MARK RUBERY CHESS
Playing a famous celebrity is an avenue many sports follow to garner some extra publicity with chess being no exception. At the beginning of the millennium in Times Square New York, Gary Kasparov played one the most popular musicians of the age when he faced Sting amidst much media fanfare. With the Black pieces Sting held his own until he lost an important pawn on move 17, yet he had done enough to show that he has a firm understanding of the game.
Kasparov,G - Sting [A00]
1.g3! (Wisely not revealing any preparation for his match with Kramnik in 2000!)... Nf6 2.Bg2 e5 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nf3 d6 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 Nc6 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Qd7 10.Bg2 a6 11.e3 Bb4 12.Ne2 (“Don’t stand so close to me”)... Rae8 13.a3 Bc5 14.Qc2 Re7 15.b4 Ba7 16.Nc3 Rfe8 17.Bd2 (Up to now the former lead singer of the ‘Police’ has deployed his forces in a relatively logical fashion. However the struggle is effectively ended when the musician, known for his championing of noble causes, generously donates a key central pawn)...d5? 18.cxd5 Nd8 19.e4 h6 20.Be3 b6 21.Ne2 Nb7 22.g4 Rc8 23.Ng3 Nd6 24.Qc6 Qxc6 25.dxc6 Rd8 26.a4 Nc8 27.Rfd1 Re6 28.b5 a5 29.Bf3 Red6 30.Be2 Nh7 31.h4 Ne7 32.Nf5 Nxf5 33.gxf5 f6 34.Ra3 Kh8 35.Rd2 Rg8 36.h5 Ng5 37.Kf1 Nh3 38.Bg4 Nf4 39.d4 exd4 40.Bxf4 Rdd8 41.Ke2 Rge8 42.Kd3 Re7 43.Bd1 Rde8 44.f3 Rd8 45.Bb3
1-0
And thus Garry Kasparov defeated an ‘Englishman in New York.’
The tennis star Boris Becker showed less aptitude for the game than the musician in a simultaneous played over the Internet.
Becker,Boris (2851) - Kasparov,Garry [C20]
Kasparov Chess sim Internet, 2000
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 (As played occasionally by grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and beginners everywhere)…Nc6 3.Qf3 Nd4 4.Qc3 Nf6 5.f3 g6 6.Ne2 c5 7.Nxd4 cxd4 8.Qb3 Bg7 9.Bc4 0–0 10.c3 d5 11.Be2 d3 12.Bxd3 dxe4 13.Bxe4 Nxe4 14.fxe4 Qh4+ 15.Kd1 Qxe4 16.Re1 Bg4+ 17.Re2 Qxe2+ 18.Kc2 0–1
In today’s position an amateur player defeats a sea soned GM in fine style…
WHITE TO PLAY AND WIN ‘The openings that make up a grandmaster’s repertoire should not only be close to him in style. He should also sense there every nuance, every subtlety. For Bagirov such openings were the Caro-Kann, the Slav Defence and in particular, the Alekhine Defence. Smyslov remembers Bagirov describing how Alekhine himself once appeared before him in a dream and insistently recommended that he should study and regularly employ his opening.’ (Genna Sosonko ‘The Reliable Past’)