Donald Byrne
Notable Games

Donald Byrne

13 celebrated games · 117 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 117 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1953.08.16 Byrne, Donald vsPitschak, Rudolf 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation 33 moves US Open-54 U.S. Open, Milwaukee 1953, the tournament Byrne won with 10½/13. Against Rudolf Pitschak's Nimzo-Indian, 14.c5 and 20.f6 push into the black position, 26.Nxe6 Qxe6 27.Bxd5 Rxd5 28.Rde1 pins the queen against the uncastled king, and 30.Rxe5 and 31.Re7 finish it in 33 moves.
  • 1954.06.16 Byrne, Donald vsAverbakh, Yuri L 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation 59 moves Match/Nation USA-URS 12,0-20,0 USA–USSR match, New York 1954, against Yuri Averbakh, the Soviet champion that year, whom Byrne beat 3–1 over their four games. In this English, 30.Ng5+ Kg8 31.Qe6+ forces the queens off, 33.Nxd8 wins the exchange, and the c-pawn reaches c7 before Averbakh resigns after 59.Rd4.
  • 1954.06.23 Averbakh, Yuri L vsByrne, Donald 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Main Line 56 moves Match/Nation USA-URS 12,0-20,0 The same match, with Black against Averbakh in the Semi-Tarrasch. 33...Nh3+ 34.Kh2 f4 offers the knight, and after 35.gxh3 Qg3+ the black queen checks from g3, h3 and h4. 45...e5 opens the center, and the passed b-pawn and f-pawn decide: 52...b3 and 56...f3.
  • 1955.06 Geller, Efim P vsByrne, Donald 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack 42 moves Match/Nation URS-USA 25,0-7,0 USSR–USA match, Moscow 1955, against Efim Geller. In the Dragon, Byrne meets the Yugoslav Attack with 9...Be6 and accepts doubled e-pawns after 12.Nxe6 fxe6. 27...Rxd3 takes the bishop, 30...Nxe2+ and 31...bxc3 strip the white king, and Geller resigns after 42...gxh5.
  • 1956.10.07 Byrne, Donald vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Benoni Defense: King's Pawn Line 40 moves New York Rosenwald-03 Third Rosenwald Trophy, New York 1956, round one, against Samuel Reshevsky, who won the tournament with 9/11. This was his only loss. Against the Benoni, 14.b4 and 15.a5 open the queenside, 24.e5 dxe5 25.Bxe5 frees the d-pawn, and 31.d6 and 35.d7 decide the game in 40 moves.
  • 1957.08.05 Sprague, Ross Frederick vsByrne, Donald 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation 29 moves US Open-58 U.S. Open, Cleveland 1957, round one, against Ross Sprague in the Dragon. 19...exf4 and 20...Bxc3 21.bxc3 Qxe4 open the center, 24...Be2 25.Rxe2 Qxe2 wins the exchange, and Sprague resigns after 29...Qg7.
  • 1958 Byrne, Robert Eugene vsByrne, Donald 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Pterodactyl Variation 53 moves USA-ch U.S. Championship, New York 1958/59, against his elder brother Robert, in a fianchetto King's Indian. 46...Nxg3+ 47.Kh2 Nf1+ 48.Bxf1 Rh7+ opens the h-file, and the black queen and knights drive the white king up the board until 53...Qf3# mates.
  • 1961 Weinstein, Raymond Allen vsByrne, Donald 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Yugoslav Attack, Main Line 25 moves USA-ch U.S. Championship, New York 1961, against Raymond Weinstein, in the Yugoslav Attack against the Dragon with 9...a5, the line Byrne popularized. 20...b5 opens the b-file, and after 24.Rxb8 Rxb8 25.Bb3 Rxb3 White resigns in 25 moves.
  • 1962.03.25 Byrne, Donald vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 English Opening: King's English Variation, Reversed Sicilian 33 moves Mar del Plata International-25 Mar del Plata 1962 against the former World Champion Vasily Smyslov, who lost only this game in the event. After 20.Rfb1 Qxb1+ 21.Rxb1 Rxb1+ Smyslov has two rooks for the queen, but 23.e5, 26.Bxc5 and 29.Nc6 Bxc6 30.dxc6 bring the c-pawn forward, and Smyslov resigns after 33.c7.
  • 1962.04.12 Najdorf, Miguel vsByrne, Donald 0-1 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Normal Variation 82 moves Mar del Plata International-25 Mar del Plata 1962, round fifteen, against Miguel Najdorf. Both sides queen a pawn, 56...b1=Q 57.a8=Q+, and in the queen ending 74...Qxc8 wins the white knight. The game ends with 82.Qxe7 Nxd5+, a knight fork of king and queen.
  • 1962.09.16 Byrne, Donald vsMyagmarsuren, Lhamsuren 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, Queen's Knight Variation 44 moves Olympiad-15 Preliminaries B Varna Olympiad 1962, where Byrne, as first reserve for the United States, scored 9½/12. Against Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren he advances on the kingside with 11.f5 and 13.g4, gives up a knight with 30.Ng5 fxg5 31.hxg5, and 41.Bxg8 and 44.Rg8+ finish it.
  • 1966.12.29 Byrne, Donald vsByrne, Robert Eugene 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Two Knights, Fianchetto Variation 42 moves USA-ch 1966/67 Rosenwald Trophy U.S. Championship, New York 1966/67, against Robert again, in a symmetrical English. 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Bxb7 wins a pawn, 30.Rxf5 gxf5 31.Rxf5 gives up the exchange to reach the black king, and Robert resigns after 42.Qd2.
  • 1972.11.24 Byrne, Donald vsEvans, Larry Melvyn 1-0 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Two Knights, Fianchetto Variation 33 moves San Antonio San Antonio 1972 against the former U.S. champion Larry Evans. 20.Ne6 Bxe6 21.Qxe6 brings the queen into the black position, 24.Bxc6 Rxc6 25.Bxb4 wins a pawn, and 32.Rxb6 and 33.Nxd4 end the game.
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