Kramnik-Kasparov, London 2000

Garry Kasparov is considered by many to be the greatest chessplayer ever. Until the turn of the 21 st century, there did not appear to be anyone who could successfully challenge him. However, in October 2000, Kasparov met another Russian, Vladimir Kramnik, in a title match.

Sponsored by BrainGames, the match would be 16 games, with the winner being the first to score 8½ points. Kasparov would keep his title in the event of an 8-8 drawn match. The world watched with great interest as Garry Kasparov would defend his title for the first time in five years. Kramnik of course was a great player, one of the world’s best, but Kasparov was, well… Kasparov.

The match began on October 8, 2000, with most chessplayers around the world regarding Kasparov as the heavy favorite to retain his title. Of course, anything could happen, particularly in a short match, but Garry had not been defeated in match play ever, and not many fans gave Kramnik much of a chance in London.

However, apparently no one had told Kramnik this. It turned out that his preparation for the match had been outstanding, and not only did he defeat Kasparov, he did so without Kasparov scoring a single win! To say his result was impressive is rather an understatement. The chess world was stunned. But it was true – Kramnik had come, seen and conquered the Great Garry. It was the start of a new era in chess.

Although Kramnik’s win was not expected, it was well-deserved, as he did not lose a single game, restricting Kasparov’s play and choices along the way. In particular, the choice of the “Berlin Wall” against Kasparov’s Ruy Lopez proved to be a very good decision as the first game was to quickly show.
 
During this match, German grandmaster Karsten Müller provided commentary on all the games. He has pulled together and updated his work, and it is now available in electronic form. Müller is one of the most popular chess writer of our time; his books are noted for their clarity and insight. We invite you to join Karsten as he takes an in-depth look at the world chess championship match between the then reigning world champion, Garry Kasparov, and the challenger, Vladimir Kramnik, played in October 2000 in London.