Garry Kasparov’s clash with Veselin Topalov at Wijk aan Zee 1999 claims the crown as modern chess’s most ferocious attacking masterpiece. From a deceptively balanced Pirc middlegame, Kasparov detonated three rook sacrifices that chased Topalov’s king on a suicidal march across the board.
What makes it iconic
Kasparov drops the hammer with 24.Rxd4!! – Topalov had the safe 24…Kb6 but grabbed the bait, unleashing genius. Rook after rook vanishes into the fire, each sac more audacious. White’s army swarms the exposed king in a calculation storm so precise it feels illegal. Modern computers still gasp at the depth.
What the viewer should learn
Pure king-hunt perfection: spotting sacs when engines scream “equal,” forcing enemy pieces into paralysis, chaining sacrifices without flinching, and riding sacrificial vision to checkmate. When your intuition roars, calculate like Kasparov.
