Lichess Game of the Month April 2026 - Contest

[Event "rated classical game"]
[Site "https://lichess.org/Z1wcZsYQ"]
[Date "2026.04.09"]
[Round "-"]
[White "SOFI2013SOFI2013"]
[Black "strab"]
[Result "1-0"]
[GameId "Z1wcZsYQ"]
[UTCDate "2026.04.04

[UTCTime "12:41:19"]
[WhiteElo "2091"]
[BlackElo "2005"]
[WhiteRatingDiff "+14"]
[BlackRatingDiff "-4"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[TimeControl "30+0"]
[ECO "B93"]
[Opening "Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Amsterdam Variation"]
[Termination "Normal"]
[Annotator "lichess.org"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 { B93 Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Amsterdam Variation } e6 7. a4 Be7 8. Be3 O-O 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. h3 e5 11. Nf5?? { (0.15 -2.15) Blunder. Nxc6 was best. } (11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. fxe5 dxe5 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. a5 Nh5 15. Bc4 Be6 16. Bxe6 fxe6) 11... Bxf5 12. exf5 Re8? { (-1.96 -0.78) Mistake. exf4 was best. } (12... exf4 13. Bxf4 d5 14. O-O-O d4 15. Na2 Nd5 16. Kb1 b5 17. a5 Rc8 18. Be2) 13. O-O-O e4?? { (-0.90 2.08) Blunder. exf4 was best. } (13... exf4 14. Bxf4 d5 15. Nxd5 Ne4 16. Qe2 Bg5 17. Qf3 Bxf4+ 18. Qxf4 Qa5 19. c3) 14. g4 Rc8 15. g5 Nd7 16. Nxe4?! { (2.73 1.97) Inaccuracy. Nd5 was best. } (16. Nd5 Bf8 17. f6 b5 18. axb5 Na5 19. Qb4 axb5 20. Bxb5 Nb7 21. Kb1 Nbc5) 16... Qc7 17. Nc3 Nb4 18. Bd3? { (2.04 0.78) Mistake. f6 was best. } (18. f6 Bf8 19. Bd4 d5 20. Kb1 Bd6 21. h4 Bxf4 22. Qf2 Bg3 23. Qf3 b5) 18... Nb6?! { (0.78 1.93) Inaccuracy. d5 was best. } (18... d5 19. Rhe1 b5 20. f6 Bd6 21. Kb1 g6 22. axb5 Qa5 23. Bd4 Rxe1 24. Qxe1) 19. Rhg1 N6d5?! { (1.46 2.36) Inaccuracy. d5 was best. } (19... d5 20. f6 Bf8 21. Bd4 g6 22. Kb1 Qc6 23. a5 Na4 24. h4 Nxc3+ 25. Bxc3) 20. Bd4? { (2.36 0.67) Mistake. Nxd5 was best. } (20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Bd4 Qc6 22. b3 b5 23. axb5 axb5 24. Rge1 b4 25. Be4 Qb5) 20... Nxd3+? { (0.67 1.85) Mistake. Nxc3 was best. } (20... Nxc3 21. Bxc3 Na2+ 22. Kb1 Nxc3+ 23. Qxc3 Qxc3 24. bxc3 Rxc3 25. Rde1 Kf8 26. Rg4) 21. cxd3?? { (1.85 0.11) Blunder. Qxd3 was best. } (21. Qxd3 Nxf4 22. Qd2 d5 23. Rg4 b5 24. Kb1 b4 25. Qxf4 Qxf4 26. Rxf4 bxc3) 21... Nb4? { (0.11 1.55) Mistake. Nxc3 was best. } (21... Nxc3 22. Bxc3 d5 23. Kb1 Qd7 24. f6 Bc5 25. Rge1 Qxa4 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Re1) 22. Kb1 Qa5?! { (1.28 2.08) Inaccuracy. d5 was best. } (22... d5 23. g6 fxg6 24. fxg6 h6 25. f5 Rf8 26. Rgf1 Bf6 27. Qf2 Bxd4 28. Qxd4) 23. f6 Bf8 24. h4?! { (2.04 1.01) Inaccuracy. Na2 was best. } (24. Na2 Nc6 25. Qxa5 Nxa5 26. Nb4 Nb3 27. Bc3 Nc5 28. Nd5 Nxa4 29. Bd4 g6) 24... b5?? { (1.01 3.17) Blunder. Nc6 was best. } (24... Nc6 25. fxg7 Nxd4 26. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 27. g6 fxg6 28. f5 Nxf5 29. h5 Re6 30. hxg6) 25. h5?! { (3.17 2.03) Inaccuracy. g6 was best. } (25. g6 hxg6 26. f5 Nc6 27. fxg7 Bxg7 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. h5 bxa4 30. fxg6 f5) 25... bxa4?! { (2.03 2.80) Inaccuracy. Nc6 was best. } (25... Nc6 26. fxg7 Nxd4 27. gxf8=Q+ Rxf8 28. Qg2 b4 29. g6 fxg6 30. Nd5 Qxa4 31. hxg6) 26. g6 fxg6? { (2.34 4.22) Mistake. a3 was best. } (26... a3 27. Na2 Nc6 28. Qxa5 Nxa5 29. fxg7 Be7 30. Nb4 Nb3 31. Bc3 axb2 32. Bxb2) 27. hxg6 h6? { (3.91 6.94) Mistake. hxg6 was best. } (27... hxg6 28. Rxg6 Rc7 29. Rg5 d5 30. fxg7 Be7) 28. f7+ Kh8 29. f5 Re5 30. Ne4? { (5.56 3.38) Mistake. f6 was best. } (30. f6 Qd8 31. Qxh6+ gxh6 32. g7+ Bxg7 33. fxg7+ Kh7 34. Ne4 Nd5 35. f8=R Qxf8) 30... Rc2?? { (3.38 11.35) Blunder. a3 was best. } (30... a3 31. Rc1 Rc6 32. b3 Qb5 33. Ka1 a5 34. f6 Rxc1+ 35. Rxc1 gxf6) 31. Qxh6+ gxh6 32. f6 Bg7 33. fxg7+ Kxg7 34. f8=Q+ Kxf8 35. g7+ Kg8? { (9.23 Mate in 5) Checkmate is now unavoidable. Ke7 was best. } (35... Ke7 36. g8=Q Rg5 37. Qh7+ Ke6 38. Nxg5+ hxg5 39. Rde1+ Qe5 40. Bxe5 dxe5 41. Rxg5) 36. Nf6+ Kf7 37. g8=Q+ Kxf6 38. Rdf1+ Ke7 39. Rg7# { White wins by checkmate. } 1-0

@Merkava777 only games from APRIL 2026. May will not count!

https://lichess.org/LSpAPR8G?pov=AK_47GT_Nir

Positional game with many high level or unusual positional ideas