Mikhail Chigorin
Notable Games

Mikhail Chigorin

18 celebrated games · 377 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 377 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1874 Knorre, Victor vsChigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 0-1 Italian Game: Giuoco Piano 14 moves St Petersburg St Petersburg 1874 — the famous fourteen-move 'Ineffective Pin' miniature. Chigorin launches a kingside pawn storm, lets his queen be taken, and closes with an unavoidable mating net.
  • 1883.06.01 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsSteinitz, William 1-0 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Göring Attack 37 moves London International Masters London 1883. An early triumph over Steinitz in Chigorin's beloved Evans Gambit, the opening he made his signature attacking weapon.
  • 1889.01.20 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsSteinitz, William 1-0 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Slow Variation 58 moves World-ch02 Steinitz-Chigorin +10-6=1 Game 1 of the 1889 World Championship match in Havana. Chigorin opened the match with an Evans Gambit win over the champion, striking first though Steinitz took the match.
  • 1892.01.01 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsSteinitz, William 1-0 Italian Game: Evans Gambit, Alapin-Steinitz Variation 31 moves World-ch04 Steinitz-Chigorin +10-8=5 Game 1 of the 1892 World Championship rematch in Havana. This Evans Gambit brilliancy, with a knight planted deep on d6 and sacrificed for a mating attack, is Chigorin's most celebrated game.
  • 1893.10.10 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsTarrasch, Siegbert 1-0 French Defense: Chigorin Variation 43 moves Match Chigorin-Tarrasch +9-9=4 The 1893 St Petersburg match against Siegbert Tarrasch, a clash of Chigorin's romantic style with Tarrasch's positional doctrine; the marathon match finished level at +9-9=4.
  • 1895 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsPillsbury, Harry Nelson 1-0 King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation 51 moves Hastings International Masters Hastings 1895, where Chigorin finished second. He defeated tournament winner Harry Nelson Pillsbury in a King's Gambit Declined.
  • 1895 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsGunsberg, Isidor 1-0 Italian Game: Evans Gambit 48 moves Hastings International Masters Hastings 1895. A trademark Evans Gambit win over Isidor Gunsberg at Chigorin's finest tournament result.
  • 1896.07.27 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsCharousek, Rudolf Rezso 1-0 Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo 35 moves Nuernberg InternationalesMeisterturnier Nuremberg 1896, a Two Knights Defense win over the young Rudolf Charousek, whom Chigorin also edged in their Budapest play-off that year.
  • 1896.10.17 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsTarrasch, Siegbert 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense 51 moves Budapest Budapest 1896, a Ruy Lopez win over his great rival Tarrasch as Chigorin took first place in the tournament.
  • 1896.01.14 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsPillsbury, Harry Nelson 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Fianchetto Defense 45 moves St Petersburg Four Masters St Petersburg 1895-96, one of the strongest events of the century. Chigorin defeated Pillsbury in a Ruy Lopez in this four-player event, with six games against each opponent.
  • 1899.06.20 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsSteinitz, William 1-0 Ponziani Opening 29 moves London International London 1899. A crisp 29-move win over Wilhelm Steinitz, a decade on from their two World Championship matches.
  • 1899.07.01 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsSchlechter, Carl 1-0 King's Gambit Accepted: Bishop's Gambit, Bogoljubow Variation 17 moves London International London 1899. A 17-move King's Gambit Accepted miniature that overwhelmed Carl Schlechter, showcasing Chigorin's open-game attacking flair.
  • 1900.06.07 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsJanowski, Dawid Markelowicz 1-0 Italian Game: Scotch Gambit, Anderssen Attack 27 moves Paris Paris 1900. A sharp 27-move Two Knights Defense win over the fierce attacker Dawid Janowski.
  • 1902 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsPillsbury, Harry Nelson 1-0 Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Italian Four Knights Variation 56 moves Monte Carlo Monte Carlo 1902. A Giuoco Piano win over Pillsbury, against whom Chigorin held a lifetime edge across their many encounters.
  • 1903.09.29 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsRubinstein, Akiba 1-0 French Defense: Chigorin Variation 33 moves All Russian-ch03 Masters 3rd All-Russian Masters, 1903. Playing his own French Defense system as White, Chigorin beat the young Akiba Rubinstein, finishing with mate on the board.
  • 1890.01.03 Gunsberg, Isidor vsChigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation 42 moves Match Chigorin-Gunsberg +9-9=5 Havana 1890 — a 42-move win with Black against Isidor Gunsberg. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, game 21 (PDF page 159).
  • 1893.10.23 Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich vsTarrasch, Siegbert 1-0 French Defense: Chigorin Variation 34 moves Match Chigorin-Tarrasch +9-9=4 St Petersburg 1893 — a 34-move win with White against Siegbert Tarrasch. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, game 27 (PDF page 189).
  • 1895 Lasker, Emanuel vsChigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 0-1 Queen's Pawn Game: Anti-Torre 57 moves Hastings International Masters Hastings 1895 — a 57-move win with Black against Emanuel Lasker. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part I, game 31 (PDF page 217).
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