Best of 2016: Best Game

by ChessBase
1/4/2017 – 2016 brought a a lot of entertaining, fascinating and amazing games. But what was the "best game" of 2016? Our experts created a shortlist of ten games, now it's your turn. What, do you think, is the best game of 2016?
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Today we ask our readers for the best game of 2016. A lot of fantastic games were played in 2016 and maybe you miss your own personal favorite on the shortlist. However, all the games below are masterpieces. But what is the best? You can choose!

Here are the candidates:

 
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ex0 ex0 1/6/2017 11:20
Carlsen-Tomashevsky is winning, and so i decided to check it out. But i can't really find anything that would make it stand out as game of the year? Can someone explain to me just what was so special or magical about the game? It seemed like a normal smooth Carlsen game to me, or is that the point? That Carlsen crushed him so badly and Tomashevsky didn't make any 'real mistakes'?
saurabh19 saurabh19 1/6/2017 04:41
Caruana - Nakamura, London 2016
Raymond Labelle Raymond Labelle 1/6/2017 02:23
Caruana-Nakamura is great, but I wonder if the Q. sacrifice has not already been found in home preparation.
sicilian_D sicilian_D 1/5/2017 06:51
I'd have gone for nakamura-kramnik, just for the stalemate
sidbis sidbis 1/5/2017 04:45
Carlsen vs Toma: normal game. Nothing more!
thlai80 thlai80 1/5/2017 02:35
The final two to me are Carlsen vs So and Caruana vs Nakamura. Both because of the quality of the opponents, who are both top 10. Carlsen smooth and short game vs So is very difficult to analyze, as there seem to be no mistake from So part until the very end and this purely points to superior understanding of the game. Caruana game though has the most wow effect. Sacrificing the strongest piece vs a fellow top 10 player and annihilated the opponent over the board. That has to be one of the best games in a long time, not only in 2016. I rate this game just below Kasparov vs Topalov 1999.
Jigz Jigz 1/5/2017 02:33
Caruana-Nakamura and Jobava vs Pono. First one probably is deeper in nature. Jobava has a Tal like explosive charm in his moves. With his opening choices, he is definitely the 'Original' chess player of our times.
moonsorrow55 moonsorrow55 1/5/2017 02:27
Jobava Ponomariov for me.
tsttst70 tsttst70 1/5/2017 02:03
I think tandoorichicken is correct. (Ummm, how can Carlsen v Tomashevsky be winning!? Such a dull game. Is it because it's the first one on the list, and people are clicking it thinking that they have to click it to see the game?)
calvinamari calvinamari 1/5/2017 01:59
I must say that, in Carlsen's win over So, it is fascinating think through how 17.Qe1! prevented 17...Rxa4 with the loss of the pawn. And 26.Rfd1 was as sudden as a guillotine blade.
JackCrabb JackCrabb 1/5/2017 12:55
Caruana-Nakamura, of course. A wonderful contrast to the sleeping-pill chess dominating on this level today, and particularly to the dull stuff delivered in NY short before.
tandoorichicken tandoorichicken 1/5/2017 12:35
Ummm, how can Carlsen v Tomashevsky be winning!? Such a dull game. Is it because it's the first one on the list, and people are clicking it thinking that they have to click it to see the game?
sweetvenum sweetvenum 1/5/2017 12:20
As a side note, I liked Anand vs Lagrave (1-0) game, this game definitely one of the best of 2016. I feel many chosen games simply lack either depth and dynamics. And many of Wei Yi's games are also interesting this year.

Slakibuki Slakibuki 1/4/2017 10:39
Caruana - Nakamura, London 2016
Stooner Stooner 1/4/2017 08:14
Carlsen-So
Denix Denix 1/4/2017 08:00
Wesley So vs Garry Kasparov, Ultimate Blitz Challenge (2016)
EL2400 EL2400 1/4/2017 07:41
Please give a PGN file.
Daniel Miller Daniel Miller 1/4/2017 06:44
Jobava Pono was the most memorable game of the Olympiad.
turok turok 1/4/2017 05:44
the queen sac vs nak is my vote
Duckangelito Duckangelito 1/4/2017 05:40
Carlsen - Kramnik Norway Chess 2016 ! Sick game !!
MichaelCiamarra MichaelCiamarra 1/4/2017 04:36
Carlsen v Kramnik (Stavanger) was an exceptionally interesting and instructive game (amazing display of coordinated knights). Further picks for consideration: Anand v Karjakin (Candidates Round 11) Shirov v Sevian (Hassselbacken) So v Akobian (US Champ.) Hou Yifan v Navara (Wijk aan Zee) Kramnik v Buhmann (Dortmund) So v Kasparov (Ultimate Blitz Challenge, St Louis, exception made for this “Immortal Blitz Game” as Lubomir Kavalek noted the game – it was epic! Top rapid and blitz should be in their own category.)
VassHamChess VassHamChess 1/4/2017 03:58
I really loved Nepo Kramnik the most out of the ones proposed in this list. I don't get what is so impressive with Carlsen Tomas : it looks to me like Tomas played a poor game (100 times better than what I could achieve maybe but that's not the point). And even though Caruana Naka from LCC stands out because of the queen sacrifice, it was probably prepared at home, and once you've seen it it's not that scary to play it with white, the compensations seem clear. As pointed out by others, Carlsen Kramnik could have been included in here.
calvinamari calvinamari 1/4/2017 03:49
I expect that Carlsen - Kramnik (somehow not included on this list) or Caruana - Nakamura will be the most remembered games of the year.
JFBOBBY JFBOBBY 1/4/2017 03:45
so-kasparov
genim genim 1/4/2017 03:37
caruana - nakamura.... 21. Nc6 is expected.... but 21. Nf5 is amazing
vinniethepooh vinniethepooh 1/4/2017 03:17
hard choice between caruana-nakamura and kramnik-meier. chose the latter finally
Angel Oviedo Angel Oviedo 1/4/2017 02:28
Caruana - Nakamura, London 2016
ebit ebit 1/4/2017 02:24
The most important game was Carlsen - Kramnik, Queen's Gambit, Exchange Variation, where Magnus probably refuted a well known defence system.
KevinC KevinC 1/4/2017 02:07
I like Carlsen-So for being so smooth (Same for Carlsen-Toma), and Caruana-Nakamura.
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