Garry Kasparov retired from competitive chess in 2005, but has proved that at the age of 61 he remains competitive at the highest level. That is an extraordinary achievement in an time when just five of the world’s top 100 active players are older than 50. The former world champion joined a powerful field in St Louis for nine rounds of ‘Chess 9LX’ played at a rapid time control. Chess 9LX, in which the pieces on the back rank are shuffled at the start of the game, is an ideal format for Kasparov, who can count on pure chess skill, without worrying about his outdated knowledge of opening theory.
Three wins, three losses and three draws placed him in the middle of the final table, but his score could easily have been higher, given that he had an advantageous position against tournament winner Fabiano Caruana (see game below) as well as runner-up Hikaru Nakamura. With more time in the latter game, Kasparov might well have found the win that was available in the final position when he agreed to a draw.
To set up the game below, place the pieces in the following position: Ra1, Qb1, Bc1, Bd1, Ne1, Kf1, Ng1, Rh1. Black’s setup mirrors that: Ra8, Qb8, etc.
Fabiano Caruana – Garry Kasparov
St Louis Chess 9LX, October 2024
1 e4 c5 2 Ngf3 Ngf6 3 c3 b6 4 Be2 Bb7 5 e5 Nd5 6 d4 cxd4 7 cxd4 e6 The contours of the position closely resemble some lines of the Alapin Sicilian in vanilla chess, which begins 1.e4 c5 2.c3 8 Nd3 Be7 9 Bd2 f5 10 h4 Nec7 11 h5 Qd8 12 h6 A premature push, perhaps counting on the passive 12… g7-g6 and forgetting Kasparov’s more spirited response. g5 13 Qd1 O-O Castling rules are peculiar in this format. Here, move the Black king from f8 to g8 and the rook from h8 to f8.14
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in