Timman: The longest game - The five matches between Kasparov and Karpov for the World Chess Championship

Autor: Timman, Jan
Verlag: New in Chess
Erscheinungsjahr: 2019
Sprache: German
Buchumschlag: hardcover
Seiten: 400

On September 10, 1984, the World Chess Championship match between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov began in Moscow. The clash between the reigning world champion and his rebellious young challenger was eagerly awaited, but no one could have guessed what an epic battle it would be. Over the next six years, they would play five matches for the highest title, establishing one of the fiercest rivalries in the history of the sport. The matches lasted a staggering 14 months in total, and the two "Ks" played 5,540 moves in 144 games.

The first match made headlines and made the front pages of the daily newspapers when, after five months of play, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes intervened and ended the match for reasons that remain mysterious. A new match was held and 22-year-old Kasparov became the youngest world champion ever.

His win was greeted not only as a triumph of inventive attacking chess, but also as a political victory. The representative of "perestroika" had beaten the old champion, who was considered a symbol of Soviet stagnation. Kasparov defended his title in three more matches, all of which were full of drama.

In The Longest Game, Jan Timman traces the many twists and turns of this fascinating heroic saga. This includes his personal impressions behind the scenes; he takes a fresh, unused look at the games.

Jan Timman is a former World Championship contender who rose to number two in the world rankings. He is the author of many critically acclaimed books. His best-seller Timman's Titans won the English Chess Federation's Book of the Year award in 2017.

396 pages, 2019, hardcover.

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