I have always admired Garry Kasparov’s passion for the truth in chess. His early books are especially impressive. No other top player–to my knowledge–has produced such a complete account and analysis of his games.
Kasparov’s postgame press conferences during important matches and tournaments are equally fascinating because of a willingness to freely express his feelings and ideas. And over the years it has been a cherished opportunity for his opponents to share post-game analysis with a world champion who is arguably the best player ever.
At the recent Fontys Tournament in Tillburg, Holland, he astonished the organizers, public and his opponents by refusing to abide by the traditional ritual of post-mortem analysis. The only exception was in the penultimate round, when he sat down with Vladimir Kramnik–the second-ranked player in the world–for a ten-minute discussion of their game.
Kasparov apparently feels a widening gap between himself and his opponents. “My opening preparation,” he boasted during the tournament, “is so bloody good that I sometimes feel as if I am playing only against myself.”
After beating Alexei Shirov–one of the ten best players in the world–he explained: “Shirov? He is not more than an enthusiastic amateur.”
But after his final-round with Michael Adams, he was critical of his own play as well as that of his opponent: “What an atrocious game,” he exclaimed.
Below is the game with Adams–a draw which ended with a deliberate three-fold repetition of the final position.
AdamsKasparov
1. e4 ……… c5
2. Nc3 …….. e6
3. Nf3 …….. a6
4. g3 ……… b5
5. Bg2B ……. b7
6. d4 ……… cxd4
7. Nxd4 ……. b4
8. Na4 …….. Nf6
9. Bg5 …….. Qa5
10. Bxf6 …… gxf6
11. c3 …….. Nc6
12. O-O ……. Bg7
13. cxb4 …… Qxb4
14. Ne2 ……. Bh6
15. f4 …….. O-O
16. Rc1 ……. a5
17. a3 …….. Qe7
18. Nc5 ……. Ba6
19. Rf2 ……. Ra7
20. Nxa6 …… Rxa6
21. Nc3 ……. Rb8
22. Rd2 ……. Ra7
23. a4 …….. Rb4
24. Na2 ……. Rb8
25. Nc3 ……. Rb4
26. Na2 ……. Rb8
27. Nc3 ……. Draw
