Description
Book SynopsisOne of the greatest rivalries in sports history. On 10 September 1984, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov started their match for the World Chess Championship in Moscow. The clash between the reigning champion and his brazen young challenger was highly anticipated, but no one could have foreseen what was in store. In the next six years they would play five matches for the highest title and create one of the fiercest rivalries in sports history. The matches lasted a staggering total of 14 months, and the two Ks played 5540 moves in 144 games. The first match became front-page news when after five months FIDE President Florencio Campomanes stepped in to stop the match for reasons that still remain mysterious. A new match was staged and 22-year-old Garry Kasparov became the youngest World Chess Champion in history. His win was not only hailed as a triumph of imaginative attacking chess, but also as a political victory. The representative of perestroika had beaten the old champion, a symbol of Soviet stagnation. Kasparov defended his title in three more matches, all of them full of drama. In The Longest Game Jan Timman chronicles the many twists and turns of this fascinating saga. He includes his behind-the scenes impressions and takes a fresh look at the games.
Trade Review"A very interesting book, full of anecdotes I have never seen elsewhere. Entertaining and instructive." -- Sean Marsh, CHESS Magazine (UK) on Timmans Titans
The ultimate book on Karpov Kasparov. Jan Timman has again written a monumental history book on a subject that will continue to capture our imagination. -- Johan Hut, Noord Hollands Dagblad
Timman remembers the many twists of each match, supplies his impressions from the time and takes a fresh look. -- CHESS Magazine, UK
Timman, as a top grandmaster, rival and contemporary, is in an excellent position to make sense of the sometimes chaotic political rumpus, but as an outsider he is able to be sufficiently objective. Again a splendid book from Jan Timman. -- International Master Jeroen Bosch, Schaakmagazine
