Kasparov vs Topalov - The greatest game ever played

“Those who were fortunate enough to be present at this game will talk about it to their children and grandchildren.” These were the words of Hans Ree, who witnessed the historic game between Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov.

It was January 20th, 1999, in Wijk aan Zee when this historic game between the two legends took place, and it is considered the best game in the history of Chess. Many still consider Garry Kasparov to be the best player, including Magnus Carlsen. 

Kasparov arrived at the Local sports complex at around 13:30 and entered the tournament committee’s office instead of the general cloakroom, which is reserved for the players, and started taking off his coat and hat. After eating a bar of chocolate, he moves towards the playing hall where he meets and greets his opponent, Veselin Topalov. 

The game begins. Kasparov started with his King’s pawn, and then Topalov played a somewhat risky Pirc defense. Both players castled queenside and put their King in a safe area on the western hemisphere of the chessboard. Not much happens in the first 23 moves of the game but then Kasparov unleashed a series of stunning sacrifices. It included three rook sacrifices, and Topalov is forced to move his King to walk to the first rank, on Kasparov’s side of the board. 

Kasparov decides the game on move 37 with a beautiful stroke which he had seen long before, but it was missed by Topalov. Kasparov remembers this and said “To this day I remember how the expression on Topalov’s face suddenly changed.”

Topalov resigned on move 44, and an ovation broke out among the spectators in the playing hall. And when Kasparov entered the press room to explain his game to the journalists, more applause broke out, which Kasparov received with a smile, and he felt proud like a child. 

According to Topalov, he played his Pirc defense only the second time in his caree,r and he was very naive. Everything might have turned out differently. Topalov calls White's rook sacrifice on move 24 a "forced move": "Otherwise, White would be worse." Although it wasn't forced, he took the rook: "I had the easy move 24...Kb6, just ignoring it." I chose that line because I thought the job was kind of humorous, but I was also a little foolish because it wasn't particularly useful. 

He doesn't regret anything, Topalov remarked, because "it wasn't an important game." Naturally, Kasparov was ecstatic at the time and realized right once that this game would still be discussed 25 years later. Topalov: "I swiftly defeated Loek van Wely the following day, and after Loek resigned, Garry approached me and we had a conversation. "If you had played that move, the game would never have been in the history books!" he exclaimed, referring to 24...Kb6.