Kramnik, Vladimir vs Kasparov, Garry, Linares 20th

Round 1 of the 2003 Linares 20th tournament was a draw between Kramnik and Kasparov. The 2003 Linares was held in March 2003 with the strongest field of the year: Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Topalov, Leko, Ponomariov, Radjabov, Shirov.

The draw was a Spanish Opening, the classical theoretical battleground. Kramnik as White played the slow positional Spanish; Kasparov’s Black response was active piece play; the resulting endgame was balanced. The draw was accepted in 38 moves.

The 2003 Linares was won by Kasparov with 7/12. Kramnik finished second on 6.5; Anand and Ponomariov tied for third on 6. Linares had by 2003 established itself as the strongest classical tournament in the world; its winners during 1993-2007 were a who’s-who of elite chess.

The Kasparov-Kramnik rivalry continued through 2003-2005, though without the World Championship match weight after Kramnik’s 2000 title. Their direct tournament games during this period produced significant theoretical contributions, particularly in the Closed Spanish and Catalan structures that both players used heavily.