ROOKHABIT · TEACHER SHEET
Calculate beyond the capture
Garry Kasparov / 1999 / Wijk aan Zee
Born in Baku in 1963, Kasparov defeated Anatoly Karpov in 1985 and became the youngest world champion to that point, at 22. His 1993 split from FIDE began a period with two world titles. He faced Deep Blue in 1996 and 1997 and lost the classical title to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000. He retired from professional competition in 2005.
White to move · How would you start the king hunt?
Which square holds the black king?
On a7.
Which capture do you propose and what reply would you expect?
The historical sequence starts 24. Rxd4 cxd4.
After Rxd4 and …cxd4, which rook enters with check?
The rook from e1 enters e7 with 25. Re7+.
Write what activity White gains in exchange for material.
The remaining rook arrives with check and White’s pieces continue chasing the king.
The historic decision
24. Rxd4 allows …cxd4. Kasparov answers with 25. Re7+: the second rook enters and the attack continues with queen and minor pieces. This sequence is only the beginning of the hunt.
Extension
Follow the complete game and mark every square the black king visits.
World Chess Hall of Fame · Garry Kasparov: https://worldchesshof.org/inductee/garry-kasparov/
https://rookhabit.com/en/classroom/kasparov