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Thursday, 2 November, 2000, 21:06 GMT
Kasparov falls to crushing defeat
![]() Kasparov (left): "Outprepared" by Kramnik
The man who has dominated world chess for the last 15 years, Garry Kasparov, has finally lost his crown after being trounced in London's world chess championships by his former pupil, Vladimir Kramnik.
A puzzled and exhausted-looking Kasparov could only draw the penultimate game of the 16-match tournament, after failing to win a single match in the series. Twenty-five-year-old Kramnik won by a two-game margin, with the pair drawing 13 games.
The Russian grandmaster said he wanted a return match with Kramnik when the new champion was ready. The Beast Born in Azerbaijan, Kasparov became the youngest-ever world chess champion at the age of 22.
Known as The Beast, he had held his title for 15 years, ever since beating Anatoly Karpov in 1985. His only defeat during that time was by an IBM computer, Deep Blue, three years ago. But throughout the World Chess Championship at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, west London, he appeared to struggle against his fellow countryman. 'Personal problems' Kasparov said he would give details of personal reasons behind his lacklustre performance once the contest was over.
Chess experts are puzzled by his loss of form: Kasparov is famously competitive and self-confident, even, some say, arrogant. Kramnik, by contrast, had been playing strongly and confidently. He visibly outwitted his former mentor throughout the competition with little-known game strategies and solid defensive play watched by millions as it was broadcast live on the internet. The two players are obliged to go ahead with the 16th and final game of the tournament on Saturday when they will split the $1.4 million prize depending on the score.
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