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A True ChampionWhat Michael Jordan is to basketball, and Muhammad Ali is to boxing, so Garry Kasparov is to chess: simply the greatest. Since 1985 when he became, at the age of 22, the youngest ever World Champion in the history of the game, Garry has ruled the world, successfully defending his title five times. Garry Kasparov’s ascent to the summit in the early eighties was achieved with such speed, dynamism and daring that some were predicting it would only be a matter of time before he burned out. But in 1999, fourteen years after he became World Champion, he is at the zenith of his career: in the three strongest tournaments of this year, he destroyed his major rivals with the kind of vigor and determination that put me in mind of his whirlwind early career. Genius v. Consensus So how are we, the World, going to fare against the mighty Garry? I fear that in a war situation -- and chess is essentially a war game -- single-minded Genius stands a better chance of success than cozy Consensus, but we shall see. I do think the World has one important factor in its favor. Let me explain. Garry is a great psychologist at the chessboard. Many of his opponents have been intimidated just by his presence; sheer will to win oozes from him across the board. One of the world’s leading players once told me told me that during a game with the Champ, “…a couple of times I caught Garry’s eye and I had to look down.” A typical experience. In this case though, Garry can send all the vibes he likes down the line, but I doubt whether it’s going to have much effect. Sit back at home in front of the chessboard, examine the different recommendations, or perhaps come up with your own brilliant idea; then have a cup of coffee, feed the dog, discuss your move with the mother-in-law ... and only then send off your suggestion. In standard tournament chess where there is usually a time limit of 40 moves in 2 hours, this is a luxury you simply don’t have. Garry also has a knack of playing the man, not the board -- understanding his opponent’s style and then finding a unique strategy which will pinpoint that player’s weakness. In this case Garry won’t have a clue what’s coming at him from the World team, so there too he will be unable to put one of his strengths into practice. Inside the Mind Whatever the result, this is going to be a fascinating and unique contest. Because of the pace of the game, and with the advantage of the medium of the Internet, for the first time, we are going to be able to see how the greatest chess-player in the world thinks while he is in mid-battle. It’s going to be exciting trying to predict Garry’s ideas, following his moves, and discovering how he really feels about the game. Along the way, I’ll be giving a few hints as to what to look out for, and I’ll attempt to explain what Garry might be up to, or at the very least explain afterwards! Apart from that, I’ll be doing a couple of “Inside the Mind” interviews with Garry when the game is underway so we can really find out what’s going on -- though how much the Champ will give away is anyone’s guess. I’ll do my best to prise a few secrets from him. As a kid, I occasionally had the opportunity to play in “simultaneous displays” against visiting Grandmasters (the expert would take on about 25 of us at the same time). Although I usually lost, without fail the games opened my eyes to entirely new strategies -- some of which I’m still using today; they were simply invaluable experience. By examining the way Garry plays this game, I hope that you too will benefit by watching the moves of a great player -- the greatest in fact. You’ll also get the chance to learn from the “World Coaches” -- all strong players in their own right -- as they make their suggestions, and from their differing opinions I think we will soon see that chess is far from being an exact science. In many situations there is not one clearly best move, it is often just a matter of style or taste. Ready? Garry Kasparov is a man who thrives on adversity. In his life he has not only fought countless struggles on the chessboard, he has battled away from it as well: against the old Soviet system, the KGB, and against extreme nationalists in his heimat of Baku. Now he is ready to take on the World. Are you ready for Garry? -- Daniel King |
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