Vote: Combination of the Year

by ChessBase
12/28/2019 – Another eventful chess year is behind us, with great events and tournaments, impressive personalities and fantastic chess games. Help us choose the player of the year, the female player of the year, the game of the year, the combination of the year and the endgame of the year in our annual ChessBase reader poll. Next up: the Combination of the Year...
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What was the combination of the year?

For each poll, our editorial team has provided a list of nominees. Even with a panel involved, these are of course a bit subjective. And since we have limited ourselves to six combinations, undoubtedly some readers may miss their favoured choice. Our shortlist is one of many possible, we know!

The nominees

ChessBase Magazine editor IM Oliver Reeh has selected six of the best combinations of the year. Make your selection below.

(The order of the games is arbitrary. After reviewing the combinations, you can vote at the end of the article.)

1) V. Artemiev vs Z. Hracek, European Championship, Skopje 2019

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,166,62354%2421---
1.d4947,29855%2434---
1.Nf3281,60256%2441---
1.c4182,10256%2442---
1.g319,70256%2427---
1.b314,26554%2427---
1.f45,89748%2377---
1.Nc33,80151%2384---
1.b41,75648%2380---
1.a31,20654%2404---
1.e31,06848%2408---
1.d395450%2378---
1.g466446%2360---
1.h444653%2374---
1.c343351%2426---
1.h328056%2418---
1.a411060%2466---
1.f39246%2436---
1.Nh38966%2508---
1.Na34262%2482---
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.d4 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5 cxd4 8.exd4 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Ne5 Bd7 11.Bg5 Rc8 12.Re1 Re8 13.Rc1 a6 14.Bxc6 Bxc6 15.Qf3 Qd6 16.h3 Bd8 17.Re3 Rf8 18.Rce1 Qb4 19.Qf5 Ra8 20.Rd1 Ne8 21.Bf4 Nf6 22.Rg3 Kh8 23.Rdd3 Be8 24.a3 Qxb2
25.Rxg7! Kxg7 26.Rg3+ Kh8 27.Nxd5! Nxd5 28.Bh6! Bf6 28...Rg8 29.Rxg8+ Kxg8 30.Qg4+ Kh8 31.Qg7# 29.Qxf6+ and Black resigned on account of und Schwarz gab auf wegen Nxf6 30.Bg7+ Kg8 31.Bxf6# 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Artemiev,V2736Hracek,Z25781–02019B14EICC 20198.3

Vladislav Artemiev | Photo: Gu Xiaobing

2) J. Cuenca vs Anand Nadar, Gibraltar 2019

 
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1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.e3 Be7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 b6 7.g3 Bb7 8.Bg2 c5 9.0-0 Qc8 10.Rc1 Rd8 11.d3 dxc4 12.bxc4 Nc6 13.Qe2 Na5 14.Ne1 Bxg2 15.Nxg2 Nc6 16.f4 a6 17.g4 Ne8 18.g5 b5 19.Rf3 Qd7 20.Rd1 Nd6 21.Rh3 g6 22.Qf3 f6
23.Nh4! fxg5 24.Nxg6! hxg6 25.Nd5! 25.Ne4? e5! 25...Nf7 25...exd5 26.Qxd5+ Nf7 27.Rh8# 25...e5 26.fxe5 g4 27.e6! gxf3 27...gxh3 28.exd7 27...Bh4 28.Qxg4 28.Rh8# 26.Qe4!+- Nce5 26...exd5 27.Qxg6+ Kf8 28.Bg7+! Ke8 28...Kg8 29.Qh7# 29.Rh8+ Bf8 30.Rxf8+ Ke7 31.Qf6# 27.Bxe5 Nxe5 28.Nxe7+ Qxe7 29.Qxe5+- Qg7 30.Qxe6+ Qf7 31.Rh8+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cuenca Jimenez,J2512Anand Nadar23731–02019A14Gibraltar Masters 20194.57

José Cuenca | Photo: Spanish Chess Federation

3) V. Gazik vs K. Bryzgalin, Pardubice 2019

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Be7 4.0-0 d6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Qe2 0-0 7.Bb3 h6 8.h3 Nh7 9.d4 Ng5 10.Rd1 Nxf3+ 11.Qxf3 Bg5 12.Na3 Qe7 13.Nc4 Bd7 14.Ne3 Bxe3 15.Bxe3 Kh8 16.Bc2 Qh4 17.Rd2 a5 18.Re1 Rae8 19.a3 a4 20.Rdd1 Re7 21.Kh2 Kg8 22.Rg1!? Na5 23.dxe5 Rxe5 24.Bf4 Re7
25.Rd5! Nc4 26.Rh5! Qf6 27.Bxh6! Qg6 27...Qxf3 28.gxf3 - see 22.Rg1! - siehe 22.Tg1! 28.e5! Qxc2 28...Nxe5 29.Rxe5!+- 29.Bxg7! Nxe5 29...Kxg7 30.Qf6+ Kg8 31.Qh8# 29...Rxe5 30.Rh6! f5 31.Qh5+- 30.Qf6+- Ng6 31.Bxf8 and Black resigned on account of und Schwarz gab auf wegen Kxf8 32.Rh8+ Nxh8 33.Qxh8# 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Gazik,V2525Bryzgalin,K24371–02019C41Czech Open GM 20198.10

Viktor Gazik | Photo: Amruta Mokal

4) I. Kovalenko vs V. Keymer, Bundesliga 2019

 
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1.c4 d5 2.d4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e3 cxd4 7.exd4 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Qc7 9.Bd2 Nd7 10.Bd3 b6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.Re1 Bb7 13.c4 0-0 14.Rb1 h6 15.Qc1 Nf6 16.d5 Ng4 17.h3 Ne5 18.Nxe5 Bxe5
19.Bxh6! exd5 20.Qg5 Rfe8 21.Re3 dxc4 22.Rbe1 f6 23.Bxc4+ Kh8 23...Qxc4 24.Qxg7# 23...Kf8 24.Rxe5 fxg5 25.Rf5++- 24.Qg6! Re7 24...gxh6 25.Bf7! Bf4 25...Rf8 26.Qxh6# 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.Rxe8# 25.Rg3! gxh6 25...Bxg3 26.Bxg7+ Rxg7 27.Re8+ Rxe8 28.Qxe8+ Kh7 29.Qh5# 26.Rxe5! fxe5 26...Rxe5 27.Qxh6+ Qh7 28.Qxf6++- 26...Qxe5 27.Bf7! Rxf7 28.Qxf7 f5 29.Rg6! and mate. und Matt. 27.Qxh6+ Rh7 28.Qf6+ Qg7 28...Rg7 29.Rg4! Be4 30.Rxe4+- 29.Rxg7+- Rxg7 30.g4 e4 31.g5 b5 32.Be6 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Kovalenko,I2644Keymer,V25021–02019B22BL 2018-1910.14

Igor Kovalenko | Photo: Amruta Mokal

5) E. Safarli vs M. Rodshtein, FIDE chess.com Grand Swiss Isle of Man 2019

 
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1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Qc7 6.Ne2 Bg4 7.0-0 e6 8.Qe1 Be7 9.Bf4 Qd7 10.Ng3 Nf6 11.Bg5 Nh5 12.Nxh5 Bxh5 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 14.Nd2 Bg6 15.Qe3 Bxd3 16.Qxd3 0-0 17.f4 g6 18.Nf3 Rac8 19.Rae1 Qd6 20.Ng5 Kg7 QQ 21.Qh3! Rh8
21...h6 22.Nxe6+ fxe6 23.Rxe6 Qc7 23...Qd7 24.Rxg6+ 24.f5!+- 22.Qh6+! Kg8 22...Kxh6 23.Nxf7+ Kg7 24.Nxd6+- 23.f5! exf5 24.Rxf5 Rf8 24...Qf8 25.Qxf8+ Rxf8 26.Rxd5+- 25.Ne6! and Black resigned on account of und Schwarz gab auf wegen 25.Nxf7?! Qd7! 25...Rxf7 26.Re8++- 25...fxe6 26.Rxe6! Qd8 26...Rxf5 27.Rxd6 26...Qxe6 27.Rxf8# 27.Rxg6+ hxg6 28.Qxg6# Epaulettenmatt! / Epaulettes Mate! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Safarli,E2593Rodshtein,M26841–02019B13FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss2.35

Eltaj Safarli | Photo: Dominique Primel

6) P. Shuvalova vs A. Afonasieva, U18 World Ch. (Girls), Mumbai 2019

 
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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
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Shuvalova,P2412Afonasieva,A23121–02019B92WYCC U18 Girls 20197.1

Polina Shuvalova | Photo: Niklesh Jain

Poll

What is your choice for the best combination of 2019?

Combination/Kombination/Combinación
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%

Voting ends on 12/31/2019, at 22:00 UTC

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