Garry Kasparov beats Anatoly Karpov · 2009-09-23 15:17
Tuesday, Garry Kasparov beat Anatoly Karpov in the first two games of a 12-game exhibition match in Valencia, Spain. The match is being held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first world championship match between the two players. Then, Karpov was world champion and Kasparov was the challenger. That match was famously suspended after five months and 48 games. Kasparov went on win the title in 1985 and then defended it against Karpov in matches in 1986, 1987 and 1990.
Two great Russian chess players, Kasparov and Karpov became enemies during those matches, but many years have passed and they have mellowed. For several years now, they have been willing to capitalize on their rivalry by playing exhibitions and short matches, New York Times informs.
The games were played at rapid time controls. In the first game, Kasparov used the Grunfeld Defense, which has long part of his repertoire. Consistent with his style, Karpov chose a quiet in which White tries to maintain his spatial advantage in the center and slowly improve his position. Both sides had reasonable chances until, on his last move, Karpov blundered and lost an exchange (rook for bishop). He resigned, though he still had good chances to fight for a draw.
In Game 2, the opening was the exchange variation of the Queen’s Gambit. Karpov adopted a passive set-up, which gave White a small, but steady advantage. In a critical position, and under pressure, Karpov missed a tactic and Kasparov launched a sacrificial attack against Karpov’s king. In a lost position, Karpov overstepped his time limit, giving Kasparov his second win.
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