World Chess Championship 1985
Encyclopedia
The 1985 World Chess Championship
was played between Anatoly Karpov
and Garry Kasparov
in Moscow
from September 3 to November 9, 1985. Kasparov won, to become the thirteenth and youngest world champion at the age of 22.
in isolation, following as it did only 7 months after the highly controversial finish of the 1984 championship
between the same players. On 8 February 1985, after 48 games had been contested over 5 months, the 1984 championship was abandoned with no result, becoming the first, and thus far only, chess world championship to finish in this way.
Politics
gave another angle to the Kasparov-Karpov encounters. Due to the changing political climate in Russia at the time, the matches were often depicted as a clash of ideologies, between "new Russia" represented by Kasparov and Mikhail Gorbachev
and "old Russia" represented by Karpov and Communists such as Leonid Brezhnev
.
The match was also of particular importance due to the playing strength of the two competitors. Kasparov is now generally recognised as the greatest chess player of all time, whilst Karpov has a reasonable claim to be in the top 5.
of 2720. Kasparov was close behind, with a rating of 2700. There was a large difference in age between the two players, with Karpov (34) the older by 12 years.
Between the end of the 1984 match and the start of the 1985 match, Kasparov played matches against Robert Hubner
in Germany, winning three games and drawing
three, and against Ulf Andersson
in Sweden, winning two games and drawing four.
Karpov also showed that he was still in good form, when he played in and won the 1985 OHRA tournament in Amsterdam
, without losing a game.
As with previous World Chess Championships, each of the contestants employed other chess players as "seconds" to help with preparation and analysis of adjourned games. Karpov's seconds were Grandmasters Sergei Makarichev
and Igor Zaitsev
. Other assistance was provided by Efim Geller
and Evgeni Vasiukov
. Kasparov's seconds were Grandmaster Josif Dorfman
and Alexander Nikitin
with Gennadij Timoscenko and Evgeny Vladimirov
also helping.
in July 1985 that the re-arranged championship would be of fixed length, played as the best of 24 games. If the match had ended at a 12-12 draw, Karpov would have retained his title. As Karpov had been leading the 1984 championships, he was also granted an automatic rematch if he lost.
The playing regulations were that 40 moves should be made by each player in 2 hours 30 minutes, with games being adjourned to the following day after 40 moves were completed.
Kasparov's preferred venue was Leningrad
and bids for the match had been received from London
and Marseille
. In the end, with the backing of the Soviet Chess Federation, FIDE selected Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as the venue for the match.
The opening ceremony was held on 2 September, at which the draw for colours was made and won by Kasparov. This meant that he took the white pieces in Game 1, which started on 3 September 1985.
Kasparov won the game in 42 moves, meaning that he had won three consecutive championship games against Karpov (this game and the last two of the abandoned match). This was the first time that Karpov had ever lost three match games in a row.
Karpov took White in game 2, which was drawn in 65 moves. Kasparov's analysis suggests that he could have won the game.
Game 4 was won by Karpov as White in 63 moves. Kasparov noted that '"the entire plan [after Black's 21st move] was put into practice by Karpov extremely strongly and consistently"'
In game 5, Kasparov played with the white pieces and made a number of mistakes before Karpov won in 41 moves. This meant that Karpov had moved from a one-point deficit to a one-point lead in just three days.
Kasparov resolved at this stage "to play as resolutely as possible" and "to go in for a complicated struggle in order to regain the match initiative and if possible wear out my opponent"
Kasparov reports speaking to grandmaster Andras Adorjan
after game 10, lamenting the opportunities he felt he had missed in games 7, 9 and 10. Adorjan stated 'The main thing is not the score, but the trend, which, in my opinion is favourable'. Adorjan's statement came true in game 11, which was won by Kasparov in just 25 moves, following an oversight by Karpov on move 22.
Games 12, 13 and 15 were all drawn quickly. Game 14 also ended in a draw after forceful and accurate play on both sides. Kasparov later rated game 14 as "perhaps the 'cleanest' game of the match".
So the scores after 15 games were level at 7½ - 7½, and the match was already past the halfway point.
Kasparov's positioning of a knight deep in his opponent's position as early as move 16 (see first diagram) was spectacular and ultimately decisive. The knight remained in place until move 34, when Karpov was forced to sacrifice
his queen
to remove it.
Chess Informant
readers selected this game as the best game of the first 64 issues. The game was used in season 3 of the television program Lost
, where John Locke
beats a computer at chess.
The game progressed as follows (notes based on Kasparov's analysis):
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Be2 Bc5
This move is no longer played at the top level as it was found shortly after the game that White can play 12.Be3 Bxe3 13 Qa4+ retaining the extra pawn without the difficulties encountered in this game.
12.O-O O-O 13.Bf3 Bf5
After 13 Bg5 Nbxd5 14 Nxd5 Qxd5 15 Bxf6 Qxd1 16 Rxfd1 gxf6, Black should draw easily. Kasparov commented that he thought that Karpov felt obliged to play for the win in this position.
14.Bg5 Re8 15.Qd2 b5 16.Rad1 Nd3
(see diagram) The "octopus knight" begins to dominate White's position.
17.Nab1
Karpov could have played more actively here. 17. d6 would have been better, although Black's position is still superior after 17. ... Qxd6 18. Bxa8 Rxa8.
17. ... h6 18.Bh4 b4 19.Na4 Bd6
Kasparov said that he had reached this position in his home preparation: "A position for which I had aimed in my preparatory analysis! Black has achieved obvious advantage. White scattered his minor pieces about on either flank and are quite unable to coordinate, the placement of the knights being particularly depressing. But Black has the wonderful duo of Bf5 and Nd3 which completely paralyzes all three White major pieces - a very rare occurrence in a practical game!"
20.Bg3 Rc8 21.b3 g5 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.g3 Nd7 24.Bg2 Qf6 25.a3 a5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qa2 Bg6 28.d6 g4 29.Qd2 Kg7 30.f3
Kasparov has slowly been building up the pressure on Karpov's position, and Karpov finally decides to try to break out.
30. ... Qxd6 31.fxg4 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Nf6 33.Rf4 Ne4 34.Qxd3
The knight is finally taken from d3, but it costs Karpov his queen.
34. ... Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Bxd3 36.Rfd2 Qe3 37.Rxd3
Karpov now has three pieces for the queen (normally a reasonable exchange) but his pieces are not sufficiently co-ordinated to counter Kasparov's attack.
37. ... Rc1 38.Nb2 Qf2 39.Nd2 Rxd1+ 40.Nxd1 Re1+ White resigns 0-1 (see second diagram)
In Game 20, Karpov fought hard to force a victory, but was unable to win the game, and a draw was agreed after 85 moves. Game 21 also ended in a draw, this time with Kasparov generally in the ascendancy for the majority of the game.
In Game 22, Kasparov made a serious mistake from a good position, and lost the game after further mistakes from both sides.
Game 23 ended in a draw, leaving Kasparov on 12 points against Karpov's 11. Karpov needed to win with the white pieces to retain the title.
Karpov began a direct attack on Kasparov's king as early as move 15, and had chances to build up a strong attack. Kasparov defended strongly and seized a chance to launch a counterattack. Under pressure from the clock, Karpov made a decisive error on move 36. Karpov resigned on move 42 to leave the final score at 13-11 to Kasparov, the new World Champion.
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
was played between Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
and Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from September 3 to November 9, 1985. Kasparov won, to become the thirteenth and youngest world champion at the age of 22.
Background
It is difficult to view the 1985 World Chess ChampionshipWorld Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
in isolation, following as it did only 7 months after the highly controversial finish of the 1984 championship
World Chess Championship 1984
The World Chess Championship 1984 was a match between challenger Garry Kasparov and defending champion Anatoly Karpov for the World Chess Championship title...
between the same players. On 8 February 1985, after 48 games had been contested over 5 months, the 1984 championship was abandoned with no result, becoming the first, and thus far only, chess world championship to finish in this way.
Politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
gave another angle to the Kasparov-Karpov encounters. Due to the changing political climate in Russia at the time, the matches were often depicted as a clash of ideologies, between "new Russia" represented by Kasparov and Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and "old Russia" represented by Karpov and Communists such as Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...
.
The match was also of particular importance due to the playing strength of the two competitors. Kasparov is now generally recognised as the greatest chess player of all time, whilst Karpov has a reasonable claim to be in the top 5.
The players
At the time of the match, Karpov was the higher rated of the two players, with a ratingElo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
of 2720. Kasparov was close behind, with a rating of 2700. There was a large difference in age between the two players, with Karpov (34) the older by 12 years.
Between the end of the 1984 match and the start of the 1985 match, Kasparov played matches against Robert Hubner
Robert Hübner
Robert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship...
in Germany, winning three games and drawing
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
three, and against Ulf Andersson
Ulf Andersson
Ulf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:...
in Sweden, winning two games and drawing four.
Karpov also showed that he was still in good form, when he played in and won the 1985 OHRA tournament in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, without losing a game.
As with previous World Chess Championships, each of the contestants employed other chess players as "seconds" to help with preparation and analysis of adjourned games. Karpov's seconds were Grandmasters Sergei Makarichev
Sergei Makarichev
Sergei Yuryevic Makarichev is a Russian chess player, who gained the Grandmaster title in 1976.-Background:Makarichev gained the title of International Master in 1974 and became a Grandmaster in 1976....
and Igor Zaitsev
Igor Zaitsev
Igor Arkadyevich Zaitsev is a Russian grandmaster of chess. He is of Armenian descent.-Early life and family:He was born in Ramenskoe, a town outside Moscow...
. Other assistance was provided by Efim Geller
Efim Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
and Evgeni Vasiukov
Evgeni Vasiukov
Evgeni Andreyevich Vasiukov is a Russian chess Grandmaster. During his career, he won the Championship of Moscow on six occasions and scored many victories in international tournaments, such as Belgrade Open 1961, Moscow International 1961, East Berlin 1962, and Manila 1974...
. Kasparov's seconds were Grandmaster Josif Dorfman
Josif Dorfman
Josif Davidovich Dorfman is a Soviet-French chess Grandmaster, coach, and chess writer.-Tournament results:...
and Alexander Nikitin
Alexander Nikitin
Aleksander Nikitin, a Russian former submarine officer and nuclear safety inspector turned environmentalist, started to co-operate with Norwegian environmental Bellona Foundation in 1994. He was arrested in February 1996 by Russian FSB and charged with treason through espionage for his...
with Gennadij Timoscenko and Evgeny Vladimirov
Evgeny Vladimirov
Evgeny Vladimirov is a chess Grandmaster from Kazakhstan. Vladimirov took on the computer program Hydra in August 2004 and lost three games and drew one....
also helping.
The match
The 1985 championships represented a restart of the abandoned match. Due to the extreme duration of the previous match, FIDE agreed at a meeting in TunisiaTunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
in July 1985 that the re-arranged championship would be of fixed length, played as the best of 24 games. If the match had ended at a 12-12 draw, Karpov would have retained his title. As Karpov had been leading the 1984 championships, he was also granted an automatic rematch if he lost.
The playing regulations were that 40 moves should be made by each player in 2 hours 30 minutes, with games being adjourned to the following day after 40 moves were completed.
Kasparov's preferred venue was Leningrad
Leningrad
Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...
and bids for the match had been received from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. In the end, with the backing of the Soviet Chess Federation, FIDE selected Moscow's Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as the venue for the match.
The opening ceremony was held on 2 September, at which the draw for colours was made and won by Kasparov. This meant that he took the white pieces in Game 1, which started on 3 September 1985.
The games
Game 1 and 2 - Karpov "stunned"
In Kasparov's own words, his choice of opening for game 1 "stunned" Karpov, as the position after only 4 moves was one that had not appeared in any of their previous games. Indeed, the position after move 5 had never previously appeared in any game that Karpov had played, and Karpov's first five moves took him 50 minutes to play.Kasparov won the game in 42 moves, meaning that he had won three consecutive championship games against Karpov (this game and the last two of the abandoned match). This was the first time that Karpov had ever lost three match games in a row.
Karpov took White in game 2, which was drawn in 65 moves. Kasparov's analysis suggests that he could have won the game.
Games 3 to 5 - Karpov turns the tables
Game 3 was again drawn, this time in only 20 moves with few chances for either side.Game 4 was won by Karpov as White in 63 moves. Kasparov noted that '"the entire plan [after Black's 21st move] was put into practice by Karpov extremely strongly and consistently"'
In game 5, Kasparov played with the white pieces and made a number of mistakes before Karpov won in 41 moves. This meant that Karpov had moved from a one-point deficit to a one-point lead in just three days.
Kasparov resolved at this stage "to play as resolutely as possible" and "to go in for a complicated struggle in order to regain the match initiative and if possible wear out my opponent"
Games 6 to 15 - Kasparov equalises
After such a flurry of excitement, it is perhaps understandable that the players regrouped in the following game, which was a short 27 move draw. The following four games also ended in draws, with Karpov having slightly the worse of at least two games, but with Kasparov unable to force a victory.Kasparov reports speaking to grandmaster Andras Adorjan
Andras Adorjan
András Adorján is a Hungarian author and Grandmaster of chess , born in Budapest. He adopted his mother's surname Adorján in 1968....
after game 10, lamenting the opportunities he felt he had missed in games 7, 9 and 10. Adorjan stated 'The main thing is not the score, but the trend, which, in my opinion is favourable'. Adorjan's statement came true in game 11, which was won by Kasparov in just 25 moves, following an oversight by Karpov on move 22.
Games 12, 13 and 15 were all drawn quickly. Game 14 also ended in a draw after forceful and accurate play on both sides. Kasparov later rated game 14 as "perhaps the 'cleanest' game of the match".
So the scores after 15 games were level at 7½ - 7½, and the match was already past the halfway point.
Game 16 - Kasparov's masterpiece
The first 10 moves of game 16 were identical to those from game 12. Karpov was the first to deviate, but Kasparov had analysed the position deeply in his preparation before the match, and was able to take the initiative, despite playing with the black pieces.Kasparov's positioning of a knight deep in his opponent's position as early as move 16 (see first diagram) was spectacular and ultimately decisive. The knight remained in place until move 34, when Karpov was forced to sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
his queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
to remove it.
Chess Informant
Chess Informant
Chess Informant is a publishing company from Belgrade that periodically produces a book of the same name, as well as the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings, Encyclopaedia of Chess Endings, Opening Monographs, other print publications, and software Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator) is a...
readers selected this game as the best game of the first 64 issues. The game was used in season 3 of the television program Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, where John Locke
John Locke (Lost)
John Locke is a fictional character played by Terry O'Quinn on the ABC television series Lost. He is named after English philosopher John Locke...
beats a computer at chess.
The game progressed as follows (notes based on Kasparov's analysis):
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nb5 d6 6.c4 Nf6 7.N1c3 a6 8.Na3 d5 9.cxd5 exd5 10.exd5 Nb4 11.Be2 Bc5
This move is no longer played at the top level as it was found shortly after the game that White can play 12.Be3 Bxe3 13 Qa4+ retaining the extra pawn without the difficulties encountered in this game.
12.O-O O-O 13.Bf3 Bf5
After 13 Bg5 Nbxd5 14 Nxd5 Qxd5 15 Bxf6 Qxd1 16 Rxfd1 gxf6, Black should draw easily. Kasparov commented that he thought that Karpov felt obliged to play for the win in this position.
14.Bg5 Re8 15.Qd2 b5 16.Rad1 Nd3
(see diagram) The "octopus knight" begins to dominate White's position.
17.Nab1
Karpov could have played more actively here. 17. d6 would have been better, although Black's position is still superior after 17. ... Qxd6 18. Bxa8 Rxa8.
17. ... h6 18.Bh4 b4 19.Na4 Bd6
Kasparov said that he had reached this position in his home preparation: "A position for which I had aimed in my preparatory analysis! Black has achieved obvious advantage. White scattered his minor pieces about on either flank and are quite unable to coordinate, the placement of the knights being particularly depressing. But Black has the wonderful duo of Bf5 and Nd3 which completely paralyzes all three White major pieces - a very rare occurrence in a practical game!"
20.Bg3 Rc8 21.b3 g5 22.Bxd6 Qxd6 23.g3 Nd7 24.Bg2 Qf6 25.a3 a5 26.axb4 axb4 27.Qa2 Bg6 28.d6 g4 29.Qd2 Kg7 30.f3
Kasparov has slowly been building up the pressure on Karpov's position, and Karpov finally decides to try to break out.
30. ... Qxd6 31.fxg4 Qd4+ 32.Kh1 Nf6 33.Rf4 Ne4 34.Qxd3
The knight is finally taken from d3, but it costs Karpov his queen.
34. ... Nf2+ 35.Rxf2 Bxd3 36.Rfd2 Qe3 37.Rxd3
Karpov now has three pieces for the queen (normally a reasonable exchange) but his pieces are not sufficiently co-ordinated to counter Kasparov's attack.
37. ... Rc1 38.Nb2 Qf2 39.Nd2 Rxd1+ 40.Nxd1 Re1+ White resigns 0-1 (see second diagram)
Games 17 to 23 - Honours even
Games 17 and 18 were short draws. In game 19 Karpov, with the black pieces, adopted an unusual opening strategy which eventually backfired on him. Kasparov won the game in 42 moves, to extend his lead to 2 points. With Kasparov now needing only four draws from five games to become World Champion, Karpov needed to start winning games.In Game 20, Karpov fought hard to force a victory, but was unable to win the game, and a draw was agreed after 85 moves. Game 21 also ended in a draw, this time with Kasparov generally in the ascendancy for the majority of the game.
In Game 22, Kasparov made a serious mistake from a good position, and lost the game after further mistakes from both sides.
Game 23 ended in a draw, leaving Kasparov on 12 points against Karpov's 11. Karpov needed to win with the white pieces to retain the title.
Game 24 - Karpov's must-win game
Kasparov called game 24 the "game of his life" and has stated that working out the strategy for this encounter was difficult for him. His playing style did not lend itself to playing for a draw, so he decided to accept an open battle, with chances on both sides.Karpov began a direct attack on Kasparov's king as early as move 15, and had chances to build up a strong attack. Kasparov defended strongly and seized a chance to launch a counterattack. Under pressure from the clock, Karpov made a decisive error on move 36. Karpov resigned on move 42 to leave the final score at 13-11 to Kasparov, the new World Champion.
Results
The match was played as the best of 24 games. If it ended 12-12, Karpov would retain his title.| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 13 | |
| 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 11 |
External links
- 1985 World Chess Championship at the Internet Archive record of Graeme Cree's Chess Pages