Kasparov - Karpov World Championship Rematch (1986) (28 July - 8 Oct)

DRAFT <Chessical>

Editing by <OhioChessFan> and <JFQ>

Kasparov Karpov , 1986 – Third match, London/Leningrad.

Background to the match

Having been given the option for a return match in the case of losing the world championship, Karpov exercised his right on the 5th December 1985. (p.8 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87").

FIDE's new regulations, which had been brought in only three days before the previous match, stipulated that the match was to take place no later than April 1986. This would mean only six months between matches. Previously, there had been at least a year.

Campomanes stated that if Kasparov did not give a formal undertaking that he would play by the 7th January, he would be stripped of his title. Kasparov held out and to break the deadlock, the Soviet Chess Federation brought the two contenders together on January 2. They agreed to a return match in July or August 1986> The loser would play a "Super-final" in February 1987 against the winner of the current Candidates cycle. The title match for the forthcoming cycle would be held in July or August 1987. FIDE was not consulted but grudgingly agreed. (p.14 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87").

Bids were received by Leningrad (1,000,000 Swiss francs/£166,000) and London (1,800,000 Swiss francs/£300,000) (p.12 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87"). The London portion of the prize fund was donated by both players to the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster (26th April 1986, although Campomanes decided that FIDE would keep its own share. The £10,000 brilliancy prize awarded by Tony Miles was also given to the Chernobyl fund (Chess, vol 51, no.s 991-2, October 1986, p.285-6).

The match was agreed to begin in July, and was to be split in half between London and Leningrad, with an interval of no more than six days between the two parts.

Between the matches

Karpov played top board (+3=4) for the Soviet Union in the World Team Championship (Luzern, 15-28th November 1985). Karpov won the SWIFT tournament in Brussels resoundingly (+7-4), 23rd March – 4th April 1986, and then the Bugojno super-tournament in 26th May-12th June 1985 (=4-1=9).

Kasparov played Jan Timman, then ranked number three in the world, in a six game match he won (+3-1=2) in Hilversum, 15-22nd December 1985. Kasparov used the publicity of the match to express his dissatisfaction to the press and then in a letter to the Soviet Chess Federation on the 4th January 1986 ( with regard to the return match and his perception that Karpov was being given "special privileges". (p.10-11 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87"). He further added "I consider that Karpov's personal entitlement to a return match to be illegal, and I refuse to take part in such a contest. The right to a return match in a limited competition must be accorded to all world champions or none".

In May, Kasparov beat Miles in a match in Basel (+5=1-0). Kasparov then returned to his training camp in the resort of Zağulba Bağları in Azerbaijan.

The match

The match had a fixed length of 24 games. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher attended the opening ceremony on July 27th. On Monday July 28 the match began in the Park Lane Hotel's Grand Ballroom.

Karpov's trainers were Igor Zaitsev, Sergey Makarichev and Valery Salov, and in Leningrad Alexander Beliavsky. (p.18 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87").

Karsparov's camp disintegrated during the match. Georgy Timoshenko argued with Kasparov about status in the team and left after the London leg. Kasparov also increasingly suspected Yevgeniy Vladimirov of leaking his opening preparation and he left after Game 19 (the allegation has never been proven). They were replaced during the match by IM Mikhail Gurevich and Elmar Magerramov

GM Lothar Schmid was the chief match arbiter. The match introduced new technology of the "Intelligent chess board" with the moves being relayed directly to monitors and teletext.

Karpov never led, and was on level terms for only nine games of the match. Karpov's theoretical preparation had more effect especially against Kasparov's Grunfeld defence, but his superiority in technique and endings was no longer apparent and he was struggling to stay in contention. Then from being three points ahead with eight games to play Kasparov had a sudden collapse.

Mikhail Botvinnik "After the 16th Game, the score became 9 ½ - 6 ½ in the champion's favour. But then something very unexpected happened; Kasparov lost three games in a row, suffered from time trouble and was quite unrecognisable. I think that this happened because of the 16th game , which Kasparov conducted extremely recklessly…after this he decided he could get away with anything…" (p.235-6 "Kasparov v Karpov 1986-87").

Kasparov: "I decided to play simply and reliably after the 19th game. My aim was to draw 20 and 21 and win 22nd which I achieved" (Chess, vol 51, no.s 991-2, October 1986, p.285).

On October 8, 1986, Kasparov retained the World Championship title by 12½ to 11½. Karpov was seeded into the final candidates match for the following cycle, Karpov - Sokolov Candidates Superfinal (1987)

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Some info important for other world championship matches from W Harenberg's interview with Karpov, Die Affäre kostete mich den Titel, Der Spiegel, 26 December 1988, issue 52, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print.... The whole prize fund of their 1986 world championship match in London was donated by both, Karpov and Kasparov, to the Chernobyl funds.

When asked about the hostility between Kasparov and him, Karpov pointed towards Kasparov's social environment. The interviewer then asked, if he meant Kasparov's mother. Karpov names Alexander Nikitin, who acted upon Kasparov's mother.

Karpov recalls an incident from the 1987 match in Seville. In game 2 - Kasparov vs Karpov, 1987 - Kasparov forgot to press his clock. Karpov didn't notify him. Kasparov, who lost that game, already had a hopeless position when he forgot to press the clock according to Karpov and also the Seville match books. Yet, Kasparov played up the clock incident.

Karpov said, that he had wanted to play against Fischer and that's why he met with him 3 times to persuade him. He believes that Fischer was slightly stronger than him in 1975, assessing chances 60 to 40% in Fischer's favor. He believes that he was stronger than Fischer in 1976.

Kasparov accused his former second Evgeny Vladimirov of (1) having secretly worked for Karpov and (2) was later employed in Karpov's team, working together with him in the training camps in Tashkent and Odessa. Karpov answers that he knew Vladimirov from Soviet youth teams. Vladimirov was neither Karpov's spy, nor did he belong to his team in Tashkent or Odessa. Kasparov needed a scapegoat, because he didn't win the match in Seville. According to Karpov and, btw., Kasparov himself, Kasparov had never any evidence for these accusations. Karpov never thought about asking Vladimirov for help and he had lately seen him only once, when they played for the same team at the European Championship. Karpov never saw the recordings, Vladimirov had made as Kasparov's trainer.

He asks Karpov about Tofik Dadashev, the clairvoyant who had once been employed by Kasparov, but was now allegedly working for Karpov. Karpov says that he saw him in the playing hall several times, also during the 22nd game in Leningrad of the 1986 match. Karpov considered Dadashev's presence to be a strain, pressure. Rumour has it, that Dadashev switched over to Karpov some time between the 3rd and 4th match, i. e. 1986/87. Karpov denies that. Dadashev was not his counsellor. He just came to him, because he felt guilty due to the aforementioned 22nd game. Karpov only wanted to know, what he had told Kasparov about him, which of Karpov's weaknesses he had examined. (Karpov mentions that Smyslov got red ears, when he had a bad position).

Regarding the cancelled match 1984/85, Karpov considers the cancellation to have been a great mistake. When he ought to agree to the cancellation, the cancellation had already been decided upon. Kasparov should thank Campomanes for the cancellation and light a candle in a church for him, instead of publicly attacking him. The cancellation was the worst possible decision. Both were exhausted, but Karpov needed only one more win, while Kasparov needed three - so every mistake could have ended the match for Kasparov.

He assesses his chances to become challenger again in 1990 to be very good. If he keeps his good form, they are decidedly greater than Harenberg's suggested 50 to 50, at least 60% (at least!).

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LA Times AP report:

LONDON — Champion Gary Kasparov and challenger Anatoly Karpov adjourned the 10th game of the world chess championship Friday, and experts said the game is likely to end in a draw. The game is to be resumed today, but some commentators said they thought the players would agree to a tie without playing further.

Kasparov, playing white in the 10th game, holds a 5-4 lead.

The champion arrived at the board first, and Karpov was more than three minutes late. In a gesture of sportsmanship, however, Kasparov did not play a move when his clock was started, but allowed his own time to run until Karpov arrived. Kasparov then pushed his queen's pawn forward two squares.

The opening followed a well-known variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined, until Karpov played a new move on his 13th. Kasparov thought for 14 minutes about his reply, and later established a strong knight in the center.

The winner of the match will be the first player to score six victories or 12 1/2 points. Winning a game is worth one point; a draw is worth half a point.

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08...

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Robert Byrne, "Kasparov Ferocious in 16th Game" <New York Times 17 Sept 1986> http://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/17/n...

KASPAROV FEROCIOUS IN 16TH GAME
By ROBERT BYRNE
Published: September 17, 1986

Gary Kasparov's ferociously complicated attacking play in the 16th game of the world chess championship match sent Anatoly Karpov down to defeat Monday in Leningrad.

Kasparov, the 23-year-old champion, has taken a three-point lead, to virtually assure himself of triumph in the contest.

The score is now 9 1/2 to 6 1/2. Kasparov has won four games to the 35-year-old former champion's one. The other games were draws.

It takes six victories or 12 1/2 points to win the match. Each victory counts as a point; a draw awards each player a half-point. If the series reaches a 12-12 tie, Kasparov would keep his title. Reliance on Favorite Defense

Karpov resorted to his favorite Flohr-Zaitsev Defense with 9. . . B-N2 against the Ruy Lopez, as he had in the 14th game. The play took only 11 minutes for the first 17 moves, duplicating the earlier game.

However, this time, Kasparov made no attempt to clarify the position by interpolating 18 PxP, PxP, but directly played 18 N-Q4. Karpov tried a new placement for his queen with 18. . . Q-B3 in the hope of providing a better defense for his king.

The former champion was, in general, using the same strategy as before, sacrificing a pawn - this time by 19. . . N-B4; 20 PxP, PxP; 21 NxP - to take a grip on his Q6 square with his knights.

Had Karpov tried 23. . . N/5-Q6, Kasparov could have obtained a slight material advantage with 24 NxP!?, BxN; 25 BxN, BxB; 26 RxB, NxR; 27 QxN. Break in the Center

On 23. . . R-N1, Kasparov broke open the center at once with 24 P-K5, PxP; 25 NxKP, and Karpov brought a knight to the promised square with 25. . . N/5-Q6. After 26 N-N4, Q-QN3, 27 R-N3, it was evident that Kasparov intended to throw everything at the black king position.

Karpov might have tried 27. . . N-K5, except for 28 NxP!, BxN; 29 BxN, NxR; 30 BxB, which yields White a bishop and two pawns for a rook. However, it is not clear why he did not defend by 27. . . K-R1, unless he believed that his alternative, 27. . . P-N3, would give him winning chances after 28 BxP, QxP.

Kasparov pressed his attack unflinchingly with 29 Q-B3, yet there is some question whether Karpov could not immediately grab the sacrificed piece by 29. . . QxN! because 30 N-B6ch, K-R1; 31 Q-R5, RxBch; 32 K-R2, R-R8ch!; 33 KxR, NxPch; 34 K-R2, QxRch!; 35 KxQ, PxQ costs White a piece.

Of course, at this stage of the game, Karpov was already in time pressure and was surely looking for variations that did not demand exact calculation. Three Minutes Left

After 30 BxB, he might have tried 30. . . RxB, but 31 N-R6ch, K-N2; 32 N-B5ch, K-R2 (33. . . K-B3; 34 N-K3ch, K-N2; 35 N/K3xP!, BxN; 36 BxN, QxN; 37 BxB gives White a two-pawn advantage); 33 Q-K3, Q-B8ch; 34 QxQ, NxQ; 35 N-Q4 leaves Black a pawn down.

Had Karpov accepted the sacrifice with 31. . . QxN, he would have had to face 32 N-R6, N/2-K4; 33 Q-B6!, threatening both 34 RxP! and 34 P-Q6!

After Kasparov's 32 BxN, Karpov was down to three minutes to make the time control at move 40. The former champion could have avoided direct attack by 32. . . RxB; 33 Q-B4, RxR, but then 34 Q-Q6ch, K-K1; 35 KxR keeps Black behind in material.

Finally, Karpov seized the long-trapped knight with 33. . . QxN, but on 34 N-R6!, Kasparov's attack could not be contained. After 34. . . Q-K2; 35 RxP! the defense was doomed, because 35. . . Q-K4 was crushed by 36 R-N8ch, K-K2; 37 P-Q6ch!

Karpov could not capture with 37. . . QxP, because of 38 N-B5ch, nor by 37. . . KxP, because of 38 NxPch. The only alternative, 37. . . K-K3, got a rook and a bishop for the queen after 38 R-K8ch, K-Q4; 39 RxQch, NxR, but 40 P-Q7! forced additional enormous gain of material.

Of course, 40. . . NxP drops a rook to 41 QxPch, but after 40. . . R-N1; 41 NxP, Karpov could neither defend his knight, nor play 41. . . NxN in view of 42 QxR. The former champion gave up.

The 17th game is set for today at 5 P.M. Leningrad time.

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"Chess Library" Encyclopedia chapters on Kasparov:

http://www.chesslibrary.ru/publ

http://www.chesslibrary.ru/publ/ehn...