Posted on 09/21/2009 4:23:24 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
The most bitter rivalry in world chess will resume in Spain on Tuesday when Garry Kasparov plays Anatoly Karpov in a match imbued with nostalgia.
Setting aside formerly icy personality differences, the two Russian grandmasters will play 12 rapid and semi-rapid games over four days in Valencia.
The match will be shown live on the internet and comes 25 years after the duo first competed against one another for the world title. That contest, in Moscow, lasted five months before it was halted, ostensibly to protect the players' health. Mr Karpov was in the lead when it was cut short but lost the world title to Mr Kasparov the next year, 1985.
Their hard-fought and always close matches in later years shook up the dusty world of chess, won the game many new fans, and came, for some, to mirror the changing fortunes of the Soviet Union.
Back then, Mr Kasparov, now 46, was the young pretender challenging Mr Karpov, now 58, who was a darling of the Soviet establishment. While Mr Karpov was an ethnic Russian, Mr Kasparov was of Jewish/Armenian parentage, had changed his surname from Weinstein, and had been born in the then Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.
Liberals saw his victory as a sign that a younger, less fusty generation was in the ascendancy. The year he first became world champion, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, embarking on his perestroika reform programme.
Chess experts say that Mr Karpov will be the underdog in tomorrow's contest, due to a spate of recent poor form. But Mr Kasparov, who retired from professional chess in 2005, admits his lack of practice could hinder him. "I have not played a serious game for five years, which makes me doubt that I will be capable of recapturing my
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I’ve always admired both players skill and often wondered in Karpov could have beaten Bobby in 75.
isn’t that a tad early in the game for both players to have lost their queens?
oh wait! those are extra queens in case a pawn makes it across the board. sorry!!!
I’ve taken up chess recently after a lapse of several years. I seem to have gotten better for the time off.
There are two queens not in play, but I see two others on the board. So who knows.
Certain variations of some openings include an early trading of queens.
I think Fischer knew Karpov would’ve handed him his ass, so he wussed out and “retired” to preserve his legacy. ...a contemptible creature in every respect.
The Karpov-Kasparov matches represented chess at its absolute pinnacle.
I always seemed to do better at speed chess than the regular timed game against the same opponent — stronger at quick ‘n’ dirty analysis, I guess...
Those matches with these two would be intriguing to watch.
Not to be confused with one of the funniest videos of all time including, Kasparov.
No serious player believes this.
As for Karpov-Kasperov, there definitely was some good. (I attended a couple of the games) But I think you're forgetting all those draws.
ML/NJ
I think you overrate Karpov's chances. Fischer would have probably won after a rocky start where he would have to play himself into form, after not playing a single top-level game in 3 years. However, Fischer was beyond play at this point. Very sad. What a waste.
The Karpov-Kasparov matches were quite different that the exciting Fischer/Spassky encounter. And I leave it to those who know better than I to comment on the quality of the play of the two Kar/Kas matches.
I’m guessing that the level of play where they are emotional attachment to any piece is minimal. Detached sacrifice of a strong piece for a strategic gain or to minimize a loss to an opponent’s superior strategy is difficult for most non-professional players.
It's too bad they'll only be playing games under accelerated time controls. I'd like to see the best of 10 under the old standard 40 in 2.5.
“Handed him his ass” may have been a little strong, but the Karpov of the mid-late ‘70s was superior to a mentally fragile Fischer of that same period (and later). A prime BF vs. a prime Karpov would’ve been another story entirely.
does anyone have a link for this ?
Placemarker!
Tal was around til '92. Did these guys ever face him?
And we need to find where this will be on the internet.
Help!
yitbos
Draw. (GK was 19 or 20).
Tal vs. Karpov, Brussels, 1987
Winner: Tal (he was 50)
I found a rundown of Tal vs. Fischer. Seems Fischer beat Tal 4-3 over over about 12 years.
yitbos
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