Search
Library / Games / Kramnik, Vladimir vs Kasparov, Garry
Botvinnik Memorial m 5' · Moscow · 09 December 2001

Vladimir Kramnik vs Garry Kasparov, Botvinnik Memorial m 5', R1

Kramnik, Vladimir 0–1 Kasparov, Garry
Kramnik, Vladimir vs Kasparov, Garry
87654321
abcdefgh
White queen
Black pawn
Black king
Black pawn
White pawn
White pawn
Black pawn
Black rook
Black pawn
Black queen
Black bishop
White pawn
White bishop
White rook
Black queen
White rook
White king
110/110
  1. 1.
  3. 2.
  5. 3.
  7. 4.
  9. 5.
  11. 6.
  13. 7.
  15. 8.
  17. 9.
  19. 10.
  21. 11.
  23. 12.
  25. 13.
  27. 14.
  29. 15.
  31. 16.
  33. 17.
  35. 18.
  37. 19.
  39. 20.
  41. 21.
  43. 22.
  45. 23.
  47. 24.
  49. 25.
  51. 26.
  53. 27.
  55. 28.
  57. 29.
  59. 30.
  61. 31.
  63. 32.
  65. 33.
  67. 34.
  69. 35.
  71. 36.
  73. 37.
  75. 38.
  77. 39.
  79. 40.
  81. 41.
  83. 42.
  85. 43.
  87. 44.
  89. 45.
  91. 46.
  93. 47.
  95. 48.
  97. 49.
  99. 50.
  101. 51.
  103. 52.
  105. 53.
  107. 54.
  109. 55.
Botvinnik Memorial m 5', 09 December 2001

Game 1 of the 2001 Botvinnik Memorial blitz match (December 9) was won by Kasparov as Black. The opening game of the blitz section showed that Kasparov could still match Kramnik at speed despite having lost their 2000 classical match.

The win was a Spanish Defense — Kasparov’s Closed Spanish setup produced a complex middlegame in which Kramnik’s defence couldn’t find the precise sequence needed at blitz time. The conversion took roughly 35 moves.

Kasparov’s blitz wins against Kramnik during 2001 were a small positive in what was otherwise a year of adjustment after his 2000 title loss. He had been world champion or world No. 1 for 15 consecutive years; the post-championship period required him to adjust his identity and ambitions. The Botvinnik Memorial wins — even at blitz — were small steps in that adjustment.

The Kasparov post-2000 era continued until his retirement in 2005. He remained world No. 1 in classical rating, won Linares multiple times, and never quite returned to championship-match form. His five-year post-2000 period produced exceptional results but without the championship anchor; many of his games during this period appeared in the elite tournaments but without the title- match weight they would have carried before 2000.

Game record

This game between Kramnik, Vladimir and Kasparov, Garry was played at the Botvinnik Memorial m 5’ in Moscow in 2001. Played in round 1. At the time of the game, the players were rated 2802 (White) and 2838 (Black). The game lasted 55 moves, ending with Black winning. It is part of the early engine era.

Opening context

The opening sequence runs 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7, after which the players entered the middlegame proper.

See also

For more on this game’s protagonists and theory, see Kramnik, Vladimir and Kasparov, Garry.