Anatoly Karpov
Full name	Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов)
Country	Russia
Born	May 23, 1951 (1951-05-23) (age 57) Zlatoust, RSFSR, Soviet Union
Title	Grandmaster (1970)
World Champion	1975-1985 1993-1999 (FIDE)
FIDE rating	2655 (No. 66 on the April 2008 FIDE ratings list)
Peak rating	2780 (July 1994)

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (Russian: Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was undisputed World Champion from 1975 to 1985, repeatedly challenged to regain the title from 1986 to 1990, then was FIDE World Champion from 1993 to 1999. Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zlatoust (Златоуст in Russian, etymology: злато (archaic) is Russian for gold and уста is for mouth, hence silver-tongued person, orator) is a town in the Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia. ... State motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Workers of the world, unite!) Official language None ( Russian in practice) Capital Moscow (last) Chairman of the Supreme Council Boris Yeltsin Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 1st in former Soviet Union 17,075,200 km² 0,5% Population  - Total ( 1989)  - Density Ranked 1st in the... The title Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ... Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ... is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Western board game. ... The title Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ...

His tournament successes include 161 first-place finishes. He had a peak Elo rating of 2780. Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ...

Since 2005 he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. He has lately been involved in several humanitarian causes, such as advocating the use of iodised salt. The Public Chamber (In Russian: Общественная палата) is a state institution with 126 members created in 2005 in Russia to analyze draft legislation and monitor the activities of the parliament, government and other government bodies of Russia and its Federal Subjects. ... Iodized table salt (left) and non-iodized table salt (right) The Morton Salt company began iodizing salt for Americans in the fall of 1924. ...

Early life

Karpov was born on May 23, 1951 at Zlatoust in the Urals region of the former Soviet Union, and learned to play chess at the age of four. He has been an excellent student throughout his life. His early rise in chess was swift, as he was a Candidate Master by age 11. At age 12, he was accepted into Mikhail Botvinnik's prestigious chess school. Ironically, Botvinnik had this to say about the young Karpov: "The boy does not have a clue about chess, and there's no future at all for him in this profession."^[1] Karpov acknowledged that his understanding of chess theory was very confused at that time, and wrote later that the homework which Botvinnik assigned really helped him, since it required that he consult chess books and work diligently.^[2] Karpov improved so quickly that he became the youngest Soviet National Master in history at 15 in 1966; this tied the record established by Boris Spassky in 1952 at the same age. Karpov won the title in his first international chess tournament (Trinec 1966-67) several months later. In 1967 he won a European Junior Invitational tournament at Groningen. Karpov won a Gold Medal for academic excellence in high school, and entered Moscow State University in 1968 to study Mathematics. He later transferred to Leningrad State University, eventually graduating from there in Economics. One reason for the transfer was to be closer to his coach, Grandmaster Semyon Furman, who lived in Leningrad. In his writings, Karpov credits Furman as a major influence on his development as a world-class player. In 1969 Karpov became the first Soviet player since Boris Spassky (1955) to win the World Junior Chess Championship, with a score in the finals of 10 out of 11 at Stockholm. Soon afterwards he tied for 4th place at an international tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, and became a Grandmaster. is the 143rd day of the year (144th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Zlatoust (Златоуст in Russian, etymology: злато (archaic) is Russian for gold and уста is for mouth, hence silver-tongued person, orator) is a town in the Chelyabinsk Oblast in Russia. ... The Ural Mountains, (Russian: Ура́льские го́ры = Ура́л) also known simply as the Urals, are a mountain range that run roughly north and south through western Russia. ... The Candidate Master (CM) title is awarded by the world chess governing body, Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE). ... Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik (IPA: ; Russian: ) (August 17 [O.S. August 4] 1911 - May 5, 1995) was a Russian International Grandmaster and long-time World Champion of chess. ... CCCP redirects here. ... Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij) (Russian: ) (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. ... For the German town, see Gröningen. ... Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russian: Московский государственный университет имени Ðœ.Ð’.Ломоносова, often abbreviated МГУ, MSU, MGU) is the largest and the oldest university in Russia, founded in 1755. ... For other meanings of mathematics or uses of math and maths, see Mathematics (disambiguation) and Math (disambiguation). ... Categories: Russia-related stubs | Universities and colleges in Russia | Saint Petersburg ... Face-to-face trading interactions on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor. ... Semyon Abramovich Furman (born December 1, 1920 in Pinsk, died March 17, 1978 in Leningrad) was a Soviet chess International Grandmaster and trainer. ... Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij) (Russian: ) (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. ... The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 event (players must have been under 20 years old on the 1st of January in the year of competition). ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ... Nickname: Motto: Ave María Santísima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural. ... The title Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ...

Candidate

The early 1970s showed a big improvement in his game. He won the 1971 Alekhine Memorial tournament ahead of a star-filled field, for his first significant adult victory. His Elo rating shot up from 2540 in 1971 to 2660 in 1973, when he came in 2nd in the USSR Chess Championship, and placed first in the Leningrad Interzonal Tournament. The latter qualified him for the 1974 Candidates' Tournament, which determined who was allowed to challenge the reigning World Champion, Bobby Fischer. Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (sometimes spelled Aljechin) (in Russian, Александр Александрович Але́хин), (October 31 or November 1, 1892 - March 24, 1946) was a chess master, one of the great world chess champions. ... Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ... Winner list: 1991 (58th,Moscow) Minasian, Artashes 1990 (57th,Leningrad) Beliavsky, Alexander / Yudasin, Leonid / Bareev, Evgeny / Vyzmanavin, Alexey ex aequo 1989 (56th,Odessa) Vaganian, Rafael 1988 (55th,Moscow) Karpov, Anatoly / Kasparov, Garry ex aequo 1987 (54th,Minsk) Beliavsky, Alexander 1986 (53rd,Kiev) Tseshkovsky, Vitaly 1985 (52nd,Riga) Gavrikov, Viktor / Gurevich... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. ... The Candidates Tournament was a triannual chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship. ... Robert James Bobby Fischer (born March 9, 1943) is a United States-born chess Grandmaster who became famous as a teenager for his chess-playing ability, and in 1972 became the only US-born chessplayer to become the official World Chess Champion. ...

Karpov beat Lev Polugaevsky by +3=5 in the first Candidates' match, to face former World Champion Boris Spassky in the next round. Karpov was on record saying that he believed Spassky would easily beat him and win the Candidates' cycle to face Fischer, and that he (Karpov) would win the following Candidates' cycle in 1977. Lev Polugaevsky (sometimes transliterated Polugayevsky; (20 November 1934-30 August 1995) was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title. ... Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij) (Russian: ) (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. ...

Most expected the Spassky-Karpov match to be a one-sided rout by the ex-champ Spassky. Although Spassky won the first game as Black in good style, tenacious and aggressive play from Karpov secured him a match win by +4-1=6. Karpov was certainly not hurt by the fact that Spassky's chief opening analyst, 1955 Soviet Champion Efim Geller, defected to Karpov's side several months before the match. Winner list: 1991 (58th,Moscow) Minasian, Artashes 1990 (57th,Leningrad) Beliavsky, Alexander / Yudasin, Leonid / Bareev, Evgeny / Vyzmanavin, Alexey ex aequo 1989 (56th,Odessa) Vaganian, Rafael 1988 (55th,Moscow) Karpov, Anatoly / Kasparov, Garry ex aequo 1987 (54th,Minsk) Beliavsky, Alexander 1986 (53rd,Kiev) Tseshkovsky, Vitaly 1985 (52nd,Riga) Gavrikov, Viktor / Gurevich... Efim Petrovich Geller (March 2, 1925 – November 17, 1998) was a Soviet chess player. ...

The Candidates' final was set in Moscow against fellow Soviet Viktor Korchnoi, a notable fighting player. Korchnoi was a Leningrad resident who had frequently sparred with Karpov after the latter moved there, and the two had played a drawn six-game training match in 1971. Intense games were fought, including one "opening laboratory" win against the Sicilian Dragon. Karpov went up 3-0, but tired towards the end and allowed Korchnoi two wins, making for a nervy finish. However, Karpov prevailed +3-2=19. Thus he won the right to challenge Fischer for the World Championship. For other uses, see Moscow (disambiguation). ... Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (also Korchnoy, Kortchnoy, Kortschnoi, etc. ... This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. ...

The Big Match that never was

Though the world championship match between the young Soviet prodigy and the already retired American Fischer was highly anticipated, the match never came about. Fischer drew up a list of ten demands, chief among them the provisions that draws would not count, the first to ten victories wins, and if the score was tied 9—9 the champion would retain the crown. This means that the challenger needed two wins more than the reigning champion, because the narrowest possible win for him is 10–8. FIDE, the International Chess Federation, flatly refused at first, but eventually conceded the first two. However, Fischer demanded all or nothing, and when FIDE refused to give in to the third demand, Fischer resigned his crown, to the huge disappointment of the chess world. Karpov later attempted to set up another match with Fischer, but all the negotiations fell through. Fischer never did play Karpov and scorned him as an inferior player. This thrust the young Karpov into the role of World Champion without having defeated the reigning champion. The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ...

When Kasparov was in a bitter struggle for the world championship with Karpov, he often reminded others that Karpov won the title by default. But while preparing a monumental book series Kasparov: My Great Predecessors, Kasparov argued that Karpov would have had the better chances, because he had beaten Spassky convincingly and was a new breed of tough professional, and indeed had higher quality games, while Fischer had been inactive for three years. Spassky thought that Fischer would have won in 1975 but Karpov would have qualified again and beaten Fischer in 1978.^[3]

World champion

Karpov participated in nearly every major tournament for the next ten years. He convincingly won the very strong Milan tournament in 1975, and captured his first of three Soviet titles in 1976. He created the most phenomenal streak of tournament wins against the strongest players in the world. This tournament success even eclipsed the pre-war tournament record of Alexander Alekhine. Karpov held the record for most consecutive tournament victories (9) until it was shattered by Garry Kasparov (14). For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation). ... This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. ... Garry Kasparov (Russian: ; Russian pronunciation: , Armenian: [1]) (born as Garri Kimovich Weinstein [2] on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ...

In 1978, Karpov's first title defence was against Viktor Korchnoi, the opponent he had defeated in the previous Candidates' tournament. The situation was vastly different from the previous match, because in the intervening years Korchnoi had defected from the Soviet Union. The match was played at Baguio in the Philippines, and a vast array of psychological tricks were used during the match, from Karpov's Dr. Zukhar who allegedly attempted to hypnotize Korchnoi during the game, to Korchnoi's mirror glasses to ward off the hypnotic stare, Korchnoi's offering to play under the Jolly Roger flag when he was denied the right to play under Switzerland's, to Karpov's yogurt supposedly being used to send him secret messages, to Korchnoi inviting two local cult members (on trial for attempted murder) into the hall as members of his team.^{[citation needed]} Click here for the entry on Baguio City ... Wingdings version of the Jolly Roger (character N). Many pirates created their own individualized versions. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

The off-board antics are better remembered than the actual chess match. Karpov took an early lead, but Korchnoi staged an amazing comeback very late in the match, and came very close to winning. Karpov narrowly won the last game to take the match 6–5, with 21 draws.

Three years later Korchnoi re-emerged as the Candidates' winner against German finalist Dr. Robert Hübner to challenge Karpov in Merano, Italy. This time the psychological trick was the arrest of Korchnoi's son for evading conscription. Again the politics off the board overshadowed the games, but this time Karpov easily won (11–7, +6 -2 =10) in what is remembered as the "Massacre at Merano". Doctor Robert Hübner (born November 6, 1948 in West Germany) is a respected German chess Grandmaster and papyrologist (recognised as an expert in Egyptian hieroglyphics). ... Merano (Italian, now most common in English; German: Meran, also used in English; Ladin: Meran; Archaic (857 AD): Mairania; Latin: Merona; many of the regions Italian languages/dialects use Meran), is a town in the province of Bolzano-Bozen, Italy. ...

Karpov's tournament career reached a peak at the exceptional Montreal "Tournament of Stars" tournament in 1979, where he ended joint first with Mikhail Tal ahead of a field of superb grandmasters like Jan Timman, Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Boris Spassky, and Lubomir Kavalek. He dominated Las Palmas 1977 with an incredible 13.5 / 15. He also won the prestigious Bugojno tournament in 1978 and 1980, the Linares tournament in 1981 and 1994, the Tilburg tournament in 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, and 1983, and the Soviet Championship in 1976, 1983, and 1988. Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... Mikhail Tal (Latvian: ; Russian: , Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, IPA: , sometimes transliterated Mihail Tal) (November 9, 1936–June 28, 1992) was a Soviet-Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion. ... Jan Timman Jan Timman (born December 14, 1951) is a famous Dutch chessplayer who had his greatest successes in the 1970s and 1980s. ... Ljubomir Ljubojevic is a Grandmaster of chess. ... Boris Vasilievich Spassky (also Spasskij) (Russian: ) (born January 30, 1937) is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. ... Lubomir (Lubosh) Kavalek is a noted Czech-American chess player. ... Las Palmas de Gran Canaria is a Spanish city, the capital city of Gran Canaria which is one of the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, 210 kilometers located off the northwestern coast of Africa. ... Municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina General Information Entity Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Canton 6 Land area 366 km² Population 2002 46496 Population density 128/km² Coordinates Area code +387 30 Mayor Hasan Ajkunić (SDA) Website http://www. ... The annual Linares chess tournament, usually played around the end of February, takes its name from the city of Linares in the Jaén province of Andalusia, Spain, in which it is held. ... Tilburg ( (help· info)) is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant. ... Winner list: 1991 (58th,Moscow) Minasian, Artashes 1990 (57th,Leningrad) Beliavsky, Alexander / Yudasin, Leonid / Bareev, Evgeny / Vyzmanavin, Alexey ex aequo 1989 (56th,Odessa) Vaganian, Rafael 1988 (55th,Moscow) Karpov, Anatoly / Kasparov, Garry ex aequo 1987 (54th,Minsk) Beliavsky, Alexander 1986 (53rd,Kiev) Tseshkovsky, Vitaly 1985 (52nd,Riga) Gavrikov, Viktor / Gurevich...

Karpov represented the Soviet Union at six Chess Olympiads, in all of which the USSR won the team gold medal. He played first reserve at Skopje 1972, winning the board prize with 13/15. At Nice 1974, he advanced to board one and again won the board prize with 12/14. At La Valletta 1980, he was again board one and scored 9/12. At Lucerne 1982, he scored 6.5/8 on board one. At Dubai 1986, he scored 6/9 on board two. His last was Thessaloniki 1988, where on board two he scored 8/10. In Olympiad play, Karpov lost only two games out of 68 played. This article or section should include material from Chess tournament history The Chess Olympiad is a chess event which has been officially organised by FIDE since 1927 and takes place every second year. ... Location of the city of Skopje (green) in Macedonia Country Macedonia Municipality Government  - Mayor Trifun Kostovski Area  - Total 1,854 km² (715. ... This article is about the French city. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... For other uses, see Lucerne (disambiguation). ... Location of Dubai in the UAE Coordinates: , Country Emirate Dubai Incorporated (town) June 9, 1833 Incorporated (emirate) December 2, 1971 Founder Maktoum bin Bati bin Suhail (1833) Seat Dubai Subdivisions Towns and villages Jebel Ali Hatta Al Hunaiwah Al Aweer Al Hajarain Al Lusayli Al Marqab Al Shindagha Al Faq... Thessaloniki or Salonica (Greek: ) is Greeces second-largest city and the capital of Macedonia, the largest Region of Greece. ...

To illustrate Karpov's dominance over his peers as champion, his score was +11 -2 =20 versus Spassky, +5 =12 versus Robert Hübner, +6 -1 =16 versus Ulf Andersson, +3 -1 =10 versus Vasily Smyslov, +1 =16 versus Mikhail Tal, +10 -2 =13 versus Ljubojevic. Doctor Robert Hübner (born November 6, 1948 in West Germany) is a respected German chess Grandmaster and papyrologist (recognised as an expert in Egyptian hieroglyphics). ... Ulf Andersson (born June 27, 1951 in VästerÃ¥s, Sweden) is a leading Swedish chess player. ... Vasily Vasiliyevich Smyslov (Russian: ) (born March 24, 1921, in Moscow) is a Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. ... Mikhail Tal (Latvian: ; Russian: , Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal, IPA: , sometimes transliterated Mihail Tal) (November 9, 1936–June 28, 1992) was a Soviet-Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion. ...

Karpov had cemented his position as the world's best player and world champion when Garry Kasparov arrived on the scene. In their first match, the World Chess Championship 1984, held in Moscow, Karpov quickly built a 4-0 lead, and needed only two more wins to keep his title. Instead, the next 17 games were drawn, and it took Karpov until Game 27 to finally win another game. In Game 31, Karpov had a winning position but failed to take advantage and settled for a draw. He lost the next game, but drew the next 14. In particular, Karpov held a solidly winning position in Game 41, but again blundered terribly and had to settle for a draw. After Kasparov won Games 47 and 48, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes controversially terminated the match, citing the health of the players. Karpov appeared to be in worse health, having lost 10 kg (22 lb) over the course of the match,^[4] and lost the last two games. The match, which had lasted an unprecedented five months, with five wins for Karpov, three for Kasparov, and a staggering forty draws. Garry Kasparov (Russian: ; Russian pronunciation: , Armenian: [1]) (born as Garri Kimovich Weinstein [2] on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ... Florencio Campomanes (born Manila, February 22, 1927) is a Filipino political scientist, chess player and chess organizer. ...

A rematch was set for later in 1985, also in Moscow. In a hard fight, Karpov had to win game 24 of the 1985 match to retain his title, but lost it and the title 11 to 13 (+3 -5 =16), ending his ten-year reign as champion.

Rivalry with Kasparov

Karpov remained a formidable opponent (and the world #2) until the early 1990s. He fought Kasparov in three more World Championship matches in 1986 (held in London and Leningrad), 1987 (held in Seville), and 1990 (held in New York City and Lyon). All three matches were extremely close: the scores were 11.5 to 12.5 (+4 -5 = 15), 12 to 12 (+4 -4 =16), and 11.5 to 12.5 (+3 -4 =17). In all three matches Karpov had winning chances up to the very last games. In particular, the 1987 Seville match featured an astonishing blunder by Kasparov in the 23rd game, and should have led to Karpov's reclaiming the title. Instead, in the final game, needing only a draw to win the title, Karpov cracked under pressure from the clock at the end of the first session of play, allowing Kasparov to adjourn the game a pawn up. After a further mistake in the second session, Karpov was slowly ground down and resigned on move 64, ending the match and allowing Kasparov to keep the title. This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Saint Petersburg (Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг, English transliteration: Sankt-Peterburg), colloquially known as Питер (transliterated Piter), formerly known as Leningrad (Ленингра́д, 1924–1991) and Petrograd (Петрогра́д, 1914–1924), is a city located in Northwestern Russia on the delta of the river Neva at the east end of the Gulf of Finland... For other uses, see Seville (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... This article is about the French city. ...

In their five world championship matches, Karpov has 19 wins, 21 losses, and 104 draws in 144 games.

Karpov is on record saying that had he had the opportunity to fight Fischer for the crown like Kasparov had the opportunity to fight him, he (Karpov) could have been a much better player as a result.

FIDE champion again

Karpov in 1996

It came as a surprise, then, that Karpov lost a Candidates Match against Nigel Short in 1992. But in 1993, Karpov reacquired the FIDE World Champion title when Kasparov and Short split from FIDE. Karpov defeated Jan Timman – the loser of the Candidates' final against Short. Once again he had become World Champion, and once again he did so controversially, only winning the title because of the absence of Kasparov and Short. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (980x867, 105 KB) [edit] Opis Anatoly Karpov, 1996 Source: de:Bild:Anatoli karpow. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (980x867, 105 KB) [edit] Opis Anatoly Karpov, 1996 Source: de:Bild:Anatoli karpow. ... Nigel Short MBE (born June 1, 1965 in Leigh, Lancashire) is widely regarded as the strongest British chess player of the 20th century. ... Jan Timman Jan Timman (born December 14, 1951) is a famous Dutch chessplayer who had his greatest successes in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

The next major meeting of Kasparov and Karpov was the 1994 Linares chess tournament. The field, in eventual finishing order, was Karpov, Kasparov, Shirov, Bareev, Kramnik, Lautier, Anand, Kamsky, Topalov, Ivanchuk, Gelfand, Illescas, Judit Polgar, and Beliavsky; with an average ELO rating of 2685, the highest ever to that point, meaning it was the first Category XVIII tournament ever held. Impressed by the strength of the tournament, Kasparov had said several days before the tournament that the winner could rightfully be called the world champion of tournaments. Perhaps spurred on by this comment, Karpov played the best tournament of his life. He was undefeated and earned 11 points out of 13 possible (the best world-class tournament winning percentage since Alekhine won San Remo in 1930), dominating second-place Kasparov and Shirov by a huge 2.5 points. Many of his wins were spectacular (in particular, his win over Topalov is considered possibly the finest of his career). This performance against the best players in the world put his ELO rating tournament performance at 2985, the highest performance rating of any chess player in any tournament in all of chess history. The annual Linares chess tournament, usually played around the end of February, takes its name from the city of Linares in the Jaén province of Andalusia, Spain, in which it is held. ... Garry Kasparov (Russian: ; Russian pronunciation: , Armenian: [1]) (born as Garri Kimovich Weinstein [2] on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ... Alexei Shirov Alexei Shirov (Aleksejs Širovs, Алексе́й Широв) (born July 4, 1972 in Riga, Latvia), is one of the top chess grandmasters in the world today. ... Evgeny Bareev (b. ... Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (Russian: ) (born June 25, 1975) is a Russian chess grandmaster and the World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2007. ... Joel Lautier (born 12 April 1973) is a French chess grandmaster. ... This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. ... Gata Kamsky (Tatar:Ğataulla Kamski) (born June 2, 1974) is an American chess grandmaster. ... Veselin Topalov (IPA: ; Bulgarian: ) (born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and former FIDE world champion. ... Vassily Ivanchuk (Васи́лий Ива́нчук), born March 18, 1969 in Berejiany, Ukraine, is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. ... Boris Gelfand (born 24 June 1968) is a chess grandmaster. ... Miguel Illescas Córdoba (born December 3, 1965 in Barcelona) is a prominent Spanish grandmaster of chess. ... Judit Polgár (born July 23, 1976) is a Hungarian chess player. ... A. Beliavsky, at 35th chess olympiad Bled 2002 Alexander Beliavsky (born December 17, 1953) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. ... Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ... Chess Go The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess and Go. ...

Karpov defended his FIDE title against Gata Kamsky (+6 -3 =9) in 1996. However, in 1998, FIDE largely scrapped the old system of Candidates' Matches, instead having a large knock-out event in which a large number of players contested short matches against each other over just a few weeks. In the first of these events, champion Karpov was seeded straight into the final, defeating Viswanathan Anand (+4 -2 =2). But subsequently the champion had to qualify like other players. Karpov resigned his title in anger at the new rules in 1999. Gata Kamsky (Tatar:Äžataulla Kamski) (born June 2, 1974) is an American chess grandmaster. ... This article uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. ...

Towards retirement?

Karpov's outstanding classical tournament play has been seriously limited since 1995, since he prefers to be more involved in politics of his home country of Russia. He had been a member of the Supreme Soviet Commission for Foreign Affairs and the President of the Soviet Peace Fund before the Soviet Union broke up. In addition, he had been involved in several disputes with FIDE and became increasingly disillusioned with chess. In the April 2008 FIDE rating list, he is 66th in the world with an ELO rating of 2655. The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ...

Karpov usually limits his play to exhibition events, and has revamped his style to specialize in rapid chess. In 2002 he won a match against Kasparov, defeating him in a rapid time control match 2.5-1.5. In 2006, he tied for first with Kasparov in a blitz tournament, ahead of Korchnoi and Judit Polgar.^[5] Judit Polgár (born July 23, 1976) is a Hungarian chess player. ...

Style

Karpov's "boa constrictor" playing style is solidly positional,^[6] taking no risks but reacting mercilessly to any tiny errors made by his opponents. As a result, he is often compared to his idol, the famous José Raúl Capablanca, the third World Champion. Karpov himself describes his style as follows: "Let us say the game may be continued in two ways: one of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculation; the other is clear positional pressure that leads to an endgame with microscopic chances of victory.... I would choose the latter without thinking twice. If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic." José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (November 19, 1888 – March 8, 1942) was a Cuban world-class chess player in the early to mid-twentieth century. ...

Notable games

• Viktor Korchnoi vs Anatoli Karpov, Moscow 1973 Karpov sacrifices a Pawn for a strong center and Queen-side attack. In the final position Karpov can win White's Queen by 41 ... Ne3, and then would soon win at least one of White's minor pieces.
• Anatoly Karpov vs Viktor Korchnoi, Candidates' Tournament Final, Moscow 1974, game 2 Karpov sacrifices 2 Pawns for a King-side attack.
• Anatoly Karpov vs Gyula Sax, Linares 1983 Karpov sacrifices for an attack that wins the game 20 moves later, after another spectacular sacrifice from Karpov and counter-sacrifice from Sax. Of course it won the tournament's 1st brilliancy prize! This was not the first time Karpov used the wild-looking Keres Attack (6 g4) - see his win in Anatoli Karpov vs Vlastimil Hort, Alekhine Memorial Tournament, Moscow 1971

In the game of chess, a sacrifice is the deliberate giving up of a chess piece by a player, allowing or even forcing the opponent to capture it. ... This page explains commonly used terms in chess in alphabetical order. ... Paul Keres Paul Keres (born January 7, 1916, in Narva, Estonia; died June 5, 1975, in Helsinki, Finland) was an Estonian chess grandmaster and one of the strongest chess players of all time, apart from the World chess champions. ...

Notes

Grandmaster Susan Polgar (born April 19, 1969, as Zsuzsanna Zsuzsa Polgár (nee Polgar Zsuzsanna)) is a Hungarian-born American chess player. ... Lubomir (Lubosh) Kavalek is a noted Czech-American chess player. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Books

• Elista Diaries: Karpov-Kamsky, Karpov-Anand, Anand Mexico City 2007 World Chess Championship Matches (with Ron Henley) ISBN 0-923891-97-8

Ron Henley (b. ...

Further reading

• World chess champions by Edward G. Winter, editor. 1981 ISBN 0-08-024094-1
• The World's Great Chess Games by Reuben Fine, Dover; 1983. ISBN 0-486-24512-8
• Anatoly Karpov's Best Games by Anatoly Karpov, Batsford; 2003. ISBN 0-7134-7843-8
• Karpov on Karpov: A Memoirs of a Chess World Champion by Anatoly Karpov, Simon & Schuster; 1992. ISBN 0-689-12060-5
• Curse of Kirsan: Adventures in the Chess Underworld by Sarah Hurst, Russell Enterprises, 2002.
• Karolyi, Tibor & Aplin, Nick (2007), Endgame Virtuoso Anatoly Karpov, New In Chess, ISBN 978-90-5691-202-4 
• Kasparov, Garry (2006), My Great Predecessors, part V, Everyman Chess, ISBN 1-85744-404-3 

Edward Winter is a noted journalist and author about chess. ... Reuben Fine (October 11, 1914 â€“ March 26, 1993) was one of the best chess players in the world from the mid 1930s through the early 1940s, an International Grandmaster, as well as a chess author, psychologist, and psychology author. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ... New In Chess is a chess magazine that appears eight times a year with chief editors International Grandmaster Jan Timman and Dirk Jan Ten Geuzendam. ... Garry Kasparov (Russian: ; Russian pronunciation: , Armenian: [1]) (born as Garri Kimovich Weinstein [2] on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR; now Azerbaijan) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer and political activist. ...

External links

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Anatoly Karpov

• Karpov's official homepage in Russian.
• FIDE rating card for Anatoly Karpov
• Anatoly Karpov at ChessGames.com