Senior Master Rodney Malpert has loved the game of chess since childhood. Growing up in Nebraska, he observed the many superior players the state produced at the college tournament level. Now retired from active legal practice, Rodney Malpert remains a noted business immigration scholar, as well as a coach and mentor to players competing in the Cornhusker State Games Chess Tournament.
These players continue the historic legacy of the greats of history throughout the world: Alexander Alekhine, Jose Raul Capablanca, Bobby Fischer, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and many others. Today’s emerging players often develop their own abilities by studying these preeminent players’ finest games. And in numerous compilations of the greatest games of all time, Kasparov (2812) versus Veselin Topalov (2700) in 1999 ranks at or near the top. It is with good reason it’s known as “Kasparov’s immortal game.”
The players met at the Hoogovens tournament in Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, Kasparov playing White, Topalov Black.
Both fought hard, with Topalov unexpectedly countering Kasparov’s opening e4 with the Pirc defense, and Kasparov making a series of brilliant strategic sacrifices.
Kasparov quickly deployed a knight and a bishop, and went on to hem Topalov in on Black’s side of the board. After sacrificing a knight to open a path to Black’s queen, Kasparov refused when Topalov offered an exchange of queens.
After losing a rook and a bishop, Kasparov began chasing Topalov’s king all across the board, with Topalov missing a key opportunity to achieve a draw. Deploying a previously dormant bishop, Kasparov prevented his opponent’s queen from defending the king, sacrificed that remaining bishop and a rook, captured the queen while increasing the pressure on Topalov’s king, and achieved checkmate.
Reviewing this game gives top-quality players endless new insights. Kasparov himself has provided an annotation, which is available online.
