Masters Game Analysis, where to start?

There are thousands of games on this website under the Learn/Games section.

I'm interested in studying and analysing a few but where would be best to start. Is there a definitive "these are the top 10/20/50 chess games to study" list anywhere.

Give me a list of the best 50 songs ever made and at that point you start to see the problem.
1. The Morphy Opera Game
2. Spassky-Fischer Game 6

A better path would be buy the book Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 by David Bronstein
and then sit there with: the book, a board and an engine.

I agree with the suggestion of studying Pachman’s books. They provide a wonderful introduction to all aspects of the middle game, in a very clear and understandable way.

Pachman is available in the three volume series “Complete Chess Strategy” or the abridged one volume “Modern Chess Stategy”. Either would be helpful, but the three volume set is recommended. Note that the first volume was published under two different titles, but the content is identical.

After careful study of Pachman, books such as Zurich 1953 will be far more educational.

I've heard that Tartakower and Dumont's 500 master games of chess is a very good supply of instructive master games to study. The book has 3 parts: open, semi-open and closed games.

Have the Pachman and Tartakower books been made available in algebraic notation (1 e4 e5)? Some other possibilities:
Simple Attacking Plans by Fred Wilson (2012)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708090402/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review874.pdf
http://dev.jeremysilman.com/shop/pc/Simple-Attacking-Plans-77p3731.htm
Logical Chess: Move by Move by Irving Chernev (1957)
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104437/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/logichess.pdf
The Most Instructive Games of Chess Ever Played by Irving Chernev (1965)
https://chessbookreviews.wordpress.com/tag/most-instructive-games-of-chess-ever-played/
Seirawan stuff:
http://www.nystar.com/tamarkin/review1.htm
50 Essential Chess Lessons by Steve Giddins
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708100833/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review534.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/50_Essential_Chess_Lessons.pdf
Simple Chess by Michael Stean
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708104258/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review400.pdf
Chess Secrets: The Giants of Chess Strategy by Neil McDonald
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708092313/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review620.pdf
Chess Strategy for Club Players by Herman Grooten
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101926/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review696.pdf
Understanding Chess Middlegames by GM John Nunn
https://web.archive.org/web/20140627012322/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/hansen154.pdf
http://www.gambitbooks.com/pdfs/Understanding_Chess_Middlegames.pdf
Attacking Chess for Club Players by Herman Grooten
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9032.pdf
Chess for Hawks
https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/9041.pdf
Chess Strategy: Move by Move by Adam Hunt
https://web.archive.org/web/20140708093249/http://www.chesscafe.com/text/review890.pdf

I don't think so: searching on Amazon only turned up the original versions in descriptive. 

I personally recommend "Power Chess" by Paul Keres.

https://www.chess.com/article/view/wesley-so-teaches-chess

I second the Pachman 'Complete Chess Strategy' suggestion, it's an excellent work. Very lucidly explained. However, it's great to play over whole games as well (it's both very instructive and highly enjoyable) and you can't go far wrong with Irving Chernev's 'The Most Instructive Games ever Played'. If you're looking for specific players, I would probably suggest Morphy > Rubinstein > Alekhine > Capablanca and Tartakower > Botvinnik and Keres > Thal, Spassky and Fischer. Geller, Taimanov and Averbakh have all written great best games collections as well.

"... [annotated games are] infinitely more useful than bare game scores. However, annotated games vary widely in quality. Some are excellent study material. Others are poor. But the most numerous fall into a third category - good-but-wrong-for-you. ... You want games with annotations that answer the questions that baffle you the most. ..." - GM Andrew Soltis (2010)
"... there are major advantages to studying older games rather than those of today. The ideas expressed in a Rubinstein or Capablanca game are generally easier to understand. They are usually carried out to their logical end, often in a memorable way, ... In today's chess, the defense is much better. That may sound good. But it means that the defender's counterplay will muddy the waters and dilute the instructional value of the game. For this reason the games of Rubinstein, Capablanca, Morphy, Siegbert Tarrasch, Harry Pillsbury and Paul Keres are strongly recommended - as well as those of more recent players who have a somewhat classical style, like Fischer, Karpov, Viswanathan Anand and Michael Adams. ..." - GM Andrew Soltis (2010)

Just so, kindaspongey. Older master games from best games collections tend to be more much more clearcut. Concepts, ideas and strategies are often implemented and followed through in an instructive way.

leemeadowcroft: I don't think it's a case of no one bothering with it, but rather a case of the instructional value. Reading over Savielly Tartakower's Best Games collection, say, is likely to be of much more benefit to most of us.

A question about pachmans books. What level are they geared toward?

A question about pachmans books. What level are they geared toward?

Agree with DeirdreSkye! They require the reader to actively study, setting up the positions on a board and playing through them. I would say the strength range is quite wide, from 1350/1400 up to 2150. Basically anyone who's progressed beyond the stage where they drop material at every turn and are capable of forming and executing plans will benefit from reading it. 'Complete Chess Strategy' is also one of those works where regular re-reading will repay you handsomely. Pachman is discussing many concepts and principles, and some of them, which on a previous may not have made sense or not clicked into place for you, will do so on later readings.

http://www.thechessmind.net/blog/2015/2/9/a-brief-review-of-tartakowers-my-best-games-of-chess-1905-19.html

My Best Games of Chess: 1905-1954

https://www.newinchess.com/media/wysiwyg/product_pdf/2790.pdf

Okay than you. I have been working through Yusupov's build up your chess series and use the 500 master games of chess for annotated master games to analyze. Would you say that Pachman's book should be done in place of that or as well as? Skimming through, Pachman seems to have mostly full game scores anyway.

I've also started Yusupov's series and finished the first book last week. It's hard work but well worth it. To take a break from Yusupov, I am going back through Pachman. My belief is that there is great benefit from doing both, because of their different emphasis and teaching style. It also can't hurt to use the 500 master game book. 

Of course, we all have different learning styles, so what works for me might not be suitable for you and vice versa. Personally, I like some variety in my study materials, so I alternate books: Yusupov book 1, then Pachman, then Yusupov 2, then maybe books on IQP positions, followed by Yusupov 3, etc. In between books, or even while studying a particular book, I occasionally take time out to study some games from a collection.

In short, I wouldn't eliminate any of the books you are working on -- they're all valuable. Just mix them up to the extent you feel like doing.

I think I worded my last post poorly. I will continue the Yusupov series regardless. I meant to ask if Pachman's book would serve as a replacement for master game analysis. If so I would still eventually go through the 500 master games.

Actually I just realised that Pachman's book aims to achieve the same thing as Soltis' Pawn Structure Chess(although they are quite different), which I already have and am working through so I will save Complete Chess Strategy for another time.