World chess champion Anatoly Karpov. Biography

Anatoly Karpov, the outstanding Soviet and Russian grandmaster and the 12th world chess champion, turned 75 years old. During his career, he won 185 international tournaments and team championships, won the Chess Oscar nine times, and many of his games became classics. About his early years, sporting achievements and social activities — in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and early career

Anatoly Karpov was born on May 23, 1951 in the Ural city of Zlatoust in the family of an engineer and a housewife. His father taught him the skills of the game: at the age of five, the future grandmaster sat down at the board for the first time. A year later, Karpov Jr. was fighting with domestic chess players, and his parents sent him to the chess section at the local metallurgical plant. At the age of nine, the young chess player fulfilled the standard of the first category, and at 11 he became a candidate for the master of sports.

In 1965, the Karpov family moved to Tula so that Anatoly could travel to Moscow for competitions more often. At the age of 15, he became a master of sports of the USSR, breaking Boris Spassky's record as the youngest master in the country's history. After school, Karpov entered the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, but later transferred to the Faculty of Economics at Leningrad State University.

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During his career, he won 185 international tournaments and team chess championships.

In parallel with his studies, he studied at Mikhail Botvinnik's school. The first Soviet world champion initially did not appreciate Karpov's talent, saying that he had "no future in this profession." However, under the guidance of coach Semyon Furman, who corrected the gaps in the opening theory, the young chess player's game progressed rapidly.

In 1969, Karpov became an international master, and in 1970, an international grandmaster. In 1973, at the interzonal tournament in Leningrad, he did not suffer a single defeat and entered the candidates matches. After defeating Lev Polugaevsky, Boris Spassky and Viktor Korchnoi, Karpov won the right to a match for the world crown with champion Robert (Bobby) Fischer.

A champion without a fight and a confrontation with Korchnoi

Karpov's match with Fischer never took place. The American grandmaster put forward 64 conditions, of which the International Chess Federation (FIDE) rejected only one — the retention of the title for the champion in a draw. As a result, Fischer refused to defend the crown. On April 3, 1975, FIDE President Max Euwe officially declared 23-year-old Karpov the 12th world champion — he became the only one in history who won the title without playing with his predecessor.

The newly crowned champion quickly confirmed his status, dominating the international arena in the second half of the 1970s. He regularly won tournaments in Milan, Amsterdam, London, Tilburg and other cities.

The most dramatic was the confrontation with Viktor Korchnoi. The first challenger match between them in 1974 ended with Karpov's victory. However, after Korchnoi, who had left the USSR, was granted asylum in the West, their meeting at the 1978 World Cup in the Philippines acquired a political connotation. The six-win match dragged on for more than three months. After Korchnoi tied the score 5-5, Karpov managed to take a break, go to a basketball match with the coach, get together and win the decisive 32nd game.

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In 1981, in Merano, Italy, Karpov defeated Korchnoi with a score of 6:2. For his victory in Baguio in the Philippines, the grandmaster was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor; presenting the award, Leonid Brezhnev said: "I took the crown — hold it, don't give it to anyone!". The events of those years inspired the creators of the musical Chess and the film "World Champion".

Endless match with Kasparov

In 1984, 21-year-old Garry Kasparov (recognized in Russia as a foreign agent and listed as a terrorist and extremist) challenged Karpov. The first match in the Column Hall of the House of Unions lasted about six months. Karpov led 5-0 and 5-3, but Kasparov won two games in a row. In total, the grandmasters played 48 games, 40 of which ended in a draw. On February 15, 1985, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes suspended the match, citing exhaustion of the participants. Both chess players were against it.

In a new match in 1985, Kasparov wrested the crown from Karpov. Despite Karpov's attempts to regain the title in subsequent years, they did not bring success. After the split of the chess world, Karpov became FIDE world champion three more times: defeating Jan Timman in 1993, Gat Kamsky in 1996, and also winning the first Olympic tournament in 1998.

Public and political activities

In 1982, Karpov became chairman of the Board of the Soviet Peace Foundation. In 2011, he became a deputy of the State Duma (State Duma) from the United Russia party. Previously, he served as First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Innovative Development and Entrepreneurship.

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The grandmaster is the Honorary President of the Russian Chess Federation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the All-Russian Belaya Ladya competitions. Karpov has written several books on chess, and the Anatoly Karpov Chess School operates in Moscow.

Personal life

Karpov was married twice. His first wife was Irina Kuimova, with whom his son Anatoly was born in 1979. In 1987, the grandmaster married Natalia Bulanova. The couple has a daughter, Sofia, a graduate of MGIMO.

Anniversary and congratulations

On the day of the 75th anniversary, a rapid chess tournament was held in Moscow at the Mikhail Botvinnik Central Chess House. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Karpov a legend of Russian chess, noting that generations of chess players learn his games by heart. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to the hero of the day.