In this book, the first volume of an extensive two-part project, award-winning chess author Igor Stohl has selected 74 of Kasparov’s best and most instructive games and provided detailed annotations. The emphasis is on explaining the thought process behind Kasparov’s decisions and the principles and concepts embodied in his moves. Stohl has drawn on various sources, including Kasparov’s own comments, and offers a wealth of new insights into these significant games as well as numerous fresh analytical perspectives.
Garry Kasparov was born in 1963 and came to prominence in the late 1970s with a series of remarkable results at Soviet and international events. In 1985, he defeated Anatoly Karpov after a monumental struggle, becoming the youngest world champion in history. Twenty years later, he is still the world’s number one, enjoys international acclaim, and is known even to non-chess players thanks to high-profile events such as his matches against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue and the Kasparov versus the World game in 1999.
Igor Stohl is a renowned grandmaster from Slovakia. He competes in several national leagues and has gained a reputation as an opening theoretician. His thorough annotations frequently appear in Ceskoslovensky Sach and ChessBase Magazine. His latest book for Gambit, Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces, was awarded the US Chess Federation’s prize for Best Book.
"This first volume contains 74 games carefully analyzed by one of the very best commentators, Igor Stohl. Few chess authors could do justice to such an important project, but if you are familiar with his previous book for Gambit, Instructive Modern Chess Masterpieces, you will already appreciate the high quality of his work. This new book follows the same highly successful formula – the opening phase of each game is discussed in depth, considering all new developments since the game was played, critical decisions in the middlegame are scrutinized, and if Kasparov’s opponent manages to survive into the endgame, Stohl provides clear insights into the thinking processes and the top-level technique that kept Kasparov at the pinnacle of the Elo rankings for 20 years. ... a fantastic book." – John Anderson, Correspondence Chess
"How can there be so many pages for 74 games? Simple: the games are excellently annotated by Igor Stohl! For almost every move, the grandmaster provides a thoroughly researched and clear comment, making the review of each game extremely rewarding." – Gerald Berghöfer, Soft & Surf
