David Bronstein
Notable Games

David Bronstein

20 celebrated games · 883 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 883 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1941.06 Belavenets, Sergey Vesevolodovi vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Double Fianchetto Attack 24 moves URS-ch13 Semifinal Group2 13th Soviet Championship semifinal, Rostov-on-Don 1941 — the 17-year-old Bronstein defeats the seasoned Soviet master Sergei Belavenets, an early flash of the talent that would reach a World Championship match within ten years.
  • 1946.03 Zita, Frantisek vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Double Fianchetto Attack 30 moves Match/City Prague-Moscow 13,0-23,0 Moscow–Prague match, 1946 — a youthful attacking masterpiece that drew worldwide acclaim, capped by a celebrated rook sacrifice; long anthologized among the games that announced Bronstein's dynamic style.
  • 1947.02.18 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsDubinin, Peter Vasilievich 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky, Long Whip Defense, Jaenisch Variation 27 moves URS-ch15 Final 15th Soviet Championship, Leningrad 1947 — Bronstein, a lifelong champion of the romantic King's Gambit, wields it here in a sharp attacking win over Pyotr Dubinin.
  • 1950.05.18 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Bogoljubow Variation 33 moves Candidates Tournament Candidates Tournament, Budapest 1950 — the last-round Ruy Lopez win over Paul Keres that caught Boleslavsky for first place and forced the playoff Bronstein would win to reach the world title match.
  • 1950 Boleslavsky, Isaak vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Fingerslip Variation, Kunin Double Gambit 29 moves Candidates plof Bronst-Boleslavs +3-2=9 Candidates playoff, Moscow 1950 — the decisive sudden-death 14th game against Isaac Boleslavsky; this win clinched the playoff and made Bronstein the challenger to World Champion Botvinnik.
  • 1951.05.06 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Dutch Defense: Classical Variation 38 moves World-ch18 Botvinnik-Bronstein +5-5=14 World Championship 1951, Game 22 — a deep combination against World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik's Dutch Defense exploits a back-rank weakness and hands Bronstein the lead with two games to play.
  • 1953.09.22 Reshevsky, Samuel Herman vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Long Variation 65 moves Candidates Tournament Candidates Tournament, Zürich 1953 — a King's Indian win over Samuel Reshevsky that Grandmaster Ulf Andersson would later name his favorite game by another player.
  • 1955.08.25 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System 39 moves Interzonal-03 Göteborg Interzonal, 1955 — a dramatic Nimzo-Indian battle between two of the era's great attackers, decided in Bronstein's favor.
  • 1956.09.05 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsRojahn, Ernst 1-0 Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Kieseritzky Variation 38 moves Olympiad-12 Preliminaries A Moscow Olympiad, 1956 — one of Bronstein's most imaginative games: from a Two Knights he gives up a piece for two pawns and rolls an unstoppable pawn phalanx through the center.
  • 1961.01.10 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 20 moves URS-ch28 Final & Zonal 28th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1961 — a celebrated 20-move miniature; Bronstein's attack overruns Efim Geller from a Nimzo-Indian, Sämisch Variation.
  • 1965.01.09 Bakulin, Nikolay I vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 Caro-Kann Defense: Bronstein-Larsen Variation 32 moves URS-ch32 Final 32nd Soviet Championship, Kiev 1965 — Bronstein wins with the Caro-Kann line named after him, the Bronstein–Larsen Variation, a defense he helped pioneer.
  • 1968.12.12 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 King's Gambit Declined: Falkbeer Countergambit, Charousek Gambit, Main Line 43 moves URS-chT Cup 06th Soviet Team Cup, Riga 1968 — Bronstein beats former World Champion Mikhail Tal in the King's Gambit complex (a Falkbeer Counter-Gambit), a rare and prized scalp of the great attacker.
  • 1971.09.23 Polugaevsky, Lev vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Three Knights Variation 49 moves URS-ch39 Final 39th Soviet Championship, Leningrad 1971 — Bronstein meets Lev Polugaevsky with an original, problematic pawn sacrifice that leaves White tied up for the rest of the game.
  • 1973.08.07 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsLjubojevic, Ljubomir 1-0 Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack 41 moves Interzonal-09b Petropolis Interzonal, 1973 — often called the finest game of Bronstein's career: from an Alekhine's Defense, a long-range rook sacrifice that won the tournament's First Brilliancy Prize and was voted its most beautiful game.
  • 1983.09 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsKupreichik, Viktor D 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Rare Defenses 41 moves URS-ch51 Semifinal 51st Soviet Championship semifinal, Minsk 1983 — at 59, Bronstein produces a tactical King's Indian masterclass against Viktor Kupreichik.
  • 1989 Conquest, Stuart vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 Caro-Kann Defense: Accelerated Panov Attack, Modern Variation 26 moves London NWYM London, 1989 — a dazzling 26-move tactical display; the 65-year-old Bronstein cuts down England's Stuart Conquest.
  • 1990 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsBrowne, Walter Shawn 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Main Line 34 moves Reykjavik op Reykjavik Open, 1990 — at 66, Bronstein springs new ideas on Sicilian specialist Walter Browne and wins from a Najdorf.
  • 1946.03 Pachman, Ludek vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Double Fianchetto Attack 31 moves Match/City Prague-Moscow 13,0-23,0 Moscow 1946 — a 31-move win with Black against Ludek Pachman. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 51 (PDF page 361).
  • 1951.04.08 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsBronstein, David Ionovich 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Euwe Variation 39 moves World-ch18 Botvinnik-Bronstein +5-5=14 World Championship 1951, game 11 — a 39-move win with Black against Mikhail Botvinnik. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 62 (PDF page 423).
  • 1958.10.04 Bronstein, David Ionovich vsPalmiotto, Fiorentino 1-0 Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack, Unzicker Attack, Bronstein Variation 29 moves Olympiad-13 Preliminaries A Munich 1958, Olympiad — a 29-move win with White against Fiorentino Palmiotto. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 59 (PDF page 406).
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