WCC Overview

1886 - Steinitz-Zukertort World Championship Match 1889 - Steinitz-Chigorin World Championship Match 1890 - Steinitz-Gunsberg World Championship Match 1892 - Steinitz-Chigorin World Championship Rematch 1894 - Lasker-Steinitz World Championship 1896 - Lasker-Steinitz World Championship Rematch 1907 - Lasker-Marshall World Championship Match 1908 - Lasker-Tarrasch World Championship Match 1910 - Lasker-Schlechter World Championship Match 1910 - Lasker-Janowski World Championship Match 1921 - Lasker-Capablanca World Championship Match 1927 - Capablanca-Alekhine World Championship Match 1929 - Alekhine-Bogoljubov World Championship Match 1934 - Alekhine-Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch 1935 - Alekhine-Euwe World Championship Match 1937 - Euwe-Alekhine World Championship Rematch 1948 - FIDE World Championship Tournament 1951 - Botvinnik-Bronstein World Championship Match 1954 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Match 1957 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Return Match 1958 - Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship Rematch 1960 - Tal-Botvinnik World Championship Match 1961 - Tal-Botvinnik World Championship Return Match 1963 - Petrosian-Botvinnik World Championship Match 1966 - Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Match 1969 - Petrosian-Spassky World Championship Rematch 1972 - Fischer-Spassky World Championship Match 1975 - Karpov-Fischer World Championship Match 1978 - Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Match 1981 - Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Rematch 1984 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1985 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1986 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Rematch 1987 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1990 - Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match 1993 - Karpov-Timman FIDE World Championship † 1993 - Kasparov-Short World Championship Match 1995 - Kasparov-Anand World Championship Match 1996 - Karpov-Kamsky FIDE World Championship † 1998 - Karpov-Anand World Championship Match † 1999 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2000 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2000 - Kasparov-Kramnik World Championship Match 2001 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2004 - FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament † 2004 - Kramnik-Leko World Championship Match 2005 - FIDE World Championship Tournament † 2006 - Kramnik-Topalov World Championship Match 2007 - FIDE World Championship Tournament 2008 - Anand-Kramnik World Championship Match

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Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990 New York and Lyons The 1990 WCC match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov was held from October 8 to December 30. The match locale was split, with the first 12 games played in New York, USA, and the final 12 in Lyons, France. The prize fund was three million dollars, with 5/8 going to the winner. In case of a tie, the prize fund would be shared equally with Kasparov retaining the title. Unlike the 1987 WCC cycle in which Karpov was seeded directly into the final candidate match, this time he was only reserved a spot in the quarter finals, and thus had to win three mini-matches in order to face Kasparov. This he accomplished by defeating Johan Hjartason 3½ to 1½, Artur Yusupov 4½ to 3½ and Jan Timman 6½ to 2½. Perhaps as a psychological ploy, Karpov suggested a last minute change to the rules in the pre-match press conference. Karpov argued that since the results of their last two matches had been so close, that they should continue play, should they become locked in a 12-12 tie. Kasparov received this suggestion with a look of incredulity. "Mr. Karpov is the challenger," he said, "and he must win the match."1 Leaving New York, the score was tied 6-6 (with one win apiece), but Kasparov turned up the heat in France. The New York Times reported: Chess experts said Mr. Kasparov had lost confidence and grown nervous in New York after he had squandered the early lead in some games when he moved too fast to put his opponent away. Mr. Kasparov picked up steam, however, in Lyons. The match was tied at 8½ points each after 17 games, but Mr. Kasparov left his opponent almost hopelessly behind by winning the 18th and 20th games.2 With a final score of 12½ to 11½, Garry Kasparov retained the title of World Chess Champion. click on a game number to replay game 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Kasparov ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ Karpov ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ FINAL SCORE:  Kasparov 12½;  Karpov 11½ Reference: game collection Kasparov-Karpov 1990 WCC NOTABLE GAMES   [what is this?]     · Game #20     Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990     1-0     · Game #2     Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990     1-0     · Game #16     Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990     1-0 1 Kasparov and Karpov Anticipate a Chess War, New York Times, Oct. 3, 1990. 2 With a Draw, Kasparov Keeps Title, New York Times, Dec 27, 1990.

page 1 of 1; 24 games    Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 30 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E81 King's Indian, Samisch 2. Kasparov vs Karpov 1-0 44 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 3. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 53 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E92 King's Indian 4. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 41 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 5. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 36 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E92 King's Indian 6. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 42 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 7. Karpov vs Kasparov 1-0 44 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E92 King's Indian 8. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 84 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 9. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 34 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match D85 Grunfeld 10. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 18 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C43 Petrov, Modern Attack 11. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 24 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E92 King's Indian 12. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 37 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 13. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 42 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match D85 Grunfeld 14. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 41 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C45 Scotch Game 15. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 33 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match D85 Grunfeld 16. Kasparov vs Karpov 1-0 102 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C45 Scotch Game 17. Karpov vs Kasparov 1-0 40 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match D85 Grunfeld 18. Kasparov vs Karpov 1-0 57 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 19. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 39 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E92 King's Indian 20. Kasparov vs Karpov 1-0 41 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 21. Karpov vs Kasparov ½-½ 86 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E87 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox 22. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 43 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed 23. Karpov vs Kasparov 1-0 29 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match E87 King's Indian, Samisch, Orthodox 24. Kasparov vs Karpov ½-½ 36 1990 Karpov-Kasparov World Championship Match A17 English  page 1 of 1; 24 games      REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)

< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing > Dec-05-06    Sneaky: I think this was the WCC that had a really beautiful trophy awarded to the winner--solid gold, encrusted with diamonds, supposedly worth a small fortune in itself. A heck of a lot better than a wreath! Dec-05-06    Karpova: Another very close match between those two legends - who would have expected the younger Gary to retire first in 1990? Dec-06-06    Scarecrow: Why did they play games 23 and 24? Kasparov had the 12 points he needed after the 22nd already. Dec-06-06    TIMER: <Scarecrow> I think that they split the money in the event of a tied match, and from the point of view of the result, obviously Kasparov would prefer to win the match outright than on a tie and similar reasoning for Karpov. Dec-06-06    Scarecrow: <TIMER> Oh yes! Thank you. When looking at the scoreboard, the Kasparov-Kramnik match popped into my mind, which they abandoned when the winner was decided (after 15 games out of 16). But the champion lost there, so 'winning' meant a definite victory for Kramnik and didn't include the possibility of a tie. 1/8 of 3 million dollars is a good reason after all to play on even if you know you lost (or even better, won :))) Dec-12-06    Chess Classics: <Sneaky> Yes, the Korloff trophy was worth about $1 million USD, but I think Kasparov sold it to create a relief fund for the recent Armenian conflict in Baku-he thought it was ugly. (According to Fred Waitzkin, at least.) Regards, CC Feb-04-07    sitzkrieg: SO how is this. Karpov in his recent interview on playchess says he could have won this match, and that he didnt use many chanches. The info above suggests that Karpov didnt really have a chanche. But when I (briefly) look at the games I dont see where Kasparov missed wins. Can anyone point out the games with those clearly missed opportunities (for whatever side)? Feb-04-07    percyblakeney: In the final game Kasparov preferred to offer draw when he was winning: Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990 Oct-31-07    jamesmaskell: Looking through a database of Ruy Lopez Flohr-Zaitsev variation games, it seems to me that after the match, the Zaitsev variation seemed to be a bit of a downer for Black, with White getting plenty of wins against it. Oct-31-07    RookFile: So, what is this, anyway, a test? Chessgames is completely wrong here. This match did not end 12 to 11. The final score of this match was 12.5 to 11.5 - there were indeed 24 games in this match actually played, not 23. Oct-31-07    Eggman: <<Chessgames is completely wrong here. This match did not end 12 to 11. The final score of this match was 12.5 to 11.5 - there were indeed 24 games in this match actually played, not 23. >> Quite correct, <RookFile>. There was indeed a 24th game, for although Kasparov had held the title by reaching 12 points, he had not yet won the match and thus the lion's share of the prize money. This was the 24th game: Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990. It was indeed drawn and the final score of the match was indeed 12.5-11.5 in GK's favour. Nov-06-07    chessgames.com: We believe that the tournament record is corrected now. Nov-26-07    pacorrum: Not a single victory with black, for either player. Jan-29-08    amadeus: Opening Analysis (Rybka 2.3.2a, 17plies) <After move 15> White Karpov: 10 x 1 [=1] / avg.eval: +0.28 (standard deviation:0.27) White Kasparov: 8 x 4 [=0] / avg.eval: +0.23 (sd.:0.33) <After move 20> White Karpov: 11 x 0 [=1] / avg.eval: +0.29 (sd.:0.22) White Kasparov: 8 x 2 [=2] / avg.eval: +0.23 (sd.:0.41) <0.10-fold> After move 15: White Karpov: 9 x 0 [=3] White Kasparov: 7 x 1 [=4] After move20: White Karpov: 9 x 0 [=3] White Kasparov: 7 x 1 [=4] Karpov's largest advantages: games 3 and 23 Kasparov's largest advantages: game 16 May-04-08    matingthreat: you can watch coverage of this match here - http://video.google.com/videoplay?d... Sep-22-08    offramp: I think this was the best K-K match, and one of the best WC matches ever. Oct-12-08    Octal: Any reason as to why Karpov had a nicer chair throughout the entire match? You can view the video posted earlier by <matingthreat> for pictures of this. Nov-28-08    Brown: <sitzkreig> <percyblakenly> It seems this game... Karpov vs Kasparov, 1990 ...saw Karpov squander winning positions on move 26 as well as move 28. Dec-22-08    Inf: <matingthreat> Thank you very much for that link! I have always wanted to see how a GM "thinks" during a match on a video... of almost 3 hours! Dec-23-08    Inf: Were computers being use by these 2 during this time? Or not? Dec-23-08    AnalyzeThis: Not for analysis, as computers at that time were IM strength, at very best weak GM strength. But they may have used computers for database reasons.... (games and openings). Dec-23-08    littlefermat: <Inf: Were computers being use by these 2 during this time? Or not?> Maybe. There was a minor controversy over the outcome of this game: Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990 and relevant kibitzes: <SetNoEscapeOn: It's really interesting that during this game, there was a great controversy over whether or not Kasparov analyzed the adjourned position with a computer. For myself, I don't see the difference between looking at an adjourned position with a computer or with seconds (other strong grandmasters). Some people have lamented the end of adjournments but I prefer chess as a competition between two players.> Followed by: < Eyal:...This was pretty much the view expressed by Karpov following the match, when he said that he had the impression Kasparov was determined to adjourn the game a second time (on move 89) because he couldn't find the winning plan by himself over the board, and needed the help of his seconds (http://video.google.com/videoplay?d... at 45:40). Recently, however, Karpov has been lamenting in an interview the loss of adjournments as hurting the quality of the game...> Dec-24-08    acirce: Of course computers could be used for basic blunder-checking if nothing else. Aug-17-09    ozmikey: <pacorrum> I just noticed that too. The first WC match without a black win in 80 years, if the database is correct! The mid-eighties Kasparov might have tried for a win in games 15 and 19, though. Aug-29-09    Hesam7: A 2 hour and 45 minute long video on this match with commentaries from Kasparov and Karpov: http://video.google.com/videoplay?d... < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing >

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