TOP 10 Classical Games of April 2025

In my selection, I’ve primarily focused on tactical battles, fascinating moves, and practical solutions—don’t expect too many subtle endgames or situations where a small advantage is squeezed. The games aren’t perfect, but they are certainly interesting. Occasionally, I’ve included a game that might not have made the cut on its own, but in the context of the player or tournament situation, I believe it deserves its place.

I’ve filtered games with ratings above 2400+, though in one case, I simply couldn’t resist. It’s also important to mention one thing – I’ve focused solely on classical games with the standard starting position. Freestyle games are not included in this selection; that’s a topic for a whole separate article! :)

No more waiting—let’s dive into the selection!

Link to the study where the featured games are analyzed: GAMES
Throughout the article, you can try to solve the diagrams from selected games, with the side closer to us to move.

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10. Prraneeth Vuppala vs Ibarra José

We begin our selection with a game from the Menorca Open—a tournament that will make more than one appearance in this list. In this encounter, a Spanish grandmaster chose a rare line and clearly navigated the position better than his opponent in the early stages. However, he failed to capitalize on several inaccuracies, and the game eventually reached an imbalanced endgame with queen and rook versus queen and two knights—a position White could have held. But the move Qf4 turned out to be a decisive mistake, and after that, Black never missed the mark again.

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9. Ju Wenjun vs Tan Zhongyi

The next game comes from the Women's World Championship match, a rather overlooked event. Although the defending champion was already ahead, the challenger came close to a winning position in this game—and the way she ended up losing felt like a slap in the face. From that moment on, her energy and momentum seemed to disappear entirely.

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8. Ladron de Guevarra Pinto vs Raja Rithvik

A sharp Najdorf variation where Black dictated the nature of the battle, steering the game into a wild opposite-side castling scenario and navigating the complications more confidently. The game features a few unexpected twists and turns—definitely worth a deeper look. I especially recommend diving into the analysis and trying to figure out what White should have played on move 50.

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7. Chasin Nico vs Ivanchuk Vasyl

The legendary Vasyl Ivanchuk in action! This game isn't a complex back-and-forth struggle—it's a one-sided affair. But I couldn’t let this brilliant sacrifice go unnoticed. It deserves a spotlight.

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6. De Winter Arthur vs Adhiban Baskaran

If you turn on the engine, it simply tells you that White is worse for a long time after committing to 21.Rh3. But from a human perspective, things aren’t so black and white. An interesting battle—one where the king eventually goes on quite the walk.

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5. Horvath Dominik vs Nguyen Thai Dai Van

The new Czech number one had an amazing year. A gold medal at the Olympiad, first place at Tata Steel Challengers, and ultimately dethroning David Navara as the country's top player. Everything points to Van being in top form. And a great example of that is this game—played with dynamic flair and fearless decisions.

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4. Erigaisi Arjun vs Livaic Leon

Arjun is a fascinating player. Just one round earlier, he had defeated Max Warmerdam in brilliant style, and it looked like he was on track for another big win. But even the best sometimes make mistakes. His unconventional opening choice, the idea of b4, and the resulting endgame—this is what makes this game a strong contender for a spot in this selection of the month's top games.

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3. Pranesh M vs Ivanchuk Vasyl

And now, onto the big three! In the final round of the Menorca Open, Ivanchuk faced the young Pranesh. The game is full of exciting moments—like the e5 push in the opening, g4 as a huge strategic mistake in the endgame, and the final blunder by White, who had three possible moves but chose the one that lost. Ivanchuk wrapped up the tournament with a stunning 2833 performance. Not too shabby for someone almost 60!

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2. Roubalik Jakub vs Shirov Alexej

It's not often that a 2300-rated player beats a world-class player like Alexey Shirov. But Jakub Roubalík pulled it off at the Grenke Open! The players entered a sharp variation, where Black allowed White to sacrifice the exchange, which led to a worse position for Black. It's worth mentioning that without an engine, it's very hard to assess exactly what's happening on the board. Kudos to Jakub for overcoming every obstacle Shirov put in his way and winning deservedly. Congratulations on his final IM norm and the IM title!

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1. Karthikeyan Murali vs Raja Rithvik

And we have a winner! While Ivanchuk’s phenomenal performance steals the spotlight, a hidden gem of the Menorca Open shines in the background. Karthikeyan is a strong player, having defeated Magnus Carlsen in a serious game, and here he gives his opponent a masterclass. This game has it all—an unconventional opening variation, tactical turns, an imbalanced endgame, and a brilliant stalemate motif.