc6 bxc6 18.Nh4 Qe8 19.hxg6 hxg6 20.Qg4 Rb8 21.Nd1 Ne6 22.Ra3 Nd4 23.Rah3 Qf7 24.Bc3 Rfe8 25.R3h2 Qxc4 26.Nxg6 Re6 27.Bxd4 Rxg6 28.Qf5 Qe6 29.Qxe6+ Rxe6 30.Bc3 d5 31.f3 Rb3 32.Rh3 c4 33.Kd2 Rg6 34.Rg1 d4 35.Ba5 Bf8 36.Rg4 Rd6 37.Kc2 Rd7 38.g6 Rdb7 39.Be1 c5 40.Rgh4 Bg7 41.Ba5 c3 42.bxc3 Ra3 43.cxd4 exd4 44.Rxf4 Ra2+ 45.Kd3 Rb1 46.Rh1 Rxa4 47.Kc2 Rb5 48.e5 d3+ 49.Kxd3 Rxf4 50.Bc3 Rxf3+ 51.Ke4 Rg3 52.Kf4 Rxg6 53.Ne3 Rb8 54.Nf5 Rf8 55.Rh5 Re8 56.Ke4 Rg1 57.Rh3 Bf8 58.Kd5 Rd1+ 59.Ke4 Rc1 60.Kd5 Rd1+ 61.Ke4 Rd7 62.Nh6+ Bxh6 63.Rxh6 Rh7 64.Rg6+ Kf7 65.Rf6+ Ke7 66.Rc6 Kd7 67.Rxc5 Rh6 68.Kd5 Rb6 69.Ba5 Rb5 70.Rxb5 axb5 71.e6+ Rxe6 72.Kc5 Re5+ 73.Kb6 1/2-1/2

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Position after:

(4) Topalov - Shirov Linares Linares, 1998      47...Bh3!! 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bb5+ c6 8.Ba4 0-0 9.Ne2 Nd7 10.0-0 e5 11.f3 Qe7 12.Be3 Rd8 13.Qc2 Nb6 14.Bb3 Be6 15.Rad1 Nc4 16.Bc1 b5 17.f4 exd4 18.Nxd4 Bg4 19.Rde1 Qc5 20.Kh1 a5 21.h3 Bd7 22.a4 bxa4 23.Ba2 Be8 24.e5 Nb6 25.f5 Nd5 26.Bd2 Nb4 27.Qxa4 Nxa2 28.Qxa2 Bxe5 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Bg5 Rd5 31.Re3 Qd6 32.Qe2 Bd7 33.c4 Bxd4 34.cxd5 Bxe3 35.Qxe3 Re8 36.Qc3 Qxd5 37.Bh6 Re5 38.Rf3 Qc5 39.Qa1 Bf5 40.Re3 f6 41.Rxe5 Qxe5 42.Qa2+ Qd5 43.Qxd5+ cxd5 44.Bd2 a4 45.Bc3 Kf7 46.h4 Ke6 47.Kg1 Bh3!! 48.gxh3 Kf5 49.Kf2 Ke4 50.Bxf6 d4 51.Be7 Kd3 52.Bc5 Kc4 53.Be7 Kb3 0-1

Position after:

(3) Levitzky - Marshall Breslau Breslau, 1912    23...Qg3!! 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 c5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Be2 Nf6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Bg5 0-0 9.dxc5 Be6 10.Nd4 Bxc5 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.Bg4 Qd6 13.Bh3 Rae8 14.Qd2 Bb4 15.Bxf6 Rxf6 16.Rad1 Qc5 17.Qe2 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qxc3 19.Rxd5 Nd4 20.Qh5 Ref8 21.Re5 Rh6 22.Qg5 Rxh3 23.Rc5 Qg3!! 0-1

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Position after:

(2) Brzozka - Bronstein Miskolc Miskolc, 1963   48...Rb3+!! 1.c4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0-0 0-0 6.d4 d6 7.Nc3 c6 8.Qc2 Kh8 9.b3 Na6 10.Bb2 Nc7 11.Rad1 Bd7 12.e3 Qe8 13.Rfe1 Rd8 14.Rd2 Nh5 15.d5 Qf7 16.dxc6 bxc6 17.Ne2 c5 18.Nf4 Nf6 19.Ng5 Qg8 20.Bc3 Rde8 21.Ba5 Ne6 22.Ngxe6 Bxe6 23.Nxe6 Qxe6 24.Qd3 Ne4 25.Qd5 Qxd5 26.Rxd5 Bc3 27.Bxc3+ Nxc3 28.Rd2 Ne4 29.Rb2 a5 30.f3 Nf6 31.Kf2 Rb8 32.Ke2 Rb6 33.Kd3 e5 34.f4 e4+ 35.Kc3 Kg7 36.Bf1 h5 37.h4 Rfb8 38.Be2 a4 39.Reb1 a3 40.Rd2 Kf7 41.Rbd1 Ke7 42.Rd5 Ne8 43.R1d2 Nc7 44.Bd1 Na6 45.Bc2 Nb4 46.Bb1 Ra6 47.Rd1 Nxd5+ 48.Rxd5 Rxb3+!! 49.Kxb3 Rb6+ 50.Kc2 Rb2+ 51.Kc1 Re2 52.Rd1 Rxe3 53.Rg1 Rc3+ 54.Kd2 Rxc4 55.Bc2 d5 56.Rb1 d4 57.Bd1 Rc3 58.Rb3 e3+ 59.Ke2 Rc1 60.Rxa3 c4 61.Ra7+ Kd6 62.Ba4 Rh1 63.Rd7+ Kc5 64.Rc7+ Kb4 65.a3+ Kc3 66.Bb5 Rh2+ 67.Kf1 d3 68.Rxc4+ Kb2 69.Kg1 e2 70.Kxh2 e1Q 0-1

Position after:

(1) Ivanchuk - Shirov Wijk aan Zee Wijk aan Zee, 1996    21.Qg7!! 1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 dxc4 6.e4 b5 7.e5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nxg5 hxg5 10.Bxg5 Nbd7 11.exf6 Bb7 12.g3 c5 13.d5 Qb6 14.Bg2 0-0-0 15.0-0 b4 16.Na4 Qb5 17.a3 exd5 18.axb4 cxb4 19.Be3 Nc5 20.Qg4+ Rd7 21.Qg7!! I remember that at the time I was doing some work on this variation, when I read this game the effect was stunning. Was it found over the board or some nice home prepration? I can imagine Shirov nearly fell off his seat when it was played. Bxg7 22.fxg7 Rg8 23.Nxc5 d4 24.Bxb7+ Rxb7 25.Nxb7 Qb6 26.Bxd4 Qxd4 27.Rfd1 Qxb2 28.Nd6+ Kb8 29.Rdb1 Qxg7 30.Rxb4+ Kc7 31.Ra6 Rb8 32.Rxa7+ Kxd6 33.Rxb8 Qg4 34.Rd8+ Kc6 35.Ra1 1-0

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