Rashid Nezhmetdinov
Notable Games

Rashid Nezhmetdinov

15 celebrated games · 232 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 232 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1946 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsErmolin, P 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Dragon Variation, Levenfish Variation 15 moves Kazan Kazan 1946 — an early Sicilian miniature from Nezhmetdinov's own best-games collection: a straight-line attack that ends after 15.Nh6+ wins decisive material.
  • 1948.02 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsMikenas, Vladas Ivanovich 1-0 Alekhine Defense: Hunt Variation, Lasker Simul Gambit 17 moves Match Nezhmetdinov-Mikenas Kazan 1948, game one of their match — Nezhmetdinov blows away Vladas Mikenas, then among the world's foremost experts on the Alekhine Defence, in a 17-move miniature.
  • 1950.09 Levenfish, Grigory vsNezhmetdinov, Rashid 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Marshall Attack 41 moves URS-ch18 Semifinal Soviet Championship semifinal, 1950 — defending with the Marshall Attack as Black, Nezhmetdinov outplays veteran two-time Soviet Champion Grigory Levenfish.
  • 1951 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsEstrin, Yakov Borisovich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Closed, Kholmov Variation 30 moves URS-ch19 Semifinal Soviet Championship semifinal, 1951 — a Ruy Lopez that becomes a king hunt against Yakov Estrin, later a World Correspondence Chess Champion.
  • 1954.01.11 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 King's Indian Attack 46 moves URS-ch21 Final 21st Soviet Championship, Kiev 1954 — one of Nezhmetdinov's finest scalps, a win over elite grandmaster Efim Geller (he beat Salo Flohr in the same event).
  • 1955 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsKasparian, Genrikh Moiseevich 1-0 Caro-Kann Defense: Two Knights Attack, Mindeno Variation, Exchange Line 41 moves URS Club Spartak-ch Spartak Team Championship, Riga 1955 — against the celebrated study composer Genrikh Kasparian, Nezhmetdinov crowns a kingside build-up with the queen sacrifice 41.Qxg6+.
  • 1957.01.29 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Bogoljubow Variation 32 moves URS-ch24 Final 24th Soviet Championship, Moscow 1957 — a French Winawer in which Nezhmetdinov outplays Mikhail Tal, the future eighth World Champion he famously held a lifetime plus score against.
  • 1957.02.08 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsSpassky, Boris Vasilievich 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack, Fianchetto Variation 33 moves URS-ch24 Final Also at the 1957 Soviet Championship — playing the Sicilian line that carries his name (the Nezhmetdinov–Rossolimo Attack), he beats Boris Spassky, one of two career wins over the future World Champion.
  • 1958 Polugaevsky, Lev vsNezhmetdinov, Rashid 0-1 Old Indian Defense: Ukrainian Variation 33 moves RSFSR-ch18 Sochi 1958 — the game Nezhmetdinov called the most beautiful he ever played: with Black he lands the immortal queen sacrifice 24...Rxf4, and Polugaevsky later said he would trade all his wins over Nezhmetdinov for this one loss.
  • 1959.02.01 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsBronstein, David Ionovich 1-0 Ruy Lopez: Schliemann Defense 41 moves URS-ch26 Final 26th Soviet Championship, Tbilisi 1959 — a celebrated attacking win over David Bronstein, the 1951 world-championship finalist.
  • 1961 Belov, Lev A vsNezhmetdinov, Rashid 0-1 Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Suhle Defense 31 moves RSFSR-ch 21st Russian Championship 1961 — one of Nezhmetdinov's ten brilliancy-prize games: Belov grabs a pawn against the Two Knights and Nezhmetdinov's Black pieces overrun the white king (18...Nxf2!, 30...Rxf3+).
  • 1961.12.08 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Classical Variation 29 moves URS-ch29 Final 29th Soviet Championship, Baku 1961 — often called his greatest game: Nezhmetdinov sacrifices both rooks and forces Mikhail Tal to resign on move 29, a highlight of his famous plus score against the eighth World Champion.
  • 1962 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsChernikov, Oleg L 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Modern Bc4 Variation 33 moves Rostov on Don Rostov-on-Don 1962 — the immortal positional queen sacrifice 12.Qxf6!!, long regarded as the standard by which such sacrifices are measured and shown fully sound by modern engines.
  • 1966 Nezhmetdinov, Rashid vsSergievsky, Vladimir D 1-0 Sicilian Defense: Kan Variation, Knight Variation 20 moves RSFSR-ch 25th Russian Championship 1966 — a 20-move attacking miniature from his own best-games book, the white pieces crashing through with 20.Rxf6.
  • 1973 Karasev, Vladimir I vsNezhmetdinov, Rashid 0-1 English Opening: Symmetrical Variation, Anti-Benoni Variation, Spielmann Defense 25 moves LAT-ch30 Latvian open championship, Daugavpils 1973 — a late-career brilliancy and the closing prize game of his collection: Nezhmetdinov sacrifices the exchange and swarms Karasev with Black's pieces and central pawns.
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