Miguel Najdorf
Notable Games

Miguel Najdorf

15 celebrated games · 888 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 888 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1930 Gluecksberg, B vsNajdorf, Miguel 0-1 Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation 22 moves Warsaw Casual Game The "Polish Immortal": playing Black in a Dutch Stonewall at Warsaw in 1930, the young Najdorf sacrifices all four of his minor pieces to hunt the white king across the board, finishing with the quiet 22...h5# — one of the most celebrated brilliancies of the twentieth century.
  • 1939.10.13 Najdorf, Miguel vsKeres, Paul 1-0 Slav Defense: Quiet Variation 26 moves Circulo de Ajedrez International Playing at Buenos Aires in 1939 — the year the outbreak of the Second World War stranded him in Argentina for the rest of his life — Najdorf downs Paul Keres, then among the strongest players in the world, in 26 moves.
  • 1942 Najdorf, Miguel vsNN 1-0 Vienna Game: Vienna Gambit 20 moves Najdorf sim A 20-move simultaneous-exhibition miniature in the Vienna Gambit, 1942 — a glimpse of the attacking flair that would soon make Najdorf's blindfold displays world-famous.
  • 1946.09.07 Najdorf, Miguel vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Noa Variation 40 moves Staunton Memorial Najdorf defeats Mikhail Botvinnik — two years before Botvinnik became world champion — in a Nimzo-Indian at Groningen 1946, the first great tournament of the postwar era.
  • 1948.08.05 Najdorf, Miguel vsGligoric, Svetozar 1-0 Dutch Defense: Stonewall Variation 51 moves Interzonal-01 A win over Svetozar Gligorić at the 1948 Saltsjöbaden Interzonal, the event that carried Najdorf through to the World Championship Candidates.
  • 1951.06.12 Euwe, Max vsNajdorf, Miguel 0-1 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Alekhine System 30 moves Wertheim Memorial Playing Black, Najdorf beats former world champion Max Euwe in a Queen's Gambit Accepted at the 1951 Wertheim Memorial in New York.
  • 1953.09.05 Taimanov, Mark E vsNajdorf, Miguel 0-1 King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Classical System, Neo-Classical Line 43 moves Candidates Tournament Najdorf's King's Indian attack against Mark Taimanov won the first brilliancy prize at the 1953 Zurich Candidates, the tournament immortalized in David Bronstein's classic book.
  • 1953.09.08 Najdorf, Miguel vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Simagin Variation 33 moves Candidates Tournament At that same 1953 Zurich Candidates, Najdorf outplays the young Tigran Petrosian — ten years before Petrosian took the world crown.
  • 1955.09.09 Najdorf, Miguel vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Fianchetto Variation, Lesser Simagin (Spassky) 40 moves Interzonal-03 A King's Indian win over the eighteen-year-old Boris Spassky at the 1955 Gothenburg Interzonal, fourteen years before Spassky became world champion.
  • 1957.04.05 Najdorf, Miguel vsKotov, Alexander 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Bronstein Variation 28 moves Mar del Plata International-20 A sharp 28-move Nimzo-Indian win over the Soviet grandmaster Alexander Kotov at Mar del Plata 1957.
  • 1962.09.29 Najdorf, Miguel vsPortisch, Lajos 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation 22 moves Olympiad-15 Final A A crisp 22-move Semi-Tarrasch win over Lajos Portisch at the 1962 Varna Olympiad.
  • 1966.07.27 Najdorf, Miguel vsFischer, Robert James 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Averbakh Variation, Main Line 31 moves Piatigorsky-Cup 2nd Najdorf beats Bobby Fischer in a King's Indian at the 1966 Second Piatigorsky Cup in Santa Monica — six years before Fischer became world champion.
  • 1968.10.26 Larsen, Bent vsNajdorf, Miguel 0-1 Nimzo-Larsen Attack: English Variation 39 moves Olympiad-18 Final A Playing Black, Najdorf turns Bent Larsen's own 1.b3 opening against him at the 1968 Lugano Olympiad.
  • 1970.03.31 Najdorf, Miguel vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch Defense, Pillsbury Variation 50 moves Match/Team URS-World 20,5-19,5 At the 1970 USSR versus the Rest of the World match in Belgrade — the "Match of the Century" — the sixty-year-old Najdorf defeats former world champion Mikhail Tal.
  • 1950.05.06 Lilienthal, Andor vsNajdorf, Miguel 0-1 Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line 37 moves Candidates Tournament Budapest 1950, Candidates round 13 — a 37-move win with Black against Andor Lilienthal. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part IV, game 28 (PDF page 258).
EXPLORE ALL 888 GAMES