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Library / Games / Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov
Hoogovens Tournament · Wijk aan Zee · 20 January 1999 · ECO B07

Kasparov's Immortal

Garry Kasparov 1–0 Veselin Topalov
Opening: Pirc Defense
Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov B07
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Hoogovens Tournament, 20 January 1999

The 1999 Hoogovens Tournament at Wijk aan Zee saw Kasparov produce what is generally agreed to be the greatest game of his career. Topalov played the Pirc Defense — a sound but slightly passive choice — and Kasparov responded with the most violent attacking display of his championship years.

The combination begins on move 24. Kasparov sacrifices a rook with 24.Rxd4!, then keeps sacrificing — a knight on move 25, the e-rook on move 27 with a discovered check — and finally drives Topalov’s king on a 16-square walk from b8 to d1. The mate would come on move 45 (after the game continuation was published, several mate-in-N analyses competed). Topalov resigned on move 44.

The game has been published in dozens of books. Chess Informant awarded it the prize for best game of 1999. Every move from 24 onward has been re-checked by engines; the combination is sound. Topalov defended as well as the position allowed, and Kasparov calculated through approximately fifteen forced moves.

The king’s path

Topalov’s king travels: a7 → a5 → a4 → a3 → b4 → c3 → d2 → d1 → e1. Each step is forced by Kasparov’s preceding move. The eight white pieces that participate in the attack include four sacrifices. The combination’s length and consistency make it the canonical reference for engine-era king-hunt analysis.

The game was Kasparov’s last great attacking masterpiece. He retired from classical chess in 2005 without producing another at this level.

Game record

This game between Garry Kasparov and Veselin Topalov was played at the Hoogovens Tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 1999. The opening was the Pirc Defense (ECO B07). The game lasted 44 moves, ending with White winning. It is part of the late-Soviet and Cold-War chess era.

Opening context

The Pirc Defense (ECO B07) belongs to the semi-open group of the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings. The opening sequence runs 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7, after which the game enters its specific theoretical line. ECO classification group B covers a span of roughly 100 different openings, of which B07 is one entry on the tree.