World Chess Championship 1984–1985
 
Defending champion
Challenger
 
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
  Soviet Union Anatoly Karpov Soviet Union Garry Kasparov
 
5*Scores3*
  Born 23 May 1951
33 years old
Born 13 April 1963
21 years old
  Winner of the 1981 World Chess Championship Winner of the 1983 Candidates Tournament
  Rating: 2700
(World No. 2)
Rating: 2710
(World No. 1)

A Soviet stamp dedicated to the World Chess Championship 1984

The World Chess Championship 1984–1985 was a match between challenger Garry Kasparov and defending champion Anatoly Karpov in Moscow from 10 September 1984 to 15 February 1985 for the World Chess Championship title. After 5 months and 48 games, the match was abandoned in controversial circumstances with Karpov leading 5 wins to 3 (with 40 draws), and replayed in the World Chess Championship 1985.

1982 Interzonals

Three Interzonal tournaments were held. The top two finishers in each qualified. Zoltán Ribli won the Las Palmas Interzonal ahead of 61-year-old former World Champion Vasily Smyslov.[1] Kasparov, aged 19 years old at the time, won the Moscow Interzonal by a convincing 1½ point margin ahead of Alexander Beliavsky.[2] The Toluca Interzonal was won jointly by Lajos Portisch and Eugenio Torre.[3]

July 1982 Interzonal, Las Palmas
Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break
1 Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)25801½1½½1½½½½11½9
2 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)2565010½½½½111½11
3 Mihai Suba (Romania)2525½00½111½11½108
4 Vladimir Tukmakov (Soviet Union)25550111½½01½0½½148.00
5 Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)2605½½½01½½½1½1½½47.00
6 Jan Timman (Netherlands)2600½½0½0½11½0½½139.25
7 Bent Larsen (Denmark)25950½0½½½00½111137.50
8 József Pintér (Hungary)2550½½01½010½½½½½639.25
9 Jonathan Mestel (England)2540½0½0½01101½01636.00
10 Lev Psakhis (Soviet Union)2615½00½0½½½1½½½1635.00
11 Lars Karlsson (Sweden)2505½001½10½0½½½½35.25
12 Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)23600½½½0½0½½½½½132.75
13 Jaime Sunye Neto (Brazil)2500000½½½0½1½½½131.25
14 Walter Browne (United States)2590½010½00½00½003
September 1982 Interzonal, Moscow
Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break
1 Garry Kasparov (Soviet Union)2675½½½½½1111111½10
2 Alexander Beliavsky (Soviet Union)2620½1½11001101½1
3 Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)2610½0½½½1½½11½1½848.00
4 Ulf Andersson (Sweden)2610½½½0½1½½½11½1847.50
5 Efim Geller (Soviet Union)2565½0½1½½011½½1½46.50
6 Guillermo Garcia Gonzales (Cuba)2500½0½½½11011½0145.25
7 Jacob Murey (Israel)25000100½01½½½½11
8 Gyula Sax (Hungary)256001½½100½½0½½1637.50
9 Larry Christiansen (United States)250500½½01½½0½½11634.25
10 Dragoljub Velimirović (Yugoslavia)2495000½00½½1½11½
11 John van der Wiel (Netherlands)25200100½0½1½½½0½531.25
12 Florin Gheorghiu (Romania)253500½0½½½½½0½1½529.25
13 Ruben Rodríguez (Philippines)24150½0½010½00101
14 Miguel Quinteros (Argentina)2520½0½0½0000½½½03

Tal and Andersson contested a playoff in Malmö for a reserve spot for the Candidates Tournament. The match ended 3–3; Tal became first reserve because of his better tie break score in the main event, but eventually no reserves were needed.

1982 Interzonal, Toluca
Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break
1 Lajos Portisch (Hungary)2625½1½0½0111½11½51.75
2 Eugenio Torre (Philippines)2535½½0½11½½½1½1151.00
3 Boris Spassky (France)26100½½½½½½½111½18
4 Igor Ivanov (Canada)2505½1½½½½½½½1½0148.00
5 Artur Yusupov (Soviet Union)25551½½½½½½½0½1½146.00
6 Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)2610½0½½½1½½½½½1144.50
7 Yasser Seirawan (United States)259510½½½0011½½1144.25
8 John Nunn (England)25650½½½½½1½½½½½17
9 Yuri Balashov (Soviet Union)25550½½½½½0½101½138.00
10 András Adorján (Hungary)25100½0½1½0½01½1136.75
11 Krunoslav Hulak (Yugoslavia)2495½000½½½½10½½1
12 Jorge Rubinetti (Argentina)24150½0½0½½½0½½½0427.00
13 Amador Rodríguez Céspedes (Cuba)248000½1½00½½0½½0426.75
14 Bachar Kouatly (Lebanon)2440½000000000011

1983–1984 Candidates tournament

The six Interzonal qualifiers were joined by Viktor Korchnoi and Robert Hübner, the Candidates finalists from the previous cycle (World Chess Championship 1981). The eight players participated in a series of knockout matches. The winner was Garry Kasparov.[4]

The Smyslov–Hübner match was originally tied at 5–5. After playing four extra games without breaking the tie, the match was resolved by a spin of the roulette wheel. Funnily enough, the ball went into the zero on the first spin, before deciding in favor of Smyslov.[5]

Controversies

Politics threatened Kasparov's semi-final match against Viktor Korchnoi, which was scheduled to be played in Pasadena, California. Korchnoi had defected from the Soviet Union in 1976, and was at that time the strongest active non-Soviet player. Various political manoeuvres prevented Kasparov from playing Korchnoi in the United States, and Kasparov forfeited the match. This was resolved when Korchnoi agreed for the match to be replayed in London, along with the Vasily Smyslov vs. Zoltán Ribli match. The Korchnoi–Kasparov match was put together on short notice by Raymond Keene. Kasparov lost the first game, but subsequently won four, prevailing in the match with a total score of 7–4.

1984–1985 Championship match

World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 1-24
Rating123456789101112131415161718192021222324
Soviet Union Anatoly Karpov2700 ½½1½½11½1½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½
Soviet Union Garry Kasparov2710 ½½0½½00½0½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½
World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 25-48
Rating252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748WinsTotal
Soviet Union Anatoly Karpov2700 ½½1½½½½0½½½½½½½½½½½½½½00525
Soviet Union Garry Kasparov2710 ½½0½½½½1½½½½½½½½½½½½½½11323


The championship match between Karpov and Kasparov had many ups and downs, and a very controversial finish. Karpov started in very good form, and after nine games Kasparov was down 4–0 in a "first to six wins" match. Fellow players predicted he would be whitewashed 6–0 within 18 games.

But Kasparov dug in and battled Karpov to 17 successive draws. He lost game 27, then fought back with another series of draws until game 32, his first-ever win against the World Champion. Another 14 successive draws followed, through game 46. The previous record length for a world title match had been 34 games, the 1927 match between José Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine, which also followed the "first to 6 wins" format. Games 47 and 48 were both won by the challenger, making the score 5–3 in favor of Karpov and the eventual outcome far less certain.

Then the match was ended without result by Florencio Campomanes, the President of the World Chess Federation, and a new match was announced to start a few months later. The termination was controversial, as both players stated that they preferred the match to continue. Announcing his decision at a press conference, Campomanes cited the health of the players, which had been strained by the length of the match (5 months: 10 September 1984 to 8 February 1985).

The restarted match (the World Chess Championship 1985) was best of 24, with the champion (Karpov) to retain his title if the match was tied 12–12. Because Karpov's two-point lead from the 1984 match was wiped out, Karpov was granted the right of a return match (the World Chess Championship 1986) if he lost.

The 1984 match became the first, and so far only, world championship match to be abandoned without result. Karpov would later say that, if he had won this match 6-0, Kasparov would never have become world champion, because he was too emotional.[6][7] On the other hand, Raymond Keene felt that Kasparov showed "an astonishing buoyancy and resilience of spirit".[8]

Notes

  1. World Chess Championship : 1982-84 cycle : 1982 Las Palmas Interzonal Archived 20 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2016.
  2. World Chess Championship : 1982-84 cycle : 1982 Moscow Interzonal Archived 11 March 2000 at the Wayback Machine. Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2016.
  3. World Chess Championship : 1982-84 cycle : 1982 Toluca Interzonal Archived 6 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Mark-weeks.com. Retrieved on 1 July 2016.
  4. "World Chess Championship : 1982-84 cycle : Candidates Matches". Mark-weeks.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  5. Byrne, Robert (9 May 1983). "Chess; Should Chance Decide the Outcome of a Match?". New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  6. "Karpov on Fischer, Korchnoi, Kasparov and the chess world today". Chessbase. 5 February 2020. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. "Karpov at 70: "My great blunder was I agreed to hold the match with Kasparov in the Soviet Union"". Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  8. "The Centenary Match Kasparov–Karpov III", Raymond Keene and David Goodman, Batsford Books, 1986, p.20-21

References

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