Viktor Korchnoi against the USSR: to the death of a grandmaster. Viktor Korchnoi: Biography of a grandmaster who escaped from the intrigues of Soviet chess Viktor Korchnoi

Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi(March 23, Leningrad) - Soviet, later Swiss chess player, grandmaster (), contender for the title of world champion since the early 60s of the 20th century, participant in matches for the world chess championship and 1981 (the only participant in such matches between 1954 and 1990, who was not world champion). Four-time champion of the USSR (1960, 1962, 1964, 1970), three-time champion of Leningrad (1955, 1957, 1964). The oldest playing grandmaster in the world.

Biography

Emigration and its consequences

According to Korchnoi himself, already in 1966, at a tournament in Germany, he was offered not to return to the USSR, but then he rejected this offer, which he later regretted: “lost 11 years of human life”. His quarrelsomeness, coupled with his sporting success, made Korchnoi’s figure awkward for the Soviet sports leadership, but until 1974 he continued to perform successfully.

In 1974, after losing the candidates match to Anatoly Karpov, Korchnoi gave an interview in the Yugoslav press and the TANYUG agency, in which he made negative statements about the winner, and most importantly, made it clear that his loss was the result of pressure “from above.” The reaction of the leadership of the USSR Sports Committee, which was completely on Karpov’s side, was extremely harsh. A collective letter from grandmasters condemning Korchnoi was published, his scholarship was reduced and he was banned from leaving the USSR. A year later, thanks to the assistance of Karpov, Korchnoi again became a visiting player.

After this, as soon as the grandmaster had such an opportunity, in 1976, during the IBM chess tournament in Amsterdam, he, having received guarantees from Max Euwe that his chess titles and the opportunity to perform would remain intact, refused to return to the USSR, asking for political asylum in the Netherlands . Korchnoi himself said that the main reason for this decision was the desire to continue playing chess and fight for the world champion title, while the USSR Chess Federation preferred to rely on younger grandmasters and Korchnoi’s opportunities to participate in high-ranking international competitions became less and less.

In the Netherlands, Korchnoi was denied political asylum, given only a residence permit. He lived there for some time, then was invited to the United States, but he refused and finally settled in Switzerland, where he received political asylum and later citizenship. Korchnoi competes for Switzerland at international competitions. In 1978, Korchnoi was deprived of Soviet citizenship.

Korchnoi's wife Isabella and son Igor were denied leave from the USSR (they applied to leave for Israel). In this regard, according to the KGB notes (No. 1167-A dated June 12, 1978 and No. 2093-A dated October 30, 1978), a special resolution was issued by the Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee “On the undesirability of the family of defector V.L. Korchnoi going abroad.” and antisocial actions of his family members." Igor was expelled from the institute, they tried to draft him into the army, but he evaded conscription for a year (after serving in the army, he could have been legally prohibited from leaving the USSR, as a potential bearer of military secrets), after which he surrendered to the authorities, was arrested and sentenced to two and a half years in prison for draft evasion. Although the conviction itself was formally legal, it was framed as an obvious settling of scores. There was even a special TASS message: “The trial of the son of grandmaster Korchnoi, famous for his scandalous behavior, took place”. The grandmaster’s attempts to achieve the release of his son and permission for his family to leave with the help of letters to L. I. Brezhnev or appeals to the “intelligentsia of the USSR” led nowhere. Only six years later the family was able to leave.

Attempts were made to achieve a lifelong disqualification for Korchnoi and to boycott him. They tried not to mention Korchnoi’s name in the Soviet media; during the world championship matches with Karpov, he was called “Challenger,” which turned this word into a kind of curse. No one declared an official boycott of Korchnoi, but in some cases, Soviet chess players demonstratively refused to participate in international tournaments if Korchnoi played in them, leaving the organizers with a choice: either not allow Korchnoi to compete, or the Soviet delegation would boycott the tournament. At the same time, representatives of Soviet sports organizations stated: “There is no boycott, it’s just that our chess players don’t want to meet with Korchnoi and completely independently refuse to go to tournaments where he plays.”. To the credit of the Western organizers, not everyone succumbed to blackmail and Korchnoi had the opportunity to play, and therefore earn a living, however, according to journalists, due to the boycott the grandmaster lost the opportunity to participate in several dozen tournaments. Sometimes outsiders also suffered. According to Korchnoi, his friend, English grandmaster Michael Steen, was persecuted in his homeland for his friendship with the defector grandmaster, and after he was not allowed to participate in the London championship, he left chess.

When, after escaping from the USSR, Korchnoi continued to perform successfully and take high places in tournaments, his name began to be often mentioned among anti-Soviet emigrants. But Korchnoi himself never called himself a dissident. In books and interviews, he emphasized that the only reason for emigrating for him was the desire to continue his professional career as a chess player, and the only reason for speaking out against the USSR, including very harsh ones, was pressure from the Soviet side.

Creative portrait

Viktor Korchnoi himself always says that he does not consider himself to be any special talent, and all his successes, including chess, are based on perseverance and perseverance. “I took on obstacles head-on,” he says about himself. Korchnoi is characterized by a very thorough, painstaking analysis of a position, the result of which is often fundamentally new continuations in known variations or the “rehabilitation” of variations recognized by theory as dubious or completely bad. At the same time, the new continuation is not limited to the technical analysis of several moves, but creates a new concept of the game for this type of games.

From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, Korchnoi gained a reputation as a “defender,” a counterattacking chess player who is consciously ready to give the opponent the initiative for material (for example, a pawn), repel an attack and realize a material advantage. However, such a representation was nothing more than a journalistic stereotype - Korchnoi was and remains an active, highly proactive chess player - including a tenacious and inventive defense player.

Although Korchnoi's name does not appear often in the theory of openings, his ideas and developments have been included in modern versions of a large number of openings. Korchnoi’s interpretation of variations of the French Defense, in which the presence of an isolated pawn pays off with rich piece play, the Tartakover-Bondarevsky-Makogonova system in the Queen’s Gambit, the open variation of the Spanish game, a number of continuations in the New Indian Defense and others are recognized as theory and have entered into the practice of modern chess. Korchnoi justified the paradoxical knight attack on the fourth move with black in the English opening, analyzed and began to apply the Grunfeld defense variant, which is now considered the main one in this opening. He has studied many variations of the King's Indian Defense and is one of the most successful white players in the King's Indian Defense.

In tournament wrestling, Korchnoi is characterized by extreme concentration on the game, both during the game and during breaks. In interviews with the grandmaster himself and people who knew him, stories were told about how at the board Korchnoi literally forgot everything in the world.

Notes

Books, interviews

• “Anti-chess: Notes of a Villain. Return of the Defector". - M., 1992. ISBN 5-89959-001-7.
• "Selected Parties". - St. Petersburg, 1996. ISBN 5-87395-005-1.
• "My 55 victories with white" ISBN 5-94693-031-1.
• "My 55 wins with black". - Russian Chess House, M., 2004. (“Great chess players of the world”). ISBN 5-94693-032-X.
• “Chess without mercy: Secret materials of the Politburo, KGB, sports committee”. - M., 2006. ISBN 5-17-033432-X. ISBN 5-271-12663-3. ISBN 5-9578-2866-1.
• "The KGB plays chess", afterword by Viktor Korchnoi.

Links

• Personal card of Viktor Korchnoi on the FIDE website
• Viktor Korchnoi's games in the database Chessgames

• Personal card of Viktor Korchnoi on the website OlimpBase.org

Categories:

• Personalities in alphabetical order
• Born on March 23
• Born in 1931
• Born in St. Petersburg
• Persons:St. Petersburg
• USSR chess players
• Swiss chess players
• Honored Masters of Sports of the USSR
• Chess grandmasters
• Winners of the Chess Olympiads
• USSR chess champions
• St. Petersburg State University graduates
• Forcibly deprived of Soviet citizenship
• Russian emigrants of the third wave in Switzerland

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (1931-2016) - famous Russian and Swiss chess player, four-time champion of the Soviet Union. For more than 20 years, he claimed the title of champion of the planet, twice participating in matches for the title of the strongest. Before his death, he was the oldest playing grandmaster on the planet. A number of experts call him, along with Paul Keres, the strongest player among those who never became a world champion.

Viktor Korchnoi was born on March 23, 1931 in Leningrad in the family of a Pole and a Jewish woman. In early childhood, his parents divorced and his mother refused to raise the boy; as a result, Vitya began to live with his father. During the war, he was called to the front, and Victor was left to endure a difficult blockade in his hometown. Dad will never return from the war and his stepmother Roza Abramovna will take care of raising the future chess player.

As a teenager, Victor began to study at the Palace of Pioneers in several circles at once - music, literature and chess. For various reasons, the first two didn’t work out right away, but in the ancient game he quickly achieved success. Although even Viktor Lvovich himself said that he did not have any special talent and acquired his talent with great difficulty.

Alexander Aleksandrovich Kotov also spoke about his lack of innate talent, who claimed that success was given to him only through great work. From this we can conclude that even without any special abilities, you can achieve high results in chess with the necessary effort.

During the terrible years of the siege, Victor practically never parted with Dufresne’s old textbook. In 1946, Korchnoi received the first category, and three years after the start of active training, he became the champion of the USSR (1947). On the other hand, it took Korchnoi three attempts to win the Leningrad championship; he won the Union Youth Championship the second time, and for the first time he was able to become the champion of the USSR only in his eighth attempt.

At the same time, he studied at school and loved history most of all. Once during a lesson, the brave Korchnoi said, commenting on the events of the recent past, that the USSR plunged a knife into Poland. There is no particular need to speculate about the consequences of such a step in Stalin’s time, but then, fortunately, no one reported on the young man. After graduating from school, he entered the history department of Leningrad State University (Leningrad State University), which he successfully graduated from. As the maestro recalled, if it weren’t for chess, he would have taught history somewhere in Siberia.

His first coach was the famous mentor Vladimir Grigorievich Zak, whom Korchnoi, famous for his principles, did not betray when he was invited to train with grandmaster Alexander Kazimirovich Tolush.

Chess is a life passion

Korchnoi, like no one else, was devoted to chess, not sharing this passion with anything else. He called any hobbies of a chess player a betrayal and an outrage against the ancient game. He could analyze games for days on end or play at night without a rook with first-class players just for fun. Having a colossal advantage in individual tournaments, Viktor Lvovich could afford to play for the result, but did not do this, constantly trying to find the best move. This was due to natural passion, which did not allow me to think purely pragmatically.

At the same time, he was not an ascetic and could afford a noisy party or a walk with a girl, but all this never stood between him and chess.

Viktor Lvovich greeted the new candidate cycle of 1977 as a “traitor and villain.” Being in this status, created on the initiative of the Soviet side, Korchnoi beats his former compatriots - Petrosyan 6.5:5.5, Polugaevsky 8.5:4.5 and, finally, 10.5:7.5. This victory brought him to A. Karpov. Preparations for the meeting were complicated by serious pressure exerted by the Soviet side. Korchnoi had a problem with playing practice; it was not easy to find coaches and sparring partners. On the other hand, this whole situation created enormous motivation and a desire to prove the correctness of my action.

The confrontation against Karpov lasted from July to October 1978 in Baguio, Philippines. For the first time in three decades, the meeting lasted until 6 victories without limiting the number of games. At the same time, the clause in the rules about awarding victory to the current champion with a score of 5:5 was excluded. But in case of defeat, the chess king still had a chance for a rematch.

In the first seven games there was a relatively equal fight and they did not reveal a winner. But in the 8th game (before the start of which Karpov did not want to shake his opponent’s hand), Anatoly won, surprising his opponent in the opening. True, in the 11th game Viktor Lvovich managed to take revenge. And then there were two postponed games, the 13th and 14th, in which Korchnoi got into terrible time trouble and lost. A similar scenario repeated itself in the 17th game. Then the challenger managed to pull himself together and forced the fight on his opponent, leveling the score after the 31st game. Everything was decided in the next game, where Korchnoi played his preparation - the Pirts-Ufimtsev defense, but was defeated without a chance of a draw. Karpov confirmed his championship title, but Korchnoi was again left without the title.

Korchnoi made a new campaign for the championship in 1981, again eliminating T. Petrosyan (5.5:3.5), L. Polugaevsky (6.5:5.5), and in the final defeating R. Hübner, who score 4.5:3.5 refused to continue the fight. The new fight between the challenger and the champion took place in Merano, Italy, in October-November 1981. Korchnoi was opposed by Karpov’s most powerful analytical team, which included Polugaevsky, Tal, Geller, Vaganyan, Ubilava and a number of other players.

The rules of the match were similar to those in the Philippines, however, Karpov took half a step towards his cherished goal after 4 games. But then Korchnoi rallied and won with Black in the sixth game. Subsequently, the fight proceeded rather nervously, with the parties often trying to provoke each other. The challenger managed to win again in the 13th game, but this was his last victory. The fate of the meeting was decided by the 14th and 18th games, in which open variations of the “Spanish Flu” were played and where Korchnoi lost on all counts. As a result, it was 2:6 and A. Karpov retained his championship title.

Chess old-timer

Korchnoi continued active performances until the last years of his life. Already in his old age, he won the memory tournament (1988), the interzonal tournament in Manila (1990), and the tournament in Antwerp (1993). In 2011, he won his last tournament, and a year later he suffered a severe stroke, which confined him to a wheelchair. However, having recovered a little from his illness, he sat down at the chessboard again. In February 2015, a rapid chess match between Korchnoi and Ullman took place, which ended with a total score of 2:2. At that time, Korchnoi was 83 years old, and Wolfgangt Ullmann was 79 years old.

1. c4 ([%emt 0:00:00]) e5 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 2. Nc3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Nf6 ([%emt 0:00:00 ]) 3. Nf3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Nc6 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 4. g3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Bb4 ([%emt 0:00 :15]) 5. Bg2 ([%emt 0:00:00]) O-O ([%emt 0:00:05]) 6. O-O ( [%emt 0:00:00]) Re8 ([%emt 0 :00:06]) 7. d3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) h6 ([%emt 0:00:18]) 8. Bd2 ([%emt 0:00:04]) a5 ([% emt 0:00:34]) 9. e4 ([%emt 0:00:14]) d6 ([%emt 0: 00:19]) 10. Nd5 ([%emt 0:00:11]) Bxd2 ( [%emt 0:00:18]) 11. Qxd2 ([%emt 0:00:04] ) Bg4 ([%emt 0:01:55]) 12. h3 ([%emt 0:00:45]) Bxf3 ([%emt 0:00:05]) 13. Bxf3 ( [%emt 0:00:03]) Nd4 ([%emt 0:00:07]) 14. Nxf6+ ([%emt 0:00:24 ]) Qxf6 ([%emt 0: 00:06]) 15. Bg2 ([%emt 0:00:01]) Qg5 ([%emt 0:00:48]) 16. Qd1 ([%emt 0:00 :30]) c6 ([%emt 0:00:03]) 17. Kh2 ([%emt 0:00:11]) f5 ([%emt 0:00:24]) 18. exf5 ( [%emt 0 :01:02]) Qxf5 ([%emt 0:00:05]) 19. f4 ([%emt 0:00:21]) exf4 ([%emt 0:01: 49]) 20. Rxf4 ([% emt 0:00:03]) Qc5 ([%emt 0:00:01]) 21. Qg4 ([%emt 0:03:36]) Ne6 ([%emt 0:00:27]) 22. Re4 ( [%emt 0:03:25]) Ng5 ([%emt 0:00:29]) 23. Rxe8+ ( [%emt 0:01:06]) Rxe8 ([%emt 0:00:03]) 24. Rf1 ([%emt 0:00:21]) Qe5 ([%emt 0:04: 22]) 25. h4 ([%emt 0:01:09]) Ne6 ([%emt 0:00:03]) 26. Rf2 ([%emt 0:07:38]) Qd4 ([%emt 0:07:57]) 27. Qf5 ([%emt 0:00:54]) Kh8 ([%emt 0:04:25 ]) 28. Be4 ([%emt 0:00:52]) g6 ([%emt 0:00:19]) 29. Qf6+ ([%emt 0:00:56]) Qxf6 ([%emt 0:00 :05]) 30. Rxf6 ([%emt 0:00:02]) d5 ([%emt 0:00:24]) 31. cxd5 ([%emt 0:00:18]) cxd5 ( [%emt 0 :00:01]) 32. Bxd5 ([%emt 0:00:46]) Nc5 ([%emt 0:00:02]) 33. d4 ([%emt 0: 02:27]) Rd8 ([% emt 0:00:00]) 34. dxc5 ([%emt 0:00:36]) Rxd5 ([%emt 0:00:02]) 35. Rxg6 ([%emt 0:00:09]) h5 ( [%emt 0:00:11]) 36. Rb6 ([%emt 0:00:04]) Rxc5 ( [%emt 0:00:01]) 37. Rxb7 ([%emt 0:00:02]) Rd5 ([%emt 0:00:09]) 38. Kg2 ([%emt 0:00:02]) Kg8 ([%emt 0:00:15]) 39. Kf3 ([%emt 0:00:01 ]) Rd3+ ([%emt 0:00:03]) 40. Kf4 ([%emt 0:00:01]) a4 ([%emt 0:00:29]) 41. Rb5 ([%emt 0:00 :46]) a3 ( [%emt 0:00:09]) 42. bxa3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Rxa3 ([%emt 0:00:02]) 43. Rxh5 ( [%emt 0 :00:03]) Rxa2 ([%emt 0:00:01]) 44. Re5 ([%emt 0:00:05]) Kg7 ([%emt 0:00:04]) 45. Kg5 ([% emt 0:00:07]) Ra7 ([%emt 0:00:06]) 46. h5 ([%emt 0:00:02]) Kh7 ([%emt 0:00:03]) 47. g4 ( [%emt 0:00:01]) Kg7 ([%emt 0:00:04]) 48. Re4 ([%emt 0: 00:02]) Rb7 ([%emt 0:00:17]) 49. h6+ ([%emt 0:00:03]) Kg8 ([%emt 0:00:07]) 50. Kh5 ([%emt 0:00:02]) Rb8 ([%emt 0:00:26]) 51. g5 ([%emt 0:00:01]) Kh8 ([%emt 0: 00:02]) 52. g6 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Kg8 ([%emt 0:00:12 ]) 53. Re6 ([%emt 0:00:15]) Ra8 ([%emt 0:00:02]) 54. Kg5 ([%emt 0:00:01]) Rb8 ([%emt 0:00 :02]) 55. Re7 ([%emt 0:00:10]) Ra8 ([%emt 0:00:04]) 56. h7+ ([%emt 0:00:14]) Kh8 ([%emt 0:00: 04]) 57. Kh6 ([%emt 0:00:01]) Ra6 1-0 1. c4 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Nf6 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 2. Nc3 ([% emt 0:00:00]) g6 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 3. e4 ([%emt 0:00:00]) d6 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 4. d4 ( [%emt 0:00:00]) Bg7 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 5. Bg5 ([%emt 0:00:00]) Nbd7 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 6. f4 ([%emt 0:00:00]) O-O ([%emt 0:00:02]) 7. Nf3 ([%emt 0:00:00]) c5 ([%emt 0:00:09]) 8. d5 ([%emt 0:00:04]) Qa5 ([%emt 0:00:29]) 9. Qd2 ([%emt 0:00:01]) b5 ([%emt 0:00: 29 ]) 10. Nxb5 ([%emt 0:00:03]) Qb6 ([%emt 0:00:16]) 11. Nc3 ([%emt 0:00:05]) Rb8 ([%emt 0:00 :14]) 12. Rb1 ([%emt 0:00:10]) e6 ([%emt 0:00:14]) 13. dxe6 ( [%emt 0:00:04]) fxe6 ([%emt 0 :00:02]) 14. Bd3 ([%emt 0:00:08]) Bb7 ([%emt 0:00:06]) 15. O-O ([%emt 0:00:09]) d5 ([% emt 0:00:02]) 16. e5 ([%emt 0:00:15]) Ne8 ( [%emt 0:00:12]) 17. Kh1 ([%emt 0:00:08]) Nc7 ( [%emt 0:00:43]) 18. Be7 ([%emt 0: 00:28]) Rfe8 ([%emt 0:00:23]) 19. Bd6 ([%emt 0:00:03]) Bf8 ([%emt 0:00:16]) 20. Bxf8 ([%emt 0:01:39]) Nxf8 ([%emt 0:00:03]) 21. b3 ([%emt 0:00:23 ]) Rbd8 ( [%emt 0:00:02]) 22. Na4 ([%emt 0:00:32]) Qc6 ([%emt 0:00:09]) 23. Qe3 ([%emt 0: 00 :04]) d4 ([%emt 0:00:13]) 24. Qd2 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Na6 ([%emt 0:00:09]) 25. Ng5 ([%emt 0 :00:18]) Nb4 ([%emt 0:00:19]) 26. Be4 Qc7 ([%emt 0:00:32]) 27. Bxb7 ([%emt 0:00:03]) Qxb7 ([ %emt 0:00:01]) 28. Nxc5 ([%emt 0:00:04]) Qb8 ([%emt 0: 00:01]) 29. Nge4 ([%emt 0:00:25]) Kg7 ([%emt 0:00:16]) 30. a3 ([%emt 0:00:11]) Nc6 31. b4 ([%emt 0:00:03]) Nd7 ([%emt 0:01:00 ]) 32. Nxd7 ([%emt 0:00:25]) Rxd7 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 33. Nf6 ([%emt 0:00:01]) Ree7 ([%emt 0:00 :10]) 34. Nxd7 ([%emt 0:00:04]) Rxd7 ([%emt 0:00:01]) 35. Qd3 ([%emt 0:00:15]) Ne7 ([%emt 0 :00:03]) 36. c5 ([%emt 0:00:26]) Nf5 ([%emt 0:00:14]) 37. b5 ([%emt 0:00:09]) Rd5 ( [% emt 0:00:10]) 38. c6 ([%emt 0:00:02]) Qc7 ([%emt 0:00:04]) 39. Rbc1 ([%emt 0: 00:16]) h5 ( [%emt 0:00:03]) 40. a4 ([%emt 0:00:13]) Rd8 ([%emt 0:00:18]) 41. Rfd1 ([%emt 0:00:39]) Ne3 ([%emt 0:00:05]) 42. Rd2 ([%emt 0:00:02]) h4 ([%emt 0:01:16]) 43. Qb3 ([%emt 0:01:15 ]) Qf7 ([%emt 0:00:05]) 44. Rxd4 ([%emt 0:00: 20]) Rxd4 ([%emt 0:00:09]) 45. Qxe3 Rxf4 ([%emt 0: 00:04]) 46. Kg1 ([%emt 0:00: 51]) 1-0 1. c4 ([%emt 0:00:00]) e5 ([%emt 0:00:00]) 2. Nc3 ([%emt 0:00:07]) Nf6 ([%emt 0:00:04]) 3. Nf3 ([%emt 0:00:13]) Nc6 ([%emt 0:00:10]) 4. g3 ([%emt 0:00:16]) d5 ([%emt 0:00:11]) 5. cxd5 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Nxd5 ([%emt 0:00:13 ]) 6. Bg2 ( [%emt 0:00:12]) Nde7 ([%emt 0:00:10]) 7. O-O ([%emt 0:00:31]) g6 ([%emt 0:00: 15]) 8. b4 ([%emt 0:01:04]) a6 ([%emt 0:00:13]) 9. Rb1 ([%emt 0:00:13]) Bg7 ( [%emt 0:00:15]) 10. a4 ([%emt 0:01:02]) O-O ([%emt 0:00:15 ]) 11. d3 ([%emt 0:00:31]) Nd4 ([%emt 0:00:23]) 12. Nd2 ([%emt 0:00:23]) c6 ([%emt 0:00 :26]) 13. e3 ([%emt 0:00:18]) Ne6 ([%emt 0:00:13]) 14. Qe2 ([%emt 0:00:34]) Nd5 ([%emt 0 : 00:30]) 15. Nxd5 ([%emt 0:01:33]) cxd5 ([%emt 0:00:12]) 16. f4 ([%emt 0:01:15]) exf4 ([% emt 0:02:29]) 17. gxf4 ([%emt 0:00:13]) Re8 ([%emt 0:00:15]) 18. Nb3 ( [%emt 0:01:13]) Qd6 ( [%emt 0:01:18]) 19. Qf3 ([%emt 0:01:07]) Qxb4 ([%emt 0:00: 53]) 20. f5 ([%emt 0:00:44]) gxf5 ([%emt 0:00:13]) 21. Qxf5 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Nd8 ([%emt 0:01:24]) 22. Qxd5 Qxa4 ([%emt 0:00: 13]) 23. Nc5 ([%emt 0:03:28]) Qc2 ([%emt 0:00:16]) 24. Rb6 ([%emt 0:01:07]) Be6 ([%emt 0: 01:00]) 25. Qh5 ( [%emt 0:01:08]) Bg4 ([%emt 0:01:37]) 26. Qg5 ([%emt 0:01:52]) Re5 ([%emt 0:00:18]) 27. Qxg4 ([%emt 0:00:33]) Qxc5 ([%emt 0:00:13]) 28. Rb4 ([%emt 0:01:54]) Rg5 ([ %emt 0:00:31]) 29. Qf4 ([%emt 0:00:36]) Rg6 ([%emt 0:01:25]) 30. Re4 ( [%emt 0:01:56]) Qb5 ([%emt 0:00:32]) 31. Ba3 ([%emt 0:01:33]) Rf6 ([%emt 0:00: 27]) 32. Qh4 ([%emt 0:01:32] ) Rxf1+ ([%emt 0:00:14]) 33. Bxf1 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Ne6 ([%emt 0:00:28]) 34. d4 ([%emt 0:00: 33]) Qb1 ([%emt 0:00:28]) 35. Rg4 ( [%emt 0:00:45]) Kh8 ([%emt 0:01:21]) 36. d5 ([%emt 0: 01:03]) Nf8 ([%emt 0:00: 13]) 37. Be7 ([%emt 0:00:41]) Ng6 ([%emt 0:00:12]) 38. Rxg6 ([%emt 0:00:36]) Qxg6+ ([%emt 0:00:14]) 39. Bg2 Rc8 ([%emt 0:00:21]) 40. Qh3 ([%emt 0:03:35]) Rc1+ ( [%emt 0:01:30]) 41. Kf2 ([%emt 0:00:12]) Qc2+ ([%emt 0:00:12]) 42. Kf3 ( [%emt 0:00:12]) Qd1+ ([%emt 0:00:24]) 43. Kf4 ([%emt 0:00:51]) Rc4+ ([%emt 0: 01:06]) 44. e4 ([%emt 0:01:46 ]) Qxd5 ([%emt 0:00:27]) 0-1 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Nc2 Bg7 7. e4 O-O 8. Be2 a6 9 .O-O Rb8 10. Re1 d6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Be3 Bd7 13. a4 a5 14. c5 dxc5 15. Bxc5 b6 16. Ba3 Be6 17. Bb5 Rc8 18. Rc1 Bb3 19. Qxd8 Rfxd8 20. Ne3 e6 21. Ba6 Rb8 22. Nb5 Nb4 23. Rc3 Bxa4 24. f3 Nxa6 0-1

Grandmaster Genna Sosonko (accompanied Korchnoi during the match with Ullman) and Viktor Lvovich Kochnoy (Zurich, 2015)

Viktor Lvovich is the author of several chess bestsellers, which have sold in huge quantities. Among them are “My 55 victories with black”, “Chess without mercy”, “Anti-chess. Notes from a villain. Return of the defector." In the latter, the author describes the ups and downs of the confrontation with Karpov, in his characteristic way exposing the enemy in a dishonest fight.

Chess achievements

Viktor Korchnoi received the title of grandmaster in 1956. Repeated participant in interzonal tournaments and candidates' tournaments. He won interzonal tournaments twice (1973, 1987), twice won world championship contender matches and twice lost this title to others. The excellent chess player has six victories at the Chess Olympiads as part of the USSR national team and five victories at European championships.

Viktor Lvovich is a four-time champion of the USSR and a three-time winner of the Leningrad championship. He has victories in more than a hundred tournaments, the last of which he won at the age of 80 (veteran tournament in honor of the centenary of M. Botvinnik). Korchnoi twice participated in matches between the national teams of the Soviet Union and the world.

Viktor Lvovich has deeply studied the King's Indian Defense and is therefore considered one of the best players in this opening.

Fleeing abroad

After losing to Karpov in the Moscow candidates' match, Korchnoi gave a series of unpleasant interviews to Western media, in which he explained his defeat by pressure from above. This became the reason to declare him not to travel abroad. After the tournament in Amsterdam in July 1976, Korchnoi decided not to return to his homeland. He explained his step by a simple desire to play chess freely, not subject to the laws and regulations of an authoritarian state. “I was forced to run in order to remain myself,” the grandmaster asserted.

However, this act found an extremely negative reaction in the USSR, where the fugitive was immediately called a villain. He was allowed to play a world championship match against Karpov, after which a real boycott was declared on the daring daredevil, although Soviet functionaries always denied this fact, explaining the chess players’ refusal to play with Korchnoi by their personal reluctance. As a result, in the period from 1977 to 1983, he missed about 70 tournaments for this reason, being one of the main contenders for the world crown.

Today it is known that the Soviet side refused to send its representatives to competitions in which Korchnoi was declared as a participant. The tournament organizers, not wanting to lose valuable players, refused Viktor Lvovich under various pretexts.

In the Netherlands he was not given political asylum, only a residence permit, so the chess player moved to Switzerland. In 1994, Korchnoi received citizenship of this country and since then began to play for its national team. During the period of late perestroika, his citizenship was restored and he was offered to return, but the chess player refused to return, although later he would return to his homeland several times to perform at tournaments.

FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov speaks at the opening of the Russia vs. Rest of the World match. On stage - guests of honor: David Bronstein, Andre Lilienthal, Viktor Korchnoi, Vasily Smyslov (Moscow, 2002)

Viktor Korchnoi was married twice. From his first wife he has a son, Igor, who now lives in Switzerland. The chess player married for the second time in 1992 to lawyer Petra Leeverik, a woman with a very strong character. During their acquaintance, she promised her future husband to completely rid him of housekeeping and she kept her word.

In recent years, Viktor Lvovich was seriously ill. He died on June 6, 2016 in Wolen, Switzerland.

• Korchnoi met his second wife at one of the simultaneous games held in the Netherlands. Petra Leeverik attracted his attention by placing Leo Tolstoy’s book “Resurrection” next to the chessboard. Then he decided to exchange a few phrases in Russian with her - this is how their acquaintance began, which later turned into marriage.
• The two Soviet chess emigrants Korchnoi and Spassky had very strained relations. They often made sharp remarks against each other, but when the party leadership demanded that they sign a letter “against the traitor Korchnoi,” Spassky was one of the few who refused to do so.
• There is an interesting episode in the biography of V. Korchnoi. In 1985 he started an unusual game against Geza Maroczy... who died in 1951. The game took place through the mediation of the medium Robert Rollans, who broadcast the moves of the Hungarian chess player. The experiment was observed by specialists who rendered a verdict that Korchnoi’s opponent played at the level of a grandmaster, which a mediator could not afford. The match lasted a very long time and ended only in February 1993 with Korchnoi’s victory.
• In 1972, Viktor Lvovich starred in the feature film “Grandmaster”, in which Andrei Myagkov played the main role. And in the image of his coach appeared a famous chess player who literally did not play, but truly lived his image.
• During the match with A. Karpov, at the behest of the secular side, Korchnoi was called a “challenger”, and therefore this word acquired a negative connotation in chess circles.

Video

Viktor Korchnoi in the program “Visiting Dmitry Gordon” (2012). The video is divided into three parts.

Best games

The selection includes Korchnoi's best games played between 1950 and 1998.

1. d4 e6 2. g3 f5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. c4 d6 7. Nc3 Qe8 8. Qc2 Qh5 9. b3 Nc6 10. Bb2 Bd7 11. a3 Rae8 12. d5 Nd8 13. Nd4 e5 14. Ndb5 Nf7 15. Nxc7 Rc8 16. Ne6 Bxe6 17. dxe6 Ng5 18. Nd5 Nxd5 19. Bxd5 f4 20. f3 fxg3 21. hxg3 Qh3 22. Kf2 Nxf3 23. Ke3 Nd4 24. Qd1 Qxg3+ 25. Rf3 Nxf3 26. exf3 b5 27. Qh1 bxc4 28. bxc4 Rb8 29. Bc3 Rb3 30. Kd3 Qf2 31. Qe1 e4+ 32. Bxe4 Rxf3+ 33. Bxf3 Qxf3+ 34. Kc2 Rxc3+ 35. Kb2 Rb3+ 0-1 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d6 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. Nbd2 Bb7 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Nf1 Rad8 15 Qe2 Nh5 16. Ne3 Nf4 17. Qf1 c4 18. Ng4 Nd3 19. Bxd3 cxd3 20. Ngxe5 d2 21. Bxd2 Rxd2 22. b4 Rdd8 23. bxa5 Bf6 24. Nd3 Bxc3 25. Rac1 Rc8 26. Re3 Qxa5 27. Qe2 b4 28. Nf4 Rcd8 29. Qc4 Rfe8 30. Rc2 Rc8 31. Qe2 Bc6 32. e5 Bb5 33. Nd3 Rcd8 34. e6 Bxd3 35. Rxd3 Rxe6 36. Re3 Rxe3 37. Qxe3 Qd5 38. Re2 h6 39. Qb6 a 5 40 Ne5 Re8 41. Ng6 Qd1+ 0-1 1. Nf3 f5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. d4 Qe8 8. c4 Bd7 9. Nc3 Na6 10. Ne1 c6 11. Nd3 Qb8 12. Ba3 Rf7 13. f4 Ng4 14. Qd2 Bf6 15. e3 e5 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Nf2 Nxf2 18. Rxf2 Qe8 19. Rd1 Rd8 20. Re2 Bc8 21. Qc2 Rfd7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. fxe5 Bxe5 24. Nb1 Qe6 25. Nd2 Bd4 26. Nf1 Bc5 27. Bxc5 Nxc5 28. Rd2 Re8 29. Qd1 Qe7 30. Rd6 Ne4 31. Rd3 Nf6 32. Qa1 c5 33. Qd1 b6 34. Bc6 Rf8 35. Bg 2 h5 36. Qf3 h4 37. gxh4 Ng4 38. Qd5+ Kh7 39. Qd6 Re8 40. Qxe7 Rxe7 41. h3 Ne5 42. Rd8 Bb7 43. Ng3 Bxg2 44. Kxg2 Nc6 45. Rd6 Nb4 46. Kf2 Nxa2 47. Ne2 Re4 48. h5 Nb4 49. Nf4 Nc2 50. Rd8 Nxe3 51. Kf3 Nc2 52. Ng6 Nd4+ 53. Kg3 Kh6 54. Rh8+ Kg5 55. h4+ Kf6 56. Rf8+ Ke6 57. Rg8 Kf6 58. Rf8+ Ke6 59. Rg8 f4+ 60. N xf4+ Kf7 61. Ra8 Re7 62. Ng6 Rc7 63. Kg4 Kf6 64. Nf4 Rd7 65. Rh8 Nxb3 66. h6 gxh6 67. Rxh6+ Ke5 68. Rh5+ Ke4 69. Rd5 Rg7+ 70. Rg5 Rf7 71. Ne6 a5 72. Rg6 Rb7 73. Rg8 Re7 74. Ng5+ Kd3 75. Rb8 Kxc4 76. Rxb6 a4 77. Kf4 Ra7 78. Ne4 a3 79. Nd6+ Kd5 80. Nb5 a2 81. Nc3+ Kc4 82. Nxa2 Rxa2 83. h5 Nd4 84. h6 Kd5 85. Rb8 Ne6+ 86. Kf5 Rf2+ 87. Kg6 c4 88. Rb5+ Kc6 89. Rb8 Kd5 90. Rb5+ Kd4 91. Rb6 Nf8+ 92. Kg7 c3 93. Rc6 c2 94. Rc8 Ne6+ 95. Kg8 Kd3 96. h7 c1=Q 0-1 1 . d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. O-O Qd7 10. Ba3 $6 (10. Be3 b6 11. Qd2 Na5 12. Bd3 Bb7 13. Rad1 (13. Bh6 $5) 13... Rad8 14. Bh6 c5 15. Bxg7 Kxg7 16. Qg5 f6 17. Qg3 Kh8 (Asanov, B-Cseshkovsky,V/URS /1985/) 18. h4 $5 $14) 10... Na5 11. Bd3 b6 12. Nf4 $6 (12. Rb1 Bb7 13. d5 c6 14. c4) 12. .. Bb7 13. Qe2 (13. e5 c5 $1) 13... Rfd8 14. Rad1 e6 15. e5 $6 (15. Bb4 $142 Nc6 16. Ba3) 15... c5 $1 16. dxc5 (16. Be4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Qa4 18. Bc1 cxd4 19. cxd4 Qxa2 $17) 16... Qc7 $1 17. cxb6 $6 (17. Rfe1 $142 bxc5 18. Qe3 $15) 17... Qxe5 $17 18. Qxe5 Bxe5 19. Ne2 axb6 20 . Bc1 Bd5 21. Bg5 f6 $6 (21... Rdc8 $1) 22. f4 fxg5 (22... Bxc3 $6 23. Bh4 $1 Bb2 24. Rd2) 23. fxe5 Nc4 24. Bxc4 (24. Nd4 Nb2 (24 ... Rxa2 $2 25. Nxe6 $1) 25. Rd2 Nxd3 26. Rxd3 Bc4 $19) 24... Bxc4 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Re1 Rd2 27. Ng3 Rxa2 28. Ne4 Bd5 29. Nf6+ Kf7 30. Nxd5 exd5 31 Rb1 $2 (31. e6+ Ke7 32. Re5 Ra5 33. Kf2 (33. Re1 b5 34. Kf2 Ra6 35. Rb1 Rb6 $19) 33... d4 $1 $19) (31. Rf1+ $1 Ke6 32. Rf6+ Kxe5 33. Rxb6 $17) 31... Ra6 $1 $19 32. Rb5 Ke6 33. Kf2 Kxe5 34. Kf3 (34. c4 Ra5 $1 35. Rxb6 dxc4 $19) 34... Ra3 35. Kg4 Rxc3 36. Rxb6 Rc2 37. Kg3 d4 38. Rb7 d3 39. Rxh7 d2 40. Rd7 Ke4 41. Kg4 Rc4 $1 42. Rxd2 (42. Kxg5 Rd4 $19) 42... Ke3+ 43. Kxg5 Kxd2 44. Kxg6 Ke3 45. h3 Kf4 46. g4 Rc5 47. Kh6 Rg5 0-1 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 g6 5. c3 Bg7 6. Bd3 Nh6 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 f6 9. b4 a6 10. a4 Re8 (10... Nf7 11. Ba3 Ne7 (11... Re8 12. Qb3 Ne7 13. b5 axb5 14. axb5 Qd7 15. c4 $14 (Keres-Troianescu Moscow 1956)) 12. b5 c6 13. Qb3 Re8 14. bxc6 bxc6 15. a5 g5 16. h3 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nd5 18. g3 e5 19. c4 f5 20. cxd5 cxd5 21. Nc3 e4 22. Nxd5 (Marjanovic-Arapovic YUG 1979)) 11. Qb3 Ne7 12. Bb2 $14 b6 13. c4 Nf7 14 . Re2 Qd7 15. Rae1 dxc4 16. Nxc4 g5 17. d5 e5 18. Ne3 b5 19. axb5 axb5 20. Rc2 Bb7 21. Rec1 Rec8 22. Rc5 Nd6 23. Bxb5 Nxb5 24. d6+ Kh8 25. dxe7 Bxe4 2 6. Rd1 Nd6 27. Nxe5 fxe5 28. Rxe5 Bg6 29. Re6 Rg8 30. Ng4 Bf7 31. Rde1 Bxe6 32. Rxe6 Nc4 33. Bxg7+ Rxg7 0-1 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 (8. d3) (8. a3) (8. Rb1) 8... a5 9. d3 Be6 10. Be3 Nd5 11. Bd2 O-O 12. Ne4 f6 13. Rc1 ([%cal Ge4c5]) Qd7 14. Nc5 Bxc5 15. Rxc5 b6 (15... Ndb4 $132) 16. Rc1 Nd4 17. e3 Nxf3+ 18. Bxf3 c5 19. d4 exd4 20. exd4 cxd4 21. Be1 Ne7 22. Bxa8 Rxa8 23. f3 Rd8 24. Qe2 Bb3 25. Qa6 Nd5 26. Qd3 Qxa4 27. Bd2 Nb4 28. Bxb4 Qxb4 29. Rc7 Bf7 30. Rfc1 Bg6 31. Qc4+ Qxc4 32. R1xc4 Bf5 33. g4 d3 34. Rc1 Be6 35. R7c3 Rd4 36. Kf2 Rb4 37. Rx d3 Rxb2+ 38. Ke3 h5 $1 39. Rd6 (39. gxh5 $2 Rxh2) 39... Bf7 (39... Ba2 40. Rc7 ([%cal Gd6d7]) hxg4 41. Rdd7 Rxh2 42. Rxg7+ Kf8 43. Rxg4 $13 ([% csl Ra5,Rb6])) 40. Rc7 Rb3+ 41. Kd2 Bg6 42. Rdd7 Kh7 43. Rxg7+ Kh6 44. h4 hxg4 45. Rg8 Rb2+ 46. Ke1 Rb1+ 47. Kf2 g3+ 48. Kxg3 Bh7 49. Rf8 Rg1+ 50. Kf4 Rg7 51. Rxf6+ 1-0 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 b6 5. Qg4 Bf8 6. Nf3 Qd7 7. a3 Ba6 $6 (7... Nc6) 8. Bxa6 Nxa6 9. O-O Ne7 $11 ( 9... c5 10. dxc5 $1 bxc5 11. Rd1 $16 ( (Schwarz 67))) 10. Ne2 $6 (10. Rd1 $1 c6 11. Ne2 h6 12. b4 g6 13. h4 h5 14. Qh3 $14 ((Schwarz 67, eco 81) Lutikov-Dubinin USSR 1957)) 10... Nb8 11. Bg5 Nbc6 12. b3 Nf5 13. Ng3 h6 $17 ((eco 74/81)) 14. Bd2 g6 15. Qf4 Be7 16. Rfd1 g5 17. QG4 NXG3 18. QXG3 O-O-O-OIN 19. BB4 F5 $ 1 20. Exf6 bxf6 21. Rac1 H5 22. C4 G4 23. NE5 BXE5 24. DXE5 D4 $ 1 $ 19 25. QF4 A5 26. BD2 QH7 $ 1 27. Re1 RHF8 28. Qg3 d3 29. c5 b5 $1 30. Qe3 Rd5 31. Bc3 b4 32. axb4 axb4 33. Bd2 Qf5 34. Rf1 Rxe5 35. Qh6 Kb7 36. Rc4 Rf7 37. Bxb4 Re2 38. Bd2 e5 39. Be3 d2 40. Ra4 Rxf2 0-1 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bf4 c6 5. Qd2 Nbd7 6. Nf3 Qa5 7. h3 Bg7 8. O-O-O b5 9. e5 b4 10. exf6 bxc3 11. fxg7 $6 (11 Qxc3 $142 $1 Qxc3 12. fxg7 $18) 11... cxd2+ 12. Bxd2 Qxd2+ 13. Rxd2 Rg8 14. Bd3 Rxg7 15. Re1 Bb7 16. Rde2 e6 17. c4 O-O-O 18. Rc2 c5 19. Be4 h6 20. Bxb7+ Kxb7 21. Re3 Rgg8 22. dxc5 Nxc5 23. b4 Nd7 24. c5 Nf6 25. Nd2 Nd5 26. Rf3 f5 27. Nc4 dxc5 28. bxc5 Ka8 29. c6 Nb4 30. Nb6+ axb6 31. Ra3+ Kb8 32. c7+ K b7 33 . cxd8=Q Rxd8 34. Rd2 Nd5 35. Rad3 g5 36. Kb2 Rc8 37. Re2 Rc6 38. g3 h5 39. Re5 g4 40. h4 Rd6 41. Kb3 Kc7 42. Rd2 Kd7 43. Ree2 b5 44. a3 Ra6 45 . RC2 RA4 46. RC5 RD4 47. RXB5 RD3+ 48. KB2 KD6 49. A4 NC3 50. KC2 RF3 51. RD2+ KC6 52. RB3 NXA4. RXF3 GXF3 54. RD8 NC5 55. KD2 1-0 1. E4 E6 2 . d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Nf5 8. Bd3 h5 9. Qh3 cxd4 10. Nf3 (10. Bxf5 exf5 11. Qg3 g6 12. cxd4 Nc6 $13) (10. Ne2 $5) (10. cxd4 Qh4 11. Qxh4 (11. Bxf5 Qxd4 $1) 11... Nxh4 12. Bg5 Nf5 $10) (10. g4 Ne7 ( 10... Qa5) 11. cxd4 Qc7 12. Ne2) 10... Qc7 $1 (10... dxc3 $6 11. g4 Ne7 12. gxh5 Nbc6 (12... Bd7 13. Rg1 $16) 13. Rg1 Qc7 14. Bf4 $16 Ng6 $5 15. Bxg6 (15. Bg3 $142) 15... fxg6 16. Rxg6 Qf7 $1 17. Qg3 Rf8 18. Rg4 (18. Rxg7 $2 Qxf4 19. Qg6+ Kd8) 18... Bd7 19. Nh4 Nd4 $1 $17) (10... Nc6 $2 11. g4 Nfe7 12. gxh5) (10... Qa5 $6 11. Rb1 $5 dxc3 (11... Qxc3+ 12. Bd2) 12. g4 Ne7 13. gxh5) 11. Rb1 dxc3 $1 (11... Nc6 12. g4 Nfe7 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qc3+ 15. Bd2 Qxd4 16. f4 $16 Ng6 17. c3 $1 Qc5 18. gxh5 $16 Ne7 $16) (11... Qxc3+ $2 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. g4 $16) 12. g4 Ne7 13. gxh5 Nbc6 14. Bf4 (14. Qg3 Rxh5 15. Qxg7 Nxe5 16. Ng5 Nxd3+ 17. cxd3 Ng6 18. Qg8+ Nf8 19. f4 f6 (Kortschnoj) ) (14. Kd1 $5) 14... Ng6 $1 (14... g6 $2 15. h6 Nf5 16. O-O Nce7 17. h7 Ng7 18. Ng5 $16) 15. Bg3 $1 Ngxe5 16. Nxe5 ("White incorrectly restricts his own possibilities. The critical continuation was to move the king without exchanging knights -- 16 Kf1." Kortschnoj) (16. Kf1 $5 Bd7 (16... f6 17. Bb5 $13 Bd7 18. Bxc6 Bxc6 $1 19. Qxe6+ (19. Re1 O-O-O $1) 19... Qe7 $132) 17. Re1 (17. Bb5 Qa5 $5 (17... f6) 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bxb5+ 20. Ke1 $13) 17... f6 18. Bg6+ Kd8 $13) 16... Nxe5 17. Kf1 (17. Kd1 $2 Nxd3 $1 $17) 17... Bd7 (17... f6 $6 18. Rg1 $1) 18. Qh4 $2 (“This move, made with the aim of activating his queen, is a serious mistake, which should have led to a difficult position for White.” Kortschnoj) (18. Re1 $142 f6 19. Rg1 (19. Bg6+ Kd8 $36 20 . Qh4 Kc8) 19... O-O-O 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. Rxg7 e4 $15 22. Be2 Rdg8 23. Qg3 Qxg3 24. Rxg3 Be8 $1 25. Rxc3+ Kd8) (18. Rg1 $5) 18... f6 $2 (18 ... Nf3 $1 19. Qg4 $6 (19. Qb4 Qc6) 19... Nd2+ 20. Ke2 e5 21. Qxg7 O-O-O $17) 19. Bxe5 $1 Qxe5 (19... fxe5 20. Bg6+ Kf8 21. Qb4+ Kg8 22 . Qxb7 $1 (22. Qe7 $2 Bb5+)) 20. Rxb7 Rb8 $1 $8 21. Rxb8+ Qxb8 22. Qg4 (22. Rg1 g5) 22... Kf8 23. Rg1 g5 $1 ("The only defense, but a sufficient one. Black returns the last of his extra pawns, but his king finds a safe refuge at g7." Kortschnoj) 24. hxg6 ( 24. h4 Qf4 $10) 24... Kg7 25. h4 a5 ("A useful prophylactic move, preventing the possible intrusion of the white queen into Black"s position via b4. Now Black must be constantly on the watch to safeguard his position against penetration by the white queen." Kortschnoj) 26. Rg3 Qb1+ 27. Kg2 (27. Ke2 Bb5 $1) 27... Qb7 28. h5 d4+ (28... e5 $5) 29. Be4 (29. f3 Qd5 30 . Rh3 e5 31. Bf5 Bxf5 32. Qxf5 d3 $1) 29... Bc6 $2 $10 (29... Qb5 30. Rh3 Qg5 $17) 30. Bxc6 Qxc6+ 31. Kg1 Qd5 32. Qf4 Qe5 33. h6+ $2 (33 . Qf3 $1 Qd5 34. Qf4 $10 (34. Qxd5)) 33... Rxh6 34. Qxh6+ Kxh6 35. g7 Qxg3+ ("By no means faultless, but a very sharp game, and also interesting from the theoretical point of view. " Kortschnoj) 0-1 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. Bd2 c5 6. a3 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 cxd4 8. Bxd4 Nbc6 9. Nf3 Qc7 (9... Nf5 $6 10 . c3 Nfxd4 11. cxd4 Qb6 12. b4 $1 $14) (9... Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Ng6 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Bb5+ Bd7 $10) 10. c3 Bd7 (10... Ng6 $1 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 $14) 11. Bd3 Ng6 12. O-O (12. Bxg6 $14) 12... Ngxe5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. Bc2 f6 (14... O-O 15. Bxh7+ Kxh7 16. Qh5+ Kg8 17. Bxe5 $16) 15. Qh5+ Kf8 16. Rae1 Nc6 (16... Bb5 $2 17. f4 $1 $16) 17. Bc5+ Kg8 (17... Ne7 $2 18. Bxe7+ Kxe7 19. Qxd5 $16) 18. f4 b6 19. Bf2 Qd6 (19... Qxf4 $2 20. Bh4 $40) 20. Re3 ( 20. Bh4 $1 $16) 20. .. Qxf4 21. Rg3 (21. Rh3 f5 22. Bxb6 Qg4 $1) 21... Be8 22. Qe2 Qd6 23. Bxb6 axb6 24. Rxf6 Ne5 (24... Qe5 $19) 25. Rf2 (25. Rg5 Bg6 $1) (25. Bf5 Bf7 26. Qe3 Re8) 25... Bg6 26. Bb3 h5 27. h3 Rh6 28. Re3 Be4 29. Qd2 Rd8 30. Rg3 Ng4 31. Rf4 Rf8 32. Rgxg4 hxg4 33. Rxe4 gxh3 0 -1 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ne4 6. Qc2 Bb7 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. Nxc3 f5 9. b3 O-O 10. Bb2 d6 11. d5 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 e5 13. f4 Nd7 14. Bd3 Qh4+ 15. g3 Qh6 16. O-O c6 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Qc2 Rae8 19. Bxf5 Nc5 20. b4 Ba4 21. Bxh7+ Qxh7 22. Qxh7+ Kxh7 23. bxc5 exf4 24. cx b6 axb6 25. exf4 Re4 26. Rae1 Rfe8 27. Kf2 Rxc4 28. Rxe8 Bxe8 29. Rc1 Rxc1 30. Bxc1 g6 31. g4 Kg7 32. Kg3 Bc6 33. Kh4 Bg2 34. Kg5 Bh3 35. Bb2+ Kf7 36. a4 Bg2 37. h4 Bc6 38. h5 gxh5 39. Kxh5 Bxa4 40. f5 Bd1 41. Kg5 b5 42. Bc3 1-0 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O a6 7. a4 Nc6 8. Qe2 cxd4 9. Rd1 Be7 10. exd4 Nd5 11. Nc3 Ncb4 $6 (11... O-O $1) 12. Ne5 $1 O-O 13. Ne4 Nb6 14. Ra3 $1 (14. Bb3 (Expected move.)) 14. .. f6 15. a5 $1 (15. Rh3 $2 fxe5 16. Qh5 Nxc4) 15... Nxc4 (15... fxe5 16. axb6 exd4 17. Rh3 $36) 16. Nxc4 Nd5 17. Rb3 $2 (17. Rg3 $1 Qc7 (17... Rf7 18. Nc5 Bxc5 19. dxc5 Qc7 20. Nd6 Re7 21. b4 $1 Nxb4 22. Bh6 $16 (/\Nf5)) 18. Bh6 Rf7 19. Rc1 $16) (17. Rh3 Rf7 18. Nc5) 17... Qc7 (17 ... Bd7 $1 18. Rxb7 Qc8 $1 $19 (18... Bc6 $6 19. Nc5 $1 Bxb7 (19... Bxc5 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 21. Qxc6 $18) 20. Qxe6+ Rf7 21. Nxb7 Qc7 22. Qxd5 $16 )) 18. Nc3 Bd7 $1 (18... Nxc3 19. Rxc3 (/\Nb6)) (18... Nb4 19. d5 exd5 20. Nb6) (18... Bd6 19. Nxd5 exd5 20. Nb6 Rb8 21. Nxd5 Bxh2+ 22. Kh1 Qd6 23. Ne7+ Kh8 24. g3 $18) 19. Nxd5 exd5 20. Nb6 Rae8 21. Nxd5 (21. Qh5 Be6 22. Nxd5 Qd8 23. Nxe7+ Rxe7 $44 24. d5 $2 Qxa5 $1 ) 21 ... Bd6 $3 (Kortschnoj) (21... Qd6 22. Nxe7+ Rxe7 23. Be3 $16 Ba4 $2 24. Qc4+) (21... Qxh2+ 22. Kxh2 Bd6+ 23. Bf4 $1 Rxe2 24. Bxd6 Ba4 25. Rxb7 $18 Bxd1 26. Bxf8) 22. Qf3 $2 (22. Nxc7 $2 Rxe2 23. Rxb7 Bc8 24. Ra7 Re7 $19) (22. Qxe8 $1 Qc2 $1 23. Ne3 (23. Qxf8+ Kxf8 24. Rbd3 Bb5 $15) 23.. . Qxd1+ 24. Nxd1 Rxe8 25. Be3 Ba4 26. Rb6 Bxh2+ 27. Kxh2 Bxd1 28. Rxb7 Rd8 29. Kg3 Ba4 $10) (22. Qh5 $5 $13 Qc2 (22... Qxa5 $2 23. Nxf6+ $18) 23. Rc3) 22... Qxa5 23. Ne3 (23. Bd2 $2 Qxd2 $1) (23. Nc3 Ba4 $1) 23... Ba4 24. Bd2 $2 (24. Rxb7 Bxd1 25. Qxd1) 24... Bxh2+ $1 25. Kh1 (25. Kxh2 Qc7+ 26. Kg1 Bxb3 $19) 25... Qd8 26. Nf5 Bc7 27. Bh6 (27. Qxb7 Qb8 28. Qxb8 Bxb8) 27... Rf7 28. Rc1 Bxb3 29. Qxb3 g6 $1 30. Ne3 f5 31. Kg1 Qd7 32. Nd5 Qe6 $1 (/\Qe1+) 33. g3 f4 34. Qxb7 fxg3 35. fxg3 Bf4 $1 0-1 1. c4 e6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. O-O O-O 6. d4 c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. b3 (8. Nbd2 (/\e2-e4)) 8 ... Bb7 9. Bb2 Na6 $6 (9... Nbd7) 10. Rd1 Qc8 $5 11. e3 c5 12. Qe2 dxc4 13. bxc4 Rd8 14. Nc3 Ne4 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Ne5 Bxg2 17. Kxg2 $14 f6 $5 (> 100 Partien) and 8.Nf4 (< <<} Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 c4 {>< c2} 9. Be2 Bf5 10. Bd1 (10. Nh3 Bxc2 11. O-O O-O 12. Nf4 Bg6 13. Qg5 h6 14. Qg3 Nd7 15. Nxg6 Nxg6 16. Bf3 Nf6 $17 {Grabuzova,T-Kovalevskaya,E/Memorial Alekhine (open), Moscow (3) 1996/ 1/2-1/2 (56)}) 10... Nbc6 11. Ne2 Qd7 12. Ng3 Bg6 13. Qf3 Nf5 14. Nxf5 Bxf5 15. Qe3+ Ne7 16. f3 O-O-O 17. O-O f6 $15 {[%csl Gd1] Smyslov,V-Portisch,L/Reggio Emilia 43/328 1986/1/2-1/2 (51)}) 7... Nd7 (7... d4 8. a3 Qa5 9. axb4 $5 {An interesting sacrifise! At the first sight white has nothing seriuos for the exchange but the fact that both,black king and a queen are stucked exactly in places black woudn"t like to see them compensates very well the sacrifised matirial.} (9. Rb1 dxc3 (9... Bxc5 $2 10. Bb5+ $5 (10. b4 Qd8 11. Qxc5 dxc3 12. Qxc3 $18 O-O $2 13. Bb2 f6 14. Rd1 $18) 10... Kf8 $1 (10... Nbc6 11. b4 Qc7 12. Qxc5 dxc3 13. Qxc3 $18) 11. Qxc5 dxc3 12. b4 Na6 $4 13. Qxe7+ {1-0 Georgiev, Vl-Ansell,S/WchJM-U18 Duisburg (01) ;TD 92\06 1992}) (9... Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Kd1 $16) 10. axb4 Qxb4 11. Ne2 Nd7 12. Nxc3 Qxc5 13. Qh4 Ne5 14. Bb5+ Bd7 15. Be3 Qc8 16. O-O $32 $16 {[%csl Ge8] 1-0 Rivas Pastor,M-Vargas Garcia,J/ Malaga op (02) 1991}) 9... Qxa1 10. Nce2 Nbc6 $146 (10... Qa2 11. Nxd4 Qd5 12. Qxd5 Nxd5 13. c3 O-O 14. Ngf3 a5 15. b5 Nd7 16. Bc4 Re8+ 17. Kd1 $13 {1-0 Ziatdinov,R-Komarov,D/Biel op (03) ;1991 ; White has very dangerous pawns on the queen side, and a pair of bishops in addision which fully compensate the exchange.}) 11. Nf3 Nxb4 12. Bb5+ Nbc6 13. O-O Qa5 14. Nexd4 Bd7 15. Bc4 $1 g6 (15... O-O $6 16. Ng5 h6 17. Nxf7 Kh7 18. Bd3+ $18) 16. Qg5 Nxd4 (16... O-O $6 17. Qf6 {/\ Bh6+-}) 17. Nxd4 Rf8 $5 18. c6 $1 (18. Be3 $2 f6 $13 {1-0 Glek, I-Schmidt,Wl/Lippstadt ;CBM 31 1992 (34)}) 18... Nxc6 $8 19. Nb5 $1 f6 20. Qf4 Kd8 21. Bd2 Qb6 22. Be3 Qa5 23. Bc5 $36) 8. Nge2 {Kortschnoj: A quiet continuation} (8. Bg5 $5 Nxc5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. O-O-O {Kortschnoj: was much more agressive.}) 8... Nxc5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. O-O Bxb5 (10... O-O 11. Bxd7 Qxd7 12. Bg5 Bxc3 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Nxc3 d4 15. Rae1 Ne6 16. Nd5 Qd6 17. Qe5 Qc5 18. Qf5 Qd6 $14 {Gdanski,J-Socko,B/Poland ch(10) 1996/1/2-1/2 (55)}) 11. Nxb5 Ne4 $11 { Kortschnoj} (11... Ne6 12. Nf4 Nxf4 13. Bxf4 {Is in white"s favour since, the more active pieces he changes the bigger his advantage will be.Unlike the game, here white has very well placed pieces, and the isolated pawn of black"s will be a nice object for white"s further play.}) 12. Nf4 O-O 13. Be3 a6 {It"s important to bring the bishop back to d6-the natural place for bishop from where he will take a major part in black"s strategy.} 14. Nd4 Bd6 15. Nf5 (15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Nfe2 Rad8 $10) 15... Nf6 16. Qg5 Nxf5 17. Qxf5 Re8 (17... Qc8 $1 18. Qxc8 Raxc8 19. c3 d4 20. cxd4 Rc2 21. Rab1 Nd5 $44) 18. Rfd1 Qc7 19. g3 (19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Rxd5 Bxh2+ 21. Kh1 Re5 22. Rxe5 Bxe5 23. c3 Rd8 $15 {[%csl Gh1]}) 19... Re5 {Now, althogh there are not much pieces left on the board,the black ones are very well coordinated and compensate the isolated pawn.} 20. Qd3 Bc5 (20... Rae8 21. c4 {[%csl Gd6]} Ng4 22. Nxd5 Qc6 23. Bd4 $16) 21. Bxc5 $2 { Kortschnoj} (21. Qc3 $142 {Kortschnoj} Ne4 22. Qb3 Bxe3 23. fxe3 Nf6 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Qxd5 $16) 21... Qxc5 22. c3 $2 {White has to change as many pieces as he can!} (22. Re1 $142 Rae8 23. Rxe5 Rxe5 24. Rd1 $14) 22... Rae8 23. Qd4 Qb5 $15 {Kortschnoj} 24. a4 (24. b3 $10) 24... Qc6 25. Rac1 h6 26. b3 Re4 27. Qd3 g5 $5 28. Ng2 Ng4 {[%csl Gg1]} (28... Qe6 29. Ne3 Qh3 30. Qf1 Qxf1+ 31. Nxf1) 29. h3 $8 {Kortschnoj} (29. f3 $4 {Kortschnoj} Qb6+ $19) (29. Qxd5 $4 {Kortschnoj} Re1+ $19) (29. Re1 {Kortschnoj} Ne5 30. Qd1 Qf6 $17) 29... Ne5 30. Qxd5 (30. Qb1 Nf3+ 31. Kf1 Qe6 $17) 30... Nf3+ 31. Kf1 Re1+ $2 { Unbelievably this natural continuation gives black only a draw!} (31... Qc8 $142 $1 32. Qd7 (32. g4 $140 Qc7 $1 {[%cal Gd6h2]} 33. Qd6 Re1+ 34. Nxe1 Rxe1+ 35. Kg2 Qxd6 36. Rxd6 Nh4+ $19) 32... Qc5 $5 {[%cal Ge4e2]} (32... Re1+ 33. Nxe1 Rxe1+ 34. Kg2 Qxd7 35. Rxd7 Rxc1 36. Kxf3 Rxc3+ 37. Kg4 Rxb3 38. Kh5 Kg7 39. Rd6 {-game}) 33. Ne3 (33. Qxb7 $2 Qf5 $1 34. Qd7 R8e6 35. Qd8+ Kh7 36. g4 Qe5 37. Ne3 Qh2 $19 {[%csl Ge3]}) 33... Rxe3 34. fxe3 Qxe3 $19) 32. Nxe1 Rxe1+ 33. Kg2 Qxd5 34. Rxd5 Rxc1 35. Kxf3 Rxc3+ 36. Kg4 Rxb3 37. Kh5 (37. Rd6 $142 { Kortschnoj}) 37... Kg7 (37... Rb6 $15 {Kortschnoj}) 38. Rd6 Rf3 39. Rxh6 $138 (39. Rxh6 Rxf2 (39... Rf6 40. Rxf6 Kxf6 41. a5 $18) (39... f6 {Kortschnoj} 40. Rg6+ Kf7 41. Kh6 $11) 40. Rb6 Ra2 41. Rxb7 Rxa4 $10) 0-1 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Bb4 5. e3 O-O 6. a3 $5 {Indem WeiЯ diesen Zug bereits jetzt spielt, kann er einige weniger erfolgversprechende Varianten vermeiden.} Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 c6 (7... Nc6 {wird seit Fischer-Reshevsky m 1961 empfohlen. Es gibt kaum Erfahrungen mit diesem Zug.} 8. Bd3 Na5 $1 9. Nd2 c5 10. O-O b6 11. cxd5 exd5 12. f3 Re8 $11 13. Re1 Be6 14. Ra2 Rc8 15. Nf1 cxd4 16. cxd4 h5 17. h3 h4 18. Rf2 Qd7 19. e4 dxe4 20. fxe4 Bb3 21. Qd2 Bc4 22. Bc2 Nb3 23. Bxb3 Bxb3 24. e5 Nd5 25. Qg5 Qe7 26. Qg4 Rc6 27. Bg5 Qxa3 28. Qd7 {1-0 Reshevsky,S-Fischer,R/New York/Los Angeles m 1961}) (7... c5 {ist der Versuch in die bekannten Varianten von E59 ьberzugehn.} 8. Bb2 $1 Nc6 9. Bd3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 11. Rc1 $1 {Diesen Zug hat WeiЯ nicht wenn statt Bb2 der Zug 0-0 erfolgt wдre.}) 8. a4 Re8 9. Bb2 b6 10. cxd5 Qxd5 {Letztlich will Schwarz doch c5 spielen - irgendwie unlogisch.} 11. Qc2 (11. Bd3 Ba6 $11) 11... Bb7 (11... Ba6 $6 12. c4) 12. Bd3 c5 13. e4 $5 {Das Bauernopfer sollte direkt zum Remis fьhren.} (13. c4 Qh5 14. dxc5 Nbd7 15. cxb6 axb6 $44) (13. Ne5 Qxg2 14. Rf1) 13... Nxe4 14. c4 Qf5 15. O-O Na6 16. Ba3 Nb4 $2 (16... Qf4 $1 17. Bc1 (17. Rae1 Nf6 $19) 17... Qf5 18. Ba3 $11 (18. Bd2 $2 cxd4 $1 {[%cal Ya6c5]} 19. Nxd4 Qg6 20. f3 Nac5 21. fxe4 Rad8 $19)) 17. Bxb4 cxb4 18. Rfe1 $16 b3 19. Qb1 Rec8 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Rxe4 b2 22. Ra2 Rxc4 23. Rxb2 Rac8 24. Re1 Qxb1 25. Rbxb1 Rxa4 26. Kf1 h6 27. Ra1 Rcc4 28. h3 b5 29. Ke2 Rc2+ 30. Ke3 Rac4 31. Ne5 R2c3+ 32. Nd3 f5 33. Rec1 Rxc1 34. Nxc1 b4 35. Nd3 b3 36. Rxa7 1-0 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Nge2 cxd4 6. exd4 d5 7. c5 Ne4 8. Bd2 Nxd2 9. Qxd2 Qf6 10. a3 Bxc3 {N/ It looks, that after this move it is easy to get advantage for White than after stubborn} (10... Ba5 {For example:} 11. b4 (11. g3 O-O $146 (11... Qf3 12. Rg1 Nc6 13. b4 Bc7 14. Bg2 Qf6 15. f4 O-O 16. Rf1 Ne7 17. Rc1 Bd7 18. Rf2 Qh6 19. Kf1 Kh8 20. Kg1 f5 21. b5 {Knaak,R-van der Wiel,J/Palma de Mallorca (GMA) 1989} Ng8 $1 $13 {/\Nf6-e4}) 12. Bg2 Nc6 13. O-O g6 (13... Bxc3 $5 14. Qxc3 Bd7 15. b4 Rfc8 {/\ Ne7, b6}) 14. Rad1 a6 15. f4 Bd8 16. b4 Qg7 17. Kh1 b6 18. Na4 $1 (18. g4 $2 bxc5 19. dxc5 Kh8 20. f5 $6 (20. Ng1 $5) 20... gxf5 21. gxf5 Bg5 {1-0 Beliavsky,A-Wojtkiewicz,A/Graz 1996 (36)}) 18... bxc5 19. Nxc5 $16) 11... Bd8 (11... Bc7 $2 12. Nb5 Qe7 13. Nxc7+ Qxc7 14. Nc3 $16) 12. g3 (12. Ng1 $6 O-O 13. Nf3 b6 $1 14. Be2 bxc5 15. dxc5 (15. bxc5 Nc6 16. Rb1 a6 $1 {Sokolov,I} (16... Ba5 $6 17. O-O $14) 17. O-O g5 $5 $132 { /\ 18...g4, 18...Qg7} (17... Bc7)) 15... Nc6 (15... Be7 16. O-O Rd8 17. Rac1 Bb7 18. Na4 $1 d4 19. b5 $36 {<<}) 16. O-O Bc7 17. b5 $6 Ne5 18. Nd4 {/\ f4} (18. Nxe5 $2 Bxe5 19. Rac1 Bf4 $17) (18. Rab1 Rb8 {/\ Ba5}) 18... Nd7 $1 {0-1 Sokolov,I-Van der Wiel,J/NLD-ch Amsterdam 1996 (26)}) (12. Qe3 O-O 13. g3 b6 14. Bg2 bxc5 15. dxc5 Ba6 16. O-O Bc4 17. Rfd1 Nc6 18. f4 Rb8 19. Rab1 g5 20. b5 gxf4 21. Nxf4 Qe5 22. Qd2 Ba5 $17 {Giddins-Van Der Wiel /Memorial Donner (open) Amsterdam 1995}) 12... Qf3 13. Rg1 Qf6 14. Qe3 O-O 15. g4 g6 16. g5 Qg7 {1/2-1/2 Vaiser,A-Van der Wiel,J/Brussels zt 1993}) 11. Nxc3 $14 O-O 12. Bb5 $1 b6 (12... Bd7 13. Bxd7 (13. Be2 $5) 13... Nxd7 14. b4 $14) 13. cxb6 {Aslo very promising looks} (13. b4 $5 $36 {with strong preasure on the queen side.}) 13... axb6 14. Rc1 Bd7 15. O-O g6 (15... Rc8 $5) 16. Rfe1 {Maybe white"s advantage is not so great, but it is vey little pleasure to play this position with black pieces.} Kg7 17. Re3 Qf4 18. Ne2 $1 Qf6 19. Bxd7 (19. Rf3 $5 Qe7 20. Rh3 $40) 19... Nxd7 20. Rc7 Qd8 21. Rec3 {[%cal Gc1c8]} Nf6 22. Nf4 $16 {[%cal Rf4e6]} Re8 23. Nd3 {[%csl Ge5]} (23. R3c6 e5 24. dxe5 Rxe5 25. Nd3 Re6 $5) 23... Re7 24. Rxe7 Qxe7 25. Rc6 {[%csl Rb6]} Qb7 {Too passive.Better chances for successfull defence gives active} (25... Ne4 $5 26. Qf4 Ra4) 26. Qc2 Ne8 27. h4 $1 {[%cal Rh4h5]} h5 28. Ne5 Rd8 29. a4 Rb8 {Stanec has just to wait and Kortchnoi slowly but surely improves his position.} (29... Ra8 30. b3 b5 31. axb5 Qxb5 $140 32. Rxe6 $1) 30. Rc3 Ra8 31. Rc6 Rb8 32. g3 Qe7 33. Kg2 Qb7 34. b3 Qe7 35. b4 $1 Rb7 (35... Qxb4 36. Rxe6 $1 {[%cal Re6g6]} Kf8 (36... Nf6 $2 37. Rxf6 $18) 37. Nxf7 $1 Ng7 38. Rf6 $18) 36. b5 Nd6 37. a5 $1 bxa5 38. b6 Qd8 (38... Nb5 39. Qc5 Qxc5 40. dxc5 a4 (40... Kf6 41. f4 Kf5 42. Rc8) (40... Rb8 41. Nd7 Rb7 42. Rc8 $1 Rxd7 43. c6 $18) 41. Rc8 a3 42. Ra8 $18) 39. Qc5 Nc4 (39... Ne4 40. Qxa5) (39... Nf5 40. Rc7 $18) 40. Rc7 Qb8 41. Qe7 1-0 1. d4 {Huzman} d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 Nc6 7. Ne2 (7. Be3 {Huzman} Bf5 8. Ne2 e6 9. Nbc3 Qd7 10. a3 Na5 11. Ba2 Nac4 12. Qc1 Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Ng3 Bg6 15. Rd1 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 c6 17. Nce4 Nd5 18. Qe2 Rac8 19. Rac1 Rc7 20. Bb1 b6 21. Qg4 Bf5 $11 {Notkin -Yakovich,Elista1997}) 7... Bf5 8. Nbc3 e6 9. a3 Qd7 10. O-O O-O-O (10... Be7 11. Be3 Na5 12. Ba2 Nac4 13. Ng3 Bg6 $14 {1-0 Granda Zuniga,J-Kortschnoj,V/Hoogovens 1997/CBM 57 (61) }) 11. Be3 f6 12. exf6 gxf6 13. Na4 $146 (13. Ng3 $14 Bg6 14. Qe2 (14. Nce4 { [%cal Ye4c5] Huzman} Be7 15. Rc1) 14... Kb8 15. Rfd1 Ne7 16. Nge4 Ned5 17. Nc5 Qe8 18. Rac1 Bh5 19. f3 Rg8 20. Nxd5 Nxd5 21. Bxd5 exd5 22. Re1 Bd6 23. Nd3 Qe6 24. Kh1 Rde8 25. Qd2 (25. Nc5 $142 $11) 25... Bxf3 $19 26. gxf3 Qh3 {0-1 Mohr, S-Huebner,R/SUI-chT 1996/EXP 55} 27. Qf2 Bxh2 28. Qf1 Qh5) (13. Re1 Na5 14. Bf4 $2 (14. Ng3 $14) (14. Bc2 $14) 14... e5 $1 {0-1 Epishin,V-Kortschnoj,V/St. Petersburg 1997/CBM 59 (65)}) 13... h5 14. Rc1 h4 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 (16. dxc5 $2 {Huzman} Qg7 $17) 16... Kb8 17. Bc2 $2 (17. Nf4 Nxd4 (17... Ne7 $6 18. Qf3 (18. Rxf5 exf5 19. Ne6 $44) 18... c6 (18... Nbd5 $2 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Bxd5 exd5 21. Bf4 $18) 19. Rxf5 $1 $44) 18. Bxe6 $14) 17... Ne7 18. Nf4 Rhg8 19. Bxf5 Nxf5 20. Qf3 Nd5 21. Nxd5 (21. Rfc1 {Huzman} c6) 21... exd5 $13 22. Rfc1 c6 23. b4 Ka8 (23... Rde8 {Huzman} 24. b5 $16) 24. a4 $2 (24. b5 $142 $1 cxb5 25. Rxd5 Qxd5 26. Rc8+ Rxc8 27. Qxd5 Nxe3 28. fxe3 a6 $13) 24... h3 25. g3 (25. Qxh3 Rh8 $40 (25... Rh8 {Huzman} 26. Qf3 Rdg8 $40)) 25... Qe6 (25... Nh4 $5 26. Qh5 $1 (26. Qxf6 Qh7 27. -- Qe4 $19) 26... Qg4 (26... Rh8 27. Qe2 -- 28. gxh4) 27. Qxg4 Rxg4 28. f4 $1 $13 {}) 26. Kf1 (26. b5 $2 Nh4 27. Qf4 (27. Qd1 Qe4 $19) 27... Rg4 28. Qc7 Rc8 29. -- Qe4 $19) 26... Nd6 27. b5 $2 (27. Bf4 Nc4 (27... Ne4 28. R5c2 Qf5 $14) 28. -- Rde8) 27... Ne4 28. R5c2 (28. bxc6 {Huzman} Nxc5 29. c7 Qa6+ 30. Kg1 (30. Qe2 Rc8 31. Rxc5 Qxa4 $19) 30... Rc8 31. Rxc5 Qxa4 $17) 28... c5 29. dxc5 $6 (29. Rxc5 Nxc5 30. dxc5 Rc8 $1 (30... d4 31. Bf4 Qd5 32. Qxd5 Rxd5 33. c6 $44) 31. -- Rge8 32. -- Qe4 $14) 29... d4 $19 30. Rc4 (30. Bf4 Qd5 31. Kg1 (31. Qd3 Nd2+ $1 $19 (31... Nd2+ $1 $19 {Huzman} 32. Rxd2 (32. Qxd2 Qg2+ (32... d3 33. f3 Qxf3+ 34. Qf2 Qh1+ 35. Qg1 Qxg1+ 36. Kxg1 dxc2 37. Rxc2 $132 {[%cal Yc5c6]}) 33. Ke2 (33. Ke1 Rge8+ $19) 33... Rge8+ 34. Kd3 Qe4+ 35. Kc4 d3+ 36. Kb3 dxc2 37. Qxc2 Rd3+ 38. Ka2 Qd5+ $19) 32... Qh1+ 33. Ke2 Rge8+)) 31... d3 32. Rb2 Nxg3 $1 33. Qxd5 Ne2+ $19) (30. Bd2 Qd5 31. Kg1 d3 32. Rb2 Nxg3 33. Qxd5 Ne2+ 34. Kh1 Rxd5 35. Rd1 Rxc5 $19) 30... f5 31. Bf4 d3 32. c6 (32. Rb4 {Huzman} Qd5 $1 33. Kg1 Nxg3 34. Qxd5 Ne2+ 35. Kh1 Rxd5 $19) (32. Qd1 {Huzman} d2 33. R1c2 Rge8 $1 $19) 32... bxc6 (32... d2 $2 33. cxb7+ Kxb7 34. Rc7+ Ka8 35. Rd1 Qd5 36. Qe3 $16) 33. Rxc6 Qd5 34. Kg1 (34. Qe3 Nxg3+ 35. fxg3 $8 Qg2+ 36. Ke1 d2+ 37. Qxd2 Rge8+ 38. Qe3 Qh1+ $19) 34... d2 35. Rd1 Rge8 36. Be3 (36. Rxd2 Nc3 $1 $19 (36... Nxd2 $2 37. Rc8+ Kb7 38. Rb8+ Rxb8 39. Qxd5+ $18)) (36. Rc2 Nc3 $1 37. Rcxd2 Nxd1 $19) (36. Bxd2 {Huzman} Nxd2 37. Rc8+ Kb7 38. Qxd5+ Rxd5 39. Rxe8 Nf3+ $19) 36... f4 $1 37. Rxd2 (37. Bxf4 { Huzman} Nc3 $19 (37... Nd6 $5 $19)) 37... Nxd2 38. Rc8+ Kb7 39. Qxd5+ Rxd5 40. Rxe8 Nf3+ 41. Kf1 Nxh2+ 42. Ke2 fxe3 43. Rh8 Ng4 $1 0-1 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Bg7 7. Bg2 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Nc2 (9. Nxc6 dxc6 $11) (9. e3 $5 Nxd4 10. exd4 d6 11. Bf4 $14) 9... d6 10. e4 (10. b3 Bf5 $11) 10... Nd7 $5 (10... Be6 $14) 11. Qd2 (11. Ne3 $6 Bxc3 $5 (11... Nc5 12. Ned5 f5 $15) 12. bxc3 Nc5 $13) (11. Be3 Bxc3 (11... Nce5 12. Qe2 Nb6 $132) 12. bxc3 Nc5 $13) 11... a6 (11... Nc5 12. b4 Bxc3 13. Qxc3 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Rxe4 15. Bb2 $44) 12. b3 Rb8 (12... b5 13. e5 Bb7 (13... Ndxe5 $2 14. f4 Bh6 15. Ne3 $18) 14. cxb5 axb5 15. exd6 cxd6 16. Bb2 $14) 13. Bb2 b5 14. Ne3 bxc4 $2 (14... b4 15. Na4 Nc5 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 (16... Nxa4 17. Bh6 Nc3 18. Nd5 $16) 17. Qb2+ f6 18. Nxc5 dxc5 19. Rad1 Qe7 20. Nd5 Qf7 21. f4 Nd4 22. e5 f5 23. Rxd4 $14) (14... Nc5 $1 15. cxb5 axb5 16. Ncd5 b4 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rfd1 Bd7 $13 (18... Nxe4 19. Bxe4 Rxe4 20. Qc2 $16)) 15. Nxc4 Bb7 16. Nd5 $1 $16 Nce5 (16... Bxb2 17. Qxb2 Nce5 18. Nce3 Bxd5 19. exd5 $16) 17. Na5 Nf6 (17... Bxd5 18. exd5 $16) (17... Ba8 18. Rac1 Nc5 (18... Rc8 19. f4 $16) 19. f4 Ned3 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. b4 $16) 18. f4 $2 (18. Rac1 Nxd5 (18... c5 $2 19. Nxb7 Rxb7 20. Bxe5 Rxe5 (20... dxe5 21. Rxc5 $16) 21. Nxf6+ Bxf6 22. f4 $18) 19. exd5 $16) (18. Nxb7 $5 Rxb7 19. Ne3 $16) 18... Nxd5 $8 19. fxe5 $2 (19. exd5 Ng4 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Rae1 $14 {>

Fluttering like a butterfly and stinging like a bee

“Yes, Korchnoi won the chess tournament... I was rooting for Tal. He was half a point behind...” This phrase is well remembered by all fans of the classic Soviet cinema - the comedy “Beware of the Car”.

Those who at the turn of the 1970s-1980s were immersed in the current agenda remember the battle of “good and evil” in chess, where “ours” Anatoly Karpov opposed by “a renegade and a scoundrel” Victor Korchnoi.

Came after. Alas, the whole world will not mourn Korchnoi as it mourns the great boxer.

Meanwhile, these two people from sports so far from each other have a lot in common. Both were extremely ambitious, striving for victory with all their might, mercilessly crushing competitors standing in the way. Only Ali became the world champion, but Korchnoi never reached this title.

But if Mohammed Ali, who was militant during his career, was turned into a handsome and correct hero in the last decades of his life, then Korchnoi remained “wrong” until the very end. He did not accept compromises, declaring war on everyone at once, and easily labeling yesterday’s friends as enemies.

"I was never a child prodigy"

At the age of 13, Vitya Korchnoi, who survived the blockade and lost his father in the war, came to the chess club of the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers. By today's standards, this is very late - today, child prodigies by this time already receive the title of grandmaster.

“I was never a child prodigy, not just in chess or anything. Everything was difficult for me,” Korchnoi himself said.

He really had much less innate abilities than his future rivals. But Korchnoi surpassed almost everyone in dedication, perseverance, perseverance, obsession and desire to win.

In 1947, Viktor Korchnoi became the USSR champion among youths, and after that he slowly but surely climbed the ladder of achievements.

At the age of 25 he became a grandmaster, after which he went into the shadows for several years. The breakthrough happened in 1960 - in his native Leningrad he became the champion of the USSR for the first time.

Winning the USSR chess championship at that time was no easier than becoming the best in the world. Korchnoi did this three times between 1960 and 1964, cementing his place among the chess elite.

Viktor Korchnoi, 1972. Photo: RIA Novosti / Vitaly Armand

Honor of the chess crown

In 1961 Mikhail Tal And Mikhail Botvinnik were preparing for a rematch for the world title. Each of the grandmasters assembled a team of assistants for preparation. To receive a non-invitation is a high honor and recognition of merit. Korchnoi was invited by both participants in the match for the world crown, but he refused. The chess player considered this unethical, since he considered both Tal and Botvinnik as rivals from whom he was going to take this very crown.

Such self-confidence may seem self-confident to many, but that was what Korchnoi was all about. The title of world champion was his main goal, and to achieve it he was ready to do anything.

There were a huge number of people in the chess world who were at first Korchnoi's friends and then became his worst enemies. There is only one reason - at some point they became an obstacle for Korchnoi on the path to the title of world champion.

During the epoch-making matches against Karpov, Korchnoi’s incorrect behavior at the board, his provocations, and attempts to piss off his opponent were widely discussed.

In fact, there was nothing new in this - contrary to popular belief, top-level chess is by no means a gentleman's sport. There are a thousand and one methods of unbalancing an opponent, and Korchnoi was good at this.

“He was making faces and scraping his nails on the table.”

“Korchnoi started interfering with my playing! When my watch ticked, I made faces. Snorted. But the most disgusting thing was that he began to scratch his nails on the table. Some people can't stand this sound. When going to offer a draw, Korchnoi called the judge and passed it through him. Although I’m sitting opposite - say what you want,” these are memories of Korchnoi not of Karpov, but of another ex-world champion, Boris Spassky.

Maintaining my level of play under such pressure was not easy. One of Korchnoi's constant rivals, another world title holder Tigran Petrosyan, began to regularly lose to him due to his inability to maintain composure in these situations.

According to contemporaries, Korchnoi kicked Petrosian under the table during games. Petrosyan, who had lost his temper, answered Korchnoi in the same way, but the Leningrader continued to play at a high level, and the representative of Armenia, losing his balance, suffered defeats.

In 1974, Viktor Korchnoi reached the final candidates' match, behind which the coveted title of world champion was already visible. Moreover, its bearer Robert Fischer was not eager to continue his chess career.

From left to right: Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov, Tigran Petrosyan and Lev Polugaevsky at the closing ceremony of the 41st USSR Chess Championship, 1973. Photo: RIA Novosti / Igor Utkin

Korchnoi's rival was the young and gifted Anatoly Karpov. In an interview before the match, Korchnoi said that his counterpart was still too young to meet with Fischer, and that by beating him, he will save Karpov from an unenviable fate. Karpov didn’t particularly object, remarking: “This is not my candidate’s cycle.”

But the match ended in Karpov's victory, and Korchnoi lost his temper. He gave an interview to the Yugoslav media and the TANYUG agency, in which he spoke negatively about the winner, and most importantly, hinted that his loss was the result of pressure “from above.”

It was ugly, unfair, but it was classic Korchnoi. He saw that a younger opponent, emerging out of nowhere, had every chance of preventing him from reaching the goal that Korchnoi had been striving for for many years.

The USSR Sports Committee categorically did not like Korchnoi’s attacks, and the grandmaster came under sanctions, losing part of his earnings and the opportunity to travel abroad. When travel was reopened, Viktor Korchnoi refused to return to the USSR after the next tournament.

“Millions consider me a dissident, a man who fought for the collapse of the Soviet Union. But that's not true. I just wanted to play chess. And I fled the Union because my career was in danger. It wasn’t me who started it, it was the Soviet authorities who dragged me into the war. It can be considered this way: while fighting against the USSR, I fought for myself,” Korchnoi wrote in his books published abroad.

Viktor Korchnoi at the presentation of his two-volume book “My 55 Victories with White”, “My 55 Victories with Black”, 2004. Photo: RIA Novosti / Oleg Lastochkin

The state of war against everyone incredibly invigorated Korchnoi. Perhaps he even deliberately read the Soviet press with articles about himself in order to fuel his fighting fervor.

In 1978, Viktor Korchnoi entered the match for the world title against Anatoly Karpov. The match, which took place in the Philippines, in the city of Baguio, attracted the attention of the world media due to the confrontation “Soviet versus anti-Soviet.”

Here Korchnoi showed himself not just to be a great chess player, but also an outstanding showman. He included in his team some local hypnotists who turned out to be involved in a terrorist group, he wrote one protest after another, accusing Karpov’s team of telling him with the help of yoghurts. A master of psychological warfare, Korchnoi accused Karpov of being part of the Soviet delegation Dr. Zukhar its negative impact knocks him, Korchnoi, out of his thoughts.

Never before has the “yellow press” of the whole world written so much about chess. Korchnoi denounced the USSR, declaring that all Soviet chess players in a single formation were busy giving tips to Karpov, and that was the only reason why Anatoly had not lost yet.

As a result, Karpov won with a score of 6:5, and many years later Korchnoi said: “If we speak objectively, it was not the Soviet regime, but the weaknesses of my character that prevented me from winning the World Championship.”

Life for chess

In 1981, Korchnoi would once again receive the right to play with Karpov for the world title, but the match in Merano, Italy, would no longer have the same intensity. Karpov entered the era of the heyday of his talent, and Korchnoi was no longer able to fight him. As a result, Karpov won with a score of 6:2.

Viktor Korchnoi no longer came so close to the title of world champion, but continued to perform successfully at major international tournaments.

Korchnoi played in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, demonstrating an amazing example of athletic longevity. Not only Korchnoi’s peers, but also a couple of subsequent generations moved away from active performances, and the stubborn native of Leningrad continued to play and play.

“Now I am a much more versatile chess player than 40 years ago,” declared Korchnoi, who was already well over 70.

In 2011, at the age of 80, he was still winning tournaments. But in 2012 he suffered a stroke, the consequences of which could no longer be eliminated. However, having barely recovered from his illness, Korchnoi, who speaks poorly and uses a wheelchair, again sat down at the chessboard.

One could disagree with Korchnoi, one could dislike him for many of his words and actions, but one could not help but respect him for his loyalty to chess and his incredible thirst for fight.

In 1972, the film “The Grandmaster” was released on the screens of the USSR with Andrey Myagkov starring. The film stars all the cream of Russian chess. The role of the main character's coach was played by Viktor Korchnoi. By all accounts, he played brilliantly. And this is not a matter of artistic talent - Korchnoi did not play, but lived, being in his usual element.

Afterlife Party

In the biography of Viktor Korchnoi there is a chess game that no one else has - he met at the board with a deceased chess player.

In 1985 Wolfgang Eisenbeis, a researcher of paranomal phenomena, suggested that Korchnoi play with the spirit of the great chess player of the past. Korchnoi agreed. A German medium undertook to maintain contact with the afterlife Robert Rollans.

Korchnoi named three great deceased grandmasters with whom he would like to fight at the chessboard: Capablanca, Keres, Maroczy. On June 15, 1985, he received a message that Geza Maroczy, the famous Hungarian grandmaster of the first third of the 20th century, had accepted the challenge.

According to Korchnoi’s recollections, he was skeptical about this whole undertaking and at first did not put much effort into it. His opponent from beyond the grave actually started out very weakly. But already on move 27, the spirit of Maroczy found several original solutions and Korchnoi, in his words, “began to doubt his unconditional victory.”

The fight lasted for 7 years and 8 months - transferring moves from the other world to this world and back took a lot of time. On February 11, 1993, on the 47th move, Geza Maroczy resigned.

I was lucky enough to see Viktor Lvovich several times during my Leningrad childhood and adolescence, including at the 1973 interzonal tournament. And even earlier, he once gave a session in our chess club at the Palace of Culture. Kirov on Vasilyevsky Island.

The sessions were usually preceded by a short presentation by the guest (lecture), Korchnoi was no exception. It was interesting to listen to him. In particular, I remember the clear example given by Viktor Lvovich of inconvenient opponents: “I can’t play with Keres, Keres can’t play with Portisch, Portisch can’t play with Tal, Tal can’t play with me.” I spent quite a lot of time with Spassky in anticipation of his match with Fischer. In particular (approximately): “Previously, Spassky simply broke his opponents, but now he has become a subtle psychologist”... Speaking about Fischer, he mentioned his practicality in decision-making, citing as an example a fairly well-known episode: when Korchnoi played Fischer after a long After deliberation, he proposed an interesting pawn sacrifice leading to unclear consequences, but was surprised that Fischer rejected it almost without hesitation. After the game, Robert Jamesovich explained his decision: “I believed you!”

Personally, I was not able to play with Korchnoi in the session due to my own stupidity - I arrived exactly at the appointed 11 o’clock in the morning, when all the places at the tables were already occupied. I tried to correct the mistake (with the permission of our coach Rebekah Samoilovna Esterkina) when the ranks of the opponents began to thin out, and made an attempt to ask to take one of the vacant seats. The first time he said, barely audibly, “Viktor Lvovich...”, the second time louder, and the third time he almost shouted: “Viktor Lvovich!!!” At this point everyone heard the cry, except... Viktor Lvovich, who was standing opposite him and was contemplating his next move! At this point, my entire accumulated reserve of courage (or impudence) was exhausted, and I no longer dared to contact the grandmaster... Remembering this episode, I was still unable to fully understand whether Viktor Lvovich had already heard this or whether it actually happened his incredible concentration on the game even in an ordinary session?

However, I had no illusions about the possible result, since the chess relations with the sessioners for me (a freshly minted second-rate player) were then worse than ever. By that time, he had meekly lost to several masters, and subsequently, with Mark Evgenievich Taimanov, by the 23rd move he was already without an exchange and two pawns, which gave him grounds to simply sweep the pieces off the board with the words “What’s there to play here!” :-)

It sounds banal, but really - with the departure of Viktor Lvovich, an entire era has passed. Moreover, probably, every experienced chess player has his own, since many people associate this name not only with well-known events, but also with their own, personal memories.

May you rest in peace, Viktor Lvovich!

On June 6, at the age of 85, the legendary chess player Viktor Korchnoi, a man with an amazing destiny and career, passed away. He never became a world champion, but until his death he was the oldest playing grandmaster on the planet. Lenta.ru remembers the outstanding master of the chessboard.

The beginning of the journey and the blockade

It is difficult to find a person with a more difficult childhood than Korchnoi. A Leningrader, he survived the Nazi blockade as a teenager, at which time he lost his father and was left with his stepmother. It was she who enrolled him in various circles at the Palace of Pioneers during the war. 13-year-old Victor did not get a foothold in literature due to a speech impediment, in music due to the lack of a personal piano for practice, but in chess he came to the court. In 1944, when millions of Soviet teenagers dreamed of picking up a machine gun, Korchnoi picked up a chessboard for the first time.

The boy was completely captivated by the new activity. He spent all his free time from studying on chess. Victor did not change himself at Leningrad University, being distracted only by helping his stepmother, to whom he was immensely grateful many years later.

Korchnoi's progress in chess was very rapid, which was noted from the first day by his teacher, chess writer, honored coach of the USSR Vladimir Zak. In 1947, 16-year-old Viktor Korchnoi became the USSR champion among schoolchildren, and five years later he made his debut in the adult championship of the Union, where he took an honorable sixth place. A year later, he already shared second and third places.

Korchnoi was awarded the title of grandmaster, which was then much more prestigious and less attainable than it is now, in 1956, at the age of 25. Oddly enough, it was after this that the chess player’s career began to decline. For several years in a row he could not take a prize in the USSR championship and only in 1960 did he win, becoming the champion in his hometown - Leningrad.

The career of grandmaster Korchnoi began to take off. He received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR and won a major international tournament in Buenos Aires. A year later, despite finishing second in the Soviet Union championship, Korchnoi fought for the world chess crown for the first time. The trip to the Candidates Tournament on the island of Curacao was unsuccessful: Viktor Lvovich took only fifth place.

The early and mid-1960s are rightfully considered Korchnoi's time in Soviet chess: from 1960 to 1964, he became the national champion three times and took silver twice. His main rivals in those years were Boris Spassky and Leonid Stein.

Failures in the fight for the world crown

Success at the internal level was always not enough for an ambitious and self-confident grandmaster. He never hid that his goal was to become the best in the world. But the path to the chess crown was more difficult than conquering the domestic Olympus. In 1968, Korchnoi lost the final candidates match to Spassky, and three years later he was stopped in the semi-finals by another Soviet grandmaster, Tigran Petrosyan.

In 1974, Korchnoi again reached the final of the Candidates Tournament, but lost to Anatoly Karpov, a prodigy who had broken into the world elite. It was he who for many years became Korchnoi’s main rival in the fight for the world champion title. A rival that Viktor Lvovich never managed to surpass. In 1976, Korchnoi won the Candidates competition twice, but again could not cope with Karpov.

In 1978, in Baguio (Philippines), Korchnoi again fought for the world crown with Karpov. Then, losing 2:5 in games, he did the almost impossible: he equalized the score, but still lost the decisive game. At that moment, Korchnoi was closest to realizing his dream. Three years later in Merano (Italy) there was no real fight: Karpov won with a score of 6:2 in games.

The chess community recognizes Viktor Korchnoi as the best of those who have never become world champion.

Emigration or flight

As Korchnoi admitted, already in 1966, at a tournament in Germany, he was offered not to return to the USSR, but then he rejected this offer, which he later regretted - he admitted that he “lost 11 years of human life.” Because of his directness and intractability, Korchnoi was an extremely inconvenient figure for the Soviet sports leadership.

In 1974, after losing the candidate's match to Anatoly Karpov, Korchnoi gave an interview to the Yugoslav media and the TANYUG agency, in which he spoke negatively about the winner, and most importantly, hinted that his loss was the result of pressure “from above.” The reaction of the leadership of the USSR Sports Committee was extremely harsh. Korchnoi's scholarship was reduced and he was banned from leaving the USSR. A year later, Korchnoi again became a visiting team - interestingly, thanks to the assistance of Karpov.

The inevitable happened in 1976. After the IBM chess tournament in Amsterdam, Viktor Korchnoi refused to return to the USSR and asked for political asylum in the Netherlands. The chess player was refused, but was given guarantees that his chess titles and the opportunity to continue to fight for the world champion title would remain intact.

A few years later, Korchnoi settled in Switzerland, where he first received political asylum, and in 1994, citizenship. The chess player was deprived of Soviet citizenship back in 1978. The Korchnoi family was released to Switzerland only six years later.

After escaping from the USSR, Korchnoi continued to perform successfully and take high places in tournaments. His name was often mentioned among anti-Soviet emigrants, but he never considered himself a dissident. In books and interviews, he emphasized that his only reason for emigrating was the desire to continue his professional career as a chess player.

“Millions consider me a dissident, a man who fought for the collapse of the Soviet Union. But that's not true. I just wanted to play chess. And I fled from the Union because my career was in danger. It was not I who started it first - it was the Soviet authorities who dragged me into the war. It can be considered this way: while fighting against the USSR, I fought for myself,” Korchnoi wrote.

In 1990, Viktor Korchnoi was rehabilitated and his citizenship was restored, along with many other famous people who left their homeland. He was offered to return, but he categorically refused. “In Europe, the average life expectancy is ten to twenty years higher than in Russia. By leaving for the West, I thus extended my life by ten years. All my peers in Russia with whom I communicated before have already passed away. And when I come here, I have no one to say a word to. Do you want me to be silent forever too? - he said in one interview.

Korchnoi has repeatedly admitted that he does not consider himself an outstanding talent, and all his successes, including chess, are based on perseverance and perseverance. Korchnoi is characterized by a very thorough, painstaking analysis of a position, which often results in fundamentally new continuations in known variations or the “rehabilitation” of variations recognized by theory as dubious or completely unsuccessful.

“We must pay tribute, Korchnoi is a phenomenon in chess. His style is inimitable. He has a completely unique approach to chess. He was such a hard worker and a special talent, he was a chess player of the highest level. It’s sad for chess that one of the last people of that era has passed away,” Anatoly Karpov said about the departed grandmaster to the R-Sport agency.

For 25 years, Korchnoi claimed the world championship, won many tournaments and matches, including against Petrosyan, Spassky, Polugaevsky, Geller, Tal, Portisch, Hübner. He holds all the records for chess longevity. In 2001, he won a representative round-robin tournament dedicated to his seventieth birthday (Gelfand, Svidler and Grischuk participated in the tournament). At the age of 80, Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi added another trophy to his collection of victories, becoming a five-time Swiss champion.