Ossip Bernstein
Notable Games

Ossip Bernstein

13 celebrated games · 162 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 162 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1903.10.03 Rubinstein, Akiba vsBernstein, Ossip Samuel 0-1 Scotch Game: Schmidt Variation 25 moves All Russian-ch03 Masters Bernstein's celebrated Scotch brilliancy at the 3rd All-Russian Masters' Tournament, Kiev 1903 — on the Black side he answered Rubinstein's Scotch with 19...Bxh2+! 20.Kxh2 Rh6+, a sacrificial king-hunt that overwhelmed the future endgame legend in just 25 moves.
  • 1904.08.01 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsMieses, Jacques 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Four Knights Variation, Exchange Variation 49 moves DSB Kongress-14 Meisterturnier-13 A prize game from Coburg 1904 (14th DSB Congress). Atypically slow and strategic for the sharp Bernstein, he punished Jacques Mieses' dark-square weaknesses in a 49-move positional squeeze that has been praised as one of his finest efforts.
  • 1905.08.16 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsChigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Ragozin Variation 55 moves Barmen Meister-A Barmen 1905 — Bernstein outplays the great Mikhail Chigorin, patriarch of the Russian school, in a 55-move win. Bernstein held a winning lifetime record against Chigorin (+2−1).
  • 1906.06.21 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsMarshall, Frank James 1-0 Slav Defense: Winawer Countergambit 52 moves Ostend Ostend 1906 — a 52-move win over the American attacking star Frank Marshall, one of the world's leading masters.
  • 1906.06.25 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsSchlechter, Carl 1-0 Queen's Gambit Accepted: Normal Variation, Traditional System 27 moves Ostend Ostend 1906 — a crisp 27-move Queen's Gambit Accepted win over Carl Schlechter, the positional virtuoso who would challenge Lasker for the world title in 1910.
  • 1906.07.12 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsMaroczy, Geza 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense 33 moves Ostend Ostend 1906 — a 33-move victory over Géza Maróczy, then one of the top players in the world and a perennial contender for a title match.
  • 1907.06.04 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsTartakower, Saviely 1-0 Semi-Slav Defense: Stonewall Defense 33 moves Ostend Masters Ostend Masters 1907 — a win over Savielly Tartakower during the tournament Bernstein shared first with Rubinstein ahead of Spielmann, Teichmann and Nimzowitsch, the peak result of his career.
  • 1907.06.13 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsMetger, Johannes 1-0 English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line, with Nb6 22 moves Ostend Masters A 22-move miniature from the Ostend Masters 1907, Bernstein's shared-first triumph. He unleashed the knight sacrifice 20.Neg5!, and after 20...fxg5 21.Rxd7 Qxd7 22.Nxe5 Metger faced the loss of his queen or mate and resigned.
  • 1914.05.02 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsLasker, Emanuel 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Hedgehog Variation 56 moves St Petersburg International Preliminary St. Petersburg 1914 preliminaries — Bernstein's famous victory over reigning World Champion Emanuel Lasker, a Berlin Ruy Lopez ground out over 56 moves and his only win over Lasker in a major tournament.
  • 1933 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsAlekhine, Alexander 1-0 Three Knights Opening 66 moves Match Alekhine-Bernstein +1-1=2 Paris 1933 — Bernstein defeats reigning World Champion Alexander Alekhine in their training match, a 66-move struggle in a match Bernstein held to a 2-2 draw with the champion at his peak.
  • 1946.09.05 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsKotov, Alexander 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 50 moves Staunton Memorial Groningen 1946 (Staunton Memorial) — the 63-year-old Bernstein, back after the war, defeats Soviet grandmaster Alexander Kotov in a sharp Sicilian Scheveningen.
  • 1954 Bernstein, Ossip Samuel vsNajdorf, Miguel 1-0 Old Indian Defense: Normal Variation 37 moves Montevideo Bernstein's magnum opus. At Montevideo 1954, aged 72, he answered Najdorf's boast with the knight sacrifice 21.Nd5! and blew the great Miguel Najdorf off the board in a 37-move Old Indian, winning the tournament's Brilliancy Prize on his way to a share of second.
  • 1904 Albin, Adolf vsBernstein, Ossip Samuel 0-1 Italian Game: Giuoco Pianissimo, Canal Variation 24 moves Wien Vienna 1904 — a 24-move win with Black against Adolf Albin. Selected in Irving Chernev, 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, PDF page 533.
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