In the series “Champion born this month”, I am extremely delighted to present the readers with a story on a muti-faceted former World Chess Champion, who made his way to the top not only in Chess but also in other spheres of life. Yes, you guessed it right, it is none other than Garry Kasparov!
Born on April 13, 1963 at Baku (Azerbaijan, Soviet Union) as Garik Kimovic Weinstein to a Christian mother and Jewish father, Kasparov has been living an extraordinary life from a very young age -- a life with unexpected turns and unforeseen ups and downs. Kasparov joined the Young Pioneer Palace, Baku, at the age of 7 and quickly learnt to play better Chess than others. In fact, he became so famous for his skills at Chess that he was chosen to join the coveted Botvinnik Chess School at the tender age of 10. However, he continued to be a permanent resident of Baku till 1990.
With the five times World Chess Champion Mikhail Botvinnik as his mentor, Kasparov never looked back in his Chess career. Botvinnik had always been revising his training methods as per the development of Chess strategy, and he used all his knowledge to train his most talented pupil. At the age of 13, not only Kasparov had studied the famous ‘My Sixty Memorable Games of Chess’ (by Bobby Fischer), but had also found out 37 tactical inaccuracies in it! At the age of 12, Garik Weinstein changed his name to Garry Kasparov, and he became a ‘self-appointed Christian’ in his own words. In 1980, Kasparov won the World Junior Chess Championship with a record score of 10.5 points from 13 games,1.5 point more than his nearest rival, Nigel Short of England. In another 5 years, he became the youngest ever World Chess Champion, a record he still holds.
In 1990, Kasparov permanently moved to Moscow and declared himself a ‘Russian’. Naturally, after the cessation of the USSR, he chose to play for Russia. Kasparov was highly influenced by the policies of Mikhail Gorbachev and always wanted to see a “free and democratic” Russia. In his autobiography “Child of change”, Kasparov has expressed his desire to change Russia into a truly democratic state.
Kasparov was not only the most feared opponent for over two decades, but he also holds the record of being the highest rated Chess player for over two decades, i.e., from 1984 to 2005. In 1990, Kasparov reached ELO rating of 2805 points, breaking Bobby Fischer’s record of 2785 points (year 1972). In 1993, Kasparov developed serious differences with the World Chess Federation FIDE and chose to form ‘Professional Chess Association’, a private body run by a few top Chess players. With his charisma and popularity, Kasparov was able to start (and successfully run) regular World Championship Cycles for PCA, with a Prize Money higher than that of the ‘official’ FIDE World Championship cycles. Though he had severe differences with FIDE, Kasparov did help the Russian Chess Federation and FIDE to organise the Chess Olympiads (Open and Women’s) successfully at Moscow in 1994, for the cause of promotion and propagation of Chess. The 1994 Olympiad is the only Chess Olympiad which was graced by the presence of the President of International Olympic Committee .
This this could happen only due to Kasparov’s initiative and efforts. At his peak (ELO rating of 2851 point in the year 2000) when he was considered ‘invincible’, Kasparov suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of his own pupil Vladimir Kramnik in the Braingames World Championship Match. Yet, till his retirement in 2005, he always remained the highest rated player in the World, ahead of champions of both FIDE World Champion Cycle and ‘Classical World Championship cycle’ organised by the breakaway faction.
On retirement from Chess, Kasparov decided to become a social activist and a politician. Kasparov often thought of unique ways to improve conditions of common citizens, although one can’t be certain of correctness of his views and intended methods. Though very active in politics for 15 years, Kasparov has not been very successful at it. In 2013, he fled to U S A for the fear of ‘persecution by Vladimir Putin’. Next year, in 2014, he was given Citizenship by Croatia. The same year, he contested election for the post of President of FIDE only to be defeated by the then sitting President. In 2015, Kasparov wrote a book named “Winter is coming -- why Vladimir Putin and the enemies of free world must be stopped”. Currently Kasparov is the Chairperson of USA based ‘Human Rights Foundation’.
Kasparov may not be successful in politics and social life, however, Kasparov is definitely someone with an unlimited source of energy and one keen on using it. Unlike other retired Chess players, Kasparov’s life remained interesting and colourful.
Today, I have chosen a victory by Kasparov (Portisch,Lajos Niksic International, 27.08.1983) which may have gone unnoticed by youngsters. The Chess world in the 1980s was fortunate to get the game annotated by Kasparov himself, with his amazing and amusing comments. Though Kasparov was already the second-best player when the game was played, he played this game in his original teenage style, i.e., in the style of former World Chess Champion Alexander Alekhine, the greatest attacking master of all times.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.e3 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.Bb5+ c6 10.Bd3 c5 11.0-0 Nc6 12.Bb2 Rc8 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Rad1 Qc7 15.c4! We can see the influence of Botvinnik in Kasparov’s play here. He decides to play with hanging Pawns and open diagonals for both Bishops, rather than obtaining a powerful centre control. 15.e4 e5 16.d5 c4!? 17. Bxc4 Na5 18.Bd3 Nc4 19.Bc1 was the more common way of playing the position. 15...cxd4? A serious error of judgment. 15...Na5 was called for, after which White has a pleasant choice between 16.d5 and 16.Ne5. 16.exd4 Na5 17.d5! 17.Ne5 Bd6 18. f4 Bxe5 19. fxe5 Nxc4 20.Bc1 is also very dangerous for Black. The move chosen by Kasparov is much sharper. 17...exd5 17...Nxc4 allows a brilliant finish. 18.Qe4! g6 19.Bxc4 Qxc4 20.Qe5 f6 21.Qxe6+ Rf7 22.Rc1 Qa6 23.d6! b5! 24.Rfd1! Bf8 [ Or if 24...Rxc1 then 25.Bxc1 Bf8 26.Qe8 Qa4 27.Re1 Qg4 28.Re7! Bd5 29.Bh6! Qh5 30.Bxf8 Rxf8 31.d7! Qh6 32.d8Q when White is winning] 25.Be5‡ !! [Not 25.Bxf6? Rxc1 26.Rxc1 Qxd6] 25...b4 [The best. Other alternatives are weaker, for example .25...Rd8 26.Rc7 Or 25...Kg7? 26.Ng5] 26.axb4 Rxc1 27.Rxc1 Qd3 28.Bf4 g5 29.Bg3 Kg7?! [29...Bxf3? loses to 30.gxf3 Qxf3 31.Rc7 or 29...Qd5 30.Qxd5 Bxd5 31.Rd1 etc. Both these alternatives are hopeless anyway.] 30.h4 g4 31.Ne5!! fxe5 32.Rc7!! 32.Bxe5+? Kg8 33.Rc7 Qd1+ 34.Kh2 Bd5 32...Qg6 33.Qxe5+ Kg8 34.d7 etc. 18.cxd5 Bxd5 19.Bxh7+ Kxh7 20.Rxd5 Kg8 This is the position both the players were aiming at. Black seems to have opened up the position successfully and activated his pieces. With ....Qc2 to come, Black seems to be in play. Kasparov’s way of thinking in the position, however, seemed to be quite amusing to the Chess world then. “White would like to play Ne5 followed by a decisive Queen entry on the King side but it (the Knight move) closes the diagonal of the Bishop. Since the attack can’t be carried out without the Queen, sacrificing the Bishop followed by placing Knight at ‘e5’ seems to be the most logical continuation!” 21.Bxg7!! Not 21.Ne5? Qc2! 22. Rd2 Qf5! when Black is out of danger! 21...Kxg7 22.Ne5!! Rfd8 22...f5 loses to 23.Rd7 Qc5 24.Nd3 whereas 22...Rh8 is refuted by 23. Qg4+ Kf8 24.Qf5! f6 25.Re1 Nc6 26. Nd7+ Kf7 27.Rxe7+ +-. 22...Qc2 no longer works due to 23.Qg4+ Kh7 24.Rd3! Rc3 25.Qf5+ Kg8 26.Rg3+! Rxg3 27.Qxc2 23.Qg4+ Kf8 24.Qf5! f6 25.Nd7+ 25.Ng6+ was also strong but the text is even better. 25...Kg7 [25...Ke8? 26.Qh5 Rxd5 27.Ne5+!+-] 26.Nf4! Rxd5 27.Nxd5 Qc5 28.Nxe7+- 25...Rxd7 26.Rxd7 Qc5 27.Qh7! 27...Rc7 28.Qh8+! 28.Rd3? Qxf2+!! 29.Kxf2 [29.Rxf2 Rc1+] 29...Bc5+ 30.Kg3 Rxh7= 28...Kf7 29.Rd3! Nc4 30.Rfd1! 30.Rg3! Bf8 31.h4 was also strong. 30...Ne5? This loses easily but even the best defence 30...Bd6 was inadequate against 31.Rd5 Qxa3 32.Rxd6 Nxd6 33.Qh7+etc. 31.Qh7+ Ke6 31...Kf8 32.Rd8+! and White wins. Or 31...Ke8 32.Qg8+ Bf8 33.Qe6+ Be7 34.Rd8 checkmate! 32.Qg8+ Kf5 32...Nf7 allows 33.Re1+ 33.g4+ Kf4 34.Rd4+ Kf3 35.Qb3+! Black resigned in view of the forced continuation 35.. .Qc3 36.Qd5+ with a mate in two more moves
( Pravin Thipsay is a former national chess champion and a Grandmaster)
