Chess of the Grandmasters

Chess of the Grandmasters (original title: Schach der Großmeister) is a former German TV programme. The programme was devised, supervised and presented by Claus Spahn.

Claus Spahn presenting the Chess of the Grandmasters TV programme with Viswanathan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik in 1996. Photo: WDR.

History

Between 1983 and 2005, the programme was broadcast once a year by Germany's Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) broadcasting corporation. The concept of the programme was that two Grandmasters played a game of chess against each other that was commentated and analysed by two Grandmasters, Helmut Pfleger and Vlastimil Hort, and later also analysed by the chess program Fritz. The winner received the WDR TV Chess Award and had the opportunity to defend the title against a new challenger in the following year.

The invited players included Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Peter Leko, Jan Timman and lot more. The first game was played in 1983 by Chess Worldchampion Anatoly Karpov and the strongest German player at that time, Robert Hübner. In the final broadcast in 2005, the two commentators Pfleger and Hort themselves played against each other.

In 1995, Kasparov won a two-game match (1½-½) against the Chess Genius 3 computer program. This contest attracted great attention in the media, because Kasparov had shortly before lost against this program in a Fast chess tournament in London.[1]

Examples of games
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Hübner - Kasparow 1992, position after 14. ... f7-f5. Hübner played 15. Qe4xf5, after 15. ... Nd7-f6 there was no square for the attacked queen and Hübner resigned.

The most remarkable games in the series included the victory of Judit Polgár, aged just 14 at the time, against the experienced German Grandmaster Rainer Knaak in 1990, as well as the defeat of Hübner against Kasparov in just 15 moves in 1992.

Judit Polgár – Rainer Knaak, Chess of the Grandmasters 1990

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 (the Winawer Variation of the French Defence, ECO code C18) 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd3 cxd4 9.Ne2 Qxe5 10.Bf4 Qf6 11.Bg5 Qe5 12.cxd4 h5 13.Qh4 Qc7 14.Bf4 Qa5+ 15.Bd2 Qd8 16.g4 e5 17.dxe5 Bxg4 18.Rg1 Qd7 19.f3 Be6 20.Nd4 Nbc6 21.Nxc6 Nxc6 22.Rxg7 Qc7 23.f4 Nxe5 24.fxe5 Qxe5+ 25.Kf2 Qxg7 26.Rg1 Qb2 27.Bb4 f6 28.Re1 O-O-O 29.Rxe6 Kb8 30.Qxf6 Qa2 31.Qd4 Rc8 32.Bd2 Ka8 33.Be3 Rxc2+ 34.Bxc2 Qxc2+ 35.Ke1 Qb1+ 36.Kd2 Qa2+ 37.Kd1 Qb1+ 38.Ke2 Qc2+ 39.Bd2 Rf8 40.Qxd5 1-0

Games and results
The TV Chess Award
Pfleger, Hort and Spahn at Cologne 2005

The tables below list games than can be played (Java Script).

TV Chess Award:[2]

YearWhiteBlackResultGame
1983Robert HübnerAnatoly KarpovRemis(1983)
1984Viktor KorchnoiRobert Hübner0-1(1984)
1985Robert HübnerJan Timman0-1(1985)
1986Tony MilesJan Timman0-1(1986)
1987Jan TimmanSusan PolgarRemis(1987)
1988Jörg HicklSusan PolgarRemis(1988)
1989Eric LobronJudit PolgárRemis(1989)
1990Judit PolgárRainer Knaak1-0(1990)
1991Judit PolgárGerald Hertneck0-1(1991)
1992Matthias WahlsGerald Hertneck1-0(1992)
1993Matthias WahlsChristopher LutzRemis(1993)
1994Christopher LutzJeroen Piket0-1(1994)
1995Jeroen PiketViswanathan Anand0-1(1995)
1996Viswanathan AnandVladimir KramnikRemis(1996)
1997Vladimir KramnikJudit Polgár1-0(1997)
1998Vladimir KramnikMichael Adams1-0(1998)
1999Artur YusupovJörg Hickl1-0(1999)
2000Vladimir KramnikPéter Lékó1-0(2000)
2001Péter LékóViswanathan AnandRemis(2001)
2002Anatoly KarpovRobert HübnerRemis, Remis, 0-1 (Fast chess)(2002)
2003Jan TimmanArkadij Naiditsch0-1(2003)
2004Arkadij NaiditschRustam Kasimdzhanov1-0(2004)
2005Helmut PflegerVlastimil HortRemis(2005)

Other broadcasts:

YearWhiteBlackResultRemarks
1992Garry KasparovRobert HübnerDraw
1992Robert HübnerGarry Kasparov0-1
1992Robert HübnerGarry Kasparov0-1Fast chess
1992Garry KasparovRobert Hübner0-1Fast chess
1995Garry KasparovChess Genius 31-0[3]Computer
1995Chess Genius 3Garry KasparovRemis[4]Computer

References / Games
  1. Wolfram Runkel: Champ schlägt Chip, Die Zeit 22/1995 (in German)
  2. Archiv des Fernsehschachpreises results, games and pairings (in German)
  3. Partie bei chessgames.com
  4. Partie bei chessgames.com
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