Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match (1995)

Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players ·

<< previous

HISTORY OF THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

next >>

<< previous

FIDE CHAMPIONSHIPS

next >>

Kasparov vs Anand, 1995
New York City

Although stripped of his title by FIDE for holding his 1993 match with Short outside the world chess body's auspices, Kasparov was nevertheless widely considered the legitimate World Champion. The Professional Chess Association (PCA) created by Kasparov held a series of a series of candidate matches to choose an opponent for him. Viswanathan Anand succeeded in becoming the champion's opponent.

Kasparov vs Anand
Kasparov and Anand play above New York City
Anand's rise in the chess world was meteoric. Born in India, he quickly emerged as his nation's greatest player. At age fifteen, he became the youngest Indian to win the International Master title. At the age of sixteen he was crowned India's National Champion. In 1987 he was the first Indian to win the World Junior Championship. In 1988, at the age of eighteen, he became the first official Grandmaster of India. Anand qualified for the PCA World Championship final by winning the candidates matches against Michael Adams and Gata Kamsky. ^[1]

The 1995 PCA title match was played on the Observation Deck on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center in New York City. The prize fund was 1,500,000 US$, with 2/3 for the winner. Ten percent of the fund would to go to the PCA. In case of a tied match, Kasparov would retain the PCA title, but the prize would be split. The match was to last 20 games instead of the traditional 24, each game played at 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour, followed by 30 minutes to complete the game. There were to be no timeouts and no adjournments.

The match started with eight straight draws (a record for the opening of a world championship match) until Anand drew first blood by winning game nine. This victory was not to be enjoyed for very long, as Kasparov then rebounded by dominantly winning four of the next five games.

After 18 games, with a final score of 10½ to 7½ Kasparov retained the PCA World Chess Champion title.

click on a game number to replay game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Anand ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½

Kasparov ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½

FINAL SCORE: Kasparov 10½; Anand 7½
Reference: game collection WCC Index [Kasparov-Anand 1995]

NOTABLE GAMES [what is this?]

    · Game #10     Kasparov vs Anand, 1995     1-0
    · Game #9     Anand vs Kasparov, 1995     1-0
    · Game #11     Anand vs Kasparov, 1995     0-1

FOOTNOTES

Wikipedia: Viswanathan Anand

page 1 of 1; 18 games

Game		Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	27	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
2. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	29	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	E34 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation
3. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	36	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
4. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	21	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	A17 English
5. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	27	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
6. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	28	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	C80 Ruy Lopez, Open
7. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	25	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
8. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	22	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	C45 Scotch Game
9. Anand vs Kasparov		1-0	35	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
10. Kasparov vs Anand		1-0	38	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	C80 Ruy Lopez, Open
11. Anand vs Kasparov		0-1	31	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B78 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack, 10.castle long
12. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	43	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	C78 Ruy Lopez
13. Anand vs Kasparov		0-1	25	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B77 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack
14. Kasparov vs Anand		1-0	41	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B01 Scandinavian
15. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	20	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen
16. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	16	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B76 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack
17. Anand vs Kasparov		½-½	63	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B77 Sicilian, Dragon, Yugoslav Attack
18. Kasparov vs Anand		½-½	12	1995	Kasparov - Anand PCA World Championship Match	B84 Sicilian, Scheveningen


page 1 of 1; 18 games

REFINE SEARCH: White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 1 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
Jan-11-07		MrPatzer: Poor Anand. I think it's about time he got another crack at the world championship.

Jan-11-07		Karpova: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r1F...

Jan-11-07		Stevens: there is also video footage of games 8, 9 and 10 in the related videos section of <karpova>s link

Jan-11-07		Sibahi: I think the match was played on WTC so that Kasparov can throw Anand from the roof in case he loses ...

Jan-11-07		Lt. Col. Majid: I really enjoyed this match. Anand went pawn-4-pawn with the Kasparov for 2 solid weeks and 8 str8 games without a loss. Then he drew 1st blood. The wounded Beast of Baku of hit back with an earth-shattering novelty in game 10, the speed and confidence with which he trashed out the moves, stomping those pieces around the board destroyed Anand's psyche. He lost the match right there and then. This is where Kramnik would have proved much stronger than Anand. An impressive match by Kasparov the great. Whilst Kramnik and Anand are more or less equal chess-wise, Kramnik’s superior mental toughness would always give him the nod as far as I am concerned.

Jan-19-07		MJW 72: People are going to go crazy when they finally get to posting the Gazza- Kramnik match

Jan-31-07		Tactic101: That's true. Anand definately deserves to play Kramnik in a match. He certainly would do better than Topalov. At least, he wouldn't go around making ridiculous accusations. He would concentrate on the board, nothing else.

Feb-07-07		kevin86: Here was a chess match played at a place that no longer exists. Ordinarily,this statement would be a country that has changed hands due to war. Here is a place that disappeared from the landscape in a mere 73 minutes after its twin brother tower was struck on 9/11 and a mere 56 minutes after it was hit. Even 5 years later,it seems impossible.

Feb-07-07		crwynn: I think the first game was played on September 11th 1995. I don't know if the setting was particularly pleasant for the players - from a photo I've seen it looked windy, which would stand to reason, and I don't know about the temperature - but the pictures of the match are very beautiful and in retrospect, very sad.

Feb-28-07		kevin86: Why did Kasparov play black in the last two games? Anybody know?

Feb-28-07		RookFile: I don't believe he did, but then again I do see what you're saying, in that the way the list is currently sorted above, it looks like he did.

Mar-25-07		ahmadov: <CG> needs to check the text to remove typos.

Mar-30-07		Timex: Once upon a time, Anand was playing Kasparov for the world title. He sat down and suddenly--- ............a crack in the floor appeared. Kasparov asked, "Have you been gaining weight lately?" Anand blushes and answers, "Oh yes." Kasparov replies, "Don't tell me you are 400 pounds." Anand, "Oh, I am even better. I am 500 pounds." Immediately, the floor cracks and both of them fall through 107 floors of the World Trade Center. Note: This is probably what caused the World Trade Center's potential 9/11. :) Anand looks fat in the pic.

Jul-31-07		chessblind: <Timex> If Anand is obese,(your estimate is 500 Pounds) then how about Kramnik?Where will you place him so that the earth under him does not give away?

Jul-31-07		Davolni: I wonder if the picture is real. They really played under the sun? with that view?

Aug-01-07		Sui Generis: The picture is just promotional, the actual games were played under normal conditions. You can find videos of games 8, 9 and 10 at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Qh...

Aug-27-07		contra: Yusupov's ideas worked wonders for Kasparov in this match.

Dec-24-07		mistreaver: I wonder what would have happened if Anand used Scandinavian in the 10th game after he took the lead. It would certainly be more effective and would put Garry in hard situation.

Jul-08-08		Jim Bartle: "The match started with eight straight draws (a record for the opening of a world championship match)" Providing lots of fodder for David Letterman, who joked about the high drama of the match.

Sep-22-08		offramp: Without a doubt one of the very worst matches in history. Definitely the worst World Championship match EVER.

Sep-22-08		anandrulez: The thing about this dual is that the play was veyr much theory oriented and none actually wanted to deviate from it . When Anand won , Kaspy struck back with vengance . Anand never recovered from that . The quality of Anands games were much below his par . I think after 2000 Anand really squared up with Kaspy though .

Oct-17-08		Akuni: <offramp: Without a doubt one of the very worst matches in history. Definitely the worst World Championship match EVER.> Says the kibitzer who lists James Mason as his favorite player...

Oct-20-08		VaselineTopLove: It doesn't seem to me that Anand had a Plan B for the second half of the match, like Kasparov did (such as playing the Dragon with black). Anand continued playing the same openings after game 10 which he had been playing from game 1. So there was no surprise element from Anand's side, except for game 14 when he used the Scandinivian, but I doubt that he seriously considered employing it in all his black games, as he switched to more conventional openings after his loss with the Scandinivian. So I don't think he had prepared it that thoroughly. His decision to play 1...d5 may have been caused by a) desperation b) get Kasparov on unfamiliar territory c) play a one off, off-beat game because your seconds found a novelty, or a good, promising continuation - unfortunately for Anand, he was unable to convert the advantage he obtained and lost instead. So the Scandinivian seems more like a one-off game, rather than a thoroughly prepared Plan B.

Oct-21-08		VaselineTopLove: You can't compare Kasparov's 4-1 thrashing of Anand in 1995 to Anand's thrashing of Kramnik now. Back in 1995, an inexperienced Anand was playing a mature and seasoned Kasparov and most of Anand's losses came in the second half after a tough first half, and that too when played over 18 games. Here both Kramnik and Anand are seasoned enough and were considered equal before the match, but no one expected a 3-0 in the first 6 games!

Oct-21-08		acirce: It almost feels like this match was 13 years ago or something.

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 3)
search thread:
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 1 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
Nothing in violation of United States law.
No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
No trolling.
The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.

NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific tournament only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC