Post your best miniatures here
That was a nice trap 8...f5 9.exf en-pasaant 9...d5! and their bishop has nowhere to go
In this miniature Black plays almost all their moves from behind their pawns. It takes a while but their position finally crumbles
28 moves isn't a miniature! It's a shortish game.
25 or less moves in a won game is a miniature, as stated all over the web and in various books.
28 moves isn't a miniature! It's a shortish game.
25 or less moves in a won game is a miniature, as stated all over the web and in various books.
"as stated all over the web and in various books." I didn't know either and I pay attention to things like this. "all over the web?" SO WHAT. It should have been indicated in the FIRST POST. THAT is where *I* looked to understand what 'miniature' meant but it didn't say.
So now please be nice if someone posts improperly. It isn't their fault that they didn't know they should check every chess book and online discussion about chess to get the answer.
I kept trying to imagine 'miniature' and I first thought a variant game, then maybe number of moves but I had no idea HOW MANY moves, and then I thought 'tiny chess sets' played by fleas ...
28 moves isn't a miniature! It's a shortish game.
25 or less moves in a won game is a miniature, as stated all over the web and in various books.
There have, at times, been strong views presented for miniatures being under 25, with equally strong views presented for under 20, etc. because there is no official definition of a miniature.
As such, the majority of posters have tended to view anything under 30 moves as acceptable (or at least "in the spirit of") in this thread.
I've been on this thread for quite a long time already and this subject always comes up from time to time. A miniature is defined as a short game, but the definition of a short game has been proposed during the years, from up to 15 moves, to 20 moves, to 25 moves (the most common one) , and nowadays any game below 30 moves. Plus it's not such an important concept, so it's used more as a guide than anything else.
In personal I use the below 30 moves definition, but if people choose to just post their games below 25 or 20 it's really up to them. Live and let live is my motto.
As to where do I come up with the below 30 guide a quick Google search gives tons of articles, blogs and videos by GMs or official commentators where these games are called miniatures. Just a few of them
https://www.chess.com/news/view/2025-fide-world-cup-round-2-game-1
https://www.chess.com/news/view/2022-norway-chess-blitz-wesley-so-wins
https://en.chessbase.com/post/fast-and-furious-with-im-robert-ris-2020-2
https://www.chess.com/news/view/2025-prague-chess-festival-round-5
https://www.chess.com/blog/2Bf41-0/chess-romanticism-part-i-zukertort
https://x.com/chesscom/status/1653221767119290369