The chess games of Genrikh Kasparian

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Genrikh Kasparian

Postage stamp "Birth Centenary of Henrik Kasparyan", issued in Armenia on Feb 27, 2010.

Number of games in database: 248
Years covered: 1926 to 1968

Overall record: +87 -97 =64 (48.0%)*
* Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS

With the White pieces:

Sicilian (23)
    B23 B20 B30 B27 B40
French Defense (13)
    C00 C11 C01 C13 C12
King's Indian Attack (11)
    A07
Ruy Lopez (10)
    C68 C90 C73 C75 C98
French (10)
    C00 C11 C13 C12 C10
Caro-Kann (8)
    B11 B18 B12 B13 B15

With the Black pieces:

Caro-Kann (27)
    B18 B10 B11 B13 B12
King's Indian (24)
    E67 E60 E62 E69 E72
Ruy Lopez (12)
    C75 C72 C71 C87 C78
Queen's Pawn Game (9)
    A45 E00 A40 D02 A46
Grunfeld (5)
    D78 D96 D94 D85
English (5)
    A15 A16

Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   V Chekhover vs Kasparian, 1936 0-1
   Kasparian vs Aronin, 1952 1/2-1/2
   Kasparian vs Bronstein, 1947 1-0
   Lisitsin vs Kasparian, 1931 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Kasparian, 1950 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Kasparian, 1953 0-1
   Kasparian vs R Nezhmetdinov, 1949 1-0
   P Izmailov vs Kasparian, 1931 0-1
   J Yuchtman vs Kasparian, 1956 1/2-1/2
   Kasparian vs A Ufimtsev, 1947 1-0

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   URS-ch sf Sochi (1952)
   URS-ch qf Yerevan (1956)
   Georgian Championship (1944)
   Parnu (1947)
   USSR Championship (1947)
   URS-ch sf Tbilisi (1949)
   URS-ch sf Baku (1951)
   URS-ch sf Yerevan (1954)
   USSR Championship (1931)
   USSR Championship (1937)
   URS-ch sf Tbilisi (1956)

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GENRIKH KASPARIAN
(born Feb-27-1910, died Dec-27-1995, 85 years old) Armenia

[what is this?]

Genrikh Moiseyevich Kasparian was born in Tbilisi, Georgia (then Russian Empire). He was awarded the IM title in 1950, International Judge of Chess Compositions title in 1956 and Grandmaster of Chess Compositions title in 1972. As a player he was ten times Armenian Champion and defeated Vitaly Chekhover (+6, =7, -4) in a match in 1936. He was also an author, analyst and composer. In the field of endgame studies he is best known, regarded by many as the greatest study composer of all time. He passed away in Yerevan in 1995.

Wikipedia article: Genrikh Kasparyan

page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 248

Game		Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. Kasparian vs V Goglidze		0-1	38	1926	Tbilisi championship	C47 Four Knights
2. Kasparian vs V Goglidze		1-0	28	1928	Ch Tbilisi	A13 English
3. Botvinnik vs Kasparian		1-0	35	1931	URS-ch sf4 7th	D37 Queen's Gambit Declined
4. P Izmailov vs Kasparian		0-1	47	1931	7th Ch URS (1/2 final) gr.4	E60 King's Indian Defense
5. B Blumenfeld vs Kasparian		0-1	55	1931	URS-ch sf	B12 Caro-Kann Defense
6. D Grigorenko vs Kasparian		½-½	49	1931	URS-ch sf	E87 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox
7. A Ebralidze vs Kasparian		0-1	36	1931	Ch Tbilisi	E94 King's Indian, Orthodox
8. Kasparian vs F Bohatirchuk		0-1	70	1931	USSR Championship	A46 Queen's Pawn Game
9. M Yudovich Sr. vs Kasparian		½-½	31	1931	USSR Championship	B14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
10. Kasparian vs Botvinnik		0-1	47	1931	USSR Championship	B40 Sicilian
11. N Riumin vs Kasparian		1-0	56	1931	USSR Championship	B13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
12. Kasparian vs V Kirillov		0-1	33	1931	USSR Championship	D31 Queen's Gambit Declined
13. Lisitsin vs Kasparian		0-1	28	1931	USSR Championship	A15 English
14. Kasparian vs Ilyin-Zhenevsky		0-1	26	1931	USSR Championship	A40 Queen's Pawn Game
15. N Sorokin vs Kasparian		½-½	33	1931	USSR Championship	D02 Queen's Pawn Game
16. Kasparian vs V Rauzer		½-½	32	1931	USSR Championship	A13 English
17. Kasparian vs V Goglidze		0-1	43	1931	USSR Championship	A27 English, Three Knights System
18. A Budo vs Kasparian		½-½	60	1931	USSR Championship	E60 King's Indian Defense
19. Kasparian vs I Mazel		0-1	56	1931	USSR Championship	E11 Bogo-Indian Defense
20. V Sozin vs Kasparian		½-½	53	1931	USSR Championship	E90 King's Indian
21. Kasparian vs Alatortsev		1-0	53	1931	USSR Championship	D15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
22. B Verlinsky vs Kasparian		½-½	70	1931	USSR Championship	E80 King's Indian, Samisch Variation
23. Kasparian vs I Kan		0-1	56	1931	USSR Championship	E38 Nimzo-Indian, Classical, 4...c5
24. A Zamikhovsky vs Kasparian		1-0	66	1931	USSR Championship	D43 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
25. Kasparian vs V Goglidze		0-1	42	1933	National tournament	E17 Queen's Indian


page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 248

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

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 4 OF 4 · Later Kibitzing>
Jul-28-08		ravel5184: Since we're talking about puzzles here, see one of my compositions (warning: very easy) < click for larger view Black to play and draw (original study - all rights reserved) 1 ... Ra8+ 2. Kb3 Ra3+ 3. Kxa3 Qa8+ 4. Kb3 Qa3+ 5. Kxa3 Ra8+ 6. Kb3 Ra3+ 7. Kxa3 stalemate!!>

Jan-24-11		kevins55555: <DarthStapler> It is not a misprint. A NSWJCL magazine said not a misprint. The game was in 1937 and it said Kasparov wasn't known and also wasn't born!

Jan-25-11		arsen387: <CG> He was Armenian, why is it written Georgia under his name? I think the country where he was born is not that much important to write near his name with the dates of his birth and death, but rather the country where he is from, where he also lived, worked and died.

Feb-27-11		Benzol: Good to see him as POTD. Still haven't found <Sneaky>'s elusive puzzle as yet.

Feb-27-11		Penguincw: This player's name looks a lot like Kasparov.

Feb-27-11		Caissanist: Kasparian was Kasparov's mother's maiden name. When his father died his name was changed to the Russified version of that name.

Feb-27-11		Penguincw: < Caissanist: Kasparian was Kasparov's mother's maiden name. When his father died his name was changed to the Russified version of that name. > Thanks for the info.

Mar-11-11		Sneaky: <Benzol: Good to see him as POTD. Still haven't found <Sneaky>'s elusive puzzle as yet.> I'm glad you remember that! One day I am going to have a giant stack of Chess Life magazines from the 1990's and I swear I'm going to go through every single one. I think it's in Benko's Endgame Lab. The amazing characteristic of the problem was, if I can explain it clearly, that Black starts the problem with a "crazy queen", trying to give up his queen so that he becomes stalemated and not checkmated. The amazing twist is that White, somehow, turns the table on him--when his own queen goes bonkers and starts to throw herself at the enemy monarch. We've all seen "crazy queens" before, but never in my life have I seen a game where both sides have crazy queens. While I'm posting, now's as good a time as any to shamelessly promote my favorite Game Collection: Crazy Rooks. ^^

Aug-21-11		fischer2009: http://filetram.com/download/mediaf... I saw many people badly wanting this book in their kibitzes.Its all i can do.

Aug-21-11		fischer2009: KASPARIAN's DOMINATION IN 2545 ENDGAME STUDIES;http://filetram.com/download/mediaf...

Apr-20-12		Antiochus: Article about his missed Immortal by GM Schwartzman: http://dimagic.altervista.org/kaspa...

Sep-04-13		Sneaky: Today I am as giddy as a schoolchild! You all remember back in 2004 (!) when I posted this request? <Sneaky: A long time ago I saw a composition by Kasparian which was one of the most incredible chess positions I've ever come across. ... > Surfing through the interwebs today I happened to stumble upon an amazing little site called "Yet Another Chess Problem Database", http://www.yacpdb.org/ And guess what I found there? THE FAMOUS KASPARIAN PUZZLE OF LORE! I was afraid that when I finally found it, it would not be as astonishing as I remembered. Such is not the case: it's even MORE amazing than I recall! With no more further ado, White to Play and Draw: click for larger view The complete solution, with detailed analysis, is here: http://www.yacpdb.org/?id=275674

Sep-04-13		Benzol: <Sneaky> Yeah! I'm really pleased that you've finally found it. I'll play through the solution when I have a bit more time. Cheers matey :)

Sep-23-13		Sneaky: OK, let's walk through this composition with help of my handy PC chess engine. White to play and Draw. click for larger view <SPOILER ALERT> If you want to solve this on your own, stop reading now. . . . A pretty realistic position for a composition. Black has more material and lots of threats, so White has to act immediately to avoid doom. You might be tempted to give up the knight and try to find perpetual check with Qb3+, or Qc1+, but you'll find that Black can wriggle out of those naive attempts. Some quiet queen moves like 1.Qf1? simply fail to the skewer 1...Ra1. The key move is the one move that seems impossible: to release the protection that important g-pawn with 1.Nf4!! click for larger view Now Black's hand is forced due to twin threats of Qd3# and Ne5#. (That's why the pin 1...Ra1 is no defense: 2.Ne5#!) So Black makes the one move that looks like it should work, 1...Qxg3+. click for larger view White can now answer a check with a check: 2.Ng2+ 2...Qxg2+? is no good because after 3.Bxg2 White simply has too much material. So Black must play 2...Ke4. This opens up the door to a cute stalemate trick, 3.Qxa4!! click for larger view If 3...bxa4 it's instantly a stalemate. The move 3...Qd6 looks pretty sensible, protecting both bishops, but I believe that 4.Ne1+ should be good to allow White to hold that position. (The analysis of that is pretty hairy and not the highlight of the problem, so let's gloss over that for now.) So Black, faced with a queen-sac trick, shows that he has a queen-sac trick of his own, 3...Qh2+!! click for larger view What is White to do? Certainly not 4.Kxh2? bxa4 where Black is clearly winning. Also certainly not 4.Kf1?? which leads to mate after ...bxa4+. So there is only one move, 4.Kf2. Black's fun isn't over yet! Let's offer the queen again with 4...Qg1+!! click for larger view Once again, taking the queen 5.Kxg1? is taboo because after ...bxa4 Black is winning. And of course 5.Ke2?? is suicidal. So 5.Kg3 it must be. And then Black offers the queen yet again, 5...Qf2+!! click for larger view 6.Kh2 is forced, and then one last offer 6...Qg3+!! click for larger view White is now forced to play 7.Kg1 and we have repeated position one time. Play ring-around-the-rosey two more times and we have achieved the draw! I'm not going to say this is the greatest composition ever, but seeing the queen go g3+ h2+ g1+ f2+ three times is unforgettable. Seeing Black's queen-sac as the only reasonable reply to White's queen-sac is simply sublime. Justly, Kasparian earned first place for this composition.

Aug-09-14		heuristic: I'm not a composition maven; but ... with the WN at g2, sliding the BQ along the g1-a7 diagonal is attractive. once the BB gets to the other diagonal, this flushes out the WN. 6...Qd4 7.Qxa6 Bd6 8.Nf4+ Kxf4 9.Qa2 Kf5+ 10.Kg2 Qe4+ eventually the two WHT pawns falls (with checks), then a Q exchange and finally march the pawns. YMMV!

Aug-09-14		Sneaky: <heuristic> I like it. So you're suggesting that Black "hops off the merry-go-round" and plays for a win at this point: 6...Qd4 click for larger view You're right that 7.Qxa6 lands White in hot water. Maybe there is something else? Maybe Qc2+ leads to a perpetual? I should feed it to the mechanical monster, maybe you've busted a first-place prize winner.

Aug-10-14		heuristic: this is a fascinating composition. It looks like the merry-go-round can go either direction: i.e. 3...Qf2+ OTOH, in a followup to the 6..Qd4 attempt; after the Q exchange; you end up with : click for larger view and this is a draw according to a Nalimov Endgame Tablebase. in my first post; I thought this would be a win despite the opposite-colored Bs.

Jan-22-15		rogl: In their Christmas Puzzles ChessBase had this stunning Kasparyan composition click for larger view White to move and win. (Chess in USSR1935) It's not the most difficult study but the solution is absolutely beautiful. Give it a try. I'll post the solution later.

Mar-06-15		Alex Schindler: There was a cool "puzzle of the day" today at chess.com featuring the ending mate combination from Kasparian-Manvelian, Erevan 1939. I was curious whether anyone could find and upload a PGN for the rest of the game. Here's the puzzle. Manvelian blundered in this sequence by recapturing a queen, but the mate from there is extremely cool. http://www.chess.com/forum/view/dai...

Jul-13-15		GrahamClayton: Here is a nice finish by Kasparian as Black against Alexey Suetin, at Moscow in 1952: click for larger view 1...c4 2. ♖xc4 ♘xc4 3. ♕xc4 b3!: click for larger view White is defenceless against either 4...♕xa2# or 4...♕e1+.

Feb-27-16		TheFocus: Happy birthday, Genrikh Kasparian.

Apr-03-19		Fusilli: <GH> Beautiful finish indeed!

Aug-31-21		vonKrolock: https://www.yacpdb.org/#275688 "Two chameleon stalemates in a Pawn Study. This is my only Endgame Study with just Ks & Ps. It may be surprising, but for some reason Pawn Studies did not attract my attention, the unsurpassed master in this field is Nikolay Grigoriev

Jun-26-22		lonchaney: Chess composer Published works list(only 12 here!) http://www.bstephen.me.uk/meson/com...

Dec-30-22		GrahamClayton: Another aesthetically pleasing composition by Kasparian, featuring all 4 knights in a square when checkmate is delivered. click for larger view 1. Ba6 Na3+ 2. Kb2 Nc2 3. Bf1 Nge1 4. Nc3+ Kd2 5. Ne4+ Kd1 6. Nfg3 Nd4 7. Be2+ Nxe2 8. Nf2+ Kd2 9. Nf1# click for larger view

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