The spoil of fate. On the summit of the chess classics.

The spoil of fate

 

When M. Euwe, president of FIDE went to Karpov's coronation he said: When I celebrated my 50 th jubilee, I did not know, that in three days would be born genius of chess - Karpov!

The invisible thread ties throw years 5 th and 12 th champions of the world. Anatoly Karpov was born on the 23th of may in the small town Zlatoust. That's why he got the name "Uralski samotsvet" lately.

He learned chess at 4 years old and made progress in youth competitions. In 1968 he won unofficial junior's championship of Europe in Groningen and one year later he became the winner of the official youth championship. After dificult semifinal he has got 10 from 11!

The conquest of this title have had the biggest meaning for Anatoly, which is difficult to overestimate. The USSR always had thought about it very tremble. Boris Spasski was the unique chess prince who became the World Champion lately. Although another winners did not get these heightes, on the native land of the 10 th World Champion rembered about it very good. Karpov's victory preceded to loss of chess crown by the USSR and the new chess prince became a new hope in fight with transoceanic star. It was good luck for Karpov that he had got an experienced mentor - GM Semen Furman, a real chess encyclopedia, the outstanding connoisseur of chess theory. This union became firm and was indissoluble till Furman's decease in 1978. Soon after FIDE decided to admit two last chess princes in interzone tournaments. The paradox was that Swiss Hug divised the last place in Petropolise, meanwhile Karpov the 1 st in Leningrad.

Note that Karpov got the victory hardly - Korchnoi was in excellent shape and to be equivalent with him was not easy. Karpov appreciated his own chances scepticly in challengers cycle (remember his phrase "this is not my cycle") but played very well. Firstly was defeated L. Polugaevskiy (+3-0=5). The match with B. Spassky became very interesting. Karpov had been unwell and lost the first game but his friends calmed him that one has to win only 4 games and he just needs to be first. The final of the match passed with a big advantage of the young grandmaster. When in the 9th duel he drove rival's pieces onto the last horizontal one of the Spasski's admirers noticed: "Boris is arranging pieces for the next game." The result was +4-1=6. Karpov's triumph attracted attention even on Korchnoi.

The final pretenders match took place in Moscow according to Korchnoi's insisting on. The duel in the capital was very hard. Karpov made use failure choice of the opening by the rival and already since the second meeting leaded the score. Soon after the break has enlarged to two points. Korchnoi was fighting like a wounded lion. It was hard for Karpov to stand over in many games but he was demonstrating persist in the defence of quite hopeless positions.

After the third Karpov's victory everything seemed to be defined... but Korchnoi had got the second breath and he managed to shorten the break to minimum. Although it was maximum what he could reach. The final result became +3-2=19 in favour of the young grandmaster. Of course Karpov was the spoil of fate. He became the World Champion without match against Fischer. Surely it was a very expercise present. One can add the meeting with S. Furman, admission to interzonal tournament without trial and Stockholm juniors tournament, which took place where it was necessary. The unhappy was fate of Andrei Lukin, who was not allowed to participate in junior's championship in Israel.

The new World Champion always should prove that his victory was not by chance. The rights of possessing of the chess crown Karpov had to prove twice more. And he solved the task brilliantly. During 10 years he had won many tournaments and created lots of chess-masterpieces. In two years there was was not doubt that the crown belongs to Karpov meritly.

Especially stand matches of Anatoly Karpov for the World championship since they had too much politics and many things which are far from chess for the known reasons... Althought both duels in sport where lucky for Kaprov, but he has spended many nerves. Perhaps in the future in the duels with more young G.Kasparov this has the meaning.

It's impossible not to recall Korchnoi's statement that if he knew that he still could fight with Karpov, he would get the victory over Kasparov by the reason of his absence. Probably Karpov could continue his reign on the chess throne if there were no absurd (to say simple foolish) decision of Kampomanes about cessation the match without consequences in 1984.

To my regret, I can't help noticing that all these gigantic matches cost him too many strengths and his results to the middle of the 90th are bringing down. Especially stands his outstanding result in Linares-94, when he finished ahead of all in proud loneliness, including G. Kasparov with 11/13.

A. Karpov belongs to champions of the World, who confess classical chess. He said his main teacher was H. R. Capablanca not in vain. But the pupil has left his predecessor behind. And he was on the throne longer. And his tournament's victories are more ponderable. Karpov has an unique ability to win games using even the smallest advantage. But at the same time he won many games by high tactic skill. Good competence of theory and high techic of play in the endings finally have made Karpov universal player but he always gravitated to classical chess. Karpov - this is a faultless appreciate position, quick and easy of play. He knows how to harmonize the pieces. Karpov reminds of hockey trainer who always sends his players to the battle no giving an opponent even one minute for break.

Our wishes of health, happiness and new creative successes in day of 50 th anniversary.

 

The games, played by Anatoly Karpov:

A.Karpov - M.Kinteros
Interzonal tournament, Leningrad, 1973
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nb3 Be7 9.Qf3 h6 10.Bh4 Nbd7 11.0-0 Qc7 12.Bg3 b5 13.e5 Bb7 14.Qe2 de 15.fe Kh7 16.Ne4 Bg5 17.Kb1 0-0 18.h4 Be7 19.Nd6 Bd5 20.Rxd5 ed5 21.Nf5 Qd8 22.Qg4 g6 23.Nxh6+ Kg7 24.Nf5+ Kh8 25.Bd3 Rg8 26.Nh6 Rg7 27.h5 Qe8 28.e6 Nf6 29.ef Qd8 30.Qd4 Nxh5 31.Be5 Bf6 32.Re1 Bxe5 33.Rxe5 N5f6 34.g4 Qf8 35.g5 Ne4 36.Bxe4 de 37.Qxe4
1:0

A.Karpov - B.Spassky
Pretendents match, Leningrad, 1974 9th game
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 d6 6.Be2 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.f4 Nc6 9.Be3 Bd7 10.Nb3 a5 11.a4 Nb4 12.Bf3 Bc6 13.Nd4 g6 14.Rf2 e5 15.Nxc6 bc6 16.fe5 de5 17.Qf1 Qc8 18.h3 Nd7 19.Bg4 h5 20.Bxd7 Qxd7 21.Qc4 Bh4 22.Rd2 Qe7 23.Rf1 Rfd8 24.Nb1 Qb7 25.Kh2 Kg7 26.c3 Na6 27.Re2 Rf8 28.Nd2 Bd8 29.Nf3 f6 30.Rd2 Be7 31.Qe6 Rad8 32.Rxd8 Bxd8 33.Rd1 Nb8 34.Bc5 Rh8 35.Rxd8
1:0

A.Karpov - V.Korchnoi
Final pretendents match, Moscow, 1974, 2nd game
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.0-0-0 Nc4 13.Bxc4 Rxc4 14.h5 Nxh5 15.g4 Nf6 16.Nde2 Qa5 17.Bh6 Bxh6 18.Qxh6 Rfc8 19.Rd3 R4c5 20.g5 Rxg5 21.Rd5 Rxd5 22.Nxd5 Re8 23.Nf4 Bc6 24.e5 Bxd5 25.ef ef 26.Qxh7+ Kf8 27.Qh8+
1:0

J.Timman - A.Karpov
Montreal, 1979
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 Be7 5.d4 ed4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Nxc6 bc6 8.Be2 d5 9.0-0 Bd6 10.b3 Qc7 11.Bb2 dc4 12.bc4 Rb8 13.Qc1 Ng4 14.g3 Re8 15.Nd1 Nxh2 16.Bc5 Nxf1 17.cd5 Nxg3 18.fg3 Qxd6 19.Kf2 Qh6 20.Bd4 Qh2+ 21.Ke1 Qxg3+ 22.Kd2 Qg2 23.Nb2 Ba6 24.Nd3 Bxd3 25.Kxd3 Rbd8 26.Bf1 Qe4+ 27.Kc3 c5 28.Bxc5 Qc6 29.Kb3 Rb8+ 30.Ka3 Re5 31.Bb4 Qb6
1:0

A.Karpov - V.Korchnoi
World Championship, Merano, 1981, 18th game
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.de5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 11.Bxe6 Nxe6 12.cd Ncxd4 13.a4 Be7 Nxd4 Nxd4 15.Ne4 Ne6 16.Be3 0-0 17.f4 Qxd1 18.Rfxd1 Rfb8 19.Rd7 Bf8 20.f5 Nd8 21.a5 Nc6 22.e6 fe 23.f6 Ne5 24.Rxc7 Rc8 25.Rac1 Rxc7 26.Rxc7 Rd8 27.h3 h6 28.Ra7 Nc4 29.Bb6 Rb8 30.Bc5 Bxc5 31.Nxc5 gf 32.b4 Rd8 33.Rxa6 Kf7 34.Ra7+ Kg6 35.Rd7 Re8 36.a6 Ra8 37.Rb7 Kf5 38.Rxb5 Ke5 39.Rb7 Kd5 40.Rf7 f5 41.Rf6 e5

A.Karpov - L.Ljuboevic
Turin, 1992
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.Nc3 cd 5.Nxd4 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.0-0 b5 9.Bf3 Bb7 10.e5 de 11.fe N6d7 12.Bf4 b4 13.Ne4 Nxe5 14.Kh1 Be7 15.Ng5 Bxg5 16.Bxb7 Qxb7 17.Bxe5 0-0 18.Qg4 Qxe7 19.Qg3 Rc8 20.Bd6 Qd7 21.Rad1 f6 22.Bxb8 Raxb8 23.h4 Bxh4 24.Qxh4 Rc4 25.Qg3 Rfc8 26.Nf5 Qa7 27.Nd6 R4c5 28.Qh3
1:0

Alexander Geller, International arbiter