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 196; games 1-25 of 4,876  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Y Rovner vs Korchnoi 1-0 20 1945 Leningrad C45 Scotch Game 2. Korchnoi vs Razov 1-0 27 1946 Leningrad C50 Giuoco Piano 3. Zikov vs Korchnoi 0-1 20 1946 Leningrad B00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening 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. V Shiyanovsky vs Korchnoi 0-1 35 1947 Leningrad D47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 7. Y Vasilchuk vs Korchnoi 0-1 60 1947 Leningrad B74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical 8. Korchnoi vs Spassky 1-0 12 1948 Leningrad B71 Sicilian, Dragon, Levenfish Variation 9. Korchnoi vs S Giterman 1-0 36 1948 USSR Junior Championship sf-A C07 French, Tarrasch 10. L Omelchenko vs Korchnoi 0-1 32 1949 Leningrad C77 Ruy Lopez 11. Korchnoi vs N Levin 1-0 31 1949 URS-ch qf E03 Catalan, Open 12. Korchnoi vs Y Sakharov   1-0 30 1949 URS-ch qf D11 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav 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. V Golenishchev vs Korchnoi 0-1 42 1949 USSR Junior Team Championship A90 Dutch 16. Korchnoi vs Shapkin 1-0 18 1949 USSR Junior Team Championship D08 Queen's Gambit Declined, Albin Counter Gambit 17. Korchnoi vs G Borisenko 0-1 38 1950 URS-ch sf Tula C34 King's Gambit Accepted 18. M Aizenshtadt vs Korchnoi 0-1 34 1950 URS-ch qf D35 Queen's Gambit Declined 19. N Bakulin vs Korchnoi 0-1 39 1950 URS-ch qf B00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening 20. S Khavsky vs Korchnoi 0-1 31 1950 URS-ch qf B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 21. Korchnoi vs S Zhukhovitsky 1-0 55 1950 Leningrad Championship B62 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer 22. Sikov vs Korchnoi 0-1 44 1950 Leningrad A85 Dutch, with c4 & Nc3 23. Taimanov vs Korchnoi 0-1 35 1950 Leningrad Championship A97 Dutch, Ilyin-Genevsky 24. Korchnoi vs A Cherepkov 1-0 68 1950 Leningrad Championship C58 Two Knights 25. Averbakh vs Korchnoi 1-0 43 1950 URS-ch sf Tula B45 Sicilian, Taimanov  page 1 of 196; games 1-25 of 4,876

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 32 OF 100 ·  Later Kibitzing> Mar-23-06    Raskolnikov: Happy birthday, Viktor Lvovich!! Mar-23-06    Mameluk: Yes yes. 75 years of Korchnoi definitely deserves more attention. Mar-23-06    keypusher: Wow. Happy Birthday!! Mar-23-06    Joao Quinta Godinhos: Maybe is time for him to retire, enough chess for this man, you must realize when its time to retire. Mar-23-06    keypusher: He's still playing wonderful chess, he's still innovating and he's doing what he loves. Why should he retire? Mar-23-06    jamesmaskell: Happy birthday Korchnoi. I love watching him play and hope he continues to play, regardless of his age. Mar-23-06    iyutan: korchnoi must not retire. he should have another match with karpov. korchnoi plays more fighting chess than karpov these days. he should take on fischer, too. happy birthday! Mar-23-06    keypusher: From Chessbase, for Korchnoi's 75th: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail... Mar-23-06    WannaBe: I wonder if Ms. Polgar sent him a happy birthday wish, I'll run off and hide now... :-) Mar-23-06    suenteus po 147: Happy birthday, GM Korchnoi! Never resign the fight! ;) Mar-23-06    Volmac: Happy birthday! Games like Korchnoi vs A Greenfeld, 1990 will inspire chessplayers forever! Mar-23-06    Appaz: My congratulations to one of the greatest masters in the history of chess. He is right up there along Kasparov, Karpov, Fischer, Capablanca, Lasker and Morphy: Korchnoi's strength is his extreme stamina! The strongest player ever not to become World Champion, maybe because of foul play. The person that could have delayed Kasparov's reign as WC with one cycle, had it not been for his great sportmansship (he could have won the match against Kasparov on default). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korchnoi Mar-23-06    MrSpock: Happy birthday GM Kortchnoi - your deep and fighting chessgames will survive all this boaring sicilian theory. Mar-23-06    Tabanus: Happy birthday GM Korchnoi - hope to see you among the http://www.midnightsunchess.org/eng... ! Mar-23-06    DutchDunce: HB to the original VK. May you not face any cows today. Mar-23-06    blingice: Happy Birthday to one of my favorite players. Mar-23-06    diagonal: 75 years! Happy birthday to the infatiguable Victor Korchnoi. He already announced to play at "Torino", incredible forty-six years after his first appearance at the Chess Olympiads in 1960. Mar-24-06    vesivialvy93: happy birthday to the best of all-time who didn't became world champion , and the best 70 years old (or more) chess player of all-time WC included ! Mar-24-06    pawn to QB4: I add my best wishes to those above. I've read debate about who played the most world champions, who was the man for taking on and beating the masters of different eras. Soon enough, of course, there'll be no debate: in addition to every world champion from Botvinnik to Kasparov played and beaten at least once, Viktor's played and if starred, beaten, players from the next two "generations", viz Kramnik, Topalov*, Leko*, Anand, Ivanchuk* ; Bacrot*, Ponomariov*, Radjabov and Carlsen*. Can't see any obvious future world champions except Karjakin and Aronian outside this list, so presumably one day he'll retire all such records. Must be a testament to sustained fighting spirit, and as for anyone who thinks he should impoverish the chess world by calling it a day: no way, I urge us all to follow his example. Mar-25-06    fred lennox: I looked at some of Kasporav new MGP volume on Korchnoi/Karpov. It won't go without comment that he spent as much time on Korchnoi as he did on Petrosian or Spassky and more on other WCs. Objectively it isn't correct. I have no complaint, not because he is Kasparov but because he is doing a splendid job with these books, he can elaborate on any GM he pleases. Since Korchnoi is one of my favorites, my objectivity is weaker yet. Korchnoi, one of the great defenders in the line of Staunton, Steinitz, Lasker, Petrosian. All the above were WC. Korchnoi wasn't. He is an isolated mountain, a great fighter. I can see Kasparov strong interest in Korchnoi. No one so imposing since, impresses me as much for the intensity, richness and dynamic fervor except Kasporov himeelf. Mar-25-06    pawn to QB4: I agree with everything you say, but I don't have a problem with GK devoting as much time to Korchnoi as to Petrosian/Spassky - and I'm such a Spassky fan I've just played through over 200 to finish a collection of his games. In many ways Korchnoi was at least as great a figure as them: clearly ahead of them from '74 onwards, and regarded as ahead of them in tournament performances even in the 60s. That he never made WC and they did might be at least in part down to the fact that Karpov was the competition when VK was at his height and no player quite so formidable - Tal being ill, Fischer too young in '63 - stood in the way when BS and TP made their title bids. I'm sure we both look forward to seeing what Kasparov's got to say - maybe he has more reasons for considering Korchnoi an important figure. Mar-26-06    THE pawn: I came across a nice chess history book at my local library, and the authors call you: «Victor le terrible». Hell, they're right! Happy birthday immortal wolf! Mar-27-06    vesivialvy93: Kortchnoi deserve all the attention Kasparov give to him only because he is probably the only GM in chess history to stay in the top 20 for more than 5 decades! but don't be surprise if you read more good things than expected about Kortchnoi and of course Karpov in this book and the next one , he will say that Karpov and Kortchnoi were better than ever in his (kasparov's) years and he will try to prove that if Karpov(85-86-87-90) and Kortchnoi (c,f 1983) loses against him it was not because they played poorly , at least not against HIM!!! that's why now Karpov is so good right now in the book he wrote (and yes he was so good !) but ! only to prove that if Karpov was strong enough to beat Fischer in 75 , HIM (kasparov the king) he has beaten a stronger version of Karpov in the 80's ....and then ....the last 3 books of his collection could have named : WHY I AM STRONGER THAN FISCHER !!!! Mar-28-06    plang: I am a big fan of Korchnoi and think it is great that he gets so much attention from Kasparov....but why is he listed on the cover? He is the only player who is listed on the cover of one of the five volumes who never actually was world champion. Mar-29-06    Benzol: Korchnoi will be at the London Chess Centre on the 29th of April. He'll be signing books and is giving a lecture. Pity I won't be able to be there but if you're in London why not make a point of seeing him. Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 100) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 32 OF 100 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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