The Best Games of a Chess Coach: Winning against Kasparov!

Submitted by FM TigerLilov on Fri, 07/17/2009 at 11:44am.

It was July 2007 and I was playing casually some chess at Playchess.com, when, unexpectedly, my game formula matched me to play a game with the handle called Raffael, which was currently the top blitz player in the honorary list. Well-known by all, the mysterious Raffael was actually Gary Kasparov and understandably the whole chat room was full of interested players who often watch his games in search of a good advice or spectacular position. That day, though, they had to get disappointed by their favorite “Raffael” and see him losing dramatically after an opening he was completely dominating. We played a blitz game with a moderately set time control of 4min+1sec, so both of us had to be quite fast and twice more careful. As I said, the opening in this game of mine was not something I would be willing to brag about, as the strongest ever chess player outplayed me indisputably by playing one of his cunning schemes. Yet, in the middlegame I somehow managed to create a surprisingly strong counterplay after I deliberately focused on the weakness in his position. Here I want to mention that every position in chess has its obvious or often not so obvious weaknesses even when it is set up by the strongest chess player in the world, guess this is Garry Kasparov, right? So that was a key point that I managed to realize in the right moment, so my focused plan succeeded bringing a spectacular loss to the Grandmaster in front of his zealous fans. My plan happened to be feasible and subsequently successful due to several key factors and one of them was that I managed to reorganize my pieces, so that they aim at my opponent’s weaknesses in position, while he was both thinking of how to defend them and how to carry on with his own attack. As a result of my successful execution of my first idea – to point out all of Kasparov’s position’s weakness and make him bother about them, after one dubious move of his in the middlegame, I got a magnificent powerful counterplay and expectedly shattered his position without asking for permission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This game of mine against the strongest player both players and non-players know can only show you that there is no one who is invincible and everyone’s position has a number of weaknesses. This is chess! You just need to keep your weaknesses inconspicuous for your knowledgeable opponents at this high level, while still fighting for your own plan to succeed. I won this game and though it was on the internet, it was real for me and I am proud to share it with all of you who love chess so much.

» posted in Amazing Games
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Comments:

by drumdaddy - 2 months ago
International
Member Since: Apr 2009
Member Points: 139

You have joined a very prestigious club. Well done!

by gambit156 - 2 months ago
mumbai International
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 246

congrats!

by merchco - 4 months ago
Dublin Ireland
Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 575

I am not so sure that 49 Rd7 forces mate as 49....kh6 and 50 white can not force mate and then black would take whites rook with his queen and checkmate. so while rb2 looks a bad move may be he had no choice.

Fm and Gm s are not in the habit of making up stories

Can someone comment on 49 rd7..kh6 50 ??  Qh3...kg5 and it does not seem that you can force mate from here

by minihag_a - 4 months ago
Chess.com HQ Singapore
Member Since: Jan 2009
Member Points: 272

3279 rating??! What system are you using?

by obregon26 - 4 months ago
Northern Virginia United States
Member Since: Oct 2007
Member Points: 399

Give FM Lilov a break guys!  He did beat Kasparov in this blitz game.  Why can't you accept that?!

by SukerPuncher333 - 4 months ago
Canada
Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 571

49. Rxb2 is puzzling for for several reasons:

1) White could've won immediately with Rd7+ (mate in 3), as mentioned before. Obviously it's surprising for such a strong player to miss this, but understandable if he was extremely short on time.

2) Even if white missed the mate, why not just check black's king? This is instinctive--even patzers would do that. In fact, if you are short on time, you are probably more likely to make checking moves.

3) Rd7+ moves the rook only 2 squares, which saves time. But instead, white decided to drag his rook all the way across the board and play Rxb2? This is also instinctive--blitz players will habitually make "short moves" when down on time.

by Phobetor - 4 months ago
Eindhoven Netherlands
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 1201

MuzeY you're right; it's absolutely incomprehensible that whoever Raffael is, he missed 49. Rd7+ with mate. It's check for god's sake! Even some FM would know that if you're in trouble in the defense and you got several pieces for the attack, then at least just check! 49. Qe7+ is at least a perpetual, and 49. Rd7+ mates in three. To play 49. Rxb2?? is just ridiculous and against all principles. Whoever Raffael is certainly had an offday, playing 49. Rxb2??

And I agree with psychward, a correction to "Winning against the best blitz player on PlayChess" or something would be better.

by Chessroshi - 4 months ago
Indianapolis United States
Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 739

It is funny to see how many people are unwilling to accept that if it is indeed Mr K that he could lose. Perhaps he, or whoever the great Raffael is, plays for fun once in a while and doesn't play prestine chess 24/7. Sometimes people just goof around online to have fun. It's a nice feat no matter what the identity behind the moniker. Raffael is a beast.

by GlennMaples - 4 months ago
Louisiana United States
Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 10

Whoever it was you played, I think you missed a nifty move that leads to mate or winning on move 47.

QXR.  But hard to see in a blitz game

by demetrios18 - 4 months ago
new york United States
Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 498

lol at Raffel as being kasparov.  LOL at kasparov being spanish : ) or wanting to be spanish lol ; ).

Kasparov is a faithful russian wishing to please his country to fight communists.

As far as this game, I never saw such a weak game in my life. Both sides missed mate early in the game. Opening theory was weak and you missed so many " GM " moves.

by felixhowes - 4 months ago
london United Kingdom
Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 9

i can confirm. it was Bruce Springsteen

by JollyPlayer - 4 months ago
Southern Indiana United States
Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 331

Unless you know for a fact it was Kasparov, well, you should not use the name.  Do you know who I really am? Sam I am and I love Green Eggs and Ham.

by dunce - 4 months ago
Iceland
Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 193

Hoity-toity.

by avneet - 4 months ago
Delhi India
Member Since: Feb 2009
Member Points: 714

wats with the rating crossing 3000?!

by mschosting - 4 months ago
Portugal Portugal
Member Since: Feb 2008
Member Points: 1095

Actually I do know for sure who Raffael is he was named Fischer! Just ask Short he played him in playchess too Laughing

by gsorita - 4 months ago
Philippines
Member Since: Dec 2007
Member Points: 99

 well for me the point here is not if rafael really is garry kasparov ? what matter most is how one should trust himself according to theory that no matter who your opponent is but if you follow your game accordingly to what you must do in exploiting weakness of your opponent then the chance of winning is there .

by MuzeY - 4 months ago
Scottish/Australian, living in Brisbane Australia
Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 111

While it is an interesting game and I did enjoy reading your annotations, I can't comprehend a man of Kasparov's standard (or many other GMs) making the move 49. Rxb2, even if he was low on time. Like gabrielconroy, I'd also be interested to know how low white was on time. I just don't get it...

I am just getting back into chess so excuse me if I've made an error - but surely white could have forced mate in 3 from move 49, no? With either

49. Rd7+ Kh6 50. Qh3+ Kg5 51. Qh4#

-or-

49. Rd7+ Kh8 50. Qe5+ (or Qf6+) Kg8 51. Qg7#

I do understand what time constraints can do to the chess-playing mind, but the mate would seem to be an absolute sitter for a GM. Could it be perhaps that 48...Kg7 came as a surprise to white?

by acemaster56 - 4 months ago
vincennes United States
Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 14

Looks like someone should practice on the tactics trainer... Great game though, I find in blitz matches that i can have a short attention span. I will be thinking what i want to do one move, then my opponent will scare me into doing a stupid move the next. I need more blitz practice to keep a clear mind.

by amitprabhale - 4 months ago
Mumbai India
Member Since: May 2009
Member Points: 243

WoWwwwwwwww Man! Awesome; thnakxx 4d post bt still I dnt b'liv if he's really DA GR8 KAspy

by demoxyl - 4 months ago
Lagos Nigeria
Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 1

Beautiful fluid exchange

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