Chess History in a Nutshell 102 – Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky (born June 2, 1974, in the former Soviet Union) became the challenger for World Champion Anatoly Karpov at the age of 22 in a match held under the auspices of FIDE in 1996, which he ultimately lost. Thanks to numerous excellent results, he climbed to fourth place in the world rankings. Together with his father, Rustam Kamsky, he emigrated to the United States in 1989, where he went on to become a five-time U.S. Chess Champion.
There were rumors that Kamsky suffered abuse at a young age at the hands of his father, a former boxer. Upon moving to the United States, the family came into contact with Allen Kaufman, then executive director of the American Chess Foundation, who helped arrange support for their relocation. Businessman James Cayne provided financial assistance to the Kamskys, which led to remarkable success on the chessboard, including Kamsky winning the Chess World Cup in 2007. This victory earned him a Candidates' match against Veselin Topalov, which he lost. Kamsky later participated in the 2011 Candidates Tournament but was defeated by Boris Gelfand.
From 1993 onward, two rival organizations, FIDE and PCA, each organized interzonal tournaments. Kamsky participated in both and qualified for the respective Candidates Tournaments in each case. These tournaments were largely dominated by Kamsky and Viswanathan Anand.
In the first round of the 1994–95 FIDE Candidates matches, Kamsky defeated Paul van der Sterren (+3=3-1). His second-round match (Candidates' semifinal) against Anand, held in July and August 1994 in Sanghi Nagar, India, was far more dramatic. After draws in the first two games, Anand won the next two to secure a 3-1 lead. Game 5 was drawn. However, Kamsky then mounted an incredible comeback, scoring 2½- ½ in the remaining three games to tie the score at 4-4 (+2=4-2). He then won both rapid tiebreak games to emerge victorious. In the third round (Candidates' final), held in Sanghi Nagar in February 1995, Kamsky defeated Valery Salov 5½-1½ (+4=3-0).
Meanwhile, in the 1994–95 PCA Candidates matches, Kamsky also made headlines by defeating Vladimir Kramnik in the quarterfinals in New York in June 1994. He then triumphed over Britain’s Nigel Short in the semifinals in Linares, Spain, in September 1994. In the March 1995 final, Kamsky once again faced Anand, this time in Las Palmas. However, Anand got his revenge, dealing Kamsky a heavy defeat (+1=7-3).
The following year, Kamsky challenged Anatoly Karpov for the FIDE World Championship. The 20-game match took place in Elista, Kalmykia, and ultimately ended in victory for Karpov, who secured the 1996 FIDE World Chess Championship title with a final score of 10½-7½ (+6=9-3). One of Kamsky’s assistants during this match was Dutch Grandmaster Loek van Wely, who, thanks in part to his collaboration with Kamsky, went on to become one of the world's top players.
Following this match, Kamsky distanced himself from his father and withdrew from professional chess for several years (1996–2004). During this time, he graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.A. in 1999 and later decided to study law at Touro Law Center in New York.
When he returned to competitive chess in 2007, Kamsky made an immediate impact by winning the Chess World Cup. Seeded 11th, he won his first three rounds before defeating Peter Svidler, former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov, and future world number one Magnus Carlsen to reach the final. There, he faced Alexei Shirov, securing the title with a score of (+1-0=3), a victory that shocked many in the chess world. This remarkable win earned Kamsky a match against then-world number one Veselin Topalov in 2009 for the right to challenge reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand.
The match against Topalov was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February 2009. Although Kamsky won Game 4 to tie the score at 2-2, Topalov responded strongly, winning two of the last three games (including an exciting victory in the final game with the white pieces) to claim the match 4½-2½.
In one crucial position, with heavy pieces on the board, each side had a knight and opposite-colored bishops. The game hinged on which player could seize the initiative. As an old Dutch chess saying goes: "Unequal bishops, unequal chances!" Ponomariov understood the importance of activating his bishop, but his actual pawn sacrifice with 35...d4? turned out to be a mistake. The refutation, executed brilliantly by Kamsky, was both unexpected and decisive. Can you find the move with which White continued in this position?
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