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Arcade MateRound 02

The Octopus Knight

One knight. Eight squares. Eighteen moves. The world champion never got out.

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Soviet UnionAnatoly KarpovK.O. · material 18/39
Soviet UnionGarry KasparovWins · material 17/39
White
Anatoly KarpovWorld champion since 1975. Age 34.
Black
Garry KasparovChallenger, from Baku. Age 22.
Event
World Championship match, game 16
Place
Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow
Date
15 October 1985
Opening
Sicilian Defense, Taimanov Variation, Kasparov Gambit (B44)
Result
0-1White resigned, facing mate in 2, 40 moves
Video
2:31Published 6 November 2026

The story

Moscow, October 1985. The World Championship match is tied at 7½ to 7½. Anatoly Karpov has held the title for ten years. Garry Kasparov is 22.

With Black, Kasparov repeats a pawn sacrifice from game 12: 8...d5, the Kasparov Gambit. A roar goes up in the grandmasters' analysis room: several of them had bet he would not dare to play it again. Karpov takes the pawn and keeps it.

The pawn buys a knight. On move 16 it lands on d3, deep in White's position, protected by a bishop. From there it controls eight squares and freezes the white queen and both rooks. Raymond Keene called it "a monstrous centralised octopus", and the name stuck.

For 18 moves the knight does not move, and Karpov cannot. His knights go back to b1 and to the edge of the board. Kasparov takes space on both sides until White has almost no useful moves left.

On move 34, in desperate time trouble, Karpov finally takes the octopus with his queen. The second knight jumps in at once: 34...Nf2+ forks the king, the queen and a rook. Six moves later, facing mate in two, Karpov resigns, and the audience jumps to its feet.

It was Kasparov's first lead in the match. He never gave it back: 25 days later he was the youngest world champion in history.

Key moments

Frames from the video, one for each turning point.

  1. 8...d5 in the video: the kasparov gambit

    8...d5!?

    The Kasparov Gambit

    A pawn for the initiative. Kasparov had played it once before, in game 12.

  2. 12.O-O in the video: the missed refutation

    12.O-O

    The missed refutation

    Karpov castles. 12.Be3! would have won the knight back and refuted the gambit.

  3. 16...Nd3 in the video: the octopus lands

    16...Nd3!

    The octopus lands

    The knight reaches d3 and grips eight squares. It stays there for 18 moves.

  4. 34...Nf2+ in the video: the octopus returns

    34...Nf2+!

    The octopus returns

    Karpov has just taken the knight on d3. The other one forks king, queen and rook.

  5. 40...Re1+ in the video: karpov resigns

    40...Re1+

    Karpov resigns

    Mate in two follows: 41.Nf1 Rxf1+ 42.Bxf1 Qxf1#.

Questions

Who won Karpov vs Kasparov, 1985?

Garry Kasparov won with the black pieces. White resigned, facing mate in 2, on move 40.

Why is it called the Octopus Knight game?

Because of Kasparov's knight on d3. It arrived with 16...Nd3, controlled eight squares deep in White's position, and stayed there for 18 moves. Raymond Keene called it "a monstrous centralised octopus" in The Spectator on 26 October 1985.

What was the key move of the Octopus Knight game?

16...Nd3, the knight landing on its outpost. When Karpov finally took it with 34.Qxd3, the other black knight jumped in with 34...Nf2+, forking king, queen and rook, and six moves later Karpov resigned.

Was the Kasparov Gambit sound?

No, and nobody at the board saw it. After 11...Bc5, 12.Be3! Bxe3 13.Qa4+ wins back the knight on b4 and refutes the idea. Karpov castled instead, played 12.Be3 himself a year later against van der Wiel, and the gambit all but disappeared. Also, Karpov was not checkmated: he resigned facing mate in two.

How long was Karpov vs Kasparov, 1985, and what opening was played?

40 moves. The opening was the Sicilian Defense, Taimanov Variation, Kasparov Gambit (B44). Played: World Championship match, game 16, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow, 15 October 1985.

Command list

Karpov vs Kasparov · 40 moves · 0-1

Download
  1. 1.e4c5
  2. 2.Nf3e6
  3. 3.d4cxd4
  4. 4.Nxd4Nc6
  5. 5.Nb5d6
  6. 6.c4Nf6
  7. 7.N1c3a6
  8. 8.Na3d5!?
  9. 9.cxd5exd5
  10. 10.exd5Nb4
  11. 11.Be2Bc5
  12. 12.O-OO-O
  13. 13.Bf3Bf5
  14. 14.Bg5Re8
  15. 15.Qd2b5
  16. 16.Rad1Nd3!
  17. 17.Nab1?h6
  18. 18.Bh4b4
  19. 19.Na4Bd6
  20. 20.Bg3Rc8
  21. 21.b3g5!!
  22. 22.Bxd6Qxd6
  23. 23.g3Nd7!!
  24. 24.Bg2Qf6
  25. 25.a3a5
  26. 26.axb4axb4
  27. 27.Qa2Bg6
  28. 28.d6g4
  29. 29.Qd2Kg7
  30. 30.f3?Qxd6
  31. 31.fxg4Qd4+
  32. 32.Kh1Nf6
  33. 33.Rf4Ne4
  34. 34.Qxd3Nf2+!
  35. 35.Rxf2Bxd3
  36. 36.Rfd2Qe3
  37. 37.Rxd3Rc1!
  38. 38.Nb2Qf2!
  39. 39.Nd2Rxd1+
  40. 40.Nxd1Re1+
The PGN file
[Event "Karpov - Kasparov World Championship Match"]
[Site "Moscow URS"]
[Date "1985.10.15"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "16"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Anatoly Karpov"]
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[Opening "Sicilian Defense: Paulsen Variation, Gary Gambit (Kasparov Gambit 8...d5)"]
[Source "chessgames.com gid=1067175 (The Brisbane Bombshell, Game of the Day Nov-11-2016), downloaded 2026-10-12"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3
a6 8.Na3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Be2 Bc5 12.O-O O-O
13.Bf3 Bf5 14.Bg5 Re8 15.Qd2 b5 16.Rad1 Nd3 17.Nab1 h6 18.Bh4
b4 19.Na4 Bd6 20.Bg3 Rc8 21.b3 g5 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.g3 Nd7
24.Bg2 Qf6 25.a3 a5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qa2 Bg6 28.d6 g4 29.Qd2
Kg7 30.f3 Qxd6 31.fxg4 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Nf6 33.Rf4 Ne4 34.Qxd3 Nf2+
35.Rxf2 Bxd3 36.Rfd2 Qe3 37.Rxd3 Rc1 38.Nb2 Qf2 39.Nd2 Rxd1+
40.Nxd1 Re1+ 0-1

What we checked

Every caption in the video was checked against the sources. Some well-known stories did not survive.

  • The Kasparov Gambit was sound.

    It was not, and nobody at the board saw it. After 11...Bc5, the move 12.Be3! Bxe3 13.Qa4+ wins the knight on b4 back and refutes the idea. Karpov castled instead. He played 12.Be3 himself a year later against van der Wiel, and the gambit all but disappeared.

  • Kasparov named the octopus.

    The word comes from the reports of the time. Raymond Keene wrote of "a monstrous centralised octopus" in The Spectator on 26 October 1985. Kasparov's own wording could not be found, so the video does not quote him.

  • 18 moves on d3.

    Counted on the scoresheet: the knight arrives with 16...Nd3 and is taken by 34.Qxd3.

  • Karpov was checkmated.

    He resigned after 40...Re1+, a pawn up by count. Mate in two was forced: 41.Nf1 Rxf1+ 42.Bxf1 Qxf1#, or 41.Bf1 Rxf1+ 42.Nxf1 Qxf1#. The video plays that mate out after the resignation.

Credits

  • Photos: Nationaal Archief / Anefo (CC0). Karpov: Sjakkelien Vollebregt, Amsterdam, 22 July 1985. Kasparov: Rob Bogaerts, 17 December 1985.
  • Music and voices: original.

Sources

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