Kasparov's immortal is a

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

game played by

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a Russian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion (1985–2000), political activist and writer. His peak FIDE chess Elo rating system, ra ...

as White against

Veselin Topalov Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (pronounced ; ; born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and former FIDE World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. Topalov became FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE ...

as Black at the Hoogovens Wijk aan Zee Chess Tournament 1999 chess tournament. This is one of Kasparov's most famous games; it is considered a masterpiece and Chess.com has listed it as the No. 1 chess game ever played.

The game

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

: Kasparov Black: Topalov

Opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...

Pirc Defense The Pirc Defence ( ) is a chess opening characterised by the response of Black to 1.e4 with 1...d6 and 2...Nf6, followed by ...g6 and ...Bg7, while allowing White to establish a with pawns on d4 and e4. It is named after the Slovenian grandmaste ...

('' ECO'' B07) ;1. e4 d6 :An unusual response by Topalov to Kasparov's 1. e4, resulting in a position Kasparov had never seen before in classical play. ;2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 :This setup has similarities to the

King's Indian Defence The King's Indian Defence (or KID) is a common chess opening. It is defined by the following moves: : 1. d4 Nf6 : 2. c4 g6 Black intends to follow up with 3...Bg7 and 4...d6 (the Grünfeld Defence arises when Black plays 3...d5 instead and ...

, but White's c-pawn remains on the second rank. ;4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6!? :Topalov plays flexibly, waiting to see how Kasparov will continue. ;6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 :This queen capture hinders Black's castling. ;9...Bb7 10. a3 e5 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1! :White's king moves to the safer b1 square while and allows the white knight to access the c1 square. ;12...a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4! :This opens Black's position. ;15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6 17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3?! :The bishop has no targets on h3 and this move allows black to break at the center. It would have been better to recentralize with Qf4. ;19...d5 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4 22. Nd5! :If Black plays 22…Nfxd5?, White responds with 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Qxf7+ which leads to White being up a piece, e.g. 24…Kb8 25. Re6 Qc7 26. Re7 Nd7 27. Nc6 Bxc6 28. dxc6 Qxc6 29. Bxd7. ;22...Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4!! :Now the fireworks start. ;24...cxd4? :While Black would have been better off declining the rook sacrifice with Kb6!, the game would have been largely forgotten. :Black can not reply with Nxd5 because White could have then played Qxf7+. ;25. Re7+!! Kb6 :If Black played 25…Qxe7??, White plays 26. Qxd4+ to start one of the three forced mating sequences: :* 26…Kb8 27. Qb6+ Bb7 28. Nc6+ Ka8 29. Qa7# :* 26…Kb8 27. Qb6+ Qb7 28. Nc6# :* 26…Qc5 27. Qxc5+ Kb8 28. Qb6+ Bb7 29. Qxb7# ;26. Qxd4+! :This sacrifices a knight to continue the attack. ;26...Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3?! : Lubomir Kavalek, writing for

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

, was the first one to observe that Ra7!! is a better attack for White in this position. ;28...Qxd5 :28...Bxd5?? is refuted with 29. Kb2 followed by Qb3+ and cxb3#. ;29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 Qc4! :This move forces the white queen to move away temporarily. :After the game, Topalov analyzed the position with his second Silvio Danailov for hours and told the press at the tournament that Black had drawing chances after 30…Rhe8 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Be6. However, Black is in trouble if White instead plays 32. Bf1!!. :If Black played 30…Qxb7??, 31. Qb3# follows. ;31. Qxf6 Kxa3?! :Black takes the pawn to prevent checkmate from 32. Qxa6#. :However, Black had much better drawing chances with 31…Rd1+! During the game, Kasparov visualizing this line saw White having a stronger endgame after 32. Kb2 Ra8 33. Qb6 Qd4+ 34. Qxd4 Rxd4 35. Rxf7 a5 36. Be6 axb4 37. Bb3+ Ka5 38. axb4+ Kb6 39. Rxh7 but realized, after the game was over, that Black could have fought for a draw with 39…Rf8. Computer analysis shows no clear win for White after 39…Rf8, but also shows White had better fighting chances after 35. Bd7 Rd6 36. g4 in a line very hard for humans to visualize. ;32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 35. Qb2+ Kd1 :White gives checks to invite Black's king into White's back rank. ;36. Bf1!! Rd2 :If Black plays 36… Qxf1??, White can force mate: 37. Qc2+ Ke1 38. Re7+ Qe2 39. Qxe2#. :If 36…Qd5??, 37. Qc1# follows. ;37. Rd7!! :Pinning Black's rook so that White can capture Black's queen without losing his own, and threatening Qxd2#. :If White plays 37. Qxh8??, 37…Qa2# follows. :If White plays 37. Bxc4?, then black plays 37…Rxb2+! 38. Kxb2 bxc4 39. Kc3, and the rook endgame is a draw. ;37...Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 :If Black attempted to save his h8 rook, White would have won with 39. Qc1#. ;39. Qxh8 :White now has a queen for a rook and pawn, and should be easily winning. ;39...Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 43. Kc1 Rd2 44. Qa7 1-0 :Topalov resigned. :As the game ended, Kasparov remembers the audience in the hall applauding.

References

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External links

Lichess analysis board of game

Chessgames.com discussion of game

This game, allegedly annotated by Kasparov

NM Sam Copeland's video analysis and praise of this game

GM Hikaru Nakamura's video analysis and praise of this game
Chess games 1999 in chess Garry Kasparov