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Kasparov vs Carlsen – Who Is The Best Chess Champion?
“It’s clear that he [Kasparov] knew much more than me… [in 2009]”, Magnus Carlsen
Garry Kasparov retired from competitive chess in 2005, although he has played some exhibition matches and blitz tournaments.
That’s why the whole chess world went crazy when it was announced a month ago that he will be back playing in an official tournament next week! He will play the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament of the Grand Chess Tour, with elite players like Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, Aronian, Anand, Karjakin and Caruana, among others.
With such competitive opponents, all playing for a big money prize, what kind of results do you think he will get?
But, in today’s video, we’re discussing a more complex issue…
Who is the best chess champion in history? The reigning champion Magnus Carlsen, or the retired Garry Kasparov?
To form us an opinion, FM Sebastian Fell will show you 2 great positional games, one from each of these chess giants.
Kasparov Suffocates Former World Champion Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian is very well known as one of the best strategists in the history of chess. His ability to anticipate and prevent his opponents’ ideas has became legendary.
But back in 1982, Kasparov used this same technique to suffocate Petrosian and win in just 24 moves.Kasparov
Look at this position of the game, after only 14 moves and think about how desperate Black’s position is.
White has control of the two open files and a really great bishop on g2 that attacks the b7-pawn, immobilizing Black’s bishop on c8!
What’s more, Black has to defend the c7 square, as a rook invasion here will have fatal consequences.
So Petrosian played 14…Nd5, trying to block the Bg2’s line of fire but, after 15.Rfd1! he can’t play 15…Bd7 as 16.Nxd7 Qxd7 17.e4! wins a whole piece!
What an awful position to play!
Watch the video to appreciate how Kasparov liquidated Petrosian’s position.
Carlsen’s Maneuvering Abilities
Carlsen positional skills are beyond doubt. He is one of the most talented world champions, and only Anatoly Karpov or Jose Raul Capablanca can be compared in terms of positional ability.
Do you want to understand how he keeps improving his position with every move?Carlsen
Analyze the following position, evaluate it and discover the ideas White has at his disposal:
The critical square in this typical Sicilian position is d5. If White can get a knight on this square, without being exchanged, then he will have a great positional advantage.
White currently has 3 pieces attacking this square (the pawn on e4, the Nc3 and the Qd1), but he needs more!
He found a surprising way to activate two pieces that are not doing anything now. This is your chance to stop reading and find these incredible maneuvers!
Here Carlsen played 12.Rf2!, 13.Bf1 and 15.Rd2!, putting a lot of pressure over the semi-open d-file. But, even more incredible, he also relocated his Nb3 with 14.Nc1!, 16.N1a2! and 17.Nb4! What an amazing performance!
With White having total control over the d5 square, Black had a very fragile position. He resigned on move 22 after losing a pawn.
Another brilliant positional miniature!
Conclusion?
As it’s very dificult to compare two different players with only 2 games, GM Damian Lemos is preparing another great exclusive free video that will be launched on Monday.
Stay tuned to see two spectacular attacking games from two of the best players in the history of chess!