MARK RUBERY CHESS

Since his retirement from the game in 2005 Garry Kasparov has played in a number of rapid and blitz events but he has steadfastly refrained from playing any serious tournament games. Like the legendary cricketer Donald Bradman, he was unable to leave the game he so dominated on a high, and lost his final game in somewhat simplistic fashion.

Everybody knew that Kasparov had already secured victory in the Linares tournament with a round to spare (a point ahead with a better tiebreak) but nobody, outside his inner circle, knew that this was the last game of his career…

Topalov,V (2757) - Kasparov,G (2804) [B30]

XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (14) 2005

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 (Avoiding the Sveshnikov that was Garry’s preferred choice at the time)... e5 4.Bc4 d6 5.d3 Be7 6.0–0 Nf6 7.Nh4 (A novelty that offers a pawn sacrifice although after 7...Nxe4 8 dxe4 Bxh4 9 f4 White has a dangerous initiative)... Nd4 8.g3 Bg4 9.f3 Be6 10.Bg5 Ng8 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.f4 exf4 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Rxf4 Kd7?! (14…Qb6 is equal) 15.Nf3 Rf8 16.Rxf8 Qxf8 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Ne2 Qf6 19.c3 Rf8 20.Nxd4 Nc6 21.Qf1 Qxf1+?! (Topalov expected 21...Qd8 22.Nf3 Qb6+ 23.d4 Qxb2 24.Rb1 Qxc3 25.Rxb7+ Kd8 26.Rb3 Qc2 which seems unclear. Now Black enters a dubious pawn ending) 22.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Nxd4 24.cxd4 d5?! 25.Kf2 Ke7 26.Kf3 Kf6

27.h4? (27 Kg4! followed by h3 is winning for White as after 27...Kg6 28.h3! Kf6 29.h4 Kg6 30.Kf4 Kf6 31.g4 h6 32.g5+ hxg5+ 33.hxg5+ Kg6 34.Ke5! winning the pawn race; or 27...g6 28.h3 h5+ 29.Kh4, followed by g3-g4 wins) ... g6? (Kasparov immediately returns the favour thus confirming Dvoretsky’s observation that ‘apparently’ simple positions can tragically mishandled by the best of players. Instead 27... h6 draws after 28.Kf4 {28.Kg4 g6! 29.Kf4 g5+ comes to the same position.} 28...g5+ 29.hxg5+ hxg5+ 30.Kg4 Kg6 and White cannot break through) 28.b4 b5 29.Kf4 h6 30.Kg4 1–0

Immediately after the game Kasparov held a press conference where it was revealed that the most dominant player on the planet for the last 20 years was retiring from competitive chess.

“Linares 2005 was my last professional tournament and today was my last professional game. I might still play some rapid chess, but just for fun. There is nothing more to achieve.

I wanted to leave in style and not the way I was playing 6 months ago. I wanted to prove to myself that I play better than the others. That I have proven here in Linares, today had little to do with level of the other games, I just collapsed under the pressure that was my last game.”