![]() Kasparov’s fifth-round game reached a level ending in which he outwitted the world No 5, Levon Aronian, who is in process of transferring from Armenia to the US, and scored by delicate finessing with king, rook and g pawn against king, bishop and f pawn. ![]() In Thursday night’s fourth round he won in fine attacking style in 24 moves against the 2018 US champion, Sam Shankland. Unlike Zagreb, defeat did not derail Kasparov but inspired him to a cameo replay of his long ago legend. But in round three nemesis struck, again in the shape of Mamedyarov, who calmly gained material and was a safe two pawns up when Kasparov resigned. The former world champion opted for a cautious style with fixed pawn chains more reminiscent of his old foe Anatoly Karpov than of the sharp attacks that fans used to admire. It began promisingly for Kasparov as he drew his first game, and should have won the next against Wesley So, the unofficial world champion at this format who crushed Magnus Carlsen 13.5-2.5 two years ago in Oslo. This week’s format in the $150,000 Champions Showdown is Chess 9LX, also known as Fischer Random and Chess 960, where the back rank pieces start at random squares and the time limit is 15 minutes for the game plus per move increments, so that the clock plays a lesser role and opening knowledge is irrelevant. ![]() The 58-year-old’s poor clock management and outdated openings in five-minute blitz contributed to his Zagreb disaster. With just the ninth and final round to go, the Kaskparov had 5/8 and was still in contention for first prize. Garry Kasparov made a surging and inspired comeback in St Louis on Thursday and Friday nights after the legend, who many consider the all-time No 1, crashed two months ago in Zagreb, where he won only one game out of 18 and lost in seven moves to Azerbaijan’s Shak Mamedyarov. ![]()
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