Why is Kasparov vs Topalov 1999 so famous?

Kasparov sacrificed a rook with 24.Rxd4, then chased Topalov's king from one side of the board to the other and finished with quiet, beautiful moves. Many players and Chess.com's ranking call it the best chess game ever played.

What was Kasparov's rook sacrifice against Topalov?

On move 24 Kasparov played 24.Rxd4, giving up his rook for a pawn to open lines towards the black king. A move later he offered his second rook with 25.Re7+.

Did Topalov have to take the rook?

No. Later analysis showed that 24...Kb6, refusing the rook, was a better defence. Years later Topalov said that taking it had been suicide.

Where and when was Kasparov vs Topalov played?

In round 4 of the Hoogovens tournament at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, in January 1999. Kasparov won the tournament.

Kasparov vs Topalov 1999: Kasparov's Immortal explained

Garry Kasparov's 1999 win over Veselin Topalov at Wijk aan Zee: the 24.Rxd4 rook sacrifice, a king hunt across the whole board, the full moves and diagrams.

Updated 9 November 2026 · 6 min read

Garry Kasparov (right) playing Jan Timman at the Hoogovens tournament in Wijk aan Zee, January 1999. Fotopersbureau De Boer, 1999 · CC0 · source

Kasparov vs Topalov, played at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands in January 1999, is often called the greatest chess game ever played. World champion Garry Kasparov gave up a rook with 24.Rxd4!!, chased Veselin Topalov's king across the whole board, and won in 44 moves. Fans call it "Kasparov's Immortal".

The setting: Wijk aan Zee, 1999

Every January the small Dutch seaside village of Wijk aan Zee holds one of the oldest top tournaments in chess, then called Hoogovens and today known as Tata Steel Chess. In 1999 Kasparov, world champion since 1985, came for the first time. He was rated 2812, the highest rating in the world. Topalov, a 23-year-old from Bulgaria rated 2700, was one of the rising stars; in 2005 he became FIDE world champion.

This game was played in round 4. Kasparov went on to win the tournament with 10 points out of 13, half a point ahead of Viswanathan Anand, including a run of seven wins in a row. Six months later his rating reached 2851, a record that lasted until Magnus Carlsen passed it in 2013. Read more about Garry Kasparov.

The opening: both kings on the queenside

Topalov answered 1.e4 with 1...d6, the Pirc Defence, and reached a position Kasparov had never met in a serious game. Kasparov traded the dark-squared bishops with 8.Bh6 and castled on the queenside (see castling). Topalov castled on the same side, then walked his king to b8 and later a7. With both kings on the same wing, the fight was about who could open lines first.

Around move 20 Topalov pushed his d-pawn to d5 and then d4, and Kasparov put a knight on d5 with 22.Nd5!. After 22...Nbxd5 23.exd5 Qd6, the black pawn on d4 stood in the middle of the board, blocking the d-file.

24.Rxd4!!: the rook sacrifice

After 24.Rxd4!!: Kasparov gives up a rook to open the way to Black's king

Kasparov took the pawn with his rook, even though Black can capture the rook with the c5 pawn. Why give up a whole rook? With the d4 pawn gone, the lines towards the black king open up, and White's queen, rook, knight and bishop all join the attack.

Topalov did not have to accept. Later analysis showed that 24...Kb6 was a better defence. But he took the rook with 24...cxd4. After the game he said he had found the sacrifice very interesting; years later he called taking it "suicide".

Kasparov then offered his second rook with 25.Re7+!!. If Black takes it with 25...Qxe7, White plays 26.Qxd4+ and mates in a few moves. So Topalov played 25...Kb6, and Kasparov gave up a knight as well: 26.Qxd4+ Kxa5 27.b4+ Ka4.

The king hunt

Now the black king stood on a4, deep in White's half of the board. A king hunt is an attack in which the king is driven out of its shelter and chased across the board. Here the king travelled from a7 to b6, a5, a4, a3, b4, c3, d2 and finally d1, on White's first row:

28.Qc3 Qxd5 29.Ra7 Bb7 30.Rxb7 Qc4 31.Qxf6 Kxa3 32.Qxa6+ Kxb4 33.c3+ Kxc3 34.Qa1+ Kd2 35.Qb2+ Kd1

Analysts later found that 28.Ra7 would have been even stronger, and that Topalov had better chances with 31...Rd1+ instead of taking the pawn on a3. Kasparov said he only saw after the game how well Black could have defended in that line. But after 35...Kd1, Black is lost.

After 35...Kd1: Black's king has been chased all the way to White's back rank

36.Bf1!! and 37.Rd7!!: the finishing blows

36.Bf1!! is a quiet bishop move in the middle of the attack, and it sets a trap. If Black takes it with 36...Qxf1, then 37.Qc2+ Ke1 38.Re7+ Qe2 39.Qxe2 is mate.

Topalov played 36...Rd2, and Kasparov answered with 37.Rd7!!. Now the black rook on d2 is pinned to its own king on d1: it can't leave the d-file, so it can't escape or give check, and White threatens 38.Qxd2 mate.

After 37.Rd7!!: the rook pins Black's rook on d2 and threatens mate

After 37...Rxd7 38.Bxc4 bxc4 39.Qxh8, White had a queen against a rook and was easily winning. Topalov resigned after 44.Qa7.

Why it is called the greatest game

Deep calculation. The sacrifice on d4 only works because of moves many turns later, such as 36.Bf1 and 37.Rd7.
Beauty. Quiet moves in the middle of a king hunt are rare and surprising.
The setting. It was played by the world No. 1 at his peak, in a very strong tournament. Kasparov remembered the audience applauding when the game ended.
Recognition. Chess.com's list of the best chess games of all time ranks it number one.

It was not a perfect game. Computers find improvements for both players. But that is part of its charm: two humans under pressure produced something that still amazes grandmasters today. Practise spotting attacks like this with exposed king puzzles.

The full game

Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999 (Pirc Defence): 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 34.Qa1+ Kd2 35.Qb2+ Kd1 36.Bf1 Rd2 37.Rd7 Rxd7 38.Bxc4 bxc4 39.Qxh8 Rd3 40.Qa8 c3 41.Qa4+ Ke1 42.f4 f5 43.Kc1 Rd2 44.Qa7 1-0

Paste the moves into the analysis board and follow the king's long walk yourself. For more great games, see famous chess games.

Sources

Checked in November 2026.

Questions and answers

Why is Kasparov vs Topalov 1999 so famous?: Kasparov sacrificed a rook with 24.Rxd4, then chased Topalov's king from one side of the board to the other and finished with quiet, beautiful moves. Many players and Chess.com's ranking call it the best chess game ever played.
What was Kasparov's rook sacrifice against Topalov?: On move 24 Kasparov played 24.Rxd4, giving up his rook for a pawn to open lines towards the black king. A move later he offered his second rook with 25.Re7+.
Did Topalov have to take the rook?: No. Later analysis showed that 24...Kb6, refusing the rook, was a better defence. Years later Topalov said that taking it had been suicide.
Where and when was Kasparov vs Topalov played?: In round 4 of the Hoogovens tournament at Wijk aan Zee in the Netherlands, in January 1999. Kasparov won the tournament.

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