Game of the Week
A weekly series by GMs Vasif Durarbayli and Burak Firat, selecting games for their sporting, scientific, and artistic value—not simply for engine perfection.
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Game of the Week XXII: Maghsoodloo, Parham (2701) – Adams, Michael (2698)
“Why is the position getting worse with every move even though the opponent isn’t doing anything extraordinary?” Obviously, every position…
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Game of the Week XXI: Daggupati, Balaji (2486) – Brodsky, David (2484)
In the good ol’ days of the Romantic Era of chess, winning with a beautiful ending was a common end…
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Game of the Week XX: Wojtaszek, Radoslaw (2696) – Piorun, Kacper (2635)
Why is the role of the center so important in chess? The main reason is that having control of the…
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Game of the Week XIX: Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (2750) – Aronian, Levon (2765)
“Centralization of the king in the endgame is hardly ever incorrect. It can only be inopportune.” – from Endgame Strategy by Shereshevsky Mating…
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Game of the Week XVIII: So, Wesley (2766) – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (2770)
A ruined pawn structure around the king is a recipe for getting mated in the middle game. However, closer to…
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Game of the Week XVII: Caruana, Fabiano (2792) – Dominguez Perez, Leinier (2752)
During Chess.com’s coverage of the FIDE World Championship, Caruana said that he likes to go against the engine’s will in…
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Game of the Week XVI: Mastrovasilis, Dimitrios (2618) – Fier, Alexandr (2583)
How do blunders happen in strong players’ games? Usually, strong players blunder when they encounter a surprise in some part…
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Game of the Week XV: Can, Emre (2578) – Nihal Sarin (2648)
When there is no light piece in front of the king, such as a knight on the 3rd or 6th…
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Game of the Week XIV: Gadimbayli, Abdulla (2451) – Navara, David (2700)
What happens when a player is “on fire”? This phenomenon is observed in chess tournaments from time to time when…