Max Euwe
Notable Games

Max Euwe

20 celebrated games · 823 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 823 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1934.07.18 Euwe, Max vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Janowski Variation 53 moves Zuerich International and SWZ-ch37 Zurich 1934 — one of Euwe's most famous games and a portent of things to come: he outplays the reigning World Champion Alekhine in a Queen's Gambit Declined, breaking with 28.e4 and grinding the endgame home. Euwe shared second with Salo Flohr at the great Zurich tournament, one point behind Alekhine but beating him head-to-head.
  • 1935.12.03 Euwe, Max vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Dutch Defense: Nimzo-Dutch Variation, Alekhine Variation 47 moves World-ch15 Euwe-Alekhine +9-8=13 The Pearl of Zandvoort — Game 26 of the 1935 World Championship match. The positional 17.f4! and the piece sacrifice 21.Nxf5! (three pawns and a raging attack) produced Euwe's finest game of the match and opened the two-point lead that carried him to the crown as the fifth World Champion.
  • 1936.07.30 Euwe, Max vsMaroczy, Geza 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense, Main Line 35 moves Zandvoort Zandvoort 1936, dubbed 'the second Pearl of Zandvoort' — a kingside brilliancy against the veteran Géza Maróczy: Euwe tears open the black king with 20.Bxh6! and swings the rook up (21.Rd4–g4), the mating attack unstoppable.
  • 1936.08.10 Euwe, Max vsReshevsky, Samuel Herman 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Capablanca Variation 49 moves Nottingham International Masters Nottingham 1936 — at one of the strongest tournaments ever held, Euwe grinds down Samuel Reshevsky in a Queen's Indian, converting a queenside majority into a decisive passed a-pawn. He shared third with Reuben Fine and Reshevsky, half a point behind joint winners Botvinnik and Capablanca and ahead of Alekhine.
  • 1938.11.24 Euwe, Max vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation 34 moves AVRO AVRO 1938 — days after Botvinnik's famous win over Capablanca, Euwe halted the tournament leader: in a Grünfeld the future sixth World Champion erred early, Euwe won the exchange (17…Nxe4 18.Nxa8) and doubled rooks on the seventh to force resignation in 34 moves.
  • 1938.11.27 Euwe, Max vsCapablanca, Jose Raul 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation, Nimzowitsch Line 39 moves AVRO AVRO 1938 — with the world's elite assembled, Euwe outplays José Raúl Capablanca in a Queen's Indian, liquidating into a bishop-versus-knight endgame and shepherding his extra pawns to victory. A scalp of the third World Champion at the same event as his win over Botvinnik.
  • 1939 Euwe, Max vsFlohr, Salo 1-0 Slav Defense: Schlechter Variation 39 moves Amsterdam KNSB Zeskamp Amsterdam 1939 — a crisp attacking win over Salo Flohr in a Slav: Euwe swings his rook to the kingside (23.Rh5, 28.Rh6) and finishes with 38.Rxh7 and the passed e-pawn queening.
  • 1939.12.27 Euwe, Max vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred 42 moves Match Keres-Euwe +6-5=3 From the hard-fought 1939–40 match with Paul Keres — a Ruy Lopez in which Euwe's kingside build-up crashes through with the rook sacrifice 41.Rxg6+! hxg6 42.Qxg6+.
  • 1946.08.20 Szabo, Laszlo vsEuwe, Max 0-1 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System 42 moves Staunton Memorial Groningen (Staunton Memorial) 1946 — a spectacular Black win over László Szabó: Euwe sacrifices on g2 (…Rg3, …Rxg2) and marches the white king up the board, hounding it with checks to the very end.
  • 1948.04.18 Euwe, Max vsSmyslov, Vasily V 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Smyslov Variation 42 moves World-ch17 Tournament The 1948 World Championship Tournament — Euwe defeats the future seventh World Champion Vasily Smyslov in a Grünfeld, winning material and converting the endgame. A bright spot in an event the former champion finished last.
  • 1948 Tartakower, Saviely vsEuwe, Max 0-1 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Center Holding Variation 42 moves Venice Venice 1948 — a dazzling king hunt with Black: Euwe sacrifices knight and rook (22…Nf4+, 27…exf4+, 29…Rxe4+) to drag Tartakower's king into the open and chase it to mate.
  • 1953.08.31 Geller, Efim P vsEuwe, Max 0-1 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Sämisch Variation, O'Kelly Variation 26 moves Candidates Tournament Euwe's Immortal, Zürich Candidates 1953 — at 52 he invites Geller's kingside storm, lets him win the exchange on h8, then breaks through first on the other wing (23…Rc2, 24…Rxg2+, 25…Qb3–f3): a counterattack for the ages, and perhaps his most famous game.
  • 1953.09.13 Euwe, Max vsNajdorf, Miguel 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Immediate Fianchetto 37 moves Candidates Tournament Zürich Candidates 1953 — one of Euwe's finest attacking games: against Najdorf's King's Indian he hurls the kingside pawns forward (13.h4, 15.g4) and sacrifices into a mating attack (19.Nxg6+), finishing 37.Qg7+.
  • 1956.01.03 Donner, Jan Hein vsEuwe, Max 0-1 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Indian Formation 22 moves NED-ch17 Euwe-Donner +4-0=6 The Hague 1956 — one of Euwe's best-known later victories: a 22-move Black miniature over Jan Hein Donner from the Dutch Championship match Euwe won with four wins, six draws and no losses, sacrificing (16…Bxh3, 18…Rxe4) to reach the crushing 22…Qf3.
  • 1957.03.09 Euwe, Max vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation, Positional Variation 20 moves Match Euwe-Fischer +1-0=1 New York 1957 — the former World Champion, then 55, beats a 14-year-old Bobby Fischer in just 20 moves (17.Qh7+, 19.Ncxd5). Euwe won their short informal match 1½–½.
  • 1934.12.28 Botvinnik, Mikhail vsEuwe, Max 0-1 Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Carlsbad Line 47 moves Christmas Congress 1934/35-15 Premier Hastings White Rock Pavilion 1934 — a 47-move win with Black against Mikhail Botvinnik. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 9 (PDF page 66).
  • 1935.10.29 Euwe, Max vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Grünfeld Defense: Russian Variation, Hungarian Variation 36 moves World-ch15 Euwe-Alekhine +9-8=13 World Championship 1935, game 12 — a 36-move win with White against Alexander Alekhine. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 12 (PDF page 89).
  • 1935.12.01 Alekhine, Alexander vsEuwe, Max 0-1 Queen's Gambit Declined: Cambridge Springs Defense, Yugoslav Variation 45 moves World-ch15 Euwe-Alekhine +9-8=13 World Championship 1935, game 25 — a 45-move win with Black against Alexander Alekhine. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 17 (PDF page 112).
  • 1937.10.05 Euwe, Max vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Slav Defense: Czech Variation, Carlsbad Variation 50 moves World-ch16 Alekhine-Euwe +10-4=11 World Championship 1937, game 1 — a 50-move win with White against Alexander Alekhine. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 20 (PDF page 147).
  • 1946.08.13 Euwe, Max vsYanofsky, Daniel Abraham 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Rubinstein System 46 moves Staunton Memorial Groningen 1946 — a 46-move win with White against Daniel Abraham Yanofsky. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part II, game 25 (PDF page 191).
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