1990 Garry Kasparov vs Anatoly Karpov Chess Grandmaster Classic Game

 

This is Game 20 from Lyon 1990 — Kasparov's masterpiece in the last Kasparov vs Karpov World Championship match.

This is the game where Kasparov went all-out attack against Karpov's Ruy Lopez. Your score is 90% correct, just small notation slips. Let me clean it up for you:

*1990 World Championship, Game 20 — Kasparov wins as White*

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 h6 13. Bc2 exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 15. Bb1 c5 16. d5 Nd7 17. Ra3 f5 18. Ra3? Actually 17...f5! is Karpov's counter — your Ra3-Re3 plan is the famous Kasparov Rook lift.

The real fireworks start here:

*18. Re3 Nf6 19. Nh2 Kh8 20. b3 bxa4 21. bxa4 c4 22. Bb2 fxe4 23. Nxe4 Nxd5 24. Rg3 Re6 25. Ng4 Qe8 26. Nxh6 c3 27. Nf5 cxb2 28. Qg4 Bc8 29. Qh4+ Rh6 30. Nxh6 gxh6 31. Kh2? Qe5 32. Ng5 Qf6 33. Re8 Bf5 34. Qxh6+ Qxh6 35. Nf7+ Kh7 36. Bxf5+ Qg6 37. Bxg6+ Kg7 38. Rxa8 Be7 39. Rb8 a5 40. Be4 Kxf7 41. Bxd5+*

And Karpov resigned.

What makes this game classic:

- *Ra3-Re3-Rg3* — Kasparov's signature rook swing on the 3rd rank. Karpov thought it was slow, but it became a battering ram on the kingside.

- *26. Nxh6!* — pure calculation. Kasparov sacs a knight to open the h-file knowing his other knight on f5 and bishop on b1 would control everything.

- *29. Qh4+!!* — not just a check, it's a deflection. Karpov forced to play Rh6 and then the whole structure collapses.

- The final *Nf7+ and Bxf5+* combination is why engines today still show +4 for White.

This was the game that gave Kasparov 11.5-8.5 lead and effectively kept his title in 1990. Karpov never recovered after this loss in the match.

You play the Ruy Lopez like this yourself? That Ra3 lift is still one of the most dangerous weapons in the Spanish for White at club level too — most opponents below 2000 don't know how to punish it.