14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik retires from classical chess

February 1, 2019 4:07 PM

Vladimir Kramnik: Closing time for the Master of opening ideas - Vladimir Kramnik’s decision to retire has ended a glorious chapter in the world of professional chess. The last of the products from the once-feared Soviet “school of chess” to leave an indelible mark on the sport, the 14th World champion announced the decision that left the chess world sad, to put it mildly. A disarming smile, a touch of genius, and ruthless precision over the board, Kramnik possessed it all.

Chess24: The defining moment of Kramnik’s career came in his 2000 match in London against Garry Kasparov, a player at the time still close to his phenomenal best. In the run-up to the event Kramnik transformed his style from the fearless attacking approach of his youth to become almost impossible to beat. He famously deployed the Berlin Defence with Black, so that Kasparov was the first to experience the frustration of trying to break down that wall which would go on to dominate top level chess for the following two decades. On the other side of the board Kramnik unleashed more deep opening ideas to help himself to two wins and overall victory. Garry didn’t win a game. [...]

If Kramnik had simply faded away he would still have been one of the greats of chess, but instead he managed to transform himself back to something approaching the swashbuckling player of his youth. He proved a match for the rising stars of chess, giving Magnus Carlsen a run for his money as the Norwegian rose to the top. Most memorably, the 2013 London Candidates tournament became a two-horse race between Kramnik and Carlsen, with Vladimir ultimately only missing out due to the tiebreak of most wins (he had 4 wins and 1 loss to Carlsen’s 5 wins and 2 losses). Magnus would go on to beat Vishy Anand in their 2013 match and start a new era in chess, but until today Vladimir Kramnik remained one of the most competitive and colourful parts of that era.

@DanielKing: #Kramnik The first player to break Kasparov - his career could be remembered for that alone. But there is also a wonderful legacy of games, and a gent on and off the board.

@FabianoCaruana:Vladimir Kramnik is one of the greatest players of all time and certainly one of the most influential figures for our understanding of the game. His understanding and creativity is something I've always admired. Sad to see him leave competitive chess.

Chess.com's #2 Game of the Year 2018: Aronian, Levon (2794) vs. Kramnik, Vladimir (2800) FIDE Candidates 2018, Round 3.4, 12 Mar 2018

posted by not_the_water (11 comments total)

If Kramnik is the last great player of the "Soviet school" of chess what style do the five Russians currently in the top twenty employ?
posted by Cosine at 4:22 PM on February 1, 2019

Kasparov may have addressed this, but I wonder if he soldiered on against the Berlin because he felt honor- bound to prove that Black can’t just do that, close down the Ruy Lopez , and therefore also 1 e4, with that line, or if it was a matter of it being too late to switch first moves with White, in the match.
posted by thelonius at 4:32 PM on February 1, 2019

If Kramnik is the last great player of the "Soviet school" of chess what style do the five Russians currently in the top twenty employ?

"Soviet school" really specifically means the whole chess educational system of the old USSR, the patriarch of which was Botvinnik. Of the current top 20, you might still put Svidler in this category, though he's always been one step away from contending for the world title.

If I had to pick one word to describe the current generation, it might be "computer-trained". Of course the historical importance of chess to Russian culture still remains and is an important part of any Russian player's heritage.
posted by dfan at 6:01 PM on February 1, 2019 [14 favorites]

I really want to learn how to play chess, but I just don’t think I have the mind for it. All of this is so interesting.
posted by gucci mane at 12:19 AM on February 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

Vladimir Kramnik Retires from Professional Chess! | ft. Kasparov vs Kramnik (1996) - agadmator
posted by flabdablet at 4:59 AM on February 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

I really want to learn how to play chess, but I just don’t think I have the mind for it.

Play with not very good children. Same as with learning a foreign language, get on parity from the beginning.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:07 AM on February 2, 2019

There are all kinds of skill levels on the online sites. You can find plenty of people to hang pieces back and forth with.
posted by thelonius at 9:18 AM on February 2, 2019 [2 favorites]

I really want to learn how to play chess, but I just don’t think I have the mind for it.

Once you've learned the rules and played for a while, you'll find out. No need to be an expert to enjoy playing. 'End game puzzles' are another way to measure your fitness.

If you want to push further, there are some good, shortish books that will get you further into the chess 'ecosystem' (more that than a game, really ... lots of terminology and strategies to pick up). Another tactic is studying 'classic games'.
posted by Twang at 12:45 PM on February 2, 2019

The nice thing about chess having a rating system is that it's easy to get matched up with other players who aren't that great. I do wish it was easier to find people to play longer time controls against online, because I think that's less intimidating and more instructive as a beginner - I know there are some "leagues" that do classical games but that might be too much of a time commitment.
posted by atoxyl at 2:17 PM on February 2, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm glad he didn't win the Triwizard tournament, and I never thought he was right for Hermione.
posted by w0mbat at 4:36 PM on February 2, 2019 [2 favorites]

If you want to move on from simply knowing how to move the pieces to having a decent concept of how to play, John Bartholomew's Chess Fundamentals series looks good.
posted by thelonius at 5:42 PM on February 2, 2019 [2 favorites]