JonathanB wrote on 12/18/11 at 22:27:27:

What's odd is that you didn't bother to look up Kasparov in endgame manuals yourself. It's true, Dvoretsky seems not to like Kasparov very much. I think every example in Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual is either a misplayed endgame, a loss by Kasparov, or an example of his being "lucky" that his opponent didn't find an obvious resource.

Some examples include Sveshnikov-Kasparov (1979) where Kasparov outplayed his much more experienced opponent from a same-colored Bishop endgame with even material.

Judit Polgar's famous loss to Kasparov in a pure R vs R+N endgame can be viewed as poor technique by White, but Kasparov also deserves credit for finding a win in this extremely tricky endgame.


However other endgame manuals, including Fundamental Chess Endings, do cover some of his more famous endgames. 

Kasparov-Timman (Linares 1992) shows an elegant finish in a N vs B endgame.

Kasparov was perhaps at his best in complex poaitions, and his Q endgame technique should definitely be highlighted. Topalov-Kasparov (Linares 1999) is one of these extremely difficult endgames where Kasparov took advantage of every slight misstep to forge a win.

Kasparov proved his endgame skill in the Candidates' Final of 1983 against Smyslov. Smyslov repeatedly sought simplified positions and Kasparov repeatedly punished my hero. Kasparov scored four wins, and they were all realised in the endgame (after he gained an edge earlier, granted).

There are many examples of Kasparov's endgame mastery. You just need to look.

JonathanB wrote on 12/18/11 at 22:27:27:

This is still a bad reason to split with Kasparov. After all lots of famous trainers were considerably weaker than their pupils.

JonathanB wrote on 12/18/11 at 22:27:27:

Well, it's not obvious what "classic" means, but the 16th game against Karpov in Sevilla/New York was a fine achievement.

MNb wrote on 12/18/11 at 21:03:49:


Bxh3 might be my favorite move of any game ever played.

Smyslov_Fan wrote on 12/18/11 at 19:07:29:

Includes Tal? Duh... he was known not just for his sacrifices but his endgame prowess (particularly in minor piece endgames) that led to him holding the 2 longest records for undefeated streaks.

JonathanB wrote on 12/18/11 at 15:57:06:

How about Kasparov-Short, where Short missed a draw in a rook endgame? (I'll have to look up which one)

Actually, Kasparov outplayed Karpov in a number of brilliant endgames. I'll have to look up the exact match numbers, but some of his endgame conceptions have been breathtaking.

There's a saying, not every world champion has been a great opening player, but every world champion has been a great endgame player (Yes, that includes Tal. If there's any doubting that, take a look at Marin's excellent book on the world champions.)

Out of interest, what do people think are the 'classic' Kasparov endgames?

I doubt many will last long in a teacher - student relationship with Kasparov...

Jupp53 wrote on 12/17/11 at 23:41:01:

Nakamura has less chance at poker than most things.