Chessgames.com's EZ-Search is a way to query our database of chess games by typing a phrase in simple language. If you have a simple search you want to perform, there is no need to fill out the advanced search form on the homepage--just type in your search phrase and EZ-Search will return the results.

You can use Chessgames.com's EZ-Search to locate players, matches, years, and openings. There is great flexibility in the way that you can express player's names, openings, and years. Here are some example searches:

• Byrne vs Fischer '56
• Kasparov
• 1886-03-24
• Ruy Lopez 1995-2005
• Anand Sicilian
• Fischer '55
• J Polgar 1984-89
• B32
• A00 1990-2004
• Steinitz-Blackburne
• Korchnoi Huebner 1980
• Karpov vs Kasparov
• Fischer v Spassky '92
• Capablanca B20-B99
• Basman A00
• 1800-1899

Try the advanced search form on the Chessgames.com homepage.

You can search for specific openings by either entering the moves (e.g. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6) or the FEN string of the opening position you want.

You can search for annotated games by including the word "annotated" in your search. For example, "annotated Capablanca" will return games that Capablanca played which are annotated.

Searching for openings is very accurate if you use ECO codes, e.g. B20. You may also express a range of ECO codes, like B20-B99. For some of the most popular openings, you can just type the opening name, e.g. "Ruy Lopez."