Notable Games
Ratmir Kholmov
15 celebrated games · 814 in the full archive
◈The games that made the legend
Geller – Kholmov · 1949 · 0–1
Two rising stars clash at the 1949 USSR Championship in Moscow, where Kholmov meets Efim Geller's Ruy Lopez with the offbeat Bird's Defence and grinds out a win in a sharp promotion-race endgame.
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Kholmov – Nezhmetdinov · 1954 · 1–0
A 30-move win over the great attacking master Rashid Nezhmetdinov in the first round of the 1954 USSR Championship in Kiev, Kholmov building a kingside assault out of an English Opening.
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Petrosian – Kholmov · 1957 · 0–1
Playing the Blumenfeld Countergambit as Black, Kholmov defeats future World Champion Tigran Petrosian at the 1957 USSR Championship in Moscow, finishing with a queen mate.
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Kholmov – Keres · 1959 · 1–0
The game Kholmov called the best of his career: a 29-move Sicilian Rossolimo demolition of Paul Keres at the 1959 USSR Championship in Tbilisi, a rare quick loss for the great tactician.
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Tal – Kholmov · 1959 · 0–1
A win with Black over Mikhail Tal in the 1959 Lithuania–Latvia team match at Vilnius, Kholmov out-defending the "Magician from Riga" in a Queen's Gambit Declined.
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Kholmov – Bagirov · 1960 · 1–0
A sharp attacking win over Vladimir Bagirov at the 1960 Moscow Central Chess Club international, Kholmov sacrificing to break through in a Slav Geller Gambit; the strong result helped earn him the grandmaster title.
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Kholmov – Stein · 1962 · 1–0
A win over his great rival Leonid Stein at the 1962 USSR Championship in Yerevan, Kholmov scoring with the quiet Moscow Variation of the Sicilian.
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Kholmov – Kortschnoj · 1962 · 1–0
A hard-fought Ruy Lopez win over Viktor Korchnoi at the 1962 USSR Team Championship in Leningrad, a game Kholmov later annotated among his best.
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Kholmov – Szabo · 1962 · 1–0
A 29-move Slav Defence win over the veteran Hungarian grandmaster Laszlo Szabo at the 1962 Kecskemet tournament, which Kholmov won ahead of Szabo and Lajos Portisch.
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Kholmov – Spassky · 1964 · 1–0
A Sicilian Scheveningen win over future World Champion Boris Spassky at the 1964 Moscow Zonal, an event Spassky went on to win.
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Kholmov – Bronstein · 1965 · 1–0
One of Kholmov's own favourites: a Najdorf Sicilian against David Bronstein at the 1965 USSR Championship in Kiev, broken open by the brilliant 18.Nc6! and the combination that follows.
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Fischer – Kholmov · 1965 · 0–1
Kholmov's most celebrated game: a win with Black over Bobby Fischer in a closed Ruy Lopez at the 1965 Capablanca Memorial in Havana, where Kholmov finished the tournament undefeated.
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Kholmov – Stein · 1966 · 1–0
A 23-move miniature against Leonid Stein at the 1966 Kislovodsk international, Kholmov crashing through in the centre for a swift victory over one of the era's most dangerous players.
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Kholmov – Gufeld · 1969 · 1–0
An attacking win over Eduard Gufeld at the 1969 USSR Championship in Moscow, Kholmov converting his initiative out of a King's Indian structure into a decisive final assault.
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Kholmov – Kasparov · 1978 · 1–0
A win over a 15-year-old Garry Kasparov at the 1978 USSR Championship semifinal in Daugavpils, the event that launched the future World Champion; Kholmov ground down his Caro-Kann in a long endgame.
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