Chess

NOT CONTENT with slaughtering us all individually, Garry Kasparov on Monday commenced combat against the united forces of the whole world - not to mention their computers - in what will surely be the largest interactive competition in history.

His first move, 1 e4 (any other choice would have been a scandal in the circumstances) was played ceremonially on a life-size board at Bryant Park in New York in front of an audience of chess fans and journalists before being transferred to the Microsoft Network (www.MSN. com) to await a reply.

As with all subsequent moves, this will depend on the public; anybody can play by going to MSN.com and following the instructions. Both sides will have a day a move - so it could last for months; you can vote for any move you like, but, in order to give Kasparov a good game, there will be suggestions by a panel of four young titan(esse)s: Etienne Bacrot, 16, from France - the youngest player to qualify for the grandmaster title, in March 1997, at the age of 14; Irina Krush, 15, the US women's champion; Elizabeth Paetz, 14, from Germany; and Florin Felecan, the top under-21 American. The whole is being moderated by Dan King, the English Grandmaster, who will chair (virtual) live discussions in a "chat room" at MSN.com after each of Kasparov's moves, provide commentary and host related events.

For all the razzmatazz, this is still a game of chess - potentially a difficult one for Kasparov. I'd be very surprised if he lost, but a draw and victory seem equally likely. Witness his extraordinary game against the viewers of El Pas journalist Leontxo Garcia's TV show between 1990 and 1992 - albeit "creatively moderated" in the style of the strong Spanish Grandmaster Miguel Illescas.

After many adventures, Kasparov went to the TV studio himself to give a six-board simultaneous from the final position against mixed opposition. He scored 3.5 /6, losing only to Illescas in a sequence which started after 46 Qc6+ Kb8 47 d6 Ra2 48 Qc7+ Ka8 49 Qxf7 Ra3 50 Qd5+ Kb8 51 Qb5! (rest of moves below).

White: Spanish TV Viewers

Black: Garry Kasparov

1990-92

Sicilian Najdorf

1 e4 c5

2 Nf3 d6

3 d4 cxd4

4 Nxd4 Nf6

5 Nc3 a6

6 Bc4 e6

7 Bb3 Nbd7

8 f4 Nc5

9 0-0 Ncxe4

10 Nxe4 Nxe4

11 f5 e5

12 Qh5 Qe7?!

13 Qf3 Nc5

14 Nc6 Qc7

15 Bd5 a5?!

16 Be3 Ra6

17 Nd4 exd4

18 Bxd4 Kd8

19 Qh5 Nd7!

20 f6 g6

21 Qh4 Ne5

22 Rfc1 Bd7

23 c4 Kc8

24 Rab1 h5

25 b4 axb4

26 Rxb4 Bc6

27 Rcb1 Ra3!!

28 Qe4 Bxd5

29 cxd5 Bh6

30 Qe2 Nd3

31 Rxb7 Qxb7

32 Rxb7 Kxb7

33 Qe7+ Ka8

34 Qxd6 Rxa2

35 Qc6+ Kb8

36 Qb6+ Ka8

37 Qc6+ Kb8

38 Qc3!! Rd2

39 Qb3+ Kc7

40 Qb6+ Kc8

41 Qc6+ Kb8

42 h4 Bf4

43 g3 Be5

44 Qb5+ Kc8

45 Bb6 Bxg3

See above for last five moves