offramp: Game 4 of the match. Sunday, 22nd September 1974.
This was the first French Defence of the match. In those days Karpov was a habitual 1.e4 player, so the French was likely to turn up. The position after 10...Bc8-g4...
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...also occurred in games 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16. All were drawn. This position, after 9...Bc5-d6, also appeared in game 18:
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In that position Karpov's usual move was 10.Bg5, for example in Karpov vs Uhlmann, 1973. But a few months before the Candidates' Final, this game (not at chessgames.com) was played at the Nice Olympiad: [Event "Nice olm fin-A"]
[Site "Nice"]
[Round "11"]
[Date "1974.6.??"]
[White "Torre, Eugenio"]
[Black "Byrne, Robert E"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.O-O Ne7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.Bg5 O-O 11.Bh4 Bf5 12.Nfd4 Nxd4 13.Nxd4 1/2-1/2 In view of that, Karpov preferred 10.c2-c3.
There are many exchanges, then Kortschnoi plays 23...Ng6
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Karpov could have taken the knight here and that would have been a total draw. But he chose to keep the minor pieces on. I think Kortschnoi outplays Karpov over the next twenty moves, but not enough to win. Black offered the draw at the end. | 
Kibitzing
