If we were to assume that there really is something to astrology that people born in autumn really do tick a little differently from those born in spring might we have a useful clue to our opponent’s strategy in a chess game by asking about their star sign? Perhaps we would also involuntarily expect for a typical Dutchman to prefer a different strategy than a full-blooded Sicilian.
A new Russian film, written and directed by Aleksey Sidorov, called “The Champion of the World” was released on December 30. The film tells the story of the bitter rivalry between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi, focusing on their memorable match in Baguio. Eteri Kublashvili had access to the shooting and shared a number of remarkable photos and impressions on the website of the Chess Federation of Russia.
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Of all the matches that were never played, Fischer - Karpov or Fischer - Kortschnoi might have been the most interesting. What would have happened if Bobby Fischer had not retired after his victory against Spassky in 1972? In this article I would like to deal with this question and its psychological background.
Bobby Fischer quits
Unfortunately, Bobby Fischer (1943 - 2008) did not play any match or tournament for 20 years after he had won the World Chess Championship Match against Boris Spassky in Reykjavik in 1972. It was not until 1992 that he played a rematch against Spassky and won 10-5 with 15 draws. However, no further tournaments or matches followed after that. In 2008, two months before his 65th birthday, Fischer died in his Icelandic exile. What impact did his retirement have on top chess?
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Kortschnoi was one of the best players in chess history, and he was feared, respected and admired for his fighting spirit and pugnacious nature, but in the game against Caruana he was nevertheless a clear underdog. After all, Caruana was already one of the world s best players at the time, and had almost 200 Elo points more than Kortschnoi. Moreover, he had won all three previous encounters between the two.
Kortschnoi at the Hoogovens Tournament 1985 | Photo: Rob Croes / Anefo
The last time the two had played each other was at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden in 2008 in the match between Switzerland and Italy, and in that game Kortschnoi had suffered a crushing defeat with Black.