Kramnik Crushes Kasparov - Top 10 Of The 1990s - Kasparov vs. Kramnik, 1996

Garry Kasparov was the world chess champion (disputed) for the entire decade of the 1990s. This feat has thus far only been matched by Emanuel Lasker who was world champion for two consecutive decades, the 1900s and the 1910s. Will Carlsen achieve this feat in the 2020s?

In the 1990s, the only *human* player who consistently gave Kasparov trouble was Vladimir Kramnik. Today, many know Kramnik as a solid defender of the Berlin Wall, but in his younger days, he played many attacking brilliancies, including the following masterpiece against the champion.

Top 10 Games of the 1990s

• #1: ???
• #2: ???
• #3: ???
  
• #4: ???
• #5: Isaev vs. Timoshenko, 1991 (blog)
  
• #6: Ivanchuk vs. Anand, 1991 (blog)
• #7: Nunn vs. Nataf, 1999 (blog)
  
• #8: Kasparov vs. Kramnik, 1996
  
• #9: Kramnik vs. Shirov, 1994 (blog)
  
• #10: Passov vs. Sammour-Hasbun, 1991 (blog)
  
• See also: Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s

The game is an extremely sharp Meran Semi-Slav. Kasparov innovates and tries to catch Kramnik's king in the center, but Kramnik meets his aggressive play with an exciting piece sacrifice. In fact, the sacrifice as played was incorrect, but Kasparov missed the strongest defensive path and found his king completely at the mercy of Kramnik's perfectly coordinated forces.

Lessons:

• Know the ideas behind your chess openings. The Meran Semi-Slav revolves around ...c5.
• Don't be afraid of any opponent, even Kasparov.
• Chess is a constant struggle for the initiative.

My notes are below. Be sure to check out Kramnik's notes in "Kramnik: My Life And Games"!

If you like the content and want to support it, subscribe and follow on YouTube and Twitch!