Moscow, 1985

The Octopus Knight

Anatoly Karpov – Garry Kasparov · 0-1

Result: 0-1
Moves: 40
Opening: Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
The names end at: 8... d5

Watch it on the map Final position on the map

The story

Game sixteen of the 1985 world championship match in Moscow, between the champion Anatoly Karpov and the 22-year-old challenger Garry Kasparov.

Kasparov, with Black, sacrifices a pawn early in a Sicilian and plants a knight on d3 on move 16. From there it ties down White’s whole army — the “octopus” of chess folklore — and Karpov resigned after 40...Re1+.

Kasparov won the match 13–11 and became, at 22, the youngest world champion up to that time.

The Octopus Knight: the map where the opening names end — The position where the game leaves the named openings, with every game of the next four moves around it.

The moves

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Be2 Bc5 12.O-O O-O 13.Bf3 Bf5 14.Bg5 Re8 15.Qd2 b5 16.Rad1 Nd3 17.Nab1 h6 18.Bh4 b4 19.Na4 Bd6 20.Bg3 Rc8 21.b3 g5 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.g3 Nd7 24.Bg2 Qf6 25.a3 a5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qa2 Bg6 28.d6 g4 29.Qd2 Kg7 30.f3 Qxd6 31.fxg4 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Nf6 33.Rf4 Ne4 34.Qxd3 Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Bxd3 36.Rfd2 Qe3 37.Rxd3 Rc1 38.Nb2 Qf2 39.Nd2 Rxd1+ 40.Nxd1 Re1+ 0-1

Through the openings

1. e4King's Pawn Game
1... c5Sicilian Defense
2. Nf3Sicilian Defense
2... e6Sicilian Defense: French Variation
3... cxd4Sicilian Defense: French Variation, Open
4... Nc6Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation
5. Nb5Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Szén Variation
8... d5Sicilian Defense: Taimanov Variation, Gary Gambit

Source of the moves: en.wikipedia.org

More famous games

The Opera GameMorphy, Paris 1858Playing from a box at the opera, Morphy mates his two opponents in 17 moves. The Immortal GameAnderssen, London 1851Anderssen gives up both rooks, a bishop and his queen, then mates with the minor pieces he has left. The Evergreen GameAnderssen, Berlin 1852Anderssen sacrifices his queen and mates with a bishop; more than 170 years on, the game is still fresh. The Game of the CenturyD. Byrne – Fischer, New York 1956Thirteen-year-old Bobby Fischer gives up his queen and wins. Kasparov's ImmortalKasparov – Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999A rook sacrifice on move 24 starts a hunt that chases Black's king across the whole board. Deep Blue Beats KasparovDeep Blue – Kasparov, New York 1997The last game of the first match a computer won against the world champion, over in 19 moves. The Game Spassky ApplaudedFischer – Spassky, Reykjavik 1972Fischer almost never opened 1.c4; here he did, and at the end even Spassky joined the applause. Botvinnik's Bishop SacrificeBotvinnik – Capablanca, AVRO 1938Botvinnik beats former world champion Capablanca with a bishop sacrifice on move 30. The Immortal Zugzwang GameSämisch – Nimzowitsch, Copenhagen 1923White still has plenty of pieces, but every move he could make loses.