Kasparov's Comeback Underway in STL Rapid and Blitz

13th World Champion and acclaimed author and speaker Garry Kasparov is currently playing the STL Rapid and Blitz (August 14-19), his first foray back into competitive chess since he announced his retirement in 2005. The debatable exception was his participation in the Ultimate Blitz Challenge in 2016 along with our top three players (Nakamura, So and Caruana), where Kasparov played sharp openings and ended with an even score. On day one, Kasparov continued this trend, with three dramatic draws against Karjakin, Nakamura and Dominguez.

[pgn] [Event "St. Louis Rapid & Blitz GCT"]
[Date "2017.08.14"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2812"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[WhiteClock "0:02:05"]
[BlackClock "0:00:43"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 8.
Bd2 O-O 9. h3 a5 10. g4 Qg6 11. a3 a4 12. Qc4 Bxc3 13. Bxc3 Nd5 14. Bd2 f6 15.
Rc1 Bd7 16. Qc2 Qxc2 17. Rxc2 Be8 18. e3 Bg6 19. Rc5 Be4 20. Be2 e5 21. O-O
exd4 22. Nxd4 Nxd4 23. exd4 c6 24. Re1 Bg6 25. Bf1 Bf7 26. f4 Rfd8 27. f5 Rd7
28. Ra5 Rxa5 29. Bxa5 g6 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. Bd2 g5 32. Bd3 Kg7 33. Bc2 b5 34.
Bf5 Rd8 35. Kf2 Bg6 36. Be6 Bf7 37. Bf5 Bg6 38. Be6 Nf4 39. Bxf4 gxf4 40. Rd1
Be4 41. h4 Kg6 42. Re1 Bc2 43. Rc1 Be4 44. Re1 Bc2 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

[pgn] [Event "St. Louis Rapid & Blitz GCT"]
[Date "2017.08.14"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2792"]
[BlackElo "2812"]
[PlyCount "154"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[WhiteClock "0:01:11"]
[BlackClock "0:00:35"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Bg7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. cxd5 c6 7. e4 O-O 8.
Nf3 cxd5 9. e5 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Bb5 Bg4 12. Ng1 f6 13. h3 Be6 14. exf6 Rxf6
15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Nge2 Qd6 17. O-O Raf8 18. Rae1 Bc8 19. Na4 e5 20. dxe5 Qxe5
21. b4 Re6 22. Nc5 Ree8 23. Nb3 Qb2 24. Qxb2 Bxb2 25. Ned4 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Bd7
27. Re2 Bc3 28. Rc2 Bxb4 29. Nxc6 Bd6 30. Nxa7 Re8 31. g4 h5 32. f3 Re1+ 33.
Kg2 Kf7 34. Nc6 h4 35. Ncd4 Rd1 36. Rd2 Rxd2+ 37. Nxd2 Kf6 38. Kf2 Ke5 39. Ke3
g5 40. f4+ gxf4+ 41. Kd3 Be7 42. N2f3+ Kd6 43. Nf5+ Bxf5+ 44. gxf5 Kc5 45. Nd4
Kd6 46. a4 Bd8 47. Ne6 Bb6 48. Nxf4 Ke5 49. f6 Bc5 50. f7 Kf6 51. Nxd5+ Kxf7
52. Ke4 Ke6 53. Nf4+ Kd6 54. Ng2 Bf2 55. Kf3 Bg3 56. Kg4 Kc5 57. Nxh4 Bf2 58.
Nf5 Kb4 59. Ng3 Kxa4 60. h4 Kb5 61. h5 Be3 62. Ne4 Kc6 63. Ng5 Kd7 64. h6 Ke7
65. h7 Bd4 66. Kf5 Ba1 67. Kg6 Bb2 68. Nf7 Ba1 69. Nh6 Bh8 70. Ng4 Ba1 71. Ne3
Bh8 72. Nd5+ Ke6 73. Nf4+ Ke7 74. Nh3 Ke6 75. Ng5+ Ke7 76. Nf7 Ba1 77. h8=Q
Bxh8 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

https://twitter.com/USChess/status/897195726974877699

[pgn] [Event "St. Louis Rapid & Blitz GCT"]
[Date "2017.08.14"]
[White "Kasparov, Garry"]
[Black "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2812"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[WhiteTeam "Russia"]
[BlackTeam "Cuba"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "RUS"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CUB"]
[WhiteClock "0:05:57"]
[BlackClock "0:17:11"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. Qc2 c5 8. dxc5
Nbd7 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bxe7 Qxe7 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Nf3 Nxc5 13. Be2 Bg4 14. O-O
Rac8 15. Rfd1 Rfd8 16. h3 Ne6 17. Qa4 Bh5 18. Rd2 d4 19. Qxa7 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Qb4
21. Rad1 Rc1 22. Rxc1 Qxd2 23. Rd1 Qxb2 24. Qxb7 Qxa2 25. Qb1 Qxb1 26. Rxb1
dxe3 27. fxe3 Ng5 28. h4 Nxf3+ 29. gxf3 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

https://twitter.com/GrandChessTour/status/897221225952538624 https://twitter.com/Kasparov63/status/897253330623184896 IM Eric Rosen took over our twitter feed for rounds 1-3, kicking it off with a viral shot of Kasparov with Former NFL Offensive Lineman for the Baltimore Ravens John Urschel, who is now working on his Math PHD at MIT. https://twitter.com/USChess/status/897159344797700097 https://twitter.com/USChess/status/897207155815849984 Two of the most celebrated games from day one were brutal attacks executed by Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana.

[pgn] [Event "St. Louis Rapid & Blitz GCT"]
[Date "2017.08.14"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Karjakin, Sergey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2773"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackTeam "Russia"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "RUS"]
[WhiteClock "0:08:19"]
[BlackClock "0:00:19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. e3 Bb7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. cxd5
exd5 9. Ne5 c5 10. f4 Nc6 11. Ne2 c4 12. Bc2 Ne7 13. Ng3 Nc8 14. Nh5 Be7 15. b3
cxb3 16. axb3 Nd6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. Ba3 Bc8 19. Qf3 Bb7 20. Bd3 a5 21. Rac1 a4
22. Qh3 g6 23. Nd7 Be7 24. Nxf8 Bxf8 25. f5 axb3 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. Bxg6 fxg6
28. Qe6+ Kh7 29. Bxd6 Qxd6 30. Rf7+ Kh6 31. Qh3+ Kg5 32. g3 1-0

[/pgn]

[pgn]
[Event "St. Louis Rapid & Blitz GCT"]
[Date "2017.08.14"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Navara, David"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2809"]
[BlackElo "2737"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2017.??.??"]
[EventType "blitz"]
[WhiteTeam "Armenia"]
[BlackTeam "Czech Republic"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "ARM"]
[BlackTeamCountry "CZE"]
[WhiteClock "0:07:53"]
[BlackClock "0:01:19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bg2
d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. O-O Re8 11. Ne5 Bb7 12. Qc2 c5 13. dxc5 bxc5 14. Rad1 Qc8
15. e4 Bf8 16. f4 d4 17. Nd5 Nxd5 18. exd5 f6 19. Rde1 fxe5 20. fxe5 Nd7 21. e6
Nf6 22. Rxf6 gxf6 23. Qf5 Qd8 24. Re4 Re7 25. Rg4+ Kh8 26. Be4 Rc8 27. Rh4 Kg8
28. Rxh7 Bxd5 29. Qg6+ Rg7 30. Qh5 Bxe4 31. Rh8# 1-0

[/pgn]

Today Garry Kasparov faces Levon Aronian, Ian Neponmiatchi and Vishy Anand. Since Kasparov will play Anand with Black, enjoy this throwback quiz from his 1995  New York World Championship match with Anand. How did Garry Kasparov force immediate resignation from Vishy Anand, in game 11 of the 1995 Match? Show Solution Fully relive round 1-3 action on YouTube, and follow along rounds 4-6 on the Grand Chess Tour website with commentary from GMs Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley and US Chess editor Jen Shahade. Look for IM Eric Rosen to take over the US Chess twitter again later this week. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw3rsUIC3RU]