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The most brilliant moves ever played
Compiled by psherman31
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I've always been a big fan of the knockout punch, the one killer move that is overlooked by mere mortals but brings immediate resignation when played. Here is a small sample of some of my favorite knockout punches and other brilliancies.

22.Qh6!! sacs the rook for an overwhelming attack on the king
Tal vs R Forbis, 1988 
(B77) Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 30 moves, 1-0

31.Bc7!! forces mate with a rare interference theme
Tarrasch vs Marotti / Napoli / de Simone / del, 1914  
(A03) Bird's Opening, 31 moves, 1-0

19.Rf6!! prevents ...f5, eliminating Black's only saving chance
Fischer vs Benko, 1963 
(B09) Pirc, Austrian Attack, 21 moves, 1-0

41...Qf4+!! wins brilliantly in a RAPID GAME!
Gelfand vs Shirov, 2007 
(D85) Grunfeld, 54 moves, 0-1

47...Bh3!! sacs an endgame bishop for a single tempo to win
Topalov vs Shirov, 1998 
(D85) Grunfeld, 53 moves, 0-1

22...Rxc3!! and 23...Rd2!! immortalize Rubinstein
Rotlewi vs Rubinstein, 1907  
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 25 moves, 0-1

13.ed!! sacs a knight for an unstoppable pawn steamroller
Kramnik vs Morozevich, 2007 
(E04) Catalan, Open, 5.Nf3, 27 moves, 1-0

33...R8a3!! is just the start of this brilliant swindle
A Beliavsky vs L Christiansen, 1987 
(E00) Queen's Pawn Game, 38 moves, 1/2-1/2

41...Rxh3!! forces a brilliant draw by stalemate
S Boyd vs T Glimbrant, 1992 
(C49) Four Knights, 46 moves, 1/2-1/2

20...Rxg2+!! starts one of the best combinations ever played
M Hewitt vs Steinitz, 1866 
(C23) Bishop's Opening, 26 moves, 0-1

12...0-0!! are you kidding me!?
F A Hoffmann vs A Petrov, 1844 
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 0-1

just pick one... mind-boggling game!
B Molinari vs L Roux Cabral, 1943 
(D48) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, Meran, 33 moves, 0-1

23...h4!! leads to a brilliant flurry of sacrifices
Showalter vs Gossip, 1889  
(C45) Scotch Game, 29 moves, 0-1

48...Rxb3+!! sacs a rook for activity in a seemingly drawn game
S Brzozka vs Bronstein, 1963 
(A88) Dutch, Leningrad, Main Variation with c6, 70 moves, 0-1

31.Kh2!! and the moves that follow: most original attack ever
Short vs Timman, 1991 
(B04) Alekhine's Defense, Modern, 34 moves, 1-0

18.Ng5!! shows an incredibly deep understanding of the position
Topalov vs Ponomariov, 2005 
(E15) Queen's Indian, 30 moves, 1-0

35...Kc6!! is the most awesome defensive move I've ever seen
Kasparov vs Petrosian, 1981 
(D25) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 42 moves, 0-1

36.Rc6!! is a devastating Nowotny interference
Navara vs A Dergatschova, 2007 
(D07) Queen's Gambit Declined, Chigorin Defense, 36 moves, 1-0

30...Qxh3+!! lures the king into hostile territory
Averbakh vs Kotov, 1953 
(A55) Old Indian, Main line, 51 moves, 0-1

24...Rxf4!! shows creativity that just can't be taught
Polugaevsky vs R Nezhmetdinov, 1958 
(A53) Old Indian, 33 moves, 0-1

33.Qxf3!! sets up a pretty finish for the puzzlist Sam Loyd
S F Loyd vs S Rosenthal, 1867 
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 36 moves, 1-0

17.Ndc4!! and 18.Qxg6!! are the stuff of legends
A W Fox vs H E Bauer, 1900 
(C67) Ruy Lopez, 21 moves, 1-0

20.f6!! is further proof.. the most forcing move's usually best
D Donchev vs S Nikolov, 1987 
(B97) Sicilian, Najdorf, 81 moves, 1-0

23.Rxh6!! can only be described as "Shirovian"
Shirov vs H Wang, 2009 
(B97) Sicilian, Najdorf, 23 moves, 1-0

24 games

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