Kasparov stretches lead to 3-1 over Karpov in exhibition chess match in Spain

Kasparov leads Karpov 3-1 in chess rematch

MADRID — Garry Kasparov stretched his lead over Anatoly Karpov to 3-1 Wednesday on the second day of an exhibition chess match commemorating the 25th anniversary of their marathon first title bout.

Karpov, 58, won his first game of the unofficial tournament, which is being played in the eastern city of Valencia after Kasparov abandoned the game. Kasparov, 46, rebounded to win the second game as Karpov ran out of time.

On Tuesday, Kasparov won the first two semi-rapid games as Karpov struggled to manage his time.

In each of the four games, both players had 25 minutes on the clock and five seconds added after each move.

Playing whites in the first clash Wednesday, Karpov chose a Grunfeld Defense opening, tournament organizers said. In the second game, Kasparov, on whites, opted for a Queen’s Gambit, which Karpov declined.

The three-day match finishes Thursday when the two grandmasters play eight blitz games, in which each player starts with five minutes on the clock, with two seconds added after each move.

The two men waged one of the sporting world’s greatest rivalries when between 1984 and 1990 they met five times for the world championship and pretty much drew even: Kasparov won 21 games, Karpov took 19 and they drew 104 times.

The first title bout started in Sept. 1984 in Moscow and lasted nearly five months before it was halted with no winner declared on the grounds that both were exhausted.

Kasparov won a rematch in 1985 and captured his first world title, at age 22, becoming the world’s youngest-ever champion.

Kasparov is considered by some to have been the best player in chess history. He retired from top-level professional play in 2005, after dominating the game for two decades.

He is now an active political opponent of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Karpov was the reigning champion when Kasparov first challenged him in 1984. He still plays and until recently was ranked among the world’s top 100 players.