Three Spectacular Games That I Wanted To Share.

Afternoon everyone.  I get into a lot of chess discussions in different places, which always throw various games out of my mental database.  So three today for you to just enjoy looking at. Some simple chess pleasure!

Let's do them chronologically.

In one conversation the subject of the Kiel Tournament of 1893 came up.

Down at the bottom is one Ernst Varain. I know nothing about him at all! Not even a verifiable picture. I could do some digging, but that wasn't the point of looking at that tournament. ( I was looking at the secondary tournaments, as you do!)

I do know of one game of his, which was a typical off-hand search for brilliancy. Lots of blunders, but great fun. He insisted on sacrificing his Queen!

Just enjoy the game guys. It is what it is.

On to more recent times - well, half a century ago when I was starting to study chess.

A couple of weeks ago my dear friend @kamalakanta included in one of his blogs a game by the one time East German junior champion

Lothar Vogt. In that position, he took part in the 1969 World Junior Championships, alongside Karpov and Ulf Anderson. I could easily write a full blog on him. There is some recent stuff on chessbase.com if you want to take a look. I always enjoyed his games - he played both sides of the sharpest lines in the Sicilian. Fantastic stuff!

One game of his sticks in my head. He himself recalls it as a memorable one. Winning it earned him the Grandmaster title. Fascinating game!

He is still with us and still playing. Not so badly either! Just recently he was on top board in the European Seniors team championships, drawing with the strongest player in the event, John Nunn. Greetings Grandmaster! I hope you are well mate, and will be with us for many years to come.

And finally - as with the first game - someone consciously playing for a brilliancy and succeeding. I am so very lucky. My time studying every game which comes my was has embraced the careers of some magnificent players. Of those, the games of one of the very greatest attacking players who has ever lived - Shirov

(Mark Hebden is still going strong btw. Lovely man!)

- have been a constant source of joy. 

I got to this game via a conversation on the opening line, about which I have a personal story that you will find in the game notes. 

Let's finish with the header picture, which made me smile. Welcome to the modern chess world Grandmaster!

That's all you get. have a great day everyone. I hope you enjoyed the chess.