The Top 10 Chess Games of 2024
2024 was full of great games. We had it all: surprising opening ideas, unusual tactical themes, unexpected defensive resources, devastating attacks. I had the pleasure of dedicating many hours during the past year to an in-depth analysis of the best games from the main tournaments, and now it's time to present my ranking of the 10 best games of 2024.
I must admit that deciding on the final list was very difficult—there's always the risk of committing an injustice. I must warn the reader, who may disagree with some of my choices, that what attracts me in a chess game is the complexity of the battle: games in which one side completely dominates the other and executes a final and simple combination don't interest me so much.
I prefer the fight in a dark forest (a term used by 8th World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal), when the players don't know exactly where they're stepping and when the ideas aren't limited to what was shown on the board, offering great satisfaction to those who try to find out what was hidden.
My initial list had 20 games and, with a heavy heart, I had to eliminate 10. I now invite the readers to take this journey through the best games of 2024. Don't forget to check out the full analysis—sometimes the variations that were left out are even more beautiful than the ones in the game.
- Gukesh 1-0 Wei, Chess Olympiad
- Fedoseev 0-1 Salem, Sharjah Masters 2024
- Maghsoodloo 0-1 Abdusattorov, Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024
- Wei 1-0 Warmerdam, Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024
- Vachier-Lagrave 1-0 Nepomniachtchi, Julius Baer Generation Cup CCT
- Gukesh 0-1 Ding, World Championship Game 1
- Carlsen 1-0 Rapport, GRENKE Chess Classic
- Sargsyan 1-0 Lu, Women's Chess Olympiad
- Nepomniachtchi 1-0 Giri, Sinquefield Cup
- Tabatabaei 1-0 Praggnanandhaa, European Chess Club Cup
10. Tabatabaei 1-0 Praggnanandhaa, European Chess Club Cup
Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaei is one of the most creative GMs in the world. His moves are often difficult to understand and he never shies away from a fight. Indian GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is rightly regarded as a candidate for the chess crown in the coming years. With both players aiming for a win, a complicated opening, a middlegame with chances for both sides, and a king hunt in the end, this game deserves a spot in the list.
9. Nepomniachtchi 1-0 Giri, Sinquefield Cup
In this game, two-time world championship challenger GM Ian Nepomniachtchi seemingly breaks all the rules of opening play: he starts a pawn assault with his king in the center and pieces underdeveloped, all of this while sacrificing a pawn and playing against one of the best defenders in the elite. Modern top-level chess, however, is about finding exceptions to the rules and posing new problems to the opponent. GM Anish Giri defended well up to a point, but after making a slip, Nepomniachtchi conducted the initiative with great precision.
8. Sargsyan 1-0 Lu, Women's Chess Olympiad
I consider this game the hidden pearl of 2024. It's easy to overlook games that weren't played by 2600+ GMs, but make no mistake: the way Armenian IM Anna Sargsyan crafts an attack out of the blue against Chinese prodigy IM Lu Miaoyi leaves nothing to be desired, even for elite players. Her 22nd move is one of my favorites of the year—a clever maneuver that can be used as an exercise on the theme of "candidate moves."
7. Carlsen 1-0 Rapport, GRENKE Chess Classic
No chess list is complete without the number-one player, although it might come as a surprise that this GM Magnus Carlsen only arrives in seventh place. Here he battles against the daring GM Richard Rapport, a player who is never afraid of complicating the game. After a tense positional middlegame, tactical ideas for both players arise and, when the smoke has cleared, Carlsen is on top—in a zugzwang type of position with many pieces on the board. This is my favorite Carlsen game of the year, so it has to be very good.
Magnus Carlsen wraps up a win that leaves Richard Rapport needing to win the next game on demand to prolong the #GRENKEChess Classic Final! pic.twitter.com/6odwjeeXqo
— chess24 (@chess24com) April 1, 2024
6. Gukesh 0-1 Ding, World Championship Game 1
A game that took many by surprise. India's GM Gukesh Dommaraju was the clear favorite to win the world championship match in Singapore, but Chinese defending champion GM Ding Liren showed that the contest would be much tougher than some might have imagined. The revival of the world champion and also of the French Defense, one of the most beloved opening variations, featured original ideas, a complex middlegame, and a convincing victory for Ding.
5. Vachier-Lagrave 1-0 Nepomniachtchi, Julius Baer Generation Cup CCT
Nepomniachtchi is nearly unbeatable when playing the Petroff Defense, but this time French GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave manages to break through, although it took him some effort and a brilliant attack. It all unfolds beginning with White's 29th move—a knight on the rim is dim, unless it's helping a mating attack.
The Best Game of the #ChessChamps Julius Baer Generation Cup is @Vachier_Lagrave's brilliant attack against Ian Nepomniachtchi's solid Petroff! His rook hung on e6 as his pieces arranged to give checkmate. pic.twitter.com/2aRcjudmOY
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 2, 2024
4. Wei 1-0 Warmerdam, Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024
What do you do when the position on the board is so complicated that it's impossible to calculate clearly? The famous coach and author IM Mark Dvoretsky liked to call them "irrational positions." In this scenario you have to be brave and rely on intuition—exactly what China's Wei Yi does in this game where he plays a rook down right from move 10, achieving a superb victory against Dutch GM Max Warmerdam. Wei would go on to win the main event in Wijk aan Zee.
3. Maghsoodloo 0-1 Abdusattorov, Tata Steel Chess Masters 2024
Another great game from Tata Steel Chess, one of my favorite tournaments of the year, and a battle full of alternatives that could have ended with a win for White. Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, however, takes advantage of a miscalculation by Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo and executes, on move 23, one of the prettiest combinations of 2024.
Naroditsky on Maghsoodloo-Abdusattorov: "This is thriller, Die Hard, Bruce Willis, Furious Five, stuff-happening, cars-exploding type of action!" #TataSteelChess pic.twitter.com/f8VhNkegkM
— chess24 (@chess24com) January 15, 2024
2. Fedoseev 0-1 Salem, Sharjah Masters 2024
In the introduction I wrote that I enjoy games where both players have to walk in a dark forest (although I prefer well-paved and illuminated paths in my own games, of course). And what a forest this game between GMs Vladimir Fedoseev and Saleh Salem is! It's impossible to tell for certain what's happening and even the computer lines are difficult to understand. One variation is more amazing than the other and a final plot twist makes this one of the most breathtaking games of the past year.
1. Gukesh 1-0 Wei, Chess Olympiad
The best game of 2024 isn't perfect, and it doesn't have to be. It's the decisive game of the match India against China in the Olympiad, so its importance cannot be underestimated. The enormous tension didn't stop Gukesh from fighting until the last minute, when an endgame that resembles a composition appeared on the board. With no one to tap him on the shoulder and whisper "White to play and win," he found all the best solutions. A win that demanded will and skill from the player who would become world champion a few months later.
Let's hope for more great games in 2025!
