Russia (USSR) vs Rest of the World
Encyclopedia
There have been two chess
matches featuring USSR vs. Rest of the World and 1 match Russia vs. Rest of the World. The first two matches were between a team from the USSR and a team of players from the "rest of the world
". The third match (between Russia and the rest of the world) was the first to occur after the breakup of the Soviet Union, which meant that some countries that had been in the USSR for the first two matches were now on the "Rest of the World" team.
In all of the matches the teams consisted of ten members (plus some substitutes). In the first two matches, the teams were arranged in order (from board 1 through board 10) and the member from one team played four games against his equivalent on the other team. In the third match, each player played a game with ten different members of the other team (a Scheveningen system
match), with a faster time control
than the first two matches. The USSR team won the first two matches but the "Rest of the World" team won the third match.
had raised standards to a level that other nations could only aspire to. Aside from the brief tenure of Max Euwe
, they had produced an uninterrupted line of world champions stretching from 1927 to 1970. Similarly, since their earliest participation, they had completely dominated team chess events such as the Chess Olympiad
and European Team Championship. So pronounced was the gulf between the Soviet national side and their closest competitors, a sterner challenge was required to gauge the full extent of their supremacy. Such a challenge presented itself in 1970, when Euwe (the president of FIDE at the time) announced a match to pit the USSR's strength against the collective might of the Rest of the World.
If the Soviets saw it as an opportunity to crown their glory, then the World camp were equally determined to show that the emergence of Bobby Fischer
as a prospective world champion was symptomatic of a more widespread shift in the power base.
As the Cold War
dictated the political mood of the era, the headline writers predictably made much of the event's title.
, March 29 - April 5, 1970 and was billed as "The Match of the Century - USSR versus the Rest of the World".
Ten team members played four games against their opposite number. Two reserves could be utilised to fill in on any board at the direction of the team captain.
Max Euwe was the captain of the "Rest of the World" team and he announced the order of the team's players. For the first time, Arpad Elo
's rating system
was used to determine seeding and board order, except in the case of Larsen
and Fischer
. Larsen could not accept that Fischer's rating made him the World's Board 1 when Fischer's recent period of inactivity was contrasted with Larsen's recent successes. After many negotiations, and just as the developing disagreement appeared to be endangering the match, Fischer surprisingly agreed to step down to Board 2. The lineup was announced by Euwe well in advance of the match.
At the time of the match, many people in Belgrade speculated that the order of the USSR players seemed as if it were arranged so that they would play against opponents with whom they had a history of beating. For instance, ex-world champion Mikhail Botvinnik
was below Efim Geller
and Mark Taimanov
. The lineup matched Taimanov against Wolfgang Uhlmann
, whom he "used to beat as he liked" and Botvinnik against Milan Matulović
, who admitted to having a "Botvinnik complex", not playing well against him. People also questioned Paul Keres
being on board 10, and wondered if his opponent being Borislav Ivkov
had something to do with it. These suspicions were printed in Belgrade newspapers and the Russians replied with their reason for their team's selection: Current World Champion
Boris Spassky
must be first and his predecessor Tigran Petrosian
must be second. Next comes Viktor Korchnoi
, who played in the candidate's final match. Next came four players (Lev Polugaevsky
, Geller, Vasily Smyslov
, and Taimanov) who earned the right to play in the next Interzonal
because of their place in the USSR Championship
. The last three places were given to players of special merit - Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal
, and Keres. The first reserve was Leonid Stein
, who placed sixth in the USSR Championship, just behind those going to the Interzonal. The second reserve was David Bronstein
, who once played in a world championship match .
On paper, the match looked daunting for the World team as they were up against five world champions and a number of other players who had achieved good results in Candidates Tournament
s. However, a terrific display of defiance from the World's top four boards almost tipped the balance and in the end, it was only the Soviets' strength in depth that won the day, by the narrowest of margins.
Lajos Portisch
contributed a plus score for his side, but he incurred the wrath of Fischer when he conceded a draw
to Korchnoi in a won position . The game was regarded by many as crucial in determining the final match result, since the match would have been tied if Portisch had won the game. (See Threefold repetition#Korchnoi versus Portisch, 1970). The Rest of the World team were also hindered by Reshevsky
being unable to play his final round game against Smyslov because it fell on the Jewish Sabbath. His replacement, Fridrik Olafsson, was defeated.
The match was refereed by Božidar Kažić and each participant received a fee of $400. Fischer won a car for making the best result with the 'World' team. Two additional reserves, David Bronstein
(USSR) and the West German Klaus Darga
(Rest of the World), were not required.
Mikhail Tal's verdict in 64
(No. 17) - "We won, but there are some reasons for concern: why are the foreign players making faster progress — at least in outward appearance? Why is the average age of our opponents lower than that of our national team? Why was there only one really strong chess tournament in the Soviet Union during the last years?"
Final score - USSR 20½ versus 19½ Rest of the World
Played at the Isle of Dogs
, the match only took place thanks to a last minute rescue package, when sponsors withdrew from the previously vaunted venues of Belgrade
and then Rome. The London bid was made possible thanks to the efforts of Ray Keene, the London Docklands Corporation, the British Chess Federation and a wealthy co-sponsor, Indonesian businessman Mr H M Hasan, who wished to be named as captain of the Rest of the World side.
The format followed that of the previous 1970 Match. This time the teams looked closer to equal strength, with average Elo grades being almost identical. Korchnoi had by now swapped sides, following his defection to the west and this was just one conceivable reason why Moscow (the logical 'home and away' choice for a re-match) was not put forward as a venue (there was a great deal of antagonism between Korchnoi and the Soviet authorities).
Mr Hasan wisely handed over executive captaincy duties to Lubomir Kavalek whilst the Soviets employed grandmaster and psychologist Nikolai Krogius
in the same role. The chief arbiter was Robert Wade
.
For the World side, Portisch had been insulted by the offer of board 7 and refused to play. Spassky had only just left the USSR to move to France and felt it would be overly painful to line up as an opponent of his old friends. Hort simply had other commitments.
Bent Larsen
and Korchnoi were the other veterans present on the world side.
Meanwhile, USSR newcomers Karpov
and Kasparov
strengthened the top half of the USSR side, an area of weakness in the previous match. Amazingly, the veterans Tal, Smyslov and Polugaevsky participated once more and again turned in respectable performances. Petrosian was absent through illness but the solid Yuri Razuvaev deputised admirably. The World's Miles
and Torre
restored some pride on the bottom boards, but the real damage was done on board 6, where rampant former world junior champion Beliavsky
could not be contained by the combined efforts of Seirawan and Larsen
. Some observers believed that Seirawan had foolishly been preferred to the higher rated Walter Browne because he had a more 'glamorous image'.
Final score - USSR 21 versus 19 Rest of the World
If the event were to be more media and sponsor-friendly, some drastic format changes were required. Out of favour was the idea that combatants paired up only with their opposite number and engaged in a lengthy, psychological war of attrition. This might have appealed to the chess purist but did nothing for the casual observer or thrills-and-spills-hungry journalist. Furthermore, in order to make chess a viable spectator sport, it was widely believed short time limits and spectacular, rapid finishes were necessary elements. Then there was the difficult task of getting most of the planet's elite players in the same place at the same time. A lengthy tournament might discourage some from attending at all.
The finalised arrangements appeared to successfully cover all of the bases. A ten player, 10-round Scheveningen system
format, with a 25 minute (+10 second increment) time limit. This could be compressed into just four days with two or three rounds played each day.
In terms of team selection, the intervening break up of the Soviet Union had precipitated some significant changes. This time it was Russia versus the Rest of the World and players from the remainder of the Union fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the Rest of the World squad. It seemed at first that this would facilitate an unstoppable World team, but on closer inspection, it was not so clear. Russian world champions (and 1984 USSR team survivors) Garry Kasparov
and Anatoly Karpov
were to be joined by two more exclusive "K" club members - world champions Vladimir Kramnik
and Alexander Khalifman
. With the further addition of three former champions of Russia (Alexander Morozevich
, Peter Svidler
and Alexander Motylev
) and two more players with Elo ratings in excess of 2700 (Evgeny Bareev
and Alexander Grischuk
), things were looking decidedly brighter than might have been expected. Indeed, the average Elo ratings of the two sides were separated by only one point and so a close contest was in prospect.
The World team had most of their first choice players available, except for absentees Michael Adams and Veselin Topalov
who would have been automatic picks. The inclusion of ex-Soviets, Ilya Smirin
, Vasily Ivanchuk, Boris Gelfand
, Alexei Shirov
and Ruslan Ponomariov
however, appeared to compensate well for any losses.
Each side was allowed two substitutes, who could fill in anywhere, provided they did not play anyone more than once. These were Sergei Rublevsky
and Vadim Zvjaginsev
for the Russians and Vladimir Akopian and Zurab Azmaiparashvili
for the Rest of the World (World).
The outcome was finely balanced for most of the match, the Rest of the World side just pulling away for a comfortable win in the last three rounds.
In seeking to identify poor performances on the Russian side, it is noticeable that by the end of round 3, none of the four "K"s had scored a single win. Kasparov in particular, looked out of sorts, losing to Polgar for the first time in some 20 encounters. Motylev and Zvjaginsev looked out of their depth.
There were however some sterling performances from the Rest of the World team, none more so than Shirov who scored 7/10, for a performance rating of 2865. Radjabov too, the youngest and lowest rated of the contest, produced some sparkling chess and contributed a solid 5/10. Here is his comprehensive rout of Karpov's Queen's Indian Defence:
Radjabov
–Karpov
Russia vs Rest of the World (round 2), 2002, ECO
E12
, 1-0
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.e3 g6 8.Bb5+ c6 9.Ba4 Bg7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e4 Nxc3 12.bxc3 c5 13.Bg5 Qd6 14.Re1 Nc6 15.e5 Qc7 16.Qd2 Na5 17.Rac1 Bd5 18.Qf4 Rfc8 19.h4 Qb7 20.Bf6 Bf8 21.Nh2 cxd4 22.cxd4 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Bxg2 24.Ng4 h5 25.Ne3 Be4 26.Bd1 b5 27.d5 Bxd5 28.Nxd5 exd5 29.e6 Nc4 30.Qg5 Kh7 31.Bc2 Bg7 32.Re1 Re8 33.Qxh5+ Kg8 34.Bxg6 Kf8 35.e7+ 1-0
Teams in full:
Final match score: Russia: 48 versus World: 52
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
matches featuring USSR vs. Rest of the World and 1 match Russia vs. Rest of the World. The first two matches were between a team from the USSR and a team of players from the "rest of the world
Rest of the world
The Rest of the World within sports and games played at the international competitive level, refers to a team of players from many countries of origin who compete against a single individual or a team from a single group, such as a club or country.-Overview:...
". The third match (between Russia and the rest of the world) was the first to occur after the breakup of the Soviet Union, which meant that some countries that had been in the USSR for the first two matches were now on the "Rest of the World" team.
In all of the matches the teams consisted of ten members (plus some substitutes). In the first two matches, the teams were arranged in order (from board 1 through board 10) and the member from one team played four games against his equivalent on the other team. In the third match, each player played a game with ten different members of the other team (a Scheveningen system
Scheveningen system
The Scheveningen system is a method of organizing a chess match between two teams. Each player on one team plays each player on the other team . The team with the highest number of games won is the winner. This system is a popular way to create title norm opportunities.The system was first used...
match), with a faster time control
Time control
A time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
than the first two matches. The USSR team won the first two matches but the "Rest of the World" team won the third match.
Background
As the 20th century entered its final third, it was already apparent to chess historians and enthusiasts that the USSRSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
had raised standards to a level that other nations could only aspire to. Aside from the brief tenure of Max Euwe
Max Euwe
Machgielis Euwe was a Dutch chess Grandmaster, mathematician, and author. He was the fifth player to become World Chess Champion . Euwe also served as President of FIDE, the World Chess Federation, from 1970 to 1978.- Early years :Euwe was born in Watergraafsmeer, near Amsterdam...
, they had produced an uninterrupted line of world champions stretching from 1927 to 1970. Similarly, since their earliest participation, they had completely dominated team chess events such as the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
and European Team Championship. So pronounced was the gulf between the Soviet national side and their closest competitors, a sterner challenge was required to gauge the full extent of their supremacy. Such a challenge presented itself in 1970, when Euwe (the president of FIDE at the time) announced a match to pit the USSR's strength against the collective might of the Rest of the World.
If the Soviets saw it as an opportunity to crown their glory, then the World camp were equally determined to show that the emergence of Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
as a prospective world champion was symptomatic of a more widespread shift in the power base.
As the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
dictated the political mood of the era, the headline writers predictably made much of the event's title.
First match, Belgrade 1970
The first match occurred in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, March 29 - April 5, 1970 and was billed as "The Match of the Century - USSR versus the Rest of the World".
Ten team members played four games against their opposite number. Two reserves could be utilised to fill in on any board at the direction of the team captain.
Max Euwe was the captain of the "Rest of the World" team and he announced the order of the team's players. For the first time, Arpad Elo
Árpád Élo
Arpad Emrick Elo is the creator of the Elo rating system for two-player games such as chess. Born in Egyházaskesző, Austro-Hungarian Empire, he moved to the United States with his parents as a child in 1913.Elo was a professor of physics at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was...
's rating system
Elo rating system
The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in two-player games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-born American physics professor....
was used to determine seeding and board order, except in the case of Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
and Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
. Larsen could not accept that Fischer's rating made him the World's Board 1 when Fischer's recent period of inactivity was contrasted with Larsen's recent successes. After many negotiations, and just as the developing disagreement appeared to be endangering the match, Fischer surprisingly agreed to step down to Board 2. The lineup was announced by Euwe well in advance of the match.
At the time of the match, many people in Belgrade speculated that the order of the USSR players seemed as if it were arranged so that they would play against opponents with whom they had a history of beating. For instance, ex-world champion Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
was below Efim Geller
Efim Geller
Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions...
and Mark Taimanov
Mark Taimanov
Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top...
. The lineup matched Taimanov against Wolfgang Uhlmann
Wolfgang Uhlmann
Wolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:...
, whom he "used to beat as he liked" and Botvinnik against Milan Matulović
Milan Matulovic
Milan Matulović is a chess Grandmaster who was the second or third strongest Yugoslav player for much of the 1960s and 1970s behind Svetozar Gligorić and possibly Borislav Ivkov. He was primarily active before 1977, but has remained an occasional tournament competitor as recently as...
, who admitted to having a "Botvinnik complex", not playing well against him. People also questioned Paul Keres
Paul Keres
Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s....
being on board 10, and wondered if his opponent being Borislav Ivkov
Borislav Ivkov
Borislav Ivkov is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was the first ever World Junior Champion in 1951. He won the Yugoslav Championship in 1958 , 1963 and 1972. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979...
had something to do with it. These suspicions were printed in Belgrade newspapers and the Russians replied with their reason for their team's selection: Current World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky
Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972...
must be first and his predecessor Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else...
must be second. Next comes Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi ; pronounced in the original Russian as "karch NOY"; Ви́ктор Льво́вич Корчно́й, born March 23, 1931 is a professional chess player, author and currently the oldest active grandmaster on the tournament circuit...
, who played in the candidate's final match. Next came four players (Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky was an International Grandmaster of chess and frequent contender for the world chess championship, although he never achieved that title...
, Geller, Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won...
, and Taimanov) who earned the right to play in the next Interzonal
Interzonal
Interzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle.- Zonal tournaments :...
because of their place in the USSR Championship
USSR Chess Championship
This is a list of all the winners of the USSR Chess Championship. It was the strongest national chess championship ever held, with eight world chess champions and four world championship finalists among its winners...
. The last three places were given to players of special merit - Botvinnik, Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability....
, and Keres. The first reserve was Leonid Stein
Leonid Stein
Leonid Zakharovich Stein was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s , and was among the world's top ten players during that era.- Early life :...
, who placed sixth in the USSR Championship, just behind those going to the Interzonal. The second reserve was David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
, who once played in a world championship match .
On paper, the match looked daunting for the World team as they were up against five world champions and a number of other players who had achieved good results in Candidates Tournament
Candidates Tournament
The Candidates Tournament is a chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE since 1950, as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
s. However, a terrific display of defiance from the World's top four boards almost tipped the balance and in the end, it was only the Soviets' strength in depth that won the day, by the narrowest of margins.
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch
Lajos Portisch is a Hungarian chess Grandmaster, whose positional style earned him the nickname, the "Hungarian Botvinnik"...
contributed a plus score for his side, but he incurred the wrath of Fischer when he conceded a draw
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
to Korchnoi in a won position . The game was regarded by many as crucial in determining the final match result, since the match would have been tied if Portisch had won the game. (See Threefold repetition#Korchnoi versus Portisch, 1970). The Rest of the World team were also hindered by Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
being unable to play his final round game against Smyslov because it fell on the Jewish Sabbath. His replacement, Fridrik Olafsson, was defeated.
The match was refereed by Božidar Kažić and each participant received a fee of $400. Fischer won a car for making the best result with the 'World' team. Two additional reserves, David Bronstein
David Bronstein
David Ionovich Bronstein was a Soviet chess grandmaster, who narrowly missed becoming World Chess Champion in 1951. Bronstein was described by his peers as a creative genius and master of tactics...
(USSR) and the West German Klaus Darga
Klaus Darga
Klaus Viktor Darga is a German Grandmaster chess player.In 1951 Darga became German Junior Champion after winning the national under-20 championship. He also proved his strength as a young chessplayer by sharing first place in the World Junior Championship of 1953, with Oscar Panno of Argentina...
(Rest of the World), were not required.
Mikhail Tal's verdict in 64
64 (chess magazine)
The magazine 64 is a Russian chess and draughts publication, published in Moscow. Its name refers to the number of squares on a chessboard. The magazine awards the Chess Oscar annually.-History:...
(No. 17) - "We won, but there are some reasons for concern: why are the foreign players making faster progress — at least in outward appearance? Why is the average age of our opponents lower than that of our national team? Why was there only one really strong chess tournament in the Soviet Union during the last years?"
Individual results, board by board
| Bd | USSR Player | Republic | Elo | rd1 | rd2 | rd3 | rd4 | Score | World Player | Country | Elo | rd1 | rd2 | rd3 | rd4 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spassky Boris Spassky Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Soviet-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972... |
 Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2670 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1½/3 | Larsen Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess... |
 Denmark |
2650 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2½/4 | |
| Stein Leonid Stein Leonid Zakharovich Stein was a Soviet chess Grandmaster from Ukraine. He won three USSR Chess Championships in the 1960s , and was among the world's top ten players during that era.- Early life :... |
 Ukrainian SSR |
2620 | 0 | 0/1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Petrosian Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his playing style because of his almost impenetrable defence, which emphasised safety above all else... |
 Armenian SSR |
2650 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1/4 | Fischer Bobby Fischer Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author... |
 United States |
2720 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 3/4 |
| 3 | Korchnoi | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2670 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1½/4 | Portisch |  Hungary |
2630 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 2½/4 |
| 4 | Polugaevsky |  Byelorussian SSR |
2640 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1½/4 | Hort Vlastimil Hort Vlastimil Hort is a chess Grandmaster of Czech nationality. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the Candidates stage of competition for the world chess championship, but was never able to compete for the actual title.Hort was born in Kladno,... |
 Czechoslovakia |
2610 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2½/4 |
| 5 | Geller Efim Geller Efim Petrovich Geller was a Soviet chess player and world-class grandmaster at his peak. He won the Soviet Championship twice and was a Candidate for the World Championship on six occasions... |
Ukrainian SSR |
2660 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2½/4 | Gligorić Svetozar Gligoric Svetozar Gligorić is a Serbian chess grandmaster. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record twelve times, and is considered the best player ever from Serbia... |
 Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
2580 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1½/4 |
| 6 | Smyslov | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2620 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2½/4 | Reshevsky | United States |
2590 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1½/3 | |
| Ólafsson Friðrik Ólafsson Friðrik Ólafsson is an Icelandic chess Grandmaster and former president of FIDE.Friðrik was born in Reykjavík, Iceland. A first-time winner of the Icelandic Championship in 1952 and of the Scandinavian Championship a year later, he rapidly became recognised as the strongest Icelandic player of his... |
 Iceland |
2560 | 0 | 0/1 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Taimanov Mark Taimanov Mark Evgenievich Taimanov is a leading Soviet and Russian chess player and concert pianist.-Chess:He was awarded the International Grandmaster title in 1952 and played in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953, where he tied for eighth place. From 1946 to 1956, he was among the world's top... |
Ukrainian SSR |
2600 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 2½/4 | Uhlmann Wolfgang Uhlmann Wolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:... |
 German Democratic Republic |
2570 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1½/4 |
| 8 | Botvinnik Mikhail Botvinnik Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2640 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2½/4 | Matulović Milan Matulovic Milan Matulović is a chess Grandmaster who was the second or third strongest Yugoslav player for much of the 1960s and 1970s behind Svetozar Gligorić and possibly Borislav Ivkov. He was primarily active before 1977, but has remained an occasional tournament competitor as recently as... |
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
2560 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1½/4 |
| 9 | Tal Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability.... |
 Latvian SSR |
2590 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 2/4 | Najdorf Miguel Najdorf Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation.... |
 Argentina |
2570 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 2/4 |
| 10 | Keres Paul Keres Paul Keres , was an Estonian chess grandmaster, and a renowned chess writer. He was among the world's top players from the mid-1930s to the mid-1960s.... |
 Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic |
2600 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 3/4 | Ivkov Borislav Ivkov Borislav Ivkov is a Serbian chess Grandmaster. He was the first ever World Junior Champion in 1951. He won the Yugoslav Championship in 1958 , 1963 and 1972. He was a World championship candidate in 1965, and played in four more Interzonal tournaments, in 1967, 1970, 1973, and 1979... |
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
2570 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1/4 |
| Totals | 5½ | 6 | 4 | 5 | 20½ | Totals | 4½ | 4 | 6 | 5 | 19½ | |||||
Final score - USSR 20½ versus 19½ Rest of the World
Second match, London 1984
The second match occurred in London, June 24–29, 1984 and carried the same "Match of the Century" billing as the first encounter.Played at the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
, the match only took place thanks to a last minute rescue package, when sponsors withdrew from the previously vaunted venues of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
and then Rome. The London bid was made possible thanks to the efforts of Ray Keene, the London Docklands Corporation, the British Chess Federation and a wealthy co-sponsor, Indonesian businessman Mr H M Hasan, who wished to be named as captain of the Rest of the World side.
The format followed that of the previous 1970 Match. This time the teams looked closer to equal strength, with average Elo grades being almost identical. Korchnoi had by now swapped sides, following his defection to the west and this was just one conceivable reason why Moscow (the logical 'home and away' choice for a re-match) was not put forward as a venue (there was a great deal of antagonism between Korchnoi and the Soviet authorities).
Mr Hasan wisely handed over executive captaincy duties to Lubomir Kavalek whilst the Soviets employed grandmaster and psychologist Nikolai Krogius
Nikolai Krogius
Nikolai Vladimirovich Krogius is a Russian Chess Grandmaster, International Arbiter , psychologist, chess coach, chess administrator, and author. He won several tournament titles at Sochi and in eastern European events, and appeared in seven Soviet finals from 1958–1971...
in the same role. The chief arbiter was Robert Wade
Robert Wade (chess player)
Robert Graham Wade OBE , was a British chess player, writer, arbiter, coach, and promoter. He was New Zealand champion three times, British champion twice, and played in seven Chess Olympiads and one Interzonal tournament...
.
For the World side, Portisch had been insulted by the offer of board 7 and refused to play. Spassky had only just left the USSR to move to France and felt it would be overly painful to line up as an opponent of his old friends. Hort simply had other commitments.
Bent Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
and Korchnoi were the other veterans present on the world side.
Meanwhile, USSR newcomers Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
and Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
strengthened the top half of the USSR side, an area of weakness in the previous match. Amazingly, the veterans Tal, Smyslov and Polugaevsky participated once more and again turned in respectable performances. Petrosian was absent through illness but the solid Yuri Razuvaev deputised admirably. The World's Miles
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham...
and Torre
Eugenio Torre
Eugenio Torre is a chess Grandmaster . He is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines has ever produced during the 1980s and 1990s period, following the heels of Fischer-era Filipino chess champions National Master Ramon Lontoc, International Master Renato Naranja, IM Rodolfo Tan...
restored some pride on the bottom boards, but the real damage was done on board 6, where rampant former world junior champion Beliavsky
Alexander Beliavsky
-External links:...
could not be contained by the combined efforts of Seirawan and Larsen
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess...
. Some observers believed that Seirawan had foolishly been preferred to the higher rated Walter Browne because he had a more 'glamorous image'.
Individual results, board by board
| Bd | USSR Player | Republic | Elo | rd1 | rd2 | rd3 | rd4 | Score | World Player | Country | Elo | rd1 | rd2 | rd3 | rd4 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karpov Anatoly Karpov Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2700 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2½/4 | Andersson Ulf Andersson Ulf Andersson is a leading Swedish chess player. FIDE awarded him the International Master title in 1970 and the Grandmaster title in 1972 .-Career:... |
 Sweden |
2630 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1½/4 |
| 2 | Kasparov |  Azerbaijan SSR |
2710 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2½/4 | Timman Jan Timman Jan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"... |
 Netherlands |
2610 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1½/4 |
| 3 | Polugaevsky | Byelorussian SSR |
2615 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1/3 | Korchnoi |  Switzerland |
2635 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 2½/4 | |
| Tukmakov | Ukrainian SSR |
2550 | ½ | ½/1 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Smyslov Vasily Smyslov Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions . Smyslov was twice equal first at the Soviet Championship , and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2600 | 0 | ½ | ½/2 | Ljubojević Ljubomir Ljubojevic Ljubomir Ljubojević is a Grandmaster of chess. He was born on November 2, 1950, in Titovo Užice, Yugoslavia . Ljubojević was awarded the International Master title in 1970 and the GM title in 1971. He was Yugoslav champion in 1977 and 1982. He won the 1974 Canadian Open Chess Championship... |
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
2635 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 2/4 | ||
| Tukmakov | Ukrainian SSR |
2550 | 1 | ½ | 1½/2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Vaganian Rafael Vaganian Rafael Artemovich Vaganian, also transliterated Vahanyan is an Armenian chess grandmaster known for his sharp tactical style of play... |
Armenian SSR |
2630 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1½/4 | Ribli Zoltan Ribli Zoltán Ribli is a Hungarian chess grandmaster and International Arbiter . He was twice a World Championship Candidate and three times Hungarian Champion.-A career in chess:... |
Hungary |
2610 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2½/4 |
| 6 | Beliavsky | Ukrainian SSR |
2565 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 3½/4 | Seirawan | United States |
2525 | 0 | 0 | 0/2 | ||
| Larsen Bent Larsen Jørgen Bent Larsen was a Danish chess Grandmaster and author. Larsen was known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play and he was the first western player to pose a serious challenge to the Soviet Union's dominance of chess... |
Denmark |
2565 | ½ | 0 | ½/2 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Tal Mikhail Tal Mikhail Tal was a Soviet–Latvian chess player, a Grandmaster, and the eighth World Chess Champion.Widely regarded as a creative genius, and the best attacking player of all time, he played a daring, combinatorial style. His play was known above all for improvisation and unpredictability.... |
Latvian SSR |
2620 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 2/3 | Nunn John Nunn John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician.... |
 England |
2600 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1/3 | ||
| Romanishin Oleg Romanishin Oleg Mikhailovich Romanishin is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster and former European junior champion.Many honours and awards were bestowed on him as a young man. After winning the European Junior Championship in 1973, he became an International Master the same year... |
Ukrainian SSR |
2580 | ½ | ½/1 | Chandler Murray Chandler Murray Graham Chandler is a New Zealand chess grandmaster who has played internationally for that nation and for England, after gaining citizenship there in the early 1980s... |
England |
2515 | ½ | ½/1 | |||||||
| 8 | Razuvayev Yuri Razuvayev Yuri Razuvaev is a Russian chess player and trainer.-Chess career:He became International Master in 1973, Grandmaster in 1976 and Honoured Coach of Russia in 1977... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2500 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2/4 | Hübner Robert Hübner Robert Hübner is a respected German chess Grandmaster, chess writer, and papyrologist . At eighteen, he was joint winner of the West German Chess Championship... |
 West Germany |
2620 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 2/4 |
| 9 | Yusupov Artur Yusupov Artur Mayakovich Yusupov is a German International Grandmaster of chess, and a chess writer.-Chess career:... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2570 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1½/3 | Miles Tony Miles Anthony John Miles was an English chess Grandmaster.- Early achievements in chess :Miles was born in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birmingham... |
England |
2615 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 2½/4 | |
| Romanishin | Ukrainian SSR |
2580 | 0 | 0/1 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | Sokolov Andrei Sokolov Andrei Yurievich Sokolov is a French chess Grandmaster of Russian origin, now living in France... |
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic |
2495 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1/3 | Torre Eugenio Torre Eugenio Torre is a chess Grandmaster . He is considered the strongest chess player the Philippines has ever produced during the 1980s and 1990s period, following the heels of Fischer-era Filipino chess champions National Master Ramon Lontoc, International Master Renato Naranja, IM Rodolfo Tan... |
 Philippines |
2565 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/3 | ||
| Romanishin | Ukrainian SSR |
2580 | ½ | ½/1 | Chandler Chandler A chandler was the head of the chandlery in medieval households, responsible for wax, candles, and soap.Chandler may also refer to:- People :* Chandler , the surname of various people... |
England |
2515 | ½ | ½/1 | |||||||
| Totals | 5 | 6 | 5½ | 4½ | 21 | Totals | 5 | 4 | 4½ | 5½ | 19 | |||||
Final score - USSR 21 versus 19 Rest of the World
Third match, Moscow 2002
The third match occurred in Moscow, September 8–11, 2002 and was this time billed as the "Match of the New Century" or "Match of the 21st Century".If the event were to be more media and sponsor-friendly, some drastic format changes were required. Out of favour was the idea that combatants paired up only with their opposite number and engaged in a lengthy, psychological war of attrition. This might have appealed to the chess purist but did nothing for the casual observer or thrills-and-spills-hungry journalist. Furthermore, in order to make chess a viable spectator sport, it was widely believed short time limits and spectacular, rapid finishes were necessary elements. Then there was the difficult task of getting most of the planet's elite players in the same place at the same time. A lengthy tournament might discourage some from attending at all.
The finalised arrangements appeared to successfully cover all of the bases. A ten player, 10-round Scheveningen system
Scheveningen system
The Scheveningen system is a method of organizing a chess match between two teams. Each player on one team plays each player on the other team . The team with the highest number of games won is the winner. This system is a popular way to create title norm opportunities.The system was first used...
format, with a 25 minute (+10 second increment) time limit. This could be compressed into just four days with two or three rounds played each day.
In terms of team selection, the intervening break up of the Soviet Union had precipitated some significant changes. This time it was Russia versus the Rest of the World and players from the remainder of the Union fulfilled the eligibility criteria for the Rest of the World squad. It seemed at first that this would facilitate an unstoppable World team, but on closer inspection, it was not so clear. Russian world champions (and 1984 USSR team survivors) Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
and Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
were to be joined by two more exclusive "K" club members - world champions Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
and Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Khalifman
Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father....
. With the further addition of three former champions of Russia (Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich
Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list....
, Peter Svidler
Peter Svidler
Peter Veniaminovich Svidler is a Russian chess grandmaster.He is six-time Russian champion ....
and Alexander Motylev
Alexander Motylev
Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev is an International Grandmaster of chess and a former champion of Russia.He learnt how to play at the age of four and a half years and at age six took part in group instruction sessions. This is not uncommon in Russia where chess is very much part of the school...
) and two more players with Elo ratings in excess of 2700 (Evgeny Bareev
Evgeny Bareev
Evgeny Bareev is a Russian chess Grandmaster and chess coach. In October 2003, he was in fourth place in the world rankings, with an Elo rating of 2739....
and Alexander Grischuk
Alexander Grischuk
Alexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov....
), things were looking decidedly brighter than might have been expected. Indeed, the average Elo ratings of the two sides were separated by only one point and so a close contest was in prospect.
The World team had most of their first choice players available, except for absentees Michael Adams and Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster. He currently has the sixth highest rating in the world, and was the challenger facing world champion Viswanathan Anand in the World Chess Championship 2010, losing the match 6½–5½....
who would have been automatic picks. The inclusion of ex-Soviets, Ilya Smirin
Ilya Smirin
Ilya Yulievich Smirin is a Soviet-Israeli chess Grandmaster., his Elo rating was 2650, making him the 59th-highest rated player in the world...
, Vasily Ivanchuk, Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand
Boris Abramovich Gelfand is a Belarus-born Israeli chess Grandmaster. He won the 2011 Candidates Tournament and will challenge Viswanathan Anand for the World Chess Championship 2012.-Biography:...
, Alexei Shirov
Alexei Shirov
Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess grandmaster. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998...
and Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Ponomariov
Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and former FIDE World Champion.-Early career:Ponomariov was born in Horlivka in Ukraine. In 1994 he placed third in the World Under-12 Championship at the age of ten. In 1996 he won the European Under-18 Championship at the age of just...
however, appeared to compensate well for any losses.
Each side was allowed two substitutes, who could fill in anywhere, provided they did not play anyone more than once. These were Sergei Rublevsky
Sergei Rublevsky
Sergei Rublevsky is a Russian chess grandmaster . He won the prestigious Aeroflot Open in 2004, and became the 58th Russian chess champion after winning the Russian Superfinal in Moscow , one point clear from Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Morozevich.He finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE...
and Vadim Zvjaginsev
Vadim Zvjaginsev
Cifuentes-Parada-Zvjaginsev, Wijk aan Zee Open 1995 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 b6 7.Be2 Bb7 8.O-O Be7 9.Rd1 O-O 10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qc7 12.Nc3 c5 13.d5 exd5 14.cxd5 a6 15.Nh4 g6 16.Bh6 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Bd6 18.g3 b5 19.Bf3 b4 20.Ne2 Ne4 21.Qc2 Ndf6 22.Ng2 Qd7 23.Ne3 Rad8 24.Bg2? ...
for the Russians and Vladimir Akopian and Zurab Azmaiparashvili
Zurab Azmaiparashvili
Zurab Azmaiparashvili is a chess Grandmaster from Georgia. In the September 2010 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2637, making him 114th in the world and Georgia's number two.-Career:He became a Grandmaster in 1988...
for the Rest of the World (World).
The outcome was finely balanced for most of the match, the Rest of the World side just pulling away for a comfortable win in the last three rounds.
In seeking to identify poor performances on the Russian side, it is noticeable that by the end of round 3, none of the four "K"s had scored a single win. Kasparov in particular, looked out of sorts, losing to Polgar for the first time in some 20 encounters. Motylev and Zvjaginsev looked out of their depth.
There were however some sterling performances from the Rest of the World team, none more so than Shirov who scored 7/10, for a performance rating of 2865. Radjabov too, the youngest and lowest rated of the contest, produced some sparkling chess and contributed a solid 5/10. Here is his comprehensive rout of Karpov's Queen's Indian Defence:
Radjabov
Teimour Radjabov
Radjabov's knight sacrifice, 21. ... Ngxe5, was praised by several strong players for its bravery, including English grandmaster Nigel Short. Said Short of the move, "Radjabov plays very imaginatively... he just won't give up, he is extremely tenacious and will always find a way to muddy the...
–Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
Russia vs Rest of the World (round 2), 2002, ECO
Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings
The Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings is a classification system for the opening moves in a game of chess. It is presented as a five volume book collection describing chess openings...
E12
Queen's Indian Defense
The Queen's Indian Defense is a chess opening defined by the movesBy playing 3.Nf3, White sidesteps the Nimzo-Indian Defense that arises after 3.Nc3 Bb4. The Queen's Indian is regarded as the sister opening of the Nimzo-Indian, since both openings aim to impede White's efforts to gain full control...
, 1-0
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.e3 g6 8.Bb5+ c6 9.Ba4 Bg7 10.0-0 0-0 11.e4 Nxc3 12.bxc3 c5 13.Bg5 Qd6 14.Re1 Nc6 15.e5 Qc7 16.Qd2 Na5 17.Rac1 Bd5 18.Qf4 Rfc8 19.h4 Qb7 20.Bf6 Bf8 21.Nh2 cxd4 22.cxd4 Rxc1 23.Rxc1 Bxg2 24.Ng4 h5 25.Ne3 Be4 26.Bd1 b5 27.d5 Bxd5 28.Nxd5 exd5 29.e6 Nc4 30.Qg5 Kh7 31.Bc2 Bg7 32.Re1 Re8 33.Qxh5+ Kg8 34.Bxg6 Kf8 35.e7+ 1-0
Teams in full:
- Russia - (alphabetically) - Evgeny Bareev; Alexei Dreev; Alexander Grischuk; Anatoly Karpov; Garry Kasparov; Alexander Khalifman; Vladimir Kramnik; Alexander Morozevich; Alexander Motylev; Sergei Rublevsky; Peter Svidler; Vadim Zvjaginsev.
- World - (alphabetically) - Vladimir Akopian; Viswanathan Anand; Zurab Azmaiparashvili; Boris Gelfand; Vassily Ivanchuk; Peter Leko; Judit Polgár; Ruslan Ponomariov; Teimour Radjabov; Alexei Shirov; Nigel Short; Ilya Smirin.
Round-by-round match scores
| Round | Date | Russia | World | World net score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept 8 | 4 | 6 | +2 |
| 2 | Sept 8 | 4½ | 5½ | +3 |
| 3 | Sept 9 | 5½ | 4½ | +2 |
| 4 | Sept 9 | 5½ | 4½ | +1 |
| 5 | Sept 9 | 5 | 5 | +1 |
| 6 | Sept 10 | 5 | 5 | +1 |
| 7 | Sept 10 | 5 | 5 | +1 |
| 8 | Sept 10 | 4 | 6 | +3 |
| 9 | Sept 11 | 4½ | 5½ | +4 |
| 10 | Sept 11 | 5 | 5 | +4 |
| Total | 48 | 52 | +4 | |
Final match score: Russia: 48 versus World: 52
Crosstable of individual scores
- R = Russian win, W = World win, d = draw
| World | |  Russia |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baree Evgeny Bareev Evgeny Bareev is a Russian chess Grandmaster and chess coach. In October 2003, he was in fourth place in the world rankings, with an Elo rating of 2739.... | Dreev | Grisch Alexander Grischuk Alexander Igorevich Grischuk is a Russian chess grandmaster and Russian Champion in 2009.-Chess career:In the FIDE World Chess Championship 2000, Grischuk he made it to the semifinals, losing to Alexei Shirov.... | Karpo Anatoly Karpov Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once... | Kaspa Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time.... | Khali Alexander Khalifman Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Soviet and Russian chess Grandmaster of Jewish descent; he is also a former FIDE champion.When Khalifman was 6 years old, he was taught chess by his father.... | Kramn Vladimir Kramnik Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007... | Moroz Alexander Morozevich Alexander Morozevich is a Russian chess Grandmaster. In the November 2011 FIDE list, he had an Elo rating of 2762, making him the 9th-highest rated player in the world, although he has previously ranked as high as second, in the July 2008 list.... | Motyl Alexander Motylev Alexander Anatolyevich Motylev is an International Grandmaster of chess and a former champion of Russia.He learnt how to play at the age of four and a half years and at age six took part in group instruction sessions. This is not uncommon in Russia where chess is very much part of the school... | Ruble Sergei Rublevsky Sergei Rublevsky is a Russian chess grandmaster . He won the prestigious Aeroflot Open in 2004, and became the 58th Russian chess champion after winning the Russian Superfinal in Moscow , one point clear from Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Morozevich.He finished in the top 10 in the 2005 FIDE... | Svidl Peter Svidler Peter Veniaminovich Svidler is a Russian chess grandmaster.He is six-time Russian champion .... | Zvjag Vadim Zvjaginsev Cifuentes-Parada-Zvjaginsev, Wijk aan Zee Open 1995 1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.c4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 b6 7.Be2 Bb7 8.O-O Be7 9.Rd1 O-O 10.e4 dxe4 11.Nxe4 Qc7 12.Nc3 c5 13.d5 exd5 14.cxd5 a6 15.Nh4 g6 16.Bh6 Rfe8 17.Qd2 Bd6 18.g3 b5 19.Bf3 b4 20.Ne2 Ne4 21.Qc2 Ndf6 22.Ng2 Qd7 23.Ne3 Rad8 24.Bg2? ... | Total | |
| - | - | - | - | W | - | R | R | - | - | - | - | 1/3 | |
| d | - | - | d | d | d | d | d | W | - | R | W | 5/9 | |
| d | - | d | - | - | d | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1½/3 | |
| R | W | d | d | d | W | d | d | W | - | d | - | 6/10 | |
| d | d | d | d | W | - | d | d | d | W | d | - | 6/10 | |
| d | d | d | R | d | d | d | W | W | - | d | - | 5½/10 | |
| - | R | R | R | W | - | d | - | - | R | - | d | 2/7 | |
| d | - | d | - | d | W | d | d | d | d | d | W | 6/10 | |
| W | d | R | W | d | d | - | R | - | d | R | W | 5/10 | |
| d | d | W | d | R | d | W | W | W | - | W | - | 7/10 | |
| R | d | d | R | d | d | - | R | - | d | d | - | 3/9 | |
| R | R | d | W | - | d | W | R | - | d | d | - | 4/9 | |
| Total | 6/10 | 4½/8 | 5½/10 | 5/9 | 4/10 | 3½/9 | 4/9 | 6/10 | 1/6 | 3/6 | 5/9 | ½/4 | |
Summary
| Date | Venue | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 29 – April 5, 1970 1970 in chess -Top players:FIDE top 10 by Elo rating - 1970# Bobby Fischer 2720# Boris Spassky 2670# Viktor Korchnoi 2670# Efim Geller 2660# Bent Larsen 2650# Tigran Petrosian 2650# Mikhail Botvinnik 2640# Lev Polugaevsky 2640# Lajos Portisch 2630... |
Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe... , SFR Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,... |
 Soviet Union |
20½ – 19½ |
| June 24–29, 1984 | London, United Kingdom | Soviet Union |
21 – 19 |
| September 8–11, 2002 2002 in chess -Top players:FIDE top 10 players by Elo rating - October 2002;#Garry Kasparov 2836#Vladimir Kramnik 2809#Viswanathan Anand 2755#Michael Adams 2745#Veselin Topalov 2743#Peter Leko 2743#Ruslan Ponomariov 2743#Evgeny Bareev 2737... |
Moscow, Russia |  Rest of the World |
52 – 48 |