Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999): Move by Move
Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999) — Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee, 1999. Kasparov sacrificed a rook to chase Topalov's king from a5 to the far side of the board — often voted the greatest attacking game of all time. Here is the whole game, move by move, with the key positions on a board and what each one teaches.
The game at a glance
Played more than 27 years ago, Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999) remains one of the most studied games in chess. "Kasparov's Immortal" is widely voted the greatest attacking game of the modern era. Playing White against Veselin Topalov at Wijk aan Zee in 1999, Garry Kasparov unleashed 24.Rxd4!!, a rook sacrifice that began one of the most spectacular king hunts ever recorded. Topalov's king was dragged out of its shelter and marched from a5 all the way across the board while Kasparov's pieces delivered check after check. The combination is so deep that analysts and engines spent years confirming it. It is the modern answer to Anderssen's Immortal Game.
Here is the complete game in one line, so you can replay it on any board:
How it began
The game was an Pirc Defence. The game is a Pirc Defence, in which Black concedes the centre to fianchetto and counter-attack later. Kasparov castled queenside and both sides launched pawn storms, but it was Kasparov who broke through first — and then found a combination of almost unfathomable depth.
The turning point
This is the position where the game turns — it is White to move. Study it before reading on: where is the enemy king, and which pieces can reach it?
The critical moments:
- 24. Rxd4 — 24.Rxd4!! — Kasparov offers a rook to blast open the centre and begin the king hunt. The point only becomes clear many moves later.
- 27. b4+ — 26.b4+ — the black king is chased out of a5 and hauled toward a4 and beyond, with no shelter anywhere on the board.
- 44. Qa7 — Black resigned. The final position confirmed a combination whose soundness was debated for years afterwards.
The finish
After 24.Rxd4!! cxd4 25.Re7+! the black king is forced on a nightmare journey — Kb6, Kxa5, Ka4, and eventually all the way to the first rank — pursued by white checks the entire way. Kasparov calculated the essential lines over the board; later engine analysis showed just how close to the edge, and how brilliant, the whole conception was.
What you can learn from it
Kasparov's Immortal is the modern demonstration that a king caught in the open is worth any amount of material. It also shows the value of calculation and nerve: Kasparov committed to a sacrifice whose full justification lay a dozen moves away. For the rest of us, the everyday version is simpler — an exposed king is a target, and opening lines toward it is usually worth a pawn or a piece.
The best way to absorb a classic is to play it out move by move and ask, at each turn, why — why this piece, why this square, why not something safer. The same questioning habit is what turns your own games into lessons. If tactics like these slip past you in your games, read how chess pattern recognition works and why you keep blundering. To see where these ideas come from in the opening, browse the openings library and the opening-traps library.
Analyse your own games like this
You do not need to play an immortal game to improve — you need to understand your own. Chess DNA analyses your real Chess.com and Lichess games the way commentators analyse these classics: it finds the exact moments you gained or lost the advantage, names the tactical patterns behind them, and shows you the fixes. It is free and takes about a minute to connect your games and see your own turning points.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999)?
"Kasparov's Immortal" is widely voted the greatest attacking game of the modern era. It was played by Garry Kasparov (White) against Veselin Topalov (Black) at Wijk aan Zee, 1999, opening with the Pirc Defence. The full game runs: 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
Who won Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999)?
Garry Kasparov won (1–0). Veselin Topalov was on the losing side. The game is remembered less for the result than for how it was won — a textbook example of king hunt that is still taught today.
Why is Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999) so famous?
Kasparov sacrificed a rook to chase Topalov's king from a5 to the far side of the board — often voted the greatest attacking game of all time. Kasparov's Immortal is the modern demonstration that a king caught in the open is worth any amount of material. That combination of drama and instructive content is why it has been reprinted and analysed for generations.
What opening was played in Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999)?
It was a Pirc Defence (ECO B07). The game is a Pirc Defence, in which Black concedes the centre to fianchetto and counter-attack later. Kasparov castled queenside and both sides launched pawn storms, but it was Kasparov who broke through first — and then found a combination of almost unfathomable depth.
Can studying Kasparov's Immortal (vs Topalov, 1999) help me improve at chess?
Yes. Replaying annotated classics trains your pattern recognition — you absorb how strong players develop, sacrifice and attack. The trick is to guess each move before you see it and ask why. Then apply the same questions to your own games; a tool like Chess DNA can point out the exact moments where those patterns would have helped you.
