Library / Games / Kasparov, Garry vs Kramnik, Vladimir
Linares 15th · Linares · 08 March 1998

Garry Kasparov vs Vladimir Kramnik, Linares 15th

Kasparov, Garry ½–½ Kramnik, Vladimir
Kasparov, Garry vs Kramnik, Vladimir
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Linares 15th, 08 March 1998

Round 13 of the 1998 Linares 15th tournament was a draw between Kasparov and Kramnik. Linares had by 1998 established itself as the strongest annual chess tournament in the world. The 1998 edition featured Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand, Shirov, Topalov, Ivanchuk, and others.

The draw was a Closed Spanish (Ruy Lopez), a classical opening both players knew thoroughly. The 1998 Linares became famous for the theoretical sophistication of its games — players had spent months preparing for each other, and the resulting positions reached move 25 already past the boundary of existing published theory.

The 1998 Linares was won by Anand and Shirov co-first with 7/11. Kasparov finished third; Kramnik finished co-fourth. The result was Anand’s first major super-tournament victory at Linares — a milestone in his career. He would win Linares again in 2007 and 2008.

The Closed Spanish — the system in which this draw was played — was the most-analyzed opening at elite level during the 1995-2005 period. Kasparov’s contributions to its theory were extensive; his games against Kramnik and Anand at Linares produced novelties that appeared in subsequent World Championship preparation. The 1998 draw was part of that broader theoretical conversation.

Game record

This game between Kasparov, Garry and Kramnik, Vladimir was played at the Linares 15th in Linares in 1998. Played in round 13. At the time of the game, the players were rated 2825 (White) and 2790 (Black). The game lasted 52 moves, ending with a drawn outcome. It is part of the late-Soviet and Cold-War chess era.

Opening context

The opening sequence runs 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O, after which the players entered the middlegame proper.

See also

For more on this game’s protagonists and theory, see Kasparov, Garry and Kramnik, Vladimir.

Match notes

This Linares 15th game sits in Kasparov dominance and the PCA split. Master-level chess of the period was published in tournament bulletins, magazine annotations, and — for the most-studied games — in published opening monographs by the participants and their successors. This game is preserved in the open historical record and can be replayed in full above.