Garry Kasparov

I will be writing about famous GM's for two blogs now. If you don't like these blogs and already know about the Gm's I'll write about then please forgive me. Everybody who doesn't know about these famous Gm's please read. I also will show some famous games the GM's played.

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GARRY KASPAROV:

Garry Kasparov is arguably the greatest chess player of all time. Born in Baku, Soviet Union (now Azerbaijan) in 1963, he quickly developed at Mikhail Botvinnik’s school, on his way to becoming the youngest champion in chess history in 1985. Always independent-minded, Kasparov split from FIDE in 1993, and would later become known outside of chess for his political activism after his 2005 retirement. Although no longer a professional player, he remains active in the chess scene as well.

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Pre-Championship Life and Career

Kasparov was a very promising player from a very early age, as only such players made it to Botvinnik’s school. Under coaches such as Vladimir Makogonov and Alexander Shakarov, he developed to the point of winning the Soviet Junior Championship in 1976 and 1977. The World Junior title came in 1980. A share of first in the Soviet Championship came the next year.
Although Kasparov did not earn a spot in the 1981 championship cycle to dethrone Anatoly Karpov -- the Interzonals occurred in 1979 -- he was ready for the ’84 cycle. A score of +7 -0 =6 in the Moscow Interzonal earned Kasparov a spot in the Candidates matches. He first defeated Alexander Beliavsky 6-3 (+4 -1 =4). Next he would face Viktor Korchnoi, Karpov’s 1978 and 1981 challenger, in the semifinal.
Kasparov ended Korchnoi’s bid at a third straight challenge to Karpov with a +4 -1 =6 score. Only former champion Vassily Smyslov -- who, at 63 years old, was then three times Kasparov’s age -- now stood in Kasparov’s path to a match with Karpov.
The Candidates final was not close. Kasparov never lost a game, winning the third, fourth, ninth, and 12th games. A draw in Game 13 ended the match 8 1⁄2 - 4 1⁄2 in Kasparov’s favor.

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Becoming World Champion

Kasparov entered the 1984 championship having played Karpov four times before, losing in 1975 (at 12 years old), and drawing three times in 1981. However, the start was a disastrous one for Kasparov, as he lost four of the first nine games. The format, as it had been for Karpov-Korchnoi matches in 1978 and ’81, was the first to six wins with draws not counting. Could youth really lose to experience this quickly?
The answer turned out to be not quite. Kasparov bore down to draw the next 17 games: not a strategy one could even try in a 24-game match, but an effective one in the 1984 format. In the 27th game, however, Karpov won, leaving him a single victory from a sweep.
It was not to be. First, Kasparov finally broke through for his first world championship win, and first win ever against Karpov, in Game 32.

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Games Kasparov Played

Several more draws followed. Then, in Game 47, Kasparov won again. And in Game 48, again. The match score was now 5-3...but it was over. FIDE President Florencio Campomanes had declared it so, citing player health. The players would start from scratch in 1985, and unsurprisingly, the new match returned to the 24-game format.
Karpov once again took an early lead, but this time a more modest 2-1 through five games after Kasparov took the first game. Kasparov evened the match in Game 11. In the next game, he played an odd gambit from the Sicilian, which produced a quick draw. The next three games were drawn as well.
Then, in Game 16, Kasparov played perhaps the greatest single chess game anyone has ever produced. He went back to his Sicilian gambit, Karpov responded less accurately than before, and soon Kasparov’s pieces dominated the board.

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Thank you for reading my blog on Garry Kasparov. I hope you liked it. Please read my next blog about a GM.
By: aBhIsk123
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