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Anatoly Karpov vs Viktor Korchnoi
Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship Match (1981), Merano ITA, rd 6, Oct-15
Spanish Game: Open. St. Petersburg Variation (C82)  ·  0-1

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Kibitzer's Corner
Jul-07-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: I presume the finish would be 42. Ne3 Rxe3! 43. Qxe3 Bh1 44. f3 Bxf3, but please post any improvements.

mbonk63-tpstar0 (Yahoo 7/7/04): 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. de Be6 9. c3 Bc5 10. Nbd2 0-0 11. Bc2 Bf5 12. Nb3 Bg6 13. Nxc5 Nxc5 14. b4!? Ne6 15. Re1 Qd7 16. a4 Rab8 17. ab ab 18. Be3 Bh5?! (18 ... Ne7) 19. Qb1 (19. Bxh7+! Kxh7 20. Ng5+ Nxg5 21. Qxh5+ Kg8 22. Qxg5) Bxf3 20. Bxh7+?! Kh8 21. gxf3 g6 22. Bxg6 fxg6 23. Kh1 (23. Qxg6?? Rg8) Qf7 24. f4 Nxf4 25. Bxf4 Qxf4 26. Re3 Nxe5 27. Rh3+ Kg7 28. Ra7 Ng4 0-1.

Jul-07-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Zenchess: One of the few bright spots for Korchnoi in this match; he makes Karpov look stupid the whole game. Karpov's pieces are confined to the first three ranks the whole game. Karpov blunders with 41. Bf4??; psychologically, that's what prolonged pressure does to even the best. 41. f3 looks like it holds, but Black had the pressure the whole way.
Jul-09-04  uglybird: <tpstar> After your suggested 42.Ne3, ...Qf3! is also strong as 43.Nxg2 is refuted by ...Re2.
Jul-09-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <uglybird> Thank you very much! I figured there was something more decisive than my line, but couldn't see it. Now I get why Karpov resigned. Peace out.
Jul-10-04  offramp: 40.Nf1?? Karpov should have played 40.Ne2, threatening th emassive 41.Nf4! A weird thing about this game is Karpov's king'd bishop, which never really settles down.
Nov-23-04  sourcerer: exellent line of the ruy lopez open
Apr-11-08  Knight13: Excellent line? Yeah right. White got killed. Messed up with 13. Nfd4 or something. 13. Bf4 is gotta be better.
Jun-04-12  lost in space: Nice win by Korchnoi; This is one of his best games in this WC match were he was really bad over all.
Jun-04-12  Petrosianic: <lost in space>: <Nice win by Korchnoi; This is one of his best games in this WC match>

Not really. Black doesn't really have any advantage until a move before the end.

Jun-04-12  cunctatorg: Not really; chess is neither math nor a computer game. My point is that the initiative and the positional superiority is something real and with many consequences, the final decision of the Chess Supercomputer aside!
Jun-06-12  lost in space: Petrosianic: <lost in space>: <Nice win by Korchnoi; This is one of his best games in this WC match> Not really. Black doesn't really have any advantage until a move before the end.

Hi <Petrosianic>, I don't see a strong objection between " one of his best games (in this WC match" and " doesn't have any advantage until the move before the end"

From my point of view and without using a computer he played really well here. In a lot of the other games in this match I had the impression that the was not able to keep the balance beyond the opening moves - with black but also with white.

Jun-06-12  Petrosianic: Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, "one of his best games" and "a game that was equal a move before the end" is a sad commentary on this match.
May-09-13  optimal play: <Knight13> I love playing this line as white and find it to be very solid. As for 13.Nfd4 it is perfectly playable and if Karpov made any early sub-optimal moves it was probably with 18.exf6? It looks like 17...f6 was an innovation by Korchnoi and a better response might have simply been 18.Nd3
Jul-15-14  Everett: <40.Ne2> looks lots better. At least one set of minors is coming off, and white is still up a pawn, though gagging on the d-pawn cannot be comfortable.
Dec-16-15  cunctatorg: 39... Qd5? Korchnoi should have played 39... Qe5! 40. Nf1 (40. Bf4 Qxc5) and Black has -at least- a clear advantage; all that was well known fact from the analyses during that match...

Anyways, these mutual mistakes spoiled the glow of that -otherwise- brilliantly conducted (from Korchnoi's part) game...

Jan-01-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  woldsmandriffield: 36 Rb1?! contributed to Karpov’s downfall. There must have been a time scramble and Karpov intended to answer the correct 39..Qe5 with 40 Nf1. In this line there is no forced win for Korchnoi but consider 40..Qd5 41 Rd1 Be4 42 f3 Bxf3 43 gxf3 Ne5 44 Nh2 Nxf3+ 45 Nxf3 Qxf3 46 Qxd3 Qg3+ 47 Kf1 Rxe3 48 Qd5+ Kf8 with a draw.

In the game, Karpov is faced with this line except his Rook is misplaced on b1, which is disastrous for a White. 39..Qd5? 40 Nf1? Be4 41 f3 Bxf3 42 gxf3 Ne5 43 Nh2 Nxf3+ 44 Nxf3 Qxf3 45 Qxd3 Qg3+! 46 Kf1 Rxe3 47 Qd5+ Kf8! 48 Qd6+ Qxd6 49 cxd6 Rxh3 and the Rb1 costs the game: 50 Kg2 Rd3

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