The Game of the Century

Donald Byrne vs Bobby Fischer

Rosenwald Memorial, New York · 1956 · 0-1

Preparing your chess set…

Click or drag to move · Arrow keys + Enter to play

0 / 82 half-moves

Playback speed

Continuous playback · extra time at key moments

Following the game

The story behind the moves

A masterpiece, move by move

Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer sacrifices his queen on move 17 and then hunts down White's king with a swarm of minor pieces. The chess writer Hans Kmoch gave the game its name.

Scroll through every key moment at your own pace. Turn on Follow game to return to the current lesson as playback continues.

Themes to watch

queen sacrificewindmillgrünfeldking hunt

Coming up

11... Na4

An active knight invites exchanges

The idea

...Na4 attacks the queen on c5 and the knight on c3. Fischer puts pressure on White’s queenside instead of simply defending the knight on f6, which the bishop on g5 attacks.

Follow the continuation

Byrne plays 12. Qa3. After ...Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nxe4, Black has damaged White’s pawn structure and brought the other knight into the centre with an attack on the bishop on g5.

Remember

A forcing threat can give you time to improve several pieces. Follow the exchanges to see which side gains activity.

Coming up

16. Bc5

Attack the queen, but check the checks

The idea

Bc5 attacks Black’s queen on b6. White would like to gain time against that valuable piece, but the white king is still on e1 and the e-file is open.

Follow the continuation

Fischer answers ...Rfe8+ before moving the queen. After 17. Kf1, ...Be6 leaves the queen under attack while preparing checks against the displaced king.

Remember

An attack on a queen is not always the most urgent threat. A check can seize the move order and make the queen attack secondary.

Coming up

17... Be6

Leave the queen, activate the army

The idea

...Be6 develops the bishop with an attack on White’s bishop on c4. Fischer leaves his queen on b6 to be captured because the exposed white king gives Black forcing play.

Follow the continuation

After 18. Bxb6 Bxc4+, the bishop checks along c4–d3–e2–f1. The knight on c3 then joins the attack through e2 and d4, using checks to win time and material.

Remember

Judge a queen sacrifice by the coordination of the remaining pieces and the forcing continuation, not by the material count alone.

Coming up

18. Bxb6

The queen is taken

The idea

Bxb6 captures Fischer’s queen. White gains a great deal of material, but the bishop has left c5 and the king on f1 remains vulnerable to the bishop on e6 and knight on c3.

Follow the continuation

Black immediately plays ...Bxc4+. After Kg1, ...Ne2+ forces the king back toward f1, and ...Nxd4+ then captures a pawn while uncovering the bishop’s diagonal.

Remember

After accepting a sacrifice, evaluate the position after the opponent’s forcing replies. A large material gain may leave no time to consolidate.

Coming up

18... Bxc4+

Checks keep the initiative

The idea

...Bxc4+ captures White’s bishop and checks the king on f1. The diagonal through e2 gives Black a way to combine bishop checks with knight moves.

Follow the continuation

The sequence 19. Kg1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1 Nxd4+ 21. Kg1 Ne2+ 22. Kf1 Nc3+ keeps the king occupied. Black then has time for ...axb6, recovering the bishop that captured the queen.

Remember

Repeated forcing checks can create time to collect material elsewhere. Notice which knight moves uncover the bishop’s line.

Coming up

23... axb6

Convert activity into material

The idea

...axb6 finally captures White’s bishop on b6. Black has two bishops and a knight against White’s queen and knight, with both sides still having two rooks; the immediate compensation is activity and threats.

Follow the continuation

After 24. Qb4 Ra4 25. Qxb6, Fischer plays ...Nxd1 and wins a rook. The follow-up ...Rxa2 picks up another pawn, turning the attack into a lasting material advantage.

Remember

Keep counting material as a combination unfolds. Compensation can change from an attack into concrete gains several moves later.

Coming up

41... Rc2#

The rook completes the net

The idea

...Rc2# checks the king on c1 at close range. The bishop on b3 protects the rook on c2, and Black’s minor pieces cover the remaining escape routes.

Follow the continuation

The knight on c3 covers b1 and d1, the bishop on b4 covers d2, and the rook controls b2. White cannot capture the rook safely or block an adjacent rook check.

Remember

An attack can survive a queen exchange or sacrifice when the pieces cooperate. Check the protection of the mating piece and every escape square.

← Famous games

The Game of the Century

Donald Byrne vs Bobby Fischer

Rosenwald Memorial, New York · 1956 · 0-1

Preparing your chess set…

Click or drag to move · Arrow keys + Enter to play

0 / 82 half-moves

Playback speed

Continuous playback · extra time at key moments

Following the game

The story behind the moves

A masterpiece, move by move

Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer sacrifices his queen on move 17 and then hunts down White's king with a swarm of minor pieces. The chess writer Hans Kmoch gave the game its name.

Scroll through every key moment at your own pace. Turn on Follow game to return to the current lesson as playback continues.

Themes to watch

queen sacrificewindmillgrünfeldking hunt

Coming up

11... Na4

An active knight invites exchanges

The idea

...Na4 attacks the queen on c5 and the knight on c3. Fischer puts pressure on White’s queenside instead of simply defending the knight on f6, which the bishop on g5 attacks.

Follow the continuation

Byrne plays 12. Qa3. After ...Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nxe4, Black has damaged White’s pawn structure and brought the other knight into the centre with an attack on the bishop on g5.

Remember

A forcing threat can give you time to improve several pieces. Follow the exchanges to see which side gains activity.

Coming up

16. Bc5

Attack the queen, but check the checks

The idea

Bc5 attacks Black’s queen on b6. White would like to gain time against that valuable piece, but the white king is still on e1 and the e-file is open.

Follow the continuation

Fischer answers ...Rfe8+ before moving the queen. After 17. Kf1, ...Be6 leaves the queen under attack while preparing checks against the displaced king.

Remember

An attack on a queen is not always the most urgent threat. A check can seize the move order and make the queen attack secondary.

Coming up

17... Be6

Leave the queen, activate the army

The idea

...Be6 develops the bishop with an attack on White’s bishop on c4. Fischer leaves his queen on b6 to be captured because the exposed white king gives Black forcing play.

Follow the continuation

After 18. Bxb6 Bxc4+, the bishop checks along c4–d3–e2–f1. The knight on c3 then joins the attack through e2 and d4, using checks to win time and material.

Remember

Judge a queen sacrifice by the coordination of the remaining pieces and the forcing continuation, not by the material count alone.

Coming up

18. Bxb6

The queen is taken

The idea

Bxb6 captures Fischer’s queen. White gains a great deal of material, but the bishop has left c5 and the king on f1 remains vulnerable to the bishop on e6 and knight on c3.

Follow the continuation

Black immediately plays ...Bxc4+. After Kg1, ...Ne2+ forces the king back toward f1, and ...Nxd4+ then captures a pawn while uncovering the bishop’s diagonal.

Remember

After accepting a sacrifice, evaluate the position after the opponent’s forcing replies. A large material gain may leave no time to consolidate.

Coming up

18... Bxc4+

Checks keep the initiative

The idea

...Bxc4+ captures White’s bishop and checks the king on f1. The diagonal through e2 gives Black a way to combine bishop checks with knight moves.

Follow the continuation

The sequence 19. Kg1 Ne2+ 20. Kf1 Nxd4+ 21. Kg1 Ne2+ 22. Kf1 Nc3+ keeps the king occupied. Black then has time for ...axb6, recovering the bishop that captured the queen.

Remember

Repeated forcing checks can create time to collect material elsewhere. Notice which knight moves uncover the bishop’s line.

Coming up

23... axb6

Convert activity into material

The idea

Follow the continuation

After 24. Qb4 Ra4 25. Qxb6, Fischer plays ...Nxd1 and wins a rook. The follow-up ...Rxa2 picks up another pawn, turning the attack into a lasting material advantage.

Remember

Keep counting material as a combination unfolds. Compensation can change from an attack into concrete gains several moves later.

Coming up

41... Rc2#

The rook completes the net

The idea

...Rc2# checks the king on c1 at close range. The bishop on b3 protects the rook on c2, and Black’s minor pieces cover the remaining escape routes.

Follow the continuation

The knight on c3 covers b1 and d1, the bishop on b4 covers d2, and the rook controls b2. White cannot capture the rook safely or block an adjacent rook check.

Remember

An attack can survive a queen exchange or sacrifice when the pieces cooperate. Check the protection of the mating piece and every escape square.