Garry Kasparov defeats Viswanathan Anand 13-11 to win Clutch Chess Legends

Legendary Garry Kasparov has been crowned champion of the inaugural Clutch Chess: The Legends, defeating longtime rival Viswanathan Anand in a thrilling three-day event that captivated chess fans around the world.

The result came exactly 30 years after their famous 1995 World Championship clash in New York, where Kasparov defeated Anand to retain his world title.

The match, held at the Saint Louis Chess Club, featured six rapid and six blitz Chess960 games, with escalating point values across the three-day event.

Kasparov entered the final day with a five-point lead, knowing that Anand could still catch up if he won two consecutive games worth three points each.

The first games of the day saw Anand seize the initiative, testing Kasparov with creative play and long opening waits. Yet, Kasparov’s experience and strategic instincts allowed him to defend accurately, turning mid-game threats into a decisive edge.

A critical misstep by Anand in a queen-and-minor-piece endgame gave Kasparov the match-winning advantage. With the victory, Kasparov claimed a total of $78,000, including prize money and bonuses.

Though Kasparov had already sealed the match, the final two blitz games showcased Anand’s resilience. Anand triumphed in both games, claiming $16,000 in bonus money and making the final score a respectable 13-11.

Kasparov noted that while he was fortunate, his focus and experience under time pressure played a key role, while Anand may have been affected by the psychological weight of past encounters.

“I think I was more resilient than he expected,” Kasparov said, reflecting on the match. “His historical record against me is poor, and perhaps the ghosts of the past haunted him during the games.”

He added, “It’s my sacred duty to come here and entertain people, even though my chess abilities are a pale shadow of what they were before.”

The Saint Louis Chess Club now shifts focus to the upcoming U.S. Chess Championship, featuring top grandmasters including Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, and Hans Niemann, alongside the U.S. Women’s Championship with competitors like Tatev Abrahamyan.

Fans can rewatch the Clutch Chess broadcast on the club’s YouTube and Twitch channels, where the event was hosted by GM Yasser Seirawan, GM Maurice Ashley, WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, and James “Dash” Patterson.