Rivals and Ratings: teacher key

Chess, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. The rivals who ruled chess, the numbers that rank them, and the ideas that make the game deep.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. Who held the world title for 27 years?
   • Garry Kasparov
   • Emanuel Lasker (answer)
   • Bobby Fischer
2. Who is the only champion to die while holding the title?
   • Capablanca
   • Lasker
   • Alexander Alekhine (answer)
3. How many games did Karpov and Kasparov play against each other in their matches?
   • 144 (answer)
   • 104
   • 21
4. What does a rating gap of 100 points predict?
   • A sure win
   • A draw
   • About 64 percent wins for the higher player (answer)
5. What does zugzwang mean?
   • A rook trick
   • A compulsion to move (answer)
   • A draw by time
6. Why is the Shannon number only a rough guide?
   • It is an estimate, not an exact count (answer)
   • It counts only draws
   • It is for one piece

Words

• positional: plans and space
• zugzwang: forced bad move
• grandmaster: top title
• engine: chess program
• variant: changed version