The incident took place during the opening game of Day 2 of the highly-anticipated showdown between the former world No 1s and multiple-time world champions, in which Garry Kasparov ended up defeating Viswanathan Anand on the clock rather than through the board position.
The highly-anticipated showdown between chess icons Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand in USA’s St Louis has had its fair share of drama in the first two days of the three-day event titled ‘Clutch Chess: The Legends’. Among them is something one would normally not associate with a legend of the game – Anand forgetting about his clock and losing a game against the Russian legend due to time running out.
The unusual incident took place on Day 2 of the clash between the two former world No 1s at the Saint Louis Chess Club during Game 5 – the first game on Thursday that was played in the rapid format. Five-time world champion Anand, playing as black, had the advantage over his opponent at one point, and was looking to start the day on a winning note.
A crazy moment, as Vishy Anand completely forgets his clock and loses on time in a winning position! https://t.co/TrMOxh0vQ0 pic.twitter.com/rhcATyS9ZN
— chess24 (@chess24com) October 9, 2025
Kasparov, however, noticed his opponent running out of time and was seen pointing towards the clock, which helped him collect two points.
🙏 Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes. To be fair, I only have a couple kids at home to distract me, while Vishy has an entire nation of chess “children” to demand his attention! 🇮🇳 https://t.co/UTuA11ThJZ
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) October 9, 2025
One win would then lead to another, with Kasparov triumphing over his 55-year-old opponent in Game 7, this time in the blitz format.
With two wins and as many draws on Day 2, Kasparov surged to a five-point lead over Anand in the exhibition series that is taking place three decades since their face-off on top of New York City’s World Trade Centre in the 1995 Classical World Chess Championship.
Can Vishy Anand fight back and pip Kasparov in St Louis?
The Russian legend, who officially represents Croatia after gaining the country’s citizenship in 2014, currently leads the contest 8.5-3.5.
Garry Kasparov had a strong day, winning two games and drawing the other two to take the lead with 5 points against Viswanathan Anand. 🔥 But the battle is far from over – tomorrow’s games are worth 3 points each, so everything can change quickly! ♟️ Stay tuned! #ClutchChess… pic.twitter.com/j3rQdOqHoZ
— Saint Louis Chess Club (@STLChessClub) October 9, 2025
Despite the five-point deficit, Anand can still fight back on the final day and finish ahead of his former rival, with 3 points being awarded for each victory on Day 3. Each day features a total of four days – two each in rapid and blitz time controls in the Chess960 a.k.a. FischerRandom format, where the back pieces are randomly arranged before the start of each game.
Games on Day 1 had 1 point for each win and half-a-point for a draw. The corresponding numbers for Day 2 were 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
The event carries a prize money of $144,000 – with the winner collecting $70,000 and the loser $50,000. The remaining $24,000 are distributed in the form of bonus cash, the value of which increases with each passing day.
