Lesson
White to move. Main line: 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Be3 Bg7 5. Qd2 c6 6. f3 b5 7. Nge2 Nbd7 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Bb7 10. a3 e5 11. O-O-O Qe7 12. Kb1 a6 13. Nc1 O-O-O 14. Nb3 exd4 15. Rxd4 c5 16. Rd1 Nb6 17. g3 Kb8 18. Na5 Ba8 19. Bh3 d5 20. Qf4+ Ka7 21. Rhe1 d4 22. Nd5 Nbxd5 23. exd5 Qd6 24. Rxd4 cxd4 25. Re7+ Kb6 26. Qxd4+ Kxa5 27. b4+ Ka4 28. Qc3 Qxd5 29. Ra7 Bb7 30. Rxb7 Qc4 31. Qxf6 Kxa3 32. Qxa6+ Kxb4 33. c3+ Kxc3 34. Qa1+ Kd2 35. Qb2+ Kd1 36. Bf1 Rd2 37. Rd7 Rxd7 38. Bxc4 bxc4 39. Qxh8 Rd3 40. Qa8 c3 41. Qa4+ Ke1 42. f4 f5 43. Kc1 Rd2 44. Qa7
Kasparov’s 24.Rxd4!! cannot be understood as a simple exchange sacrifice. It tears open the fourth rank and gives White a chain of checks that keeps the black king moving instead of consolidating.
The king travels from b8 to a5, a4, a3, b4, c3, d2 and d1. At several points the attack depends on quiet geometry rather than an immediate check, which is why the calculation remains famous.
Topalov resigned after 44.Qa7. Black is still materially ahead on paper, but the connected threats against the king and back rank leave no practical defense.
Wijk aan Zee, 1999
Kasparov against Topalov at the Hoogovens tournament in Wijk aan Zee is the most celebrated attacking game of the modern era, and it happened between two players at the very top of the world rankings.
That matters for how it is read. Nineteenth-century brilliancies work partly because defensive technique was less developed. Here the defender was one of the best in the world and still could not hold.
A king hunt across the whole board
Kasparov sacrifices a rook to open the black king’s position, and the king is then driven from the kingside all the way to the queenside — chased by pieces that arrive faster than the defenders.
The calculation involved is genuinely long, and Kasparov has said he could not see every branch to the end. This is worth knowing: even at that level, a decision like this is part calculation and part assessment.
The engine verdict
Later analysis found defensive resources for Black that were not available over the board in the time allotted. The soundness of the whole combination has been debated ever since.
The game is not diminished by that. A move that is hard to refute with hours of engine time is a good practical decision, and practical decisions are what a game consists of.
A king dragged into the open is worth more than the material it costs to open it.
At every level, deep sacrifices are part calculation, part judgement — the calculation just runs deeper.
“Refuted by an engine” and “wrong over the board” are different claims.
Source: Kasparov’s Immortal — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasparov%27s_Immortal
Source: Garry Kasparov — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Kasparov
Source: Veselin Topalov — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veselin_Topalov