Why Garry Kasparov is the greatest attacking chess player of all time.

Throughout of chess, there have been great chess attackers. Paul Morphy was one of the earliest brilliant attackers, there is a very high chance you have seen his “Opera Game.” Alexander Alekhine was another, though his name is not as commonly brought up as some others. Then we reach Mikhail Tal, who is a favorite of many, and I can’t argue, some of his games are just unbelievable. There is also Bobby Fischer, who is also a wonderful attacker, and also the most famous on this list. And finally, we reach Garry Kasparov, the greatest attacker of all time in my opinion.

So what makes Kasparov better than all the other players on this list? Many would argue that Kasparov could never create the complications that Tal could. While this is true, often the complications that Tal made even were too much for him, and he gave his opponent a chance to come back and potentially equalize. While over the board these game-saving lines are almost impossible to find, a resourceful player like Anatoly Karpov could definitely have a good shot at saving a game, even in those complications.

So, without further delay, allow me to show you some of Kasparov’s best games, and you might see why I think of him as such an amazing player.

This first game is played by a young Kasparov, and is similar to Bobby Fischer's 'Game of the Century.' It is an absolute masterpiece, in which Kasparov shows off his amazing accuracy and precision.

The second one is versus Lajos Portisch. During the first few moves the game is normal, and then it explodes to life with a bishop sacrifice, even the resourceful Portisch can't survive, and he soon collapses.

In game three, Kasparov plays a brave gambit idea, knowing that Karpov has had a week to prepare for it. However, Karpov didn't seem to realize the depth of Kasparov's opening preparation, and quickly Kasparov establishes an octopus knight on d3, in just a few moves, Karpov's position is completely helpless. Kasparov finishes him off with ruthless efficiency.

This game is a famous one, there is a video on youtube that shows Kasparov explaining his calculating ideas. Karpov quickly cracked under pressure and Kasparov got a winning endgame.

This was one of Kasparov's last professional chess games, and he sure left the chess world in awe. A very nice exchange sacrifice gives him the advantage, and he never lets his opponent get a chance at winning again.

This last game is my favorite, and you will soon see why. He starts with his pieces uncoordinated, and is fighting not to be worse from move 14 to move 24, but then he plays a beautiful rook sacrifice, walks the king all the way down the board, and wins the game in a beautiful fashion.

So, what do you think of Garry Kasparov? Did you enjoy these games? I hope you did, and I hope you appreciate Kasparov's mastery of attacking chess. 

Thank you for reading this!

Joshua