Agony of Defeat!

Following the 2008 Linares tournament, I watched the Ivanchuk-Aronian video with a bit of pity. Ivanchuk is one of the world’s top players and needs no pity, but when one blunders in a chess game, it is a crushing blow and you can’t help but to empathize. I remember reading somewhere that “one bad move nullifes 40 good ones” and that is very true.

Levon Aronian at 2008 Linares.
Photo by Nadja Woisin

Following Aronian-Ivanchuk are two of Kasparov’s rare moments. The game with Veselin Topalov was his last professional game.

Anand,V – Kasparov,G
PCA Rapidplay Knockout (Geneva, Switzerland) 1996

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 Ng4 7 Bg5 h6 8 Bh4 g5 9 Bg3 Bg7 10 Be2 h5 11 Bxg4 Bxg4 12 f3 Bd7 13 Bf2 Nc6 14 Qd2 Ne5 15 0-0 g4 16 f4 Nc4 17 Qe2 Rc8 18 b3 Na3 19 Nd5 e6 20 Nb4 Qa5 21 Qe1 h4 22 Be3 h3 23 g3 Nb5 24 Rd1 Nc3 25 Nd3 Qc7 26 Rc1 Nxe4 27 f5 e5 28 f6 Nxf6 29 Nf5 Bxf5 30 Rxf5 Qc6 31 Qe2 Qe4 32 Rf2 Nd5 33 Re1 Qxe3?? 34 Qxg4 0-0 35 Rxe3 Nxe3 36 Qxh3 Nxc2 37 Qd7 Nd4 38 Qxb7 a5 39 Kg2 Rc3 40 Nb2 Nc2 41 Nc4 d5 42 Nd6 Ne3+ 43 Kh3 f5 44 Qd7 f4 45 Qe6+ Kh7 46 Nf7 Rxf7 47 Qxf7 Rc6 48 gxf4 Rf6 49 Qc7 e4 50 f5 d4 51 Qe7 Rh6+ 52 Kg3 Nd1 53 Rf4 e3 54 Rg4 1-0 (See game)

Topalov,V – Kasparov,G
XXII Torneo Ciudad de Linares (Linares, Spain) 2005

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 d6 5.d3 Be7 6.O-O Nf6 7.Nh4 Nd4 8.g3 Bg4 9.f3 Be6 10.Bg5 Ng8 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.f4 exf4 13.Bxe6 fxe6 14.Rxf4 Kd7 15.Nf3 Rf8 16.Rxf8 Qxf8 17.Nxd4 cxd4 18.Ne2 Qf6 19.c3 Rf8 20.Nxd4 Nc6 21.Qf1 Qxf1+ 22.Rxf1 Rxf1+ 23.Kxf1 Nxd4 24.cxd4 d5 25.Kf2 Ke7 26.Kf3 Kf6 27.h4 g6 28.b4 b5 29.Kf4 h6 30.Kg4 1-0 (see game)