How Garry Kasparov outplayed Viswanathan Anand in nostalgic Clutch Chess: The Legends 2025 battle

In their 1995 World Championship clash, Garry Kasparov had also prevailed over Viswanathan Anand.

Thirty years after their historic 1995 World Championship encounter, Garry Kasparov once again prevailed over Viswanathan Anand, this time in the 2025 Clutch Chess: The Legends match.

The Russian legend secured overall victory with two games to spare, finishing a hard-fought three-day showdown between two of chess’s most nostalgic champions. The competition ended with the score of 13-11 in Gary’s favor as Anand won the last two blitz match as a saving grace and give a respectable end to the duel.

Clutch Chess is a unique, first of its kind, chess tournament format conceptualized by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley points and prizes increase with each passing round. This means that in Clutch Chess, an early lead offer no safety and every single game has some excitement to offer.

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Gary, who had American star Fabiano Caruana, as his second, dominated the first two days of the event which featured only Blitz games, took a significant lead without suffering a defeat. Heading into the final day, Kasparov held a commanding five-point lead.

Anand faced a steep climb, needing at least two wins to keep his hopes alive in the escalating “clutch” format, where each day’s games were worth progressively more points. The Day 3 games, therefore were worth three points per win, carried extra weight, and extra hopes, for Anand especially.

In the Rapid games, Anand came out aggressively, pressing with sharp play in the early rapid games. At one stage, Kasparov admitted his rival had been “completely winning.” But the 13th World Champion put in all defensive resources, escaping to safety and denying Anand the breakthrough.

Blitz Fireworks and a Proud Finish for Anand

Although the match result was decided, pride was still on the line in the final blitz segment for Anand who had a rather slow start. The two short format games carried a combined bonus of USD 16,000.

In the first blitz encounter, the Indian legend struck back with brilliance, launching a devastating kingside assault that forced resignation after the stunning 25.f6!. He followed it up with another victory in the finale – an unpredictable tactical brawl where both sides flirted with chaos before Kasparov lost on time.

In the second encounter, Anand again managed to complicate things with 15…Bxg3!? It was a small inaccuracy but Kasparov trailed, trying to fight back and even was able to almost force a perpetual check.

Anand, however, was in a decisive mood with pride and a decent prize money at stake and eventually managed to win on time. 

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So in an event, where Anand struggled from the beginning, he managed to secure a double Blitz win and take the last six points on offer from the last two games along with the entire bonus prize of 16000 USD. 

The 2025 Clutch Chess: The Legends event wasn’t just a contest, it was a celebration of chess history. Two of the greatest minds of the modern era once again shared the stage, rekindling memories of their classic battles while proving that true champions never stop competing, learning, or entertaining.

Kasparov was poised to win from Day 1 and ultimately won the event without much trouble, demonstrating his trademark audacity and deep preparation even at the age of 63.

A younger Annad was touted to be favourites because of his active semi-status in the Chess world as an occasional player, coach and commentator while Kasparov retired way back in 2005 to focus on his writing career and political activism. 

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