HoF #46: Kamsky–"London's King"
This blog is a celebration that leverages an outstanding concept of GMs Nielsen and Gustafsson (both of whom are also popular chessable.com authors) but offers my unique take. The two GMs produced videos and multiple lessons regarding their top 50 chess players of all time. Although I provide a link to their work below, my focus is a bit different, though I freely accept their rankings.
How does my work differ? Well, first of all, I'm not a titled player. Second, rather than reposting their videos and puzzles, I offer: brief biographies of each player; limited discussion and pictures of some of their works if they wrote anything memorable; and quick takes from those who proved to be eminently quotable. Third, well, I also may have found occasion to add quotes from other famous chess names regarding certain individuals and perhaps even the occasional caricature😏. Fourth, to the extent possible, I will include two games analyzed by the individual. After all, the greatest of the great should be able to explain what they were thinking during a game, shouldn't they? Finally, usually there were some other posts or videos about these Hall of Famers that struck me as fun or informative. So, I've included a smattering of those.
This is week number five—only 45 to go! I hope you enjoy my alternative takes. Certainly, I enjoin you to visit the work of GMs Nielsen and Gustafsson (chess.com and chessable.com).
#46 chess.com Hall of Fame: Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky (Tatar/Russian: Гата Камский; born June 2, 1974) is a Soviet-born American GM and five-time US CC. With a peak rating of 2763 in July 2013, his peak world ranking was almost twenty years earlier at #4 in July 1995. At age 16 Gata reached #8 globally, the youngest player ever to reach the top ten. Somehow, Gata’s lifetime arc in the FIDE rating system aligns mysteriously with the ChessMetrics baseline as the latter lists him with a peak rating of 2779 and ranking of #4 in March 1995.
He competed for the FIDE World CC in 1996, losing to Karpov. After losing that match Kamsky retired from chess until 2004, barring a brief match in 1999 that he lost to Khalifman. Upon his return he quickly returned to the upper echelons of the super-GM world despite, some would say, reliance on simple systems such as the London opening. In recent years his rating began a gradual decline. In February 2025 he lost four rating points to drop to 2607 ELO.
I have seen Kamsky playing regularly in chess.com Titled Tuesday events as @TigrVShlyape. Hikaru always speaks highly of his skills…while regularly beating him.
Gata’s wife, Vera Nebolsina (Russian: Вера Неболсина; born 16 December 1989) is a WGM with a peak rating of 2389. This chess power couple has a combined peak rating of 5152.
What Gata had to say about Volume 1 of his two-volume set.
For the first time in my life, I was free to pursue directions of my own choosing. The decision was a difficult one, but finally I decided to return to chess, feeling that I could somehow positively influence both FIDE and the chess world in general.
Clearly there were some triumphs and failures during this period of my chess career, but ultimately, I feel that I have left a certain mark on the generation from which the world’s current top players have emerged.
For me, there still exists the exciting journey to find the great truth of what is happening on the chess board, and the search for an even greater objective, the beauty of the game.
What others had to say:
What sets this book apart is Kamsky’s candid and thorough exploration of his games and the chess world. It’s a rare opportunity to look inside the strategic thinking and personal growth of one of the world’s prominent chess figures. [40 Best Chess Books [Your Ultimate Guide to Chess Mastery]]
It highlights key historical events in chess, giving a glimpse into the sport’s history. [Ibid]
Described as a collection of chess stories, the book captivates readers beyond technicalities. [Ibid]
The in-depth, technical game analysis could overwhelm casual readers or chess novices. [Ibid]
The book’s focus on chess psychology may not interest those seeking general strategies or history. [Ibid]
This book is not for the casual player, neither for the beginner or even the average 1400 player. No, this book is different. Compared to David Navara’s autobiography, this one goes miles / kilometres deeper. Depth that is rare these days and brushed off by the 3-second attention span of the youth (I, myself guilty of it). This book is for hard workers, achievers even. Want to get to 2200+ ? Read this book. Want to learn to calculate vast lines that go 20 moves deep every 2 pages? Read this book. No seriously, you need patience and motivation to get through this book. [The Chess Nerd - BOOK REVIEW - Gata Kamsky - Chess Gamer Volume 1... | Facebook]
Gata has learned to speak his mind about life, chess, the universe, and everything.
...fischerandom chess, imho, is the future...mark my words. [05-31-2012, X.com, @IGMGataKamsky]
The problem of cheating in online chess has been present since the beginning. Every month, http://chess.com closes hundreds of accounts of untitled players and dozens of low-level master accounts. [X.com, 1:14 MP, 20 April 2024]
I have to say, this war is absolute madness and a colossal blunder on the part of the Russian leader. In a chess game, after such blunder, you normally resign and admit defeat. It's the hardest thing to do because of pride, but it must be done, because human lives are not pawns. [re. Russian invasion of Ukraine, 02-27-2022, X.com, @IGMGataKamsky]
What Gata had to say about his life growing up"
My father forced me to play chess, and he threatened me. I did what I could, I was on my own. [NM Anthony Levin, 22 January 2025 'I Wanted To Live The Life Of A Normal Kid,' Kamsky Says In Candid Interview About His Past - Chess.com, 01-22-2025]
Before, I may have not said so much, but I realize now that I'm older that it's important to tell people what happens behind the scenes. [Ibid]
What IM Cyrus Lakdawala wrote in his 2010 book, Play the London System!
As the highest-rated player who regularly employs the London, Kamsky is our king! [p.132]
Admirable gumption from King Kamsky, who unfurls the London banner despite Gelfand’s nasty anti-London move order. [After move three of the game Kamsky – Gelfand, World Blitz CC, 2007, p. 231. Kamsky played the objectively correct move 3 in Kamsky – Karjakin, Wijk aan Zee, 2009.]
Black equalizes at the very minimum and Kamsky simply relies on his Slav/London skills to win from equality! [Ibid]
It is with deep regret that I must now blaspheme King Kamsky and this particular variation of our beloved opening! I loathe this position for White and advise you to try and avoid it. [p.232]
Given these are fifty of the greatest players of all time, how were they as annotators? Well, for those who wrote books we could truly explore that question in depth. But to keep the playing field even, I am only including a game or two taken from a DB or website. If such are available, as I've already discovered several left few traces of their thinking. Besides, I didn't want to burden myself with transcribing comments from a book into a pgn file, particularly with a Kamsky who had alternatives that ran twenty moves deep. Or increase my debt burden by buying books of those who did not yet offer free access to books released to the public domain. Besides, it is far easier and faster to look for annotated games in an online database. Well, except for the often-required translations.
Below we can ponder one game that Kamsky analyzed and one game where his play was the subject of analysis.
For those who want to watch videos and not read a commented game, you are in luck! Gata has produced a series of endgame videos for chess.com as @TigrVShlyape. We offer a few of those at Other Links of_Interest (or by scrolling below these games).
Kamsky, Gata (2741) - Dominguez Perez, Leinier (2723) Thessaloniki FIDE GP, Greece, 2013.05.22
My first takeaway? It's a shame Gata hasn't provided more analyzed games to DBs. On the other hand, he does produce those videos so, I guess it's a wash in our visually oriented age. Besides, some of his calculations go twenty moves deep, far more than we mere mortals are capable of understanding, let alone performing in a game.
Jobava, Baadur (2730) - Kamsky, Gata (2744) Amsterdam ACP Golden Classic, Netherlands 2012.07.22
I found an annotated London System game of Gata's in the online DB, but Kamsky lost. That seemed inappropriate for the London System's King. Then I lucked out and found this game (analysis by GM Sergey Erenburg) with Kamsky playing against Baadur Jobava, the most recent GM to champion the London System, though with his own aggressive approach to the opening. You are still not going to see a London System in this annotated game, but I thought it apropos that these two players could serve as bookends to different eras of the London.
In this game Gata played very aggressively in the opening, looking to snatch the initiative by forcing Jobava to make pawn structure decisions early in the middle game. A position with opposite-wing castling appeared but Black's minor pieces were more actively placed than their counterparts. Eventually, Kamsky made a positional Exchange sac that netted a knight and two pawns (but three passed pawns). As Erenburg puts it, the computer "does not give Black a big advantage, [but] it is extremely difficult for White to play this kind of position. Black has a clear plan of pushing forward his pawns, whereas White can only look for tactical chances to save the game."
Kevin's summation (a math thing that I like to export to my writing world) of the game. Today's improved computers find some errors that the version of Houdini GM Erenburg was using overlooked. The game turned into an intriguing race with R+2Ns+2Ps (both passed) versus Q+3Ps (all passed). And missed opportunities for both sides. Fun stuff!!
The whole purpose of this section is to address some obvious questions that might pop into your head. How come Kevin didn't talk about this? Or that? Not to mention the other thing! Well, just call me lazy! Or you could appreciate the fact I'm limiting the word count that is imposed on you😏. Nonetheless, in the series I'll be using this little section to provide links to more fulsome discussions that revolve around some well-known and lesser-known facets of the featured chess giant. That will range from videos to links to other chess.com blogs, usually by Top Bloggers. Enjoy or skip, it's your call, as always.
"How do you win an endgame against an endgame wizard like world champion, Karpov?" Well, let's hear from another legendary player!
Does the bishop pair really mean all that much when all the pawns are on one side of the board. Kamsky demonstrates that it can be the difference-maker.
Below you'll find two Kamsky wins, one against Karpov and the other victory over Kramnik. Plus, Ben is always ready with some extra anecdotes and insights...though the time he spends scrolling through Gata's Wikipedia page were moments lost in my life.
That's it for the fifth installment of my own take on chess.com's 50 greatest players of all time. Hope you enjoyed the blog. The good GMs below have a full selection of videos and puzzles dedicated to each of the fifty.
If you enjoy reading "greatest of" lists, then you might also enjoy chess.com's Every Chess 'Player Of The Decade' (From Morphy To Magnus).
Cheers!
Sources for the information in this series included chess.com, wikipedia.com, ChessBase, ChessMetrics, FIDE, individuals' websites, YouTube.com, news articles, books, and other sources including A-Z Quotes | Quotes for All Occasions. Plus, my faulty memories. I mixed, matched, cut, and pasted so much that separation is implausible. Particularly with quotes which are found in a thousand repositories, not to mention book covers, t-shirts, and the rantings of chess coaches of whom I've had more than a few thanks to Chess University and @AttilaTurzo (my primary instructor and co-author of a book we are writing on how to analyze during a game and afterwards.)
HoF #49: Karjakin–"The Minister of Defense"
