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Botvinnik Memorial m 5' · Moscow · 09 December 2001

Kramnik, Vladimir vs Kasparov, Garry, Botvinnik Memorial m 5'

Kramnik, Vladimir 1–0 Kasparov, Garry
Kramnik, Vladimir vs Kasparov, Garry
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Botvinnik Memorial m 5', 09 December 2001

Game 9 of the 2001 Botvinnik Memorial blitz match (December 9, 5+0 time control) was won by Kramnik as White. The blitz section of the Botvinnik Memorial featured rapid-fire games with both players using their full preparation depth in compressed time.

Kramnik’s win was a sharp opening in which his home preparation produced a clear advantage by move 15. Kasparov’s defence at blitz speed couldn’t find the precise resources needed; the conversion took roughly 30 moves.

The blitz portion of the Botvinnik Memorial was particularly close. Both players had retained much of their classical preparation but had to make decisions in seconds rather than minutes. Kramnik’s advantage in this format reflected his deep theoretical knowledge applied at speed; Kasparov’s intuitive pattern recognition was matched by Kramnik’s specific preparation.

The Botvinnik Memorial 2001 was sponsored by the Russian Federation to mark the 90th anniversary of Botvinnik’s birth. Botvinnik had been one of the most influential chess figures of the twentieth century — Soviet Chess school founder, mentor of Karpov and Kasparov, World Champion 1948-1957/1958-1960/1961-1963. The 2001 Memorial was a national tribute as much as a chess tournament.