The Best of 2019

by ChessBase
1/3/2020 – At the end of 2019 ChessBase readers were invited to vote for the player, the female player, the game, the combination, and the endgame of the year. A lot of readers took part in the votes and here are the results — the favourites of our readers. | Photo: Maria Emelianova

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Player of the year

The vote for "The Player of the Year" took place before Magnus Carlsen became World Champion in Rapid- and in Blitz at the end of the year, adding two more World Champion titles to his already impressive list of successes in 2019. However, Carlsen did not need these two titles to become "Player of the Year 2019" with more than 50% of all votes.

Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Lennart Ootes

The results

Who was the player of the year?
Magnus Carlsen536
53%
Ding Liren298
29%
Alexander Grischuk71
7%
Teimour Radjabov68
6%
Wang Hao21
2%

Female player of the year

The vote for the "Female Player of the Year" also had a clear result: 47% of the voters favoured Aleksandra Goryachkina, while Ju Wenjun, the reigning Women's World Champion got only 17% of all votes. However, the chances in the match for the Women's World Championship between Goryachkina and Ju, which begins on Sunday in Shanghai, are definitely more balanced.

Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: Karol Bartnik

The results

Who was the female player of the year?
Aleksandra Gorachkina247
47%
Ju Wenjun90
17%
Humpy Koneru73
14%
Yifan Hou61
11%
Polina Shuvalova47
9%

Game of the year

Much closer was the result in the vote for the "Game of the Year". 26% of all voters liked the intuitive queen sacrifice best with which the Indian Grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali had won against Alireza Firouzja at the Open Asian Championships 2019. 22% of the voters favoured Dubov's creative win against Anish Giri at the FIDE Grand Prix in Moscow 2019.

Karthikeyan Murali | Photo: Amruta Mokal

The results

What was the game of the year?
A. Firouzja - Karthikeyan Murali92
26%
D. Dubov - A. Giri80
22%
M. Vachier-Lagrave - R. Rapport59
16%
S. Karjakin - M. Carlsen55
15%
A. Grischuk - M. Vachier-Lagrave34
9%
Ding Liren - I. Nepomniachtchi32
9%

Here it is again: the "Game of the Year 2019":

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,151,31554%2422---
1.d4936,81255%2434---
1.Nf3277,85656%2441---
1.c4180,05456%2443---
1.g319,55956%2427---
1.b313,85854%2427---
1.f45,77347%2377---
1.Nc33,65750%2385---
1.b41,71548%2378---
1.a31,15654%2402---
1.e31,04248%2408---
1.d391950%2376---
1.g464246%2360---
1.h442953%2373---
1.c340350%2418---
1.h324456%2408---
1.a49459%2484---
1.f38247%2435---
1.Nh38165%2503---
1.Na33559%2475---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 0-0 6.Be3 c5 7.Nf3 Qa5 8.Nd2 cxd4 9.Nb3 Qxc3+ 10.bxc3 dxe3 11.f3 Nh5 12.Qc1 Bh6 13.g4 Nf4 14.Kd1 Ne6 15.Kc2 Nc6 16.h4 Bf4 17.Qd1 Ne5 18.Nc1 Bd7 19.a4 Rac8 20.Ne2 Bh6 21.g5 Bg7 22.Bh3 Nxf3 23.Qd3 Ne5 24.Qxe3 Nxc4 25.Qf2 Rc5 26.Rhb1 Bc6 27.Bg2 f5 28.gxf6 Bxf6 29.Rf1 Bxc3 30.Qxc5 Nxc5 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Kxc3 Ne5 33.a5 Nxe4+ 34.Bxe4 Bxe4 35.Nd4 Bd5 36.Nb5 a6 37.Nc7 Bc6 38.Rf1+ Kg7 39.Ne6+ Kh6 40.Rf8 Kh5 41.Rh8 h6 42.Rh7 Kxh4 43.Rxh6+ Kg4 44.Nd4 Kg5 45.Rh2 Bd5 46.Re2 Kf4 47.Rf2+ Nf3 48.Re2 e5 49.Nc2 Be4 50.Ne3 d5 51.Kb4 Nd4 52.Re1 Kf3 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Firouzja,A2682Karthikeyan,M25930–12019E90Asian Continental op 18th5

Combination of the year

The vote for the "Combination of the Year 2019" was less contested: 44% of all voters particularly liked how Polina Shuvalova sacrificed a rook and a queen to mate with her bishops.

Polina Shuvalova

Polina Shuvalova | Photo: Niklesh Jain

The results

What was the combination of the year?
P. Shuvalova - A. Afonasieva138
44%
E. Safarli - M. Rodshtein60
19%
V. Artemiev - Z. Hracek41
13%
J. Cuenca - Anand Nadar37
11%
I. Kovalenko - V. Keymer18
5%
V. Gazik - K. Bryzgalin15
4%

And here it is again: the "Combination of the Year 2019":

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.0-0 0-0 9.Kh1 Be6 10.f4 Qc7 11.f5 Bd7 12.g4 Bc6 13.Bf3 h6 14.h4 Nh7 15.g5 hxg5 16.Rg1 gxh4 17.Bh6 Bf6 18.Qd2 Kh8 19.Be3 b5 20.Rg4 b4 21.Nd5 Bxd5 22.Qxd5 Nc6 23.Rag1 Ne7 24.Qd2 d5 25.Qh2 Qd7 26.Nc5 Qc8 27.Bf2 dxe4 28.Bxh4 Ng8 29.Bxe4 Qxc5 30.Bf2! Qe7
31.Rxg7! Bxg7 32.Qxh7+! 32.f6?? Ngxf6 32...Kxh7 33.f6+ Kh6 33...Kh8 34.fxg7# 34.Be3+! 34.fxe7?? f5! 34...Kh5 35.Bf3+ Kh4 36.Bf2+ and Black resigned in view of und Schwarz gab auf angesichts von Kh3 37.Bg4#
1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Shuvalova,P2412Afonasieva,A23121–02019B92WYCC U18 Girls 20197.1

Endgame of the year

According to ChessBase readers, Aleksandra Goryachkina is not only the "Female Player of the Year 2019", she also played the "Endgame of the Year 2019", against Valentina Gunina at the Women's Candidates Tournament in Kazan.

Goryachkina

Winning twice: Aleksandra Goryachkina | Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

The results

What was the endgame of the year?
A. Goryachkina - V. Gunina67
34%
M. Carlsen - W. So52
26%
M. Carlsen - V. Anand46
23%
L. Aronian - W. So17
8%
R. Ponomariov - N. Huschenbeth13
6%

And here it is again: the "Endgame of the Year 2019":

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.Qc2 c5 6.d5 exd5 7.cxd5 Bb7 8.Bg2 Nxd5 9.0-0 Be7 10.Rd1 Nc6 11.a3 Nc7 12.Nc3 0-0 13.Bf4 d6 14.e3 h6 15.h4 Ne6 16.Bxd6 Bxd6 17.Ne4 Ncd4 18.exd4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4 Qf6 20.dxc5 Nxc5 21.Qd4 Nb3 22.Qxf6 gxf6 23.Rab1 Rad8 24.Nh2 Bc5 25.Ng4 Kg7 26.Bd5 Nd4 27.Ne3 b5 28.Kg2 Rfe8 29.Rd3 Re5 30.Ba2 Nc6 31.Rxd8 Nxd8 32.Rd1 Ne6 33.Bxe6 fxe6 34.Rd7+ Kg6 35.Kf3 h5 36.Ng2 Kh6 37.Nf4 a5 38.Nd3 Rf5+ 39.Ke2 Bf8 40.Ke3 Bc5+ 41.Ke2 a4 42.f3 Bf8 43.Ke3 Kg6 44.Ke4 Kh6 45.Ke3 Kg6 46.Ke2 Kh6 47.g4 hxg4 48.fxg4 Rd5 49.Rf7 Bg7 50.Nf4 Re5+ 51.Kf3 Re1 52.Rb7 Rf1+ 53.Ke3 Bf8 54.Rxb5 Bd6 55.Rh5+ Kg7 56.Nxe6+ Kg6 57.Nd4 Be5 58.Nf3 Bxb2 59.Ra5 Bxa3 60.Rxa4 Bc5+ 61.Ke4 Rf2 62.h5+ Kg7 63.Nh4 Kh6 64.Ra5 Re2+ 65.Kf3 Rf2+ 66.Kg3 Rc2 67.Nf5+ Kg5 68.h6 Rc3+ 69.Kg2 Kxg4 Das folgende Endspiel hat studienartige Qualität. Der weiße h-Freibauer entscheidet den Tag: 70.h7! Erstaunlicherweise ist der Bauer nun nicht mehr aufzuhalten. 70.Rxc5?? Rxc5 71.h7 Rc2+ 72.Kg1 Rc8 73.Nh6+ Kg3 74.Kf1 74.Ng8?! Rc1# 74...Rh8-+ 70.Nh4? Kxh4 71.h7 Rg3+ 72.Kf1 Rf3+ 73.Ke2 Re3+= 70.Ra2? Be3 71.h7 Rc8 72.Nxe3+ Kg5 73.Kf3 Kg6 74.Ra7 74.Rg2+ Kxh7= 74...Rh8 75.Nd5 Rxh7= 70...Rc2+ 70...Rh3 71.Ra4++- 71.Ne3+ Bxe3 72.Ra4+ gewinnt ebenfalls. 71.Kf1 Rh2 71...Rc1+ 72.Ke2 Rc2+ 72...Rh1 73.Nh4 Rh2+ 74.Kf1 Rf2+ 75.Ke1+- 73.Kd1 Rh2 74.Nh4‼ Rh1+ 75.Ke2 Rh2+ 76.Kf1 Rf2+ 77.Ke1 Rb2 78.Ra4++- 71...Rf2+!? 72.Kg1! Rxf5+ 73.Rxc5 Rxc5 74.h8Q war zäher, aber Weiß gewinnt auf lange Sicht ebenfalls. 72.Nh4‼ Der Springer sperrt den Weg. Kg3 72...Rxh4 73.Ra4+ Kg5 74.Rxh4 Kxh4 75.h8Q++- 72...Kxh4 73.h8Q++- 73.h8Q Rf2+ 74.Ke1 Bb4+ 75.Kd1 Bxa5 76.Ng6 Bd2 77.Qh4+ Kf3 78.Qxf6+ Kg2 79.Qc6+ Kg1 80.Nh4 Bf4 81.Qg6+ Kh2 82.Qg4 Bg3 83.Nf5 Rf1+ 84.Ke2 Rf2+ 85.Kd3 Rg2 86.Qh5+ Kg1 87.Ne3 Ra2 88.Qg6 Kh2 89.Qh7+ Kg1 90.Qg8 Ra3+ 91.Ke2 Kh2 92.Kf3 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Goryachkina,A2522Gunina,V25061–02019E15FWCT 20192.2

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