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That's strange
Compiled by Phony Benoni
--*--

Unusual and unique positions and games. No jokes, please; you all know that I have no sense of humor.

Who else but Bird?
G MacDonnell vs Bird, 1874 
(C39) King's Gambit Accepted, 38 moves, 0-1

Freebird
Bird vs J W Shaw, 1877 
(000) Chess variants, 50 moves, 1-0

Negative Immortality
Wiede vs A Goetz, 1880 
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 7 moves, 0-1

Even a bad bishop doesn't deserve to be this frustrated
Charousek vs Maroczy, 1895 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 56 moves, 1/2-1/2

Nc5!
Charousek vs E Schallopp, 1898 
(C26) Vienna, 34 moves, 1-0

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that.
J W te Kolste vs F W Pelzer, 1899 
(D00) Queen's Pawn Game, 18 moves, 1-0

White knights on a1 and h1
Pillsbury vs Janowski, 1902 
(C78) Ruy Lopez, 59 moves, 0-1

Fastest doubling of rooks on the eighth rank
J Mieses vs Swiderski, 1903 
(C30) King's Gambit Declined, 21 moves, 1-0

Castle early and often
E Cohn vs E E Middleton, 1905 
(D26) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 58 moves, 1/2-1/2

Triple play
Janowski vs D Przepiorka, 1906 
(C87) Ruy Lopez, 26 moves, 0-1

A pinned queen is still a queen
F K Young vs H Stone, 1907 
(C34) King's Gambit Accepted, 24 moves, 1-0

Diagonal Excelsior
J F Cross vs E Michelsen, 1907 
(B45) Sicilian, Taimanov, 21 moves, 1/2-1/2

End Passant
Maroczy vs J Berger, 1908 
(C80) Ruy Lopez, Open, 22 moves, 0-1

Now THIS is a fork!
O Sundstrom vs D Holm, 1912 
(C42) Petrov Defense, 18 moves, 1-0

Block Trading
Janowski vs O Bernstein, 1914 
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 39 moves, 0-1

Just to make Kingcrusher happy
A Nimzowitsch vs Alekhine, 1926 
(B02) Alekhine's Defense, 46 moves, 1-0

Using the king in t he endgame
L Rellstab vs Kashdan, 1930 
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 39 moves, 0-1

King Poseidon
I Kan vs V Makogonov, 1939 
(B14) Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack, 32 moves, 0-1

Bridg-It!
Petrosian vs Petrovsky, 1946 
(E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 28 moves, 1-0

The bishops pared
J Klavins vs Ragozin, 1951 
(C86) Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack, 40 moves, 0-1

Pinfall Wizard
A Espeli vs Andersen, 1952 
(B10) Caro-Kann, 12 moves, 0-1

Ughzwang
R H Steinmeyer vs J E Warren, 1955 
(D15) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 25 moves, 1-0

Oh, you're allowed to promote to a queen?
V Zurakhov vs Koblents, 1956 
(C11) French, 80 moves, 1-0

11 isolated pawns after 23.bxc3
J Sherwin vs H Berliner, 1962 
(E81) King's Indian, Samisch, 36 moves, 0-1

The Tomb Game -- and in a Halloween tournament, no less.
B Harper vs R Zuk, 1971 
(E97) King's Indian, 39 moves, 0-1

When in doubt, castle.
T Espig vs G Moehring, 1973 
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 25 moves, 0-1

Black makes two en passant captures
M Graber vs Timman, 1974 
(A17) English, 26 moves, 0-1

Smorgasbord!
A Laster vs R Gahtan, 1975 
(B96) Sicilian, Najdorf, 18 moves, 1-0

There's no place like home
Csom vs W Martz, 1975 
(A04) Reti Opening, 26 moves, 1/2-1/2

Step aside, boys; I'll handle this!
Dorfman vs Tseshkovsky, 1978 
(A04) Reti Opening, 55 moves, 0-1

Go ahead and take my knights. I'll find another one.
Stanishevsky vs Nikonov, 1981 
(B30) Sicilian, 33 moves, 1-0

Seventeen quick pawn moves led the big parade
E Diemer vs T Heiling, 1984 
(B07) Pirc, 45 moves, 1-0

That's not how Reinfeld taught us to trade queens
Hort vs Hodgson, 1986 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 63 moves, 0-1

Knight moves
R Hawkes vs K Spraggett, 1986 
(A07) King's Indian Attack, 32 moves, 0-1

Zwischenfork!
P Wolff vs Ivanchuk, 1987 
(B81) Sicilian, Scheveningen, Keres Attack, 31 moves, 0-1

Now THIS is a pawn center
J F van der Hoeven vs F Lucas, 1989 
(A87) Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation, 24 moves, 0-1

Even more--and more, and more, and more--knight moves
Hodgson vs D Gluckman, 1992 
(A45) Queen's Pawn Game, 33 moves, 1-0

All You Can Eat Smorgasbord!
Serper vs I Nikolaidis, 1993 
(E70) King's Indian, 48 moves, 1-0

The Immortal Useless Interposition Game
J Waitzkin vs P Jaracz, 1994 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 29 moves, 0-1

Latest Chess 960 position, after Black's 21st move.
A Lastin vs Tseshkovsky, 1995 
(B08) Pirc, Classical, 40 moves, 1-0

What did you expect? d-pawn openers can't play serious chess.
A Lehtinen vs J Sietio, 1996 
(A04) Reti Opening, 47 moves, 1-0

Extended polygamy
M Ashley vs de Firmian, 1996 
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 75 moves, 0-1

Double Triple
K Arakhamia-Grant vs Smyslov, 1997 
(C27) Vienna Game, 50 moves, 1-0

Worst position of all time?
G Bailey vs E Fischvogt, 1999 
(A02) Bird's Opening, 42 moves, 0-1

Five empty ranks, 18 pieces total
A Hantak vs Pavol Vach, 2000 
(B22) Sicilian, Alapin, 64 moves, 1/2-1/2

Looks more like Six Feet Under Fritz
B Alterman vs Deep Fritz, 2000 
(A03) Bird's Opening, 87 moves, 1-0

Allumwandlung!
P Jaracz vs J Jackova, 2001 
(A28) English, 32 moves, 1-0

Not Duda's Day
M Mrva vs J Dudas, 2001 
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 31 moves, 1-0

Knight to the Eighth
V Petkovski vs Timoshenko, 2001 
(B90) Sicilian, Najdorf, 28 moves, 0-1

The Thin Black LIne
A Adly vs Rublevsky, 2004 
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 53 moves, 1/2-1/2

The infantry disintegrates between moves 15 and 31
A Gorovets vs R Pile, 2006 
(A02) Bird's Opening, 37 moves, 1/2-1/2

Sing a song of six knights
Crafty vs Nakamura, 2007 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 155 moves, 0-1

W47
Carlsen vs Dominguez Perez, 2009 
(D27) Queen's Gambit Accepted, Classical, 65 moves, 1/2-1/2

Clerical stuff
Rybka vs Nakamura, 2008 
(A00) Uncommon Opening, 255 moves, 0-1

Clump chess!
Ivanchuk vs Radjabov, 2009 
(E97) King's Indian, 41 moves, 0-1

Doomsday Square
E Nakar vs A Merry, 2014 
(C03) French, Tarrasch, 31 moves, 0-1

Rules Don't
Rapport vs A Adly, 2015 
(A01) Nimzovich-Larsen Attack, 29 moves, 0-1

White moves all eight pawns in 11 moves
D Wagner vs P Nikolic, 2017 
(E20) Nimzo-Indian, 22 moves, 1-0

58 games

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