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Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1981
The Massacre in Merano

Having beat Petrosian, Polugaevsky, and Huebner in the candidates matches, Viktor Korchnoi once again earned the right to play Anatoly Karpov for the title. The match was held in Merano, Italy. The format was identical to the 1978 match: the first player to achieve 6 wins (draws not counting) is crowned world champion.

Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1981 The headline of the tournament again largely centered on the political issues. Korchnoi's wife and son were still in the Soviet Union. His son was promised to be released to join his father in exile if he gave up his passport. When he did so he was promptly drafted into the Russian army. Korchnoi took the opportunity of the match to publicize the situation of his wife and son, drafting an open letter to the Soviet government to release them both. This continuing effort likely led to his dismal performance as Karpov swept to victory in what was dubbed the "Massacre in Merano".[1]

The match was supposed to start on September 19th, but because of Korchnoi's insistence that he would not play unless his family was released, Fridrik Olafsson, president of the International Chess Federation, made a unilateral decision to delay the match for a month. Perhaps in the name of human rights the Soviet Government would release the family. The Russians were outraged. Early in August, at a meeting of the International Chess Federation in Atlanta, they made a great protest, after which it was decided that the "official" date would return to September 19th. But since Merano was not yet ready, actual play would start October 1st.[2]

In spite of the protests, Korchnoi's son was arrested for evading army service, sentenced to two and half years in labor camp, and served the full sentence.

The match took place between October 1st and November 19th, 1981. The purse was 800,000 Swiss Francs. After 18 games, with a score of 6 to 2, Anatoly Karpov successfully defended his title.

click on a game number to replay game 123456789101112131415161718
Karpov11½1½0½½1½½½01½½½1
Korchnoi00½0½1½½0½½½10½½½0

FINAL SCORE:  Karpov 6;  Korchnoi 2 (10 draws)
Reference: game collection WCC Index [Karpov-Korchnoi 1981]

NOTABLE GAMES   [what is this?]
    · Game #9     Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1981     0-1
    · Game #1     Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1981     0-1
    · Game #18     Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1981     1-0

FOOTNOTES

  1. Victor Korchnoi article at Wikipedia.com
    2 Cold War in the World of Chess, Harold Schonberg, New York Times Sept. 27, 1981.

 page 1 of 1; 18 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Korchnoi vs Karpov 0-1431981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst
2. Karpov vs Korchnoi 1-0571981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC67 Ruy Lopez
3. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½411981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD58 Queen's Gambit Declined, Tartakower (Makagonov-Bondarevsky) Syst
4. Karpov vs Korchnoi 1-0531981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC42 Petrov Defense
5. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½681981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
6. Karpov vs Korchnoi 0-1411981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC82 Ruy Lopez, Open
7. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½311981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
8. Karpov vs Korchnoi ½-½841981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC53 Giuoco Piano
9. Korchnoi vs Karpov 0-1431981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD30 Queen's Gambit Declined
10. Karpov vs Korchnoi ½-½321981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC53 Giuoco Piano
11. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½351981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD37 Queen's Gambit Declined
12. Karpov vs Korchnoi ½-½471981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchA16 English
13. Korchnoi vs Karpov 1-0411981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
14. Karpov vs Korchnoi 1-0461981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
15. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½411981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchA29 English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto
16. Karpov vs Korchnoi ½-½421981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
17. Korchnoi vs Karpov ½-½231981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchD30 Queen's Gambit Declined
18. Karpov vs Korchnoi 1-0411981Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship MatchC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
 page 1 of 1; 18 games  PGN Download 
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-22-11  talisman: Mmmmm...that was 1978 talisman...drink another cup of coffee and stop talking to yourself.
Dec-13-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: <Petrosianic: Korchnoi could have stopped it. He could have refused to play in 1978 unless his family were released. The world would not have accepted Karpov as world champion by default twice.>

I suspect you are overestimating how much the world would have cared, although we will never know.

On the other hand, I am pretty sure that if he had beaten Karpov and become the world chess champion, then his chances of being heard and supported by the international community would have been much stronger. In other words, the best possible scenario for him would have been to become world champion, and I am sure he had blind confidence that he would.

Jan-07-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: The word <rematch> in the title really gets on my tits. It makes it look as if Karpov said, "That match in 1978 was so close I'm gonna let you have a rematch, free of charge!"

A rematch is what Botvinnik had 2 of!

Mar-13-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: This match was a massacre. Kortschnoi was on the back foot for the whole match. Game 13 was his sole achievement. His other win was a bit lucky.

Kortschnoi was level with Karpov in 1978, but in 1981 Karpov was at an apotheosis.

Mar-13-15  Howard: Now you know the reason that the match was sometimes referred to as the "Massacre In Merano".

Out of fairness to Korchnoi, he got off to an extremely poor start in that match, scoring only a draw out of the first four games. For the remainder of the match, he was able to steady himself, but it was way too late by then.

Mar-13-15  Petrosianic: He was down by the same 4-1 score in the first match and made it competitive.
Mar-13-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  Joshka: <offramp> Correct, this was not a REMATCH. Korchnoi fully qualified. Korchnoi was given nothing!. But he was a bit lucky Bobby was not playing, cause he would not have played in any World Championship Matches. Bobby and Karpov would have had their duals!!
Mar-14-15  Howard: Regarding Petrosianic's comment, your point has been made before. But please bear in mind the number of games involved in these two instances. In the 1978 match, it wasn't until 17 games that the score was 4-1, with 12 draws. In the 1981 contest, it was only 9 games before it became 4-1--a rather significant difference.

To put it another way, Karpov's play in the second match had been superb, including for those first nine games--probably the reason few people were giving Korchnoi much of a chance after those first nine games. But in the first match ?! Let's see.....Karpov should have damn well lost Game 5 and it was by a miracle that he drew. He should have lost Game 7, too, but then (to be fair) so should Korchnoi. And in the infamous 17th game, Karpov should have lost that too, but won.

As I see it, 4-1 in the first match was a different ball game than in the second one.

Apr-10-15  A.T PhoneHome: To say Korchnoi was "a bit lucky Bobby was not playing" is true only if Korchnoi had been afraid of playing against Fischer which I highly doubt.

Anyways, Bobby Fischer stopped playing in 1972. I wonder which accepted branch of logic dictates that because a person stopped doing something, he/she would absolutely beat someone nine years later in the thing in question.

As for this match, Karpov had one title defence behind him. Maybe not the most convincing but a title defence altogether which made it easier for Karpov to come to the second World Championship match.

Apr-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  harrylime: <A.T PhoneHome: To say Korchnoi was "a bit lucky Bobby was not playing" is true only if Korchnoi had been afraid of playing against Fischer which I highly doubt. Anyways, Bobby Fischer stopped playing in 1972. I wonder which accepted branch of logic dictates that because a person stopped doing something, he/she would absolutely beat someone nine years later in the thing in question.

As for this match, Karpov had one title defence behind him. Maybe not the most convincing but a title defence altogether which made it easier for Karpov to come to the second World Championship match.>

Fischer stopped playing in 72' ..

Is your argument Victor would've beaten Fischer in 75' ? .. or 78' ?

Ofcourse not ! lol

Petrosian beat a younger Korchnoi in 71 and then Fischer ofcourse breezed past Tigran ...

A motivated Fischer would've killed Karpov and ALL his "red carpet" "advisors" ....

Apr-10-15  A.T PhoneHome: With all due respect <harrylime>, you can't possibly know that. It is also true that I can't prove the opposite end and that's simply because we didn't have Fischer playing after 1972.

And my post concerned year 1981. So you cannot expect me to answer to your question as I never addressed those two years.

By the way, I share your admiration for Bobby Fischer and I consider him to be one of the greatest so don't get me wrong. But I don't understand why we should draw hypotheticals on things that never took place and say that Fischer would win games that were never played. The fact Fischer stopped playing in 1972 doesn't suddenly make his results bad.

Apr-10-15  Petrosianic: <A.T PhoneHome>: Before you waste too much time here, I should warn you that Harrylime is about a 1200 player, fanatically in love with the Bobby Fischer legend, but absolutely despises the real Fischer for not living up to the myth he's built. Presenting facts to harry will make no difference, he'll simply giggle and forget them.
Apr-10-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Not to mention finding, or inventing, arguments which transcend unpleasant realities.

lol

Apr-10-15  A.T PhoneHome: <Petrosianic> Before I registered here, I went through quite a few games and read the kibitzing and I saw him kibitz on many of those games so I knew his stance before I posted here so it's okay. He has his stance and I have mine and I can certainly share my take on something.

And being a 1200 means being stronger than me! :P

Apr-10-15  Petrosianic: <A.T PhoneHome>: <Before I registered here, I went through quite a few games and read the kibitzing and I saw him kibitz on many of those games so I knew his stance before I posted here>

Yeah, but you seem to actually know something about the events that transpired. The question isn't really about stances so much as about ability (or lack of ability) to discuss them intelligently. If you want to waste your time, go ahead, I just didn't want you to be taken off guard.

Apr-10-15  A.T PhoneHome: <Petrosianic> Thank you for the first statement, seeing it's a compliment! And it's not necessarily wasting time. After all, I am not disrespecting Fischer or anyone for that matter. If my posts on this subject matter weren't of constructive manner, I'd be wasting my time.
Oct-14-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: When you play through these games it seems to be Kortschnoi defending bad position after bad position, right the way through except for the 2 games he won. Karpov really made only 2 bad moves: 40.Nf1 in Karpov vs Korchnoi, 1981 and 31...Ne1+ in Korchnoi vs Karpov, 1981. Karpov was on top form and would have beaten anyone in the world.
Oct-14-15  Petrosianic: Yes, this match is very different from 1978. Korchnoi is now over 50, and the Career Renaissance he had in the 70's is winding down. But even so, Karpov's blunder at the end of Game 6 made the match seem closer than it really was.

But if not Korchnoi, then who? Had Huebner won the Candidates Final, would he have done any better? Or Portisch or Polugaevsky, or a 9-year retired Fischer, or a not-yet-ready Kasparov? Really, there just wasn't anybody in 1981 to give a really good challenge.

Oct-14-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <Petrosianic> Yes, Hübner, I think, would have been annihilated 6-0 by Karpov. The only person capable of putting up resistance in 1981 was Kortschnoi. He as annihilated.
Oct-14-15  Howard: Portisch would have put up stiffer resistance than Huebner would have, notwithstanding the upset Huebner scored in his 1980 candidates match.

Given Korchnoi's vast match experience--including two previous matches against Karpov--he really was the best qualified to challenge Karpov in 1981.

Oct-14-15  Nerwal: Tal was undefeated in 1981 after a disastrous 1980. At least it would have been an entertaining match. It's a pity so many Karpov - Tal games were quick draws.
Oct-14-15
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: As much as I love Tal I don't think Tal would have had any chance against Karpov in 1981 (even the Tal of 1960 versus the Karpov of 1981 would not have been close in my opinion)
Oct-19-15  Howard: As Benko pointed out in Chess Life back in 1980, the "deaths of his (Tal) mother and brother added to his emotional burden" in 1980.
Jan-08-17  The Boomerang: A motivated Fischer would've killed Karpov and ALL his "red carpet" "advisors" ...."

Puth myth fueled by your Fischer fever....it's how you sell Bobby....

So wait, Korchnoi has an equal score against Fischer but would have stood no chance is that the logic?...

I read somewhere Korchnoi gave the match up in 1971 as Russian authorities wanted the stronger player to play Fischer out of Korch and Tigran with Tigran accepting the challenge lol.

Karpov and obviously kasparov would have been a huge test for Fischer, botht hese guys would kill the same competition Bobby has 70-71 easily, you do know that Kasparov had a 15-1 record against Korchnoi!! And Karpov 14-2 over Spassky!!

Jan-08-17  The Boomerang: Geez even Karpov said that '71 match Tigran and Petrosian looked fishy.....

Obviously Efim Geller or Korchnoi would have been a better match for Bobby due t their personal records, with Geller even having a positive record over Fischer.

Fischer was raised to the highest pedestal of all time, after his 70-72 run not even God would beat Fischer is that correct?

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