In the world of chess, Garry Kasparov is the most respected and admired player of all times. He has played historic games and my goal in this article is to show you some of those chess games of Garry Kasparov. Even people who don’t play chess know that he was the World Champion in chess. Therefore, he is the greatest iconic figure in worldwide chess following Robert (Bobby) James Fischer and Karpov. However, it is important to show you some facts about his life that will help you understand his character and the reasons why he became an idol.
Important Facts About Garry Kasparov
He was born in Baku Azerbaijan (1963) and at the age of 6 years old, being a beginner in chess and without any tutoring or any kind of support, he managed to solve a chess problem, considered as unsolved by the chess masters. Then the experts understood that a new chess star was rising. At the age of 9 years old he was considered one of the best players in the world and he studied both volumes of the excellent book of Alekhine who became the hero of the young boy. Moreover, the great master Michael Botvinnik inspired him to play chess and in 1973 he became his mentor and a substitute for his father, who passed away when the boy was 7 years old. In 1976, he became the younger champion in Russia and then, the World Champion at a junior level. He had outstanding performance with 13 victories out of 17 games in the great open tournament of 1978.
In 1985, he beat the World Champion Anatoly Karpov in a marathon of games and in 1993 he lost his title, due to his disagreement with FIDE. Then, he founded the PCA, the Worldwide Champions Association. He lost his title (in 2000) from his student Vladimir Kramnik. For Garry Kasparov, words cannot describe his achievements. He is a scientist and an artist. He excelled not only as a chess master, but also as a researcher, writer, and coach. Recently, he assisted Magnus Carlsen, the present world’s champion. Let’s focus on one of his statements ‘computers cannot reach humans, for they do not have the imagination of the grandmaster’. In Garry’s repertoire, there are always hard work, study, and fitness. Fitness is a huge part of being a good chess player and each day Kasparov runs 6 miles and plays soccer or tennis.
His involvement in politics was less successful as expected. However, he often makes political comments and he has written a book about Putin’s Russia that you should check it.
Garry Kasparov Chess Games
Most chess games of Garry Kasparov are certainly interesting. However, I have selected and commented about the most amazing and educating chess games of Garry Kasparov. Also, I have included games that he didn’t win because I strongly believe that you can understand a lot of things about a player when you study the way that he lost the game. Studying games played by great players is an excellent way of learning chess because they make a few mistakes and you can learn a lot about building strategies. That’s why there comments in order to help you make the most of it.
King’s Indian, Saemisch variation
Gruenfeld exchange, Seville variation
Queen’s Indian accelerated, Petrosian system
Scotch, Mieses variation
King’s Indian: Petrosian system
English symmetrical, main line knight exchange
Recommended Books and Courses
Garry Kasparov’s skills in chess are never disputable and many players, wisely acting, study his games. He has written many books where he comments games of famous Grandmasters. Some of those books are the Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors Series.
- In part 1 he comments games of players like Capablanca, Lasker, and Steinitz.
- In part 2 he comments games of players like Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, and Tal.
- In part 3 he comments games of players like Petrosian and Spassky.
- In part 4 he comments on the games of Bobby Fischer. If you are a fan of Fischer then this is the right book for you.
- In part 5 he comments games of players like Korchnoi and Karpov.
If you want to only study the games of Kasparov then you will find out that there is a book series about that. It’s called Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov and he comments on his own games in those books. The first two books are masterpieces and the last one is a good book.
- Part 1: 1973-1985
- Part 2: 1985-1993
- Part 3: 1993-2005
Also, you should check the Kasparov on Modern Chess series which is written by Kasparov.
- Part 1: Revolution In The 70’S
- Part 2: Kasparov Vs Karpov 1975-1985
- Part 3: Kasparov V Karpov 1986-1987
- Part 4: Kasparov vs Karpov 1988-2009
Other players have analyzed Kasparov’s games and these are the following books that really stand out.
- Checkmate Tactics by Garry Kasparov
- Win like Kasparov!
Final Thoughts
If you liked this article then you would like my articles that are dedicated to other great players like Judit Polgar, Vassily Ivanchuk, and Levon Aronian. Garry Kasparov is an amazing player that I could write so much about him. I think I can easily write another article like this one. Please comment if you liked this article and tell me if you want me to write more about him. If you have found value in this article, I encourage you to share it with friends. Enjoy chess.