Game 1
Vladimir Kramnik is a prime example for a universal player. He has made numerous contributions to opening theory, he is well-versed in all kinds of openings, and he is always excellently prepared. In the course of his career Kramnik has played a lot of brilliant attacking games but he has won even more games through his clear, logical positional play and his fantastic endgame abilities. He is particularly strong in queenless middlegame positions.
In this regard the following game is typical for Kramnik. His opponent does not show much ambition with White, Kramnik has no problems to equalise with Black, and seizes the initiative soon after the opening. After an early exchange of queens Kramnik takes no chances and wins smoothly.
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 0-0 7.d4 d5 8.e5!? Ne4 9.h3 Qb6 10.Ba4 Bf5 11.Na3 11.Re2 11...cxd4 12.cxd4 f6! 13.Bb3 Rad8 14.exf6 14.g4? Be6 15.Rxe4 dxe4 16.Bxe6+ Kh8 14...exf6 15.Nc2 Rfe8 16.Bf4 Be6 17.Re2 g5 18.Bh2 f5 19.Qe1 Bf7 20.Rd1 f4 21.g3 fxg3 22.fxg3 Rf8 23.Kg2 Na5! 24.Qb4 Qxb4 25.Nxb4 Nxb3 26.axb3 Rd6! 27.Nd3 Rb6 28.b4 Rc8 29.Nfe5 Be8 30.g4 Ba4 31.Ra1 Bb5 32.Rd1 Bf8 33.Rde1 Bd6! 34.Re3 Rc2+ 35.Kg1 Bxd3 36.Rxd3 Rxb2 37.Rc1 R6xb4 0–1 - Start an analysis engine:
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Rozentalis,E | 2605 | Kramnik,V | 2710 | 0–1 | 1994 | B31 | Bundesliga 9394 | 12.1 |
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On this DVD Vladimir Kramnik retraces his career from talented schoolboy to World Champion in 2006. With humour and charm he describes his first successes, what it meant to be part of the Russian Gold Medal team at the Olympiad, and how he undertook the Herculean task of beating his former mentor and teacher Garry Kasparov.
Game 2
Garry Kasparov might well be the strongest player in the history of chess. In 1985 he became World Champion - at the age of 22, the youngest World Champion of all times. When he declared his withdrawal from tournament chess in March 2005 he had an Elo-rating of 2812 and still was the world's number one.
Kasparov's opening preparation, his tacticals skills, and his ability to calculate variations incredibly fast and deep are legendary. It is no surprise that Kasparov played many games in the course of his career in which he virtually smashed his opponents right out of the opening. The following game against Loek Van Wely is only one example among many.
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.f3 b5 8.g4 h6 9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.0-0-0 Bb7 11.h4 b4 12.Na4 d5 13.Bh3 g5 14.Bg2 gxh4? 14...Rg8 15.Rxh4 dxe4 15...Nxe4 16.fxe4 Qxh4 17.exd5 exd5 18.Bxd5 Bxd5 19.Nf5 Qf6 20.Qxd5 Rd8 21.Bf4 Ne5 22.Qe4 16.g5 Nd5 17.Rxe4 hxg5 17...Qa5 18.Nxe6 fxe6 19.Rxe6+ Kf7 19...Kd8 20.f4 20.Qd3 Kxe6 21.Qe4+ Ne5 21...Kf7 22.g6+ Kg7 23.Qe6 Ne5 24.Bd4 22.Bh3+ Kd6 23.Bc5+ Qxc5 24.Nxc5 Kxc5 25.Qxe5 18.Bxg5 Qa5 18...Qxg5 19.Qxg5 Bh6 20.Nxe6 Bxg5+ 21.Nxg5+ 18...N7f6 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.Rxe6+ Kf7 21.Rde1 19.f4 Rh2 19...Qxa4 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxe6+ Kf7 21...Be7 22.Bxd5 22.Bxd5 19...e5 20.Nb3 Qxa4 21.Rxe5+ Nxe5 22.Bxd5 Qd7 23.Bxb7 Qxd2+ 24.Rxd2 Rb8 25.fxe5 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Rxe6+ Kf7 22.Qd3 Bg7 22...Kxe6 23.Bxd5+ Bxd5 24.Qg6+ Nf6 25.Qxf6+ Kd7 26.Rxd5+ Qxd5 27.Nb6+ 22...Kg8 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.Ree1 23.Qf5+ Kg8 24.Rxd5 Qxa4 25.Re7 1–0
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Kasparov,G | 2851 | Van Wely,L | 2646 | 1–0 | 2000 | B80 | Corus | 3 |
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On this DVD a team of experts gets to the bottom of Kasparov's play. In over 8 hours of video running time the authors Rogozenko, Marin, Reeh and Müller cast light on four important aspects of Kasparov's play: opening, strategy, tactics and endgame.
Game 3
For some time Magnus Carlsen was a student of Garry Kasparov, but stylistically the 13th and the 16th World Champion in the history of chess are worlds apart. In contrast to Kasparov who tried to exert pressure from the very first move and usually strived for an opening advantage, Carlsen is often content to just get a playable position from the opening, and does not always strive for an opening advantage. However, from these playable, theoretically equal positions, Carlsen regularly outplays his opponents in the middlegame and in the endgame.
Carlsen has much less short victories to show than Kasparov. But his abilities to create winning chances in equal, simplified, and seemingly harmless positions, are legendary. And just like Kasparov Carlsen has an enormous will to win. This shows in the following game against Levon Aronian. After a small opening inaccuracy Carlsen finds himself on the defensive with White but he then defends carefully and creatively.
At a certain point Aronian loses the thread but now Carlsen who had been worse for a long time is no longer satisfied with a draw and starts to play for a win - with success.
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.a4 b4 9.d4 d6 10.dxe5 dxe5 11.Qxd8 Rxd8 12.Nbd2 h6 13.a5 Bc5 14.Bc4 14.h3 14...Ng4 15.Re2 Be6! 16.Bxe6 fxe6 17.h3 Nf6 18.Re1 Rab8 19.Nc4 Rb5 20.b3 Bd4 21.Bb2 Rc5 22.Ra2 Bxb2 23.Rxb2 Ne8 24.Ra2 Nd6 25.Nfd2 Nb7 26.Nf3 Kf7 27.Kf1 Kf6 28.Ra4 Nbxa5 29.Ne3! 29.Nxa5 Nxa5 30.Re2 Rd1+ 31.Re1 Rd7 32.Rxb4 Rxc2 29...h5 30.Rea1 Rd4 31.Ne1! 31.Nxd4 exd4 32.Nd1 d3 33.cxd3 Nxb3 34.R1a2 Rc1 35.Ke1 a5 31...Ke7 31...Rxe4 32.Nd3 Rb5 33.c4 32.f3 Rd2 33.Rd1 Rd6 34.Rda1 34...Kd7 35.Nd1 Rd2 36.Nf2 Kc8 37.Nfd3 Rb5 38.h4 Kb7 39.R1a2 Ka7 40.Kg1 Kb6 41.Kf1 g6 42.Kg1 Kb7 43.Kf1 Kc8 44.Nf2 Rd8 45.Ned3 Kb7 46.Ke2 Kb6 47.Ke3 Kb7 48.Nd1 Kc8 49.N1b2 Rd6 50.Ra1 50.Nc4 Nxc4+ 51.bxc4 Rb8 52.c5 Rd8 53.Rxa6 b3 50...Kd8 51.Nc4 Nxc4+ 52.bxc4 Rb8 53.c5 Rd7 54.Rxa6 54...b3 55.Rxc6 bxc2 56.Ne1 Ke7 57.Nxc2 Rb3+ 58.Ke2 Rb2 59.Rc1 Ra2 60.Ke3 Kf7 61.f4 Kf6 62.fxe5+ Kxe5 63.Ne1 Ra3+ 64.Kf2 Rd2+ 65.Kf1 Rd7 66.Nf3+ Kf4 67.Rxe6 g5 68.hxg5 Kg3 69.Rf6 Ra2 70.Ne5 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
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Carlsen,M | 2862 | Aronian,L | 2813 | 1–0 | 2013 | C88 | Sinquefield Cup 1st | 6 |
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Scarcely any world champion has managed to captivate chess lovers to the extent Carlsen has. The enormously talented Norwegian hasn't been systematically trained within the structures of a major chess-playing nation such as Russia, the Ukraine or China.
Game 4
In 1987 Vishy Anand became World Junior Champion U20, in the same year he became grandmaster, and only three years later, in 1990, he played in the Candidates for the first time. In the course of his long career he has achieved countless successes and has won countless games - because of deep opening knowledge and good preparation, strong positional play, impressive attacking skills, tenacious defense, and of course, superb endgame play.
Anand's opening preparation is as legendary as his tactical abilities and his art in defending worse positions. But he is also a creative and inspired attacking playing. As the following game against Predrag Nikolic proves.
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1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 d5 5.Nh3 c6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Qc2 0-0 8.Nd2 Bd7 9.Nf3 Be8 10.Bf4 h6 11.Qb3 b6 12.Rfc1 Be7 12...g5 13.Bxd6 Qxd6 14.Ne5 13.cxd5! Nxd5 13...exd5 14.Ne5 13...cxd5 14.Bc7 Qc8 15.Bxb6 14.Bd2 g5 15.Ne5 a5 16.e4 fxe4 17.Bxe4 Ra7 18.f4! gxf4 19.Kh1! Bf6 19...fxg3? 20.Qxg3+ Kh8 21.Ng6+ Bxg6 22.Qxg6 Bg5 23.Bxg5 hxg5 24.Nxg5 20.Nxf4 Qd6 21.Nfg6 Bxg6 22.Nxg6 Rff7 23.Bf4! Nxf4 24.gxf4 Bg7 24...Bxd4 25.Qh3 Bxb2 26.Rd1 Bd4 27.Qxh6 Rh7 27...Nd7 28.Rg1 Bg7 29.Nh8! 28.Rxd4 25.Qh3 Rf6 26.Rc3 Qxd4 27.Qg2 Rd7 28.Rg1 b5 29.Rg3 29...Qa7 30.Ne5 Re7 31.Qd2 Qc7 32.Rd3 Re8 33.Rd6 c5 34.Ng4 Rff8 35.Nxh6+ Kh8 36.Ng4 Rd8 37.Qg2! Rxd6 38.Qh3+ Kg8 39.Qh7+ Kf7 40.Bg6+ 1–0 - Start an analysis engine:
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Anand,V | 2769 | Nikolic,P | 2659 | 1–0 | 2000 | A90 | Corus | 2 |
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The first DVD with videos from Anand's chess career reflects the very beginning of that career and goes as far as 1999. It starts with his memories of how he first learned chess and shows his first great games (including those from the 1984 WCh for juniors). The high point of his early developmental phase was the winning of the 1987 WCh for juniors. After that, things continue in quick succession: the first victories over Kasparov, WCh candidate in both the FIDE and PCA cycles and the high point of the WCh match against Kasparov in 1995.
Running time: 3:48 hours
Vishy Anand is one of the greatest chess talents of all times. On this DVD he speaks about his career, his views on chess, and presents the most beautiful and interesting games of his career.
With this fine game of the 15th World Champion in the history of chess the Exercises in Style come to an end. Of course, the World Champions do not play all their games in one style and one style only. Kasparov, for example, played some of his games in a way that is usually ascribed to Carlsen or Karpov. There are also a whole number of games in which defensive artist Tigran Petrosian smashes his opponents in a way that is typical Mihail Tal. However, it is still remarkable how often stylistic traits that are characteristic for the 16 World Champions appear in randomly chosen games. Though it is, of course, much easier to identify these traits if you know which World Champion played the game in question.
See also