Loss
Veselin Topalov
Win
Viswanathan Anand
Loss
Boris Gelfand
Win
Hikaru Nakamura
Loss
Sergei Tiviakov
Win
Alexei Shirov
Loss
Mikhail Krasenkow
Win
Baadur Jobava
Every year, there are so many well-played games that it is almost impossible to choose one that was better than the others. Objectively, finding the best game of the year is probably impossible; what appeals to one person may not appeal to someone else, and vice versa. Still, it is an interesting exercise.
Last year, I suggested that a game between Alexander Morozevich and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played at the Biel International Chess Festival was a worthy candidate for game of the year because of its hair-raising complications and how it ebbed and flowed. This year, it is more difficult to choose one game that stands out.
The games shown on this blog each have their merits (clashes between elite players, scintillating attacks, etc.), though perhaps none more than the game in which Viswanathan Anand of India, the world champion, retained the title. Coincidentally, all are wins by Black.
Though there is no award for choosing the best game of the year — and no formal voting process — what do readers think? Are any of the games here worthy selections? Or there others that might be better?
