Classic games, played out
Playing a great game from a book means never daring to test your own idea at move nineteen. Here the coach speaks where a strong annotator had something to say, the eval bar keeps score, and at any position you can step off the page, try your idea against Stockfish, and see what history did.
4 games, every note traced to a published annotator. 5 more are still being sourced and stay off the shelf until they check out.
Paris Opera 1858 · Philidor Defense
The Opera Game
Paul Morphy vs Duke Karl / Count Isouard 1-0
A lead in development becomes decisive when every threat makes the defender spend another move without bringing a new piece into play.
Łódź 1907 · Queen's Gambit, Symmetrical Tarrasch
Rubinstein's Immortal
Georg Rotlewi vs Akiba Rubinstein 0-1
Two tempi is a winning advantage if you spend them on the same squares your opponent needed. Nothing in the finish was calculated on move fifteen; the pieces were simply put where they belonged.
World Championship, Moscow 1966 · King's Indian Defence, Fianchetto Variation
Petrosian's Invitation
Tigran Petrosian vs Boris Spassky 1-0
An attack is only as strong as the pieces that can join it. Track the defender or attacker stranded on the wrong wing.
Berlin 1852 · Evans Gambit
The Evergreen Game
Adolf Anderssen vs Jean Dufresne 1-0
Castling is a move you have to spend, not a move you get to postpone. Black is never lost in the opening here and is offered the king's escape at least four times.