VIKTOR KORCHNOI (born Mar-23-1931, died Jun-06-2016, 85 years old) Russia (federation/nationality Switzerland) PRONUNCIATION: [what is this?] Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi was born in Leningrad, USSR. His father taught him chess when he was seven years old. He won the Soviet Championship four times: USSR Championship (1960), USSR Championship (1962), USSR Championship (1964/65) and USSR Championship (1970). He made eight appearances in the world championship candidates cycle. He reached the Spassky - Korchnoi Candidates Final (1968), but failed to beat Spassky. In the next cycle he won his quarterfinal Korchnoi - Geller Candidates Quarterfinal (1971), but lost his semifinal match to Tigran Petrosian. He made it to the Karpov - Korchnoi Candidates Final (1974), but lost. Korchnoi defected from the USSR in 1976, and two years later he finally managed to win the Candidates and qualify for the Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship Match (1978). Trailing late 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 again for the Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship Match (1981), but was beaten 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 1980s and 1990s, though he never contended for the world title again. He did, however, capture the 2006 World Senior Championship, scoring 9-2. Though never World Champion himself, Korchnoi defeated nine players who at some time held the title: Petrosian, Spassky, Karpov, Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Robert James Fischer, Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. After defecting, Korchnoi settled in Switzerland, which he represented at Olympiads and other international events. He was ranked in the top 100 on the FIDE world rating list as late as January 2007 (aged 75), the oldest player ever so ranked. Korchnoi suffered a stroke in December 2012, but returned to competitive chess beginning in 2014. He died in Wohlen, Switzerland on June 6, 2016, aged 85. Wikipedia article: Viktor Korchnoi Last updated: 2025-03-20 08:50:37

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page 1 of 195; games 1-25 of 4,872  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Y Rovner vs Korchnoi 1-0 20 1945 Leningrad C45 Scotch Game 2. Zikov vs Korchnoi 0-1 20 1946 Leningrad B00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening 3. Korchnoi vs Razov 1-0 27 1946 Leningrad C50 Giuoco Piano 4. Petrosian vs Korchnoi 1-0 23 1946 URS-ch U18 A94 Dutch, Stonewall with Ba3 5. L Aronson vs Korchnoi 0-1 43 1947 Leningrad D44 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 6. Y Vasilchuk vs Korchnoi 0-1 60 1947 Leningrad B74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical 7. V Shiyanovsky vs Korchnoi 0-1 35 1947 Leningrad D47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 8. Korchnoi vs S Giterman 1-0 36 1948 USSR Junior Championship sf-A C07 French, Tarrasch 9. Korchnoi vs Spassky 1-0 12 1948 Leningrad B71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation 10. Korchnoi vs Y Sakharov   1-0 30 1949 URS-ch qf D11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 11. Korchnoi vs N Levin 1-0 31 1949 URS-ch qf E03 Catalan, Open 12. L Omelchenko vs Korchnoi 0-1 32 1949 Leningrad C77 Ruy Lopez 13. Korchnoi vs Spassky 0-1 51 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship B71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation 14. Korchnoi vs V P Zakharov   ½-½ 40 1949 Leningrad Junior Championship D11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 15. Korchnoi vs Shapkin 1-0 18 1949 USSR Junior Team Championship D08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit 16. V Golenishchev vs Korchnoi 0-1 42 1949 USSR Junior Team Championship A90 Dutch 17. Averbakh vs Korchnoi 1-0 43 1950 URS-ch sf Tula B45 Sicilian, Taimanov 18. S Khavsky vs Korchnoi 0-1 31 1950 URS-ch qf B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 19. Taimanov vs Korchnoi 0-1 35 1950 Leningrad Championship A97 Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky 20. M Aizenshtadt vs Korchnoi 0-1 34 1950 URS-ch qf D35 Queen's Gambit Declined 21. Korchnoi vs G Borisenko 0-1 38 1950 URS-ch sf Tula C34 King's Gambit Accepted 22. Korchnoi vs A Cherepkov 1-0 68 1950 Leningrad Championship C58 Two Knights 23. Korchnoi vs S Zhukhovitsky 1-0 55 1950 Leningrad Championship B62 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer 24. N Bakulin vs Korchnoi 0-1 39 1950 URS-ch qf B00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening 25. Sikov vs Korchnoi 0-1 44 1950 Leningrad A85 Dutch, with c4 & Nc3  page 1 of 195; games 1-25 of 4,872

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 60 OF 100 ·  Later Kibitzing> Mar-23-10    MaxxLange: <Robert Byrne> was quite the operator in his day, I have heard Mar-23-10    diagonal: Viktor Korchnoi, master of counter-attacking and double-edged positions that few others played with comfort, celebrates his 79th anniversary today: Happy Birthday to the man who has spent his whole life in the game. Mar-23-10    strifeknot: Happy birthday, maestro. Mar-24-10    kingfu: Frank Herbert wrote the Dune novels while sitting in a Smith Tower office. The Smith Tower is in Seattle. So, Frank Herbert wrote the novels of a world of sand while looking out over a world of water in Seattle. Amazing. Mar-26-10    thegoodanarchist: Belated Happy Birthday, GM Korchnoi! Look at all the great players born in March, including Fischer, Smyslov and Korchnoi!!! Future parents, if you want your child to be a chess genius, conceive in June! :D Mar-26-10    thegoodanarchist: Yanofsky, Topalov and Bent Larsen were also born in March!! Mar-26-10    thegoodanarchist: And Kasparov missed March by only 2 weeks :) Mar-26-10    wordfunph: <thegoodanarchist: And Kasparov missed March by only 2 weeks :)> his father was late by 2 weeks.. :-) Mar-26-10    HeMateMe: Anyone know what <Igor Korchnoi>, Viktor's son, is doing? His name came up in the '78 match with Karpov, the 'Battle in Baguio', when there were unconfirmed reports that VK's son, Igor, was being beaten in a< labor camp>. This news given to Korchnoi, to distract him. Igor refused the mandatory USSR military service all youths are required to perform. Apparently the penalty for that is a labor camp, if reports published here were true. I think after the '81 match, with Korchnoi less of a world champion threat, VK's wife and son were allowed to emigrate to the west. Mar-30-10    kingfu: HeMateMe, this would make sense. The Korchnoi's are Jews. The Soviets let it be known that if you defected or defied The State in any way, your family would be punished. Punishment is a wrong concept. How about brutalized? You let Karpov win, we let your family go. Apr-03-10    wordfunph: "If only we could grow old like Korchnoi." GM Nick de Firmian Apr-09-10    thegoodanarchist: Does anyone in the database have more games? This man is a prolific chess machine. Apr-09-10    acirce: Nope. Nobody else is even close. <What players have the most games in the database? 1. Viktor Korchnoi (4,341) 2. Anatoli Karpov (3,454) 3. Jan Timman (3,392) 4. Svetozar Gligoric (3,135) 5. Mikhail Tal (2,827) 6. Lajos Portisch (2,684) 7. Vasily Smyslov (2,637) 8. Vassily Ivanchuk (2,608) 9. Vlastimil Hort (2,582) 10. Bent Larsen (2,527) (etc)> ChessGames.com Statistics Page Apr-09-10    whiteshark: <thegoodanarchist: <Does anyone in the database have more games? >> No! 1. Viktor Korchnoi (4,341) 2. Anatoli Karpov (3,454) 3. Jan Timman (3,392) 4. Svetozar Gligoric (3,135) ChessGames.com Statistics Page Apr-09-10    wordfunph: <thegoodanarchist: This man is a prolific chess machine.> i believe this is an open secret on Korchnoi's longevity.. 100 year old British Alec Holden's Secrets to Long Life: Eating <porridge> everyday, playing chess and remembering to keep breathing. Viktor Korchnoi once told GM Hans Ree that his secret was oatmeal <porridge> for breakfast every day, it makes him strong. ahhhhhh....<porridge>! go Korchnoi! Apr-09-10    thegoodanarchist: Thanks guys, I hadn't seen that page before. And the most curious stat was the "pages with most kibitzes": 1. Kibitzer's Café (91,775) 2. Wesley So (72,117) 3. Magnus Carlsen (53,213) 4. The World vs G Timmerman, 2007 (44,560) 5. Vladimir Kramnik (37,222) Wesley So??? #2??? over Carlsen, Kramnik, Fischer and Kasparov!!! Apr-11-10    frogbert: <Wesley So??? #2???> yeah, it's strange that "he" hasn't overtaken the cafe yet, for a clear number one spot. ;o) Apr-12-10    wordfunph: "If you are scared of danger, you should find another profession." Viktor Korchnoi beratingly told GM Vadim Zvjaginsev in 1998 Tilburg Apr-30-10    waustad: It would be a huge surprise if Korchnoi would support Karpov as pres of FIDE. I was a little surprised to see Kasparov do so, but Viktor may have memories that are too bitter. He doesn't seem like that cheery a fellow anyway, but Karpov seems to stick in his craw. Apr-30-10    thegoodanarchist: < frogbert: <Wesley So??? #2???> yeah, it's strange that "he" hasn't overtaken the cafe yet, for a clear number one spot. ;o)> <frogbert> Why do you put "he" in quotes? Is Wesley So a myth? An alien? Apr-30-10    vanytchouck: I think it because, it's not really Wesley himself who will overtake the café. May-12-10    Stonehenge: Still no games this year? May-12-10    M.D. Wilson: Apparently Korchnoi has started to slip, albeit 30 years after most of his peers. What a genius! The Lasker of modern chess. May-13-10    HeMateMe: If its not too personal, <Wilson>, are you really an M.D., and if so, in what sense? May-13-10    M.D. Wilson: My initials are MDW. I am a student doctor, so it's a nice coincidence. If you click on my profile, you'll understand. Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 100) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 60 OF 100 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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