Marc Esserman
Notable Games

Marc Esserman

23 celebrated games · 143 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 143 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 2000.03.10 Esserman, Marc vsStauffer, Craig A 1-0 Alekhine Defense: Sämisch Attack 18 moves US Masters op US Masters 2000 — the celebrated brilliancy of a sixteen-year-old Esserman: the paradoxical king move 11.Ke2! in the middle of the attack, then 12.Rxh7! and mate in 18 (Alekhine's Defense).
  • 2003.01.16 Esserman, Marc vsTsai, Cindy 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Lipnitsky Attack 23 moves USA-ch U.S. Championship 2003 — a sharp early-career attack against the Najdorf Sicilian.
  • 2008.09.11 Esserman, Marc vsSarkar, Justin 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Kan Formation 16 moves Miami op Miami Open 2008 — a sixteen-move Smith-Morra Gambit brilliancy against fellow International Master Justin Sarkar.
  • 2008.09.12 Esserman, Marc vsMikhalevski, Victor 1-0 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation, Metger Unpin 32 moves Miami op Miami Open 2008 — a Four Knights win over grandmaster Victor Mikhalevski.
  • 2008.10.11 Esserman, Marc vsMartirosov, Vadim 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Kan Formation 25 moves Harvard op Harvard Open 2008 — a Smith-Morra Gambit kingside storm.
  • 2008.12.06 Esserman, Marc vsSchneider, Igor 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Marshall Gambit 34 moves USA tt final U.S. Chess League final 2008 — Esserman's board-three win for Boston against Dallas, beating FIDE Master Igor Schneider with the bishop sacrifice 19.Bf6 and the queen sacrifice 30.Qd8+.
  • 2009.03.08 Esserman, Marc vsShabalov, Alexander 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Stoltz Variation, Shabalov Attack 41 moves Eastern Class-ch Eastern Class Championship 2009 — Esserman turns the Shabalov–Shirov Gambit (7.g4) against its own co-namesake, four-time U.S. champion Alexander Shabalov.
  • 2009.06.19 Esserman, Marc vsHracek, Zbynek 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Push Variation 44 moves New York Marshall CC op 2nd Marshall Chess Club Open 2009 — a Smith-Morra Gambit win over grandmaster Zbyněk Hráček.
  • 2009.08.15 Esserman, Marc vsIbragimov, Ildar 1-0 Three Knights Opening 38 moves 39th Continental Open 39th Continental Open 2009 — a 38-move Three Knights win with White over grandmaster Ildar Ibragimov, rated 2583.
  • 2009.09.08 Esserman, Marc vsSimpson, Ronald 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense 22 moves USA tt U.S. Chess League 2009 — a sacrificial Open Ruy Lopez brilliancy, the exchange sacrifice 13.Rxc6 and 15.Nxf7 tearing open Black's king, from Esserman's celebrated USCL season.
  • 2009.09.21 Esserman, Marc vsBartell, Thomas 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Scheveningen Formation 27 moves USA tt U.S. Chess League 2009 — a Smith-Morra Gambit win over International Master Thomas Bartell.
  • 2009.11.21 Esserman, Marc vsNutzman, Philip A 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Modern Variation 28 moves Greg Hager Memorial Greg Hager Memorial 2009 — a 28-move Kan Sicilian attack built on 12.Ncb5!, 17.Bh7!, and 18.Nd6+, with both white rooks invading the eighth rank.
  • 2009.12.20 Esserman, Marc vsMacKinnon, Keith 1-0 Scandinavian Defense: Portuguese Gambit, Classical Variation 28 moves Edmonton 4th Edmonton 2009 — a 28-move Scandinavian win over Keith MacKinnon, featuring 12.Nxf7 and 14.Nxh8.
  • 2010.06.19 Esserman, Marc vsBenjamin, Joel 1-0 Pirc Defense 27 moves New York Int op New York International 2010 — an upset of former U.S. champion Joel Benjamin.
  • 2011.03.14 Esserman, Marc vsDiamant, Andre 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Chigorin Defense, Panov System 40 moves Lubbock SPICE Cup Spring Lubbock SPICE Cup 2011 — a Ruy Lopez win over grandmaster Andre Diamant.
  • 2011.08.03 Esserman, Marc vsVan Wely, Loek 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Accepted, Paulsen Formation 26 moves US Open-112 112th U.S. Open, 2011 — the celebrated Smith-Morra Gambit brilliancy "Marc of Excellence", built on the knight sacrifice 11.Nd5 against grandmaster Loek van Wely.
  • 2013.09.11 Gulko, Boris F vsEsserman, Marc 0-1 English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with Nb6 42 moves USA tt U.S. Chess League 2013 — a win with the Black pieces over former Soviet and U.S. champion Boris Gulko.
  • 2016.01.29 Esserman, Marc vsShort, Nigel D 1-0 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Modern System 45 moves Gibraltar Masters 14th Gibraltar Masters 2016 — a French Tarrasch win over former world championship challenger Nigel Short.
  • 2016.02.02 Esserman, Marc vsAnand, Viswanathan 1/2-1/2 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit Declined, Alapin Formation 23 moves Gibraltar Masters 14th Gibraltar Masters 2016 — Esserman wheels out his beloved Smith-Morra Gambit against five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand and holds the draw by repetition, with onlookers feeling he had let a win slip.
  • 2016.02.17 Esserman, Marc vsVovk, Yuri 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation, Smith-Morra Declined 34 moves Cappelle op 32nd Cappelle-la-Grande 2016 — another Smith-Morra Gambit scalp, over grandmaster Yuri Vovk.
  • 2017.02.20 Esserman, Marc vsGukesh, Dommaraju 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Smith-Morra Gambit, Accepted 34 moves Cannes Chess Festival Cannes 2017 — the Smith-Morra Gambit (again 11.Nd5) defeats a ten-year-old Dommaraju Gukesh, seven years before he became World Champion.
  • 2010.09.07 Esserman, Marc vsVovsha, Eli 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Lipnitsky Attack 34 moves USA tt U.S. Chess League 2010 — a 34-move win with White against Eli Vovsha. Selected in Marc Esserman, Mayhem in the Morra, page 252.
  • 2011.11.09 Esserman, Marc vsFedorowicz, John P 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Chelyabinsk Variation 32 moves USA tt playoff U.S. Chess League 2011 — a 32-move win with White against John P Fedorowicz. Selected in Marc Esserman, Mayhem in the Morra, page 75.
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