Kasparov, Garry – Topalov, Veselin Jack’s Chess http://www.jackschess.com/Thursday/TFJul18.htm Is this the greatest game of the Nineties? Kasparov, Garry Topalov, Veselin Result: 1-0 Metadata » Click to open. Date: January 20, 1999 Location: Wijk aan Zee Tournament: ? Round: Opening: B07 Pirc Defence Submitted by: Jack's Chess Published on: February 9, 2020 [Event "?"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1999.01.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B07"] [Annotator ""Jack's Chess""] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "1999.01.20"] [Source "TaL's Chess"] [SourceDate "1999.01.20"] {Jack's Chess http://www.jackschess.com/Thursday/TFJul18.htm Is this the greatest game of the Nineties? } 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 10. a3 {Kasparov is in no hurry to attack the kingside. He wants to make Black castle on the other side and is willing to wait. } 10... e5 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1 a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6 17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3 19... d5 { This is the move Kasparov has been preparing for. It is to be expected after 15...c5, as is Black's follow-up 21...d4. } 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4 22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4 (24. Rxd4 { Perhaps Topalov thought he had prevented this, since} 24... cxd4 25. Qxd4+ 25... Qb6 {favors him. }) 24... cxd4 25. Re7+ { This may not have been a surprise either.} (25. Re7+ { Whenever he saw it he would have known that he could not play} 25... Qxe7 { because of} 26. Qxd4+ Kb8 27. Qb6+ Bb7 28. Nc6+ { winning the queen. Kasparov had to have seen all this many moves earlier. }) 25... Kb6 {If Topalov saw this far he might have thought White could not abandon the knight. Fritz sees that White can let it go but believes that he has only a draw, so perhaps Topalov saw it too. We don't have to believe that Kasparov saw everything through to the end, but the forcing of crises one after the other is really remarkable. } 26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 Qxd5 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 ( { Through the earlier play Fritz thinks that White has to play} 30. Qc7 { here, allowing a perpetual beginning with} 30... Qd1+) ( {Fritz sees} 30. Rxb7 { too but thinks it is well handled by} 30... Rhe8 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Rxf6 32... h6 {which in fact is demolished by the hard-to-see} 33. Bd7 { }) 30... Qc4 31. Qxf6 {Now it is clear that White is much better, but there are more delights to come. See that most of Black's moves have been the only moves. } 31... Kxa3 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 35. Qb2+ Kd1 36. Bf1 { How many players would have found this lovely move? } 36... Rd2 37. Rd7 { This is an only move. } 37... Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8 Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 43. Kc1 Rd2 44. Qa7 (44. Qa7 h5 45. Qb6 Rg2 46. Qxg6 Rxh2 47. Qxf5 Kf2 48. Qg5 ( {not} 48. Qc2+ 48... Kxg3 49. Qxh2+ Kxh2 50. f5 { for though the White pawn queens Black draws with the h-pawn}) 48... Rh3 49. f5 Rxg3 50. Qxh5 {and White just advances his pawn.}) 1-0 [Event "?"] [Site "Wijk aan Zee"] [Date "1999.01.20"] [Round "?"] [White "Kasparov, Garry"] [Black "Topalov, Veselin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B07"] [Annotator ""Jack's Chess""] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "1999.01.20"] [Source "TaL's Chess"] [SourceDate "1999.01.20"] {Jack's Chess http://www.jackschess.com/Thursday/TFJul18.htm Is this the greatest game of the Nineties? } 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 10. a3 {Kasparov is in no hurry to attack the kingside. He wants to make Black castle on the other side and is willing to wait. } 10... e5 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1 a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6 17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3 19... d5 { This is the move Kasparov has been preparing for. It is to be expected after 15...c5, as is Black's follow-up 21...d4. } 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4 22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4 (24. Rxd4 { Perhaps Topalov thought he had prevented this, since} 24... cxd4 25. Qxd4+ 25... Qb6 {favors him. }) 24... cxd4 25. Re7+ { This may not have been a surprise either.} (25. Re7+ { Whenever he saw it he would have known that he could not play} 25... Qxe7 { because of} 26. Qxd4+ Kb8 27. Qb6+ Bb7 28. Nc6+ { winning the queen. Kasparov had to have seen all this many moves earlier. }) 25... Kb6 {If Topalov saw this far he might have thought White could not abandon the knight. Fritz sees that White can let it go but believes that he has only a draw, so perhaps Topalov saw it too. We don't have to believe that Kasparov saw everything through to the end, but the forcing of crises one after the other is really remarkable. } 26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 Qxd5 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 ( { Through the earlier play Fritz thinks that White has to play} 30. Qc7 { here, allowing a perpetual beginning with} 30... Qd1+) ( {Fritz sees} 30. Rxb7 { too but thinks it is well handled by} 30... Rhe8 31. Rb6 Ra8 32. Rxf6 32... h6 {which in fact is demolished by the hard-to-see} 33. Bd7 { }) 30... Qc4 31. Qxf6 {Now it is clear that White is much better, but there are more delights to come. See that most of Black's moves have been the only moves. } 31... Kxa3 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 35. Qb2+ Kd1 36. Bf1 { How many players would have found this lovely move? } 36... Rd2 37. Rd7 { This is an only move. } 37... Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8 Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 43. Kc1 Rd2 44. Qa7 (44. Qa7 h5 45. Qb6 Rg2 46. Qxg6 Rxh2 47. Qxf5 Kf2 48. Qg5 ( {not} 48. Qc2+ 48... Kxg3 49. Qxh2+ Kxh2 50. f5 { for though the White pawn queens Black draws with the h-pawn}) 48... Rh3 49. f5 Rxg3 50. Qxh5 {and White just advances his pawn.}) 1-0 White to move: find the best move... click the ? for the solution Black to move: find the best move... click the ? for the solution Warning: This game can only be seen if JavaScript is enabled in your browser. No related posts.
