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Korchnoi 
Photograph courtesy of Alexandre Filiatrault.  
Viktor Korchnoi
Number of games in database: 4,294
Years covered: 1945 to 2009
Current FIDE rating: 2567
Highest rating achieved in database: 2695
Overall record: +1711 -693 =1756 (62.2%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
      134 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 King's Indian (259) 
    E99 E94 E60 E62 E81
 English (227) 
    A15 A13 A17 A14 A10
 Nimzo Indian (181) 
    E42 E32 E21 E54 E41
 English, 1 c4 c5 (143) 
    A30 A33 A34 A35 A32
 English, 1 c4 e5 (130) 
    A28 A29 A22 A25 A20
 Orthodox Defense (110) 
    D55 D50 D58 D51 D54
With the Black pieces:
 French Defense (373) 
    C11 C07 C02 C09 C19
 Sicilian (272) 
    B44 B83 B89 B32 B64
 Queen's Indian (161) 
    E12 E15 E16 E17 E19
 Nimzo Indian (158) 
    E32 E46 E34 E21 E44
 Ruy Lopez (158) 
    C80 C83 C77 C82 C81
 Grunfeld (145) 
    D85 D94 D91 D97 D87
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Korchnoi vs Tal, 1962 1-0
   Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1994 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Spassky, 1948 1-0
   Korchnoi vs Udovcic, 1967 1-0
   Averbakh vs Korchnoi, 1965 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1974 1-0
   Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1978 1-0
   Fischer vs Korchnoi, 1962 0-1
   Korchnoi vs Spassky, 1977 1-0
   Spassky vs Korchnoi, 1977 0-1

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?]
   Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Match (1978)
   Karpov-Korchnoi World Championship Rematch (1981)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Match Korchnoi! (i) The Early Years (1956-1984) by amadeus
   Victor Korchnoi in Olympiads by capybara
   French Korchnoi II by AuDo
   Run for the Championship - Viktor Korchnoi by Fischer of Men
   French Korchnoi III by AuDo
   OMGP V by keypusher
   OMGP 5 - Korchnoi - Karpov by grellas
   Match Petrosian! by amadeus
   Victor Korchnoi : My best games : With White by Malacha
   Victor Korchnoi's : My Best Games: With Black by Malacha
   Inspirational Games of Viktor Korchnoi by MadBishop
   WCC Index [Curacao 1962] by Hesam7
   The Taimanov 9.Ne1 variation of the KID by KingG
   Grunfeld emotions by Yopo

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Viktor Korchnoi
Search Google® for Viktor Korchnoi


VIKTOR KORCHNOI
(born Mar-23-1931) Russia (citizen of Switzerland)

[what is this?]
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi was born March 23rd, 1931 in Leningrad. His father taught him chess when he was seven years old. In the late 1950's he began an international career that would eventually result in four Soviet Championship victories and eight appearances in the Candidates. He reached the Candidates final in 1968 before being defeated by Boris Spassky. He made the finals again in 1974, losing this time to Anatoli Karpov.

Korchnoi left the USSR in 1976, and two years later he finally managed to win the Candidates and qualify to play Karpov for the title. Trailing late in his first World Championship match with just two victories to Karpov's five, Korchnoi staged a comeback, winning three games to level the score at 5-5. However, Karpov then won the final game, thereby taking the match and retaining the crown.

Korchnoi qualified for another shot against Karpov in 1981, but was beaten again, 6-2. In the next Candidates cycle he was beaten by the rising young Soviet star Garry Kasparov. He continued to play at a very high level throughout the 1980's and 1990's, though he never contended for the world title again. Today he lives in Switzerland, representing his country at Olympiads and other international events. He was rated in the top 100 on the FIDE world ranking list as late as January 2007, by far the oldest player ever to hold such a high position.

He recently captured the 2006 World Seniors' Championship, scoring nine points out of eleven games.


 page 1 of 172; games 1-25 of 4,294 
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. D Rovner vs Korchnoi 1-020 1945 LeningradC47 Four Knights
2. Zikov vs Korchnoi 0-120 1946 LeningradB00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening
3. Petrosian vs Korchnoi 1-023 1946 LeningradA90 Dutch
4. Korchnoi vs Razov 1-027 1946 LeningradC50 Giuoco Piano
5. Aronson vs Korchnoi 0-143 1947 LeningradD44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
6. Y Vasilchuk vs Korchnoi  0-160 1947 LeningradB74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
7. Y Vasilchuk vs Korchnoi 0-160 1947 LeningradB74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
8. V Shiyanovsky vs Korchnoi  0-135 1947 LeningradD47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav
9. Korchnoi vs S Giterman 1-036 1948 TallinnC07 French, Tarrasch
10. Korchnoi vs Spassky 1-012 1948 LeningradB71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation
11. Korchnoi vs Y Sakharov  1-030 1949 Lvov Ch URSD11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
12. Korchnoi vs N Levin 1-031 1949 LvovE03 Catalan, Open
13. L Omelchenko vs Korchnoi 0-132 1949 LeningradC77 Ruy Lopez
14. Korchnoi vs Shapkin 1-018 1949 MoscowD08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit
15. Korchnoi vs Spassky 0-151 1949 LeningradB71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation
16. V Golenishchev vs Korchnoi 0-142 1949 MoscowA90 Dutch
17. Korchnoi vs Cherepkov 1-068 1950 Leningrad ch-cityC58 Two Knights
18. N Bakulin vs Korchnoi 0-139 1950 LeningradB00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening
19. Korchnoi vs G Goldberg 1-041 1950 TulaA02 Bird's Opening
20. Taimanov vs Korchnoi 0-135 1950 LeningradA97 Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky
21. I Vistinietzki vs Korchnoi  0-148 1950 TulaA80 Dutch
22. M Aizenshtadt vs Korchnoi 0-134 1950 LeningradD35 Queen's Gambit Declined
23. Korchnoi vs G Borisenko 0-138 1950 TulaC34 King's Gambit Accepted
24. Korchnoi vs E Polyak  1-033 1950 TulaC73 Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense
25. Sikov vs Korchnoi  0-144 1950 LeningradA85 Dutch, with c4 & Nc3
 page 1 of 172; games 1-25 of 4,294 
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Korchnoi wins | Korchnoi loses  
 

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 57 OF 57 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: <TheGadge:>

Reshevsky was not as active a player in later life as VC, but he did tie for 3rd in the USA closed championship, early 80s, I think, at age 70. That's a pretty strong tournament, would include people like Seriwan, benjamin, Christiansen, Browne, Benko, a handful of soviet emigre GMs. I would think Sammy and Vic would be of close strength.

Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eyal: <Natalia Pogonina: As Korchnoi once said to an opponent: "Of course, you were winning at a certain point, but to make that move you have to know how to play chess."

And then added, shaking his head and hands in disbelief: "How talentless, how talentless!">

(Carlsen vs Wang Yue, 2009)

Oct-06-09   TheFocus: That Korchnoi could sure be a crusty old b**tard sometimes.
Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: well Korchnoi has seen top level chess for a long time..

he is used to working things out for himself and probably his comments if probably bitingly harsh also have a bit of truth in them..

Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  jackpawn: I love Korchnoi. What a fighter! And like <TheFocus> said, what a tough old b##tard. I mean it as a compliment!
Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: Another tuff, older buy---Blackburne, at age 72, beat Zimzovitcsh in St. Pete in 1914. Blackburne gave blindful simuls every year, throughtout England, into his seventies.
Oct-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Korchnoi and Lasker>

They both had very good results in old age, but their careers were quite different.

First, Lasker played very little, and Korchnoi plays all the time. Lasker won a strong international tournament aged 55 (New York 1924), finished second aged 56 (Moscow 1925), then didn't play again until Zurich 1934 (age 65). His best result in his 60s was 3d undefeated at Moscow 1935 (age 66) behind Botvinnik and Flohr but ahead of Capablanca. He last played in 1936 and died in 1941 (aged 72).

Second, relative to the respective opposition that they faced (a big qualification!), Lasker was considerably stronger than Korchnoi. Chessmetrics ranks him #1 for the first time at age 21 and for the last time at age 57. Though Lasker played infrequently chessmetrics ranks him as the top player in the world for 292 months (= more than 24 years). Korchnoi, by contrast, is rated #1 for just four months in his career.

Oct-07-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: One gets the feeling when reading about Lasker's career that it was almost too easy for him. He seemed to drop chess for years at a time, and then started playing again, with strong results, when he was bored or needed prize money.
Oct-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Caissanist: The four great 70 year-olds in chess history have been Korchnoi, Reshevsky, Najdorf and Smyslov, according to Chessmetrics: http://db.chessmetrics.com/CM2/Play.... I don't always buy into the Chessmetrics rating formula, but in this case when you look at the results for each of those players it's hard to disagree.
Oct-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: If the Nazis hadn't come to power would Lasker have played in Zurich 1934, the two Moscow tourneys in 1935 and 1936 and finally at Nottingham 1936? I doubt it somehow.
Oct-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Benzol: If the Nazis hadn't come to power would Lasker have played in Zurich 1934, the two Moscow tourneys in 1935 and 1936 and finally at Nottingham 1936? I doubt it somehow.>

Me too. Nor would he have come back in 1923 except that he was wiped out, like so many Germans, by the great inflation. So his comeback is one good result of the Weimar Republic's ruinous fiscal policy. :-)

Oct-09-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  percyblakeney: <when you look at the results for each of those players it's hard to disagree>

The mentioned Blackburne wasn't bad either. In his 73rd year he drew Alekhine (Chessmetrics #4) and Rubinstein (#1) and won against Nimzo (#5) in the strongest tournament of the year, where he finished 0.5 behind the latter and even with Janowski (#15).

Oct-09-09   nescio: There is also Bernstein who played the follwing magnificent game at age 72: O Bernstein vs Najdorf, 1954.

I always thought he also won the tournament. but his bio says he was second. So be it. I wouldn't mind to be just as healthy at that age.

Oct-11-09   kingfu: Please compare and contrast the careers of Korchnoi and Karpov. Karpov won earlier and was Champion. Korchnoi seems to have retained most of his ability. I think it comes from suffering the outrageous slings and arrows of the French Defense!
Oct-17-09   kurtrichards: <Kingfu: Please compare and contrast the careers of Korchnoi and Karpov....Korchnoi seems to have retained most of his ability.> You don't mean Karpov lost most of his ability, do you?
Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  timhortons: korcnoi had unresolved issues in chess, one is to prove he is good, he could have become a world champion, that he miss his break some how to become a world champion thus ending till the end of his days arguing and proving he is the best.

karpov is immortal, he become a world champion,what more to prove to the world?

korchnoi could jump from one seniors tourney after another winning all the games and karpov could do the same lossing everything but in the end of the day karpov is still the best.

Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: <thus ending till the end of his days arguing and proving he is the best.> end of his days ? dude the guy still plays <FANTASTIC> I hope I have 1/1000th of this guys drive and fighting spirit.. in the end is really about winning tournaments and championships ?

Korchnoi's chess is breathtaking

Its fresh, even now.. that to me is an achievement even some of the immortals of the game have not done.. Lasker probably is the only one.. Smyslov perhaps a close third..

Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  timhortons: i dont mean to be rude on that statement but i feel that korchnoi is employing an unconscious coping mechanism on the past failures he got.

the fact that hes still showing and proving things means that this man has a heart bigger and stronger than his mind and body.

Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexmagnus: <Second, relative to the respective opposition that they faced (a big qualification!), Lasker was considerably stronger than Korchnoi>

Didn't Korchnoi win Biel aged 70? Lasker at 70 was already inactve.

Oct-17-09   kurtrichards: I think he'll be participating in the World Senior Chess Championsip 2009 in Italy. If so, then good luck to you GM Korchnoi.
Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  alexmagnus: Here the crosstable of that Biel 2001:

http://www.chessib.com/biel1crt.html

His opponents were not exactly weak :)

Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  timhortons: my book on kaufman helps me alot, at least it improve my 15 minute game, next book ill get might be either korchnoi or karpov.

i just love the carokann.

Oct-17-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Open Defence: <alexmagnus: Here the crosstable of that Biel 2001: http://www.chessib.com/biel1crt.html

His opponents were not exactly weak :)> and second lowest rated of that field, per the link

Oct-18-09   theagenbiteofinwit: The only thing that is more enduring than Korchnoi's results is his unyielding disdain for the Kings Indian.
Nov-07-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Caissanist: <korcnoi had unresolved issues in chess, one is to prove he is good, he could have become a world champion, that he miss his break some how to become a world champion thus ending till the end of his days arguing and proving he is the best.>

During his 1970s peak Korchnoi always said that Fischer was the best; he would claim that he was second to Fischer.

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