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"It will be Short, and it will be short..." were the famous words of Kasparov when asked who he predicted would challenge his throne in the 1992-93 World Championship Match. He was right on both accounts! What was the "Short" version of the story (pun intended)? Well, even an obscure line of the Poisoned Pawn Najdorf couldn't throw Kaspy off his game. Enjoy the tricky exchange sacrifice, and feel Short's pain for not taking the repetition when he had a chance. | Watch video
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In 1998 Kasparov played a simul against the entire Israeli team... Yes, you read correctly! Oh yeah, he went undefeated, giving up only one draw to Ilya Smirin. The game from this video was against GM Emil Sutovsky, and as exciting as Kasparov's play was, when you take into account the circumstances of the "time-odds-simul-match" it is even more impressive. Enjoy Mr. Shankland's review and fear the Kaspy! | Watch video
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After their first "never-ending-draw-match" was finally postponed, Kasparov started taking Karpov to "Ouch-Town" right off the bat in their rematch. You are about to witness a masterpiece that showcases Kasparov's power with the initiative, as well as his maturity and prophylactic foresight. Karpov's pieces, beginning with his knights on a4 and b1, were strangled in such a fashion that even Karpov himself, if he hadn't been on the receiving end, would be proud! | Watch video
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Garry began his comeback against Karpov in the latter rounds of their match, and it all started after a huge victory with the black pieces. Once Kasparov declined Karpov's draw on move 12, the "psychological tables" had clearly turned, and it wasn't long before "Kaspy's equalization" became "Karpov's devastation"! Watch and learn as IM Shankland lays it out for all of us in plain English... | Watch video
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Before Kasparov could become the king of the chess world, he would have to dethrone his nemesis: Anatoly Karpov. To say this match wasn't going to be easy would be a huge understatement, as Karpov's "rock-solid" approach directly challenged the young Kasparov's weaknesses. Watch as IM Sam Shankland explains that the entire chess world witnessed Kasparov's maturation process during this first of several World Championship Matches. | Watch video
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IM Sam Shankland helps you recover from your crazy weekend with a little bit of "sacrificial-love" by the Great One! Kaspy takes Lputian to "ouch-town" in this Saemisch King's Indian full of complex tactics, well thought out positional planning, and incredibly accurate endgame technique. By the way, Kasparov was only 13 years old in this game, so yeah, he was pretty good. Enjoy! | Watch video
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Today International Master Sam Shankland begins a new video series covering the "life and games" of perhaps the greatest player of all time. Take the first step on this journey by watching Sam's review of a Kasparov loss to what would be a future US Champion, Alex Yermolinsky. Though the "Great Kaspy" may have came up short in this battle, his uncompromising style was clear even at a young age. Enjoy! | Watch video
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Today IM Sam Shankland continues his display of how to win a Queen vs Rook ending. Here we see a "practical follow up" to the "technical Philidor position" covered in the first video. Reviewed is the infamous 3rd Rank Defense -- known for stumping some of the strongest Grandmasters --, several practice sessions with Shanky vs the computer, and finally a breakdown of the correct and efficient method required to win... | Watch video
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International Master Sam Shankland takes on the task of teaching our members how to win a Queen vs Rook Endgame in a two part video series. Today we learn (and hopefully master) the ultimate "goal" position of this tricky ending: the Philidor Position! See how white is winning by force on any black response, and then pay attention to the tricky way for white to "lose a move" and place black in Zugzwang... | Watch video
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The 2010 US Chess League season came to a close a few weeks ago, and now it comes to a close for all of us here on Chess.com. IM Sam Shankland won "Game of the Week" honors for his victory over, almost unarguably, the strongest and most celebrated player in the history of the league -- and the reigning MVP -- GM Julio Becerra. Sam's play was technically sound, and ended with a nice Opposite Colored Bishop ending (remember the rule of 1-diagonal). | Watch video