On Garry Kasparov’s 54th birthday, I wish to share some games and stories of Kasparov that I found interesting! If you wish to start with some positions, you could do that too. It is white to play in all the positions:

In his book series Kasparov on Kasparov, he has shared intriguing parts of his life. He has divided the books into three categories: 1) 1975 – 1985 2)1985-1993 3)1993 to 2005.

In the first part, Kasparov shares that he received the best gift possible on his 6^th birthday: A globe!
His father loved geography and read him stories. He mentions ‘Conqueror of the seas – the Story of Magellan by Stefan Zweig’ in particular. It is interesting to note how this culture influenced his style of exploring possibilities on the board as well.

Did you know that Kasparov’s mother was a very good chess player? Yes! Although, her mother did not let her play as she did not like her daughter to travel abroad.  Kasparov’s family also loved music, but his father decided to enroll him further into chess as Kasparov had an analytical mind.

 Kasparov’s mother gave up her job to devote herself to her son’s career. :
My mother plays a big part in my life’, I wrote in a school essay. ‘She has taught me to think independently, and she has taught me to work and to analyse my own behavior. She knows me better than anyone else because I discuss all my problems with her – school, chess and literary problems. My mother has taught me to appreciate fine things, and to be principled, honest and frank.

Kasparov had to deal with serious health issues since the age of 9. He had to take injections and antibiotics until the age of 15. How did he manage to get stronger? He played football, badminton and also liked swimming and cycling. This sports routine ensured that Kasparov stays in good health throughout his career.

Now, Let’s see if you can match the moves of 18-year-old Kasparov:

Kasparov,Garry (2630) – Andersson,Ulf (2600) [E12]

Interpolis Tilburg (8), 10.1981

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 [This is known as the Petrosian system in the Queens Indian.]

4…Bb7 5.Nc3 Ne4 6.Nxe4 Bxe4 7.Nd2 Bg6

Will you play: A)7.e3 B)7.e4 C)7.g3?

White played 8.g3! Since the light bishop is no longer controlling a8-h1, why not control it yourself?

8.g3 Nc6 9.e3 a6 10.b4 b5 11.cxb5 axb5 12.Bb2 Na7

Kasparov liked posing problems to his opponents, right from the very beginning. What did Kasparov play?

13.h4! Now, black is left to deal with h4-h5. Black responded with… h6

Your turn! What should white do?

14.d5! With this hurried push, white ties down the bishop on f8 to the defence of g7 pawn.

14…exd5 15.Bg2 c6 16.0–0 f6 17.Re1 Be7 18.Qg4 Kf7 19.h5 Bh7

How did white open up the position to demonstrate the weak positioning of the black king?

20.e4 dxe4 21.Bxe4 Bxe4 22.Nxe4 Nc8 23.Rad1 Ra7

Take five minutes for this position. Come up with the best move! White to play

24.Nxf6 gxf6 25.Qg6+ Kf8 26.Bc1 d5 27.Rd4 Nd6 28.Rg4 Nf7

Deliver the final blow! White to move

29.Bxh6+ Ke8 30.Bg7

1–0

Don’t miss this amazing lecture by Kasparov. There is a Q & A at the end, which is entertaining and instructive!

Kasparov on Achieving your potential:

If you want to learn how to play the Kings Indian, Kasparov is the answer. If you want to work on dynamic positions, Kasparov is the answer. Tactical themes? Technique? Endgames? You name it! His games have high instructional value and one could benefit a lot by just playing through his games. I play through the games of Kasparov whenever I need some energy! His games have that indomitable power to inspire you J

Here are some of the lessons you can pick from his life:

1. Stay fit and work hard
Kasparov had a very healthy routine that helped him to stay fit during the events.

2. Be curious and trust your intuition
In his video, he emphasizes the importance of relying on intuition.

3. Fight hard! (In one of the matches against Karpov, Kasparov was trailing 5-0 by the end of 27^thgame. But, he fought hard and managed to score three wins without conceding a loss for the next 21 games)

4. Learn from the classics
His work ‘My Great Predecessors’ shows that he has picked a lot of lessons from the classical games and harnessed the ideas and culture in his own games.

5. Learn from your mistakes
After losing to Kramnik in the World Championship, Kasparov worked on his weakness and overcame the Kramnik barrier.