In 1984 two chess legends faced each other in what would become the longest and most controversial match in the history of the World Chess Championships, which lasted from 10 September to 8 February 1985. On the Moscow table they competed Anatoly Karpov And Garry Kasparovtwo of the greatest players of all time.
Karpov was the reigning champion, symbol of the Soviet elite: methodical, precise, cold. Kasparov, however, was the new genius of the Soviet Union, a 21-year-old boy born in Bakuin present-day Azerbaijan, raised in the school of the legendary Mikhail Botvinnika former world champion who had sensed his talent as a child. At 12 Kasparov won the USSR Junior Championship, at 16 he became World Junior Champion, and at 17 he achieved the title of Grandmaster.
After 5 months and 48 games the match was interrupted with no winners or losers. The decision came on February 15, 1985when the then president of FIDE (the international chess federation) Florencio Campomanes announced in front of the cameras the end of the meeting, officially for the player fatigue. For many, however, it was a political move, a way to protect the reigning champion Karpovsupported by the Soviet government, and prevent the young Kasparov, considered too independent, from ousting him.
That challenge, which lasted almost half a year, was much more than a chess match: it was a duel between two visions of the Soviet Unionbetween the stability of the system and the desire for change.
48 games, tiredness and comeback: the epic duel between Karpov and Kasparov
Their confrontation began on September 10, 1984. On paper, Karpov was the favorite: he had already defended the title several times, showed a solid game and was an excellent calculator. Kasparov, on the other hand, brought an aggressive and creative style to the match, but also a certain impetuosity.
At the beginning there seemed to be no story: Karpov won five games and took the lead 5-0. Observers thought the match was virtually over. But Kasparov, aware that continuing to attack would mean losing, completely changed his strategy. He started playing for the flapforcing Karpov into very long, exhausting and psychologically exhausting matches.
The public, however, did not appreciate it. In Moscow, after one of the many matches that ended in a draw after only 17 movesthe crowd reacted with boos and protests. The newspapers spoke of “anti-chess”. The rules of the tournament, in those days, were simple: whoever got 6 victories would have won the title, but there was no limit of games.
Karpov lost approx 10kg during the months of the match, Kasparov about 7, both exhausted by tension and endless matches. Kasparov slowly began to catch up: after three months of play his first victory came. Then two more followed. After 48 games, the score was 5 to 3 for Karpov, but the inertia had now changed. Kasparov was growing, while the reigning champion appeared exhausted, so much so that according to doctors he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
The decision of the President of FIDE and the new rules
In February 1985 Florencio Campomanes made the decision to stop the match. The official reason was that the match was going on too long – five months of grueling play – and that was seriously taking its toll the health of the players and the interest of the public are at risk. The announcement was blunt: a new match would be organised, but with different rules. Victory would have gone to whoever had won 6 matches out of a maximum of 24. If no one had achieved this goal, the title would have remained with the reigning champion. And should the challenger win, Karpov would be entitled to a rematch within a few months.
Kasparov protested harshly, claiming that he was coming from behind and that Karpov himself had plotted to stop the world championship. Furthermore, Karpov himself was still in favor of continuing. The decision created a hornet’s nest of controversy in the Soviet Union, where the match had become more than a sporting clash: a symbol of ideology, generations and politics.
The two met again several times, since the 1985 rematch won by Kasparov which alone 22 years old he became the youngest World Champion in history, with a final score of 13 to 11, until the last official meetings. In total they faced each other 161 timesof which 144 for the world title: 24 victories by Kasparov, 20 by Karpov, the rest draws. Their rivalry has become the symbol of a battle that goes beyond the chessboard, a duel between worldviews, generations and political strategies, which has remained imprinted in the memory of those who follow chess and the history of the twentieth century.
