Kasparov Defeats Karpov in Lopsided Match

While Garry Kasparov has played chess only sparingly since his retirement in 2005, he's only a few years removed from being a 2800+ player, while former rival Anatoly Karpov is well past his best days. With that in mind, it can hardly be called a surprise that Kasparov easily defeated Karpov in both rapid and blitz matches this week in Valencia. Kasparov took the rapid portion 3-1 and won the blitz portion by a 6-2 score -- about what you'd expect in a match between two players separated by about 200 points on the ratings list.

Of course, it's hard to get a real sense of how strong Kasparov is today from rapid and blitz games, but according to Mig Greengard's blog, Garry himself was disappointed with the quality of play. While most people probably wouldn't describe the games as "terrible" like he did, it's quite likely that both players played a little below the level their ratings suggest.

Still, there were moments of brilliance for both sides. Karpov managed to inject some drama into the blitz proceedings by winning the first game with Black, then drawing the second, staking himself to an early 1.5-0.5 lead. Kasparov then showed he was clearly the stronger player, starting with an impressive win in game three that began a 5-game winning streak, putting the match well out of reach. If you'd like to see the games, TWIC has PGN files of the rapid and blitz matches available.

All in all, the Kasparov-Karpov match was a fun, nostalgic chess event that was well-received by chess fans. If you missed out on this one, don't worry: you'll have a second chance when the ex-champions collide again this December in Paris.