Game 1 of 16
Garry Kasparov — Vladimir Kramnik
8 October 2000 · Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence · 25 moves
White
Garry Kasparov
½
vs
Black
Vladimir Kramnik
½
← This is the first game
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Game 2decisive
Summary
A surprise in game one: against 1.e4 Kramnik chooses neither the Grünfeld nor a Sicilian, but the Berlin Defence. The queens come off early, the resulting endgame is methodical, and the game ends in a draw on move 25.
Board
Vladimir Kramnik0/50
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Garry Kasparov
Starting position
Moves
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Controls: ← / → · Home / End. Click any move in the list to jump to that position.
Commentary
It was Kramnik’s first major statement of the match: instead of an open fight he chose a structure that strips White of any meaningful initiative straight out of the opening.
Kasparov knew the theory of the Berlin but had no purpose-built preparation against it — White quickly agreed to simplify and a technical draw followed.
← This is the first game
Next →
Game 2decisive