World Chess Championship 1990 Explained

Comp1:Garry Kasparov
Comp2:Anatoly Karpov
Title1:Defending champion
Title2:Challenger
Flag1:RUS
Flag2:URS
Flag1 Variant:1991
Flag1 Note:Although formally representing the Soviet Union, Kasparov used the Russian historical tricolour flag, used by the anti-Soviet opposition at the time of the USSR's collapse.
Dob1:13 April 1963
Age1:27 years old
Dob2:23 May 1951
Age2:39 years old
Qual1:Winner of the 1987 World Chess Championship
Qual2:Winner of the Candidates Tournament
Elo1:2800
Elo2:2730
Rank1:1
Rank2:2
Prev:1987
Prev Link:World Chess Championship 1987
Next:1993
Next Link:World Chess Championship 1993
Score1:12½
Score2:11½

The World Chess Championship 1990 was played between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. It was the fifth and final Kasparov–Karpov championship match, and saw Kasparov win by a single point.

1987 Interzonal tournaments

Three Interzonals were held in the summer of 1987, with 16 to 18 players playing in each and the top three scorers from each qualifying.

June–July 1987 Interzonal, Subotica
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Total Tie break
1 2570 - 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 10½ 74.25
2 2615 0 - ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 10½ 73.00
3 2550 ½ ½ - 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 10½ 70.75
4 2605 ½ ½ 1 - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 10 72.50
5 2580 ½ 0 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 63.25
6 2495 0 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 8½
7 2505 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 8
8 2550 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ 0 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 7½ 52.00
9 2570 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ - 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 7½ 51.00
10 2540 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 - 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 7
11 2505 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 - ½ 0 1 ½ 1 6½
12 2465 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 ½ - 1 1 1 0 6
13 2575 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 1 0 - ½ 0 ½ 5½
14 2495 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 0 ½ - 1 ½ 5
15 2425 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 - ½ 4
16 2310 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ - 3

In the first tournament in Subotica, Sax, Short, and Speelman qualified. Lubomir Kavalek withdrew after six rounds; his results are not included in the totals for the other players. Robert Hübner was invited, but declined to participate. As a result, Ribli had a free day during the last round. To show his displeasure, he refused to take part in a playoff against Tal, which could have been important, if a reserve spot had opened up in the Candidates Tournament.

July–August 1987 Interzonal, Szirak
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Total Tie break
1 2575 - ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 12½ 97.25
2 2550 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 12½ 96.50
3 2615 ½ ½ - ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 12 98.50
4 2585 ½ ½ ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 12 92.50
5 2630 0 ½ 0 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 11
6 2600 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ - ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 10½
7 2625 ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 10
8 2575 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ - ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 9
9 2575 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ - 0 ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 8½ 61.75
10 2475 1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 - 1 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 8½ 59.75
11 2475 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 7½ 52.75
12 2520 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 0 - 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 7½ 51.75
13 2540 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 7 55.00
14 2495 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 ½ ½ 0 - ½ 1 0 1 7 49.75
15 2480 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ - ½ 1 1 6
16 2485 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ - 0 1 5½
17 2370 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 1 - ½ 4½
18 2310 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ - 1½

In the Szirák tournament, Valery Salov and Jóhann Hjartarson finished at the top of the table, while Lajos Portisch and John Nunn tied for third. The last place in the Candidates Tournament was decided in a separate playoff in Budapest, with Portisch defeating Nunn 4–2.

August 1987 Interzonal, Zagreb
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Total Tie break
1 2630 - ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 11
2 2540 ½ - ½ ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 10 80.75
3 2600 0 ½ - 1 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 10 73.50
4 2555 1 ½ 0 - 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 9½ 71.00
5 2620 ½ 0 ½ 0 - ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 9½ 67.50
6 2525 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 9½ 67.50
7 2540 1 1 0 ½ 1 ½ - ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ 1 9
8 2595 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ - ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 8½ 65.25
9 2575 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ - ½ 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 8½ 61.25
10 2545 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ - 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 8½ 59.50
11 2575 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 - 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 8½ 59.25
12 2495 0 0 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 0 0 - ½ 1 ½ 1 1 7½
13 2485 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ - ½ ½ ½ ½ 7
14 2585 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ - 0 0 1 6½
15 2555 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 1 0 0 ½ ½ 1 - ½ 1 6
16 2455 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ - 1 5
17 2320 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 - 1½

Viktor Korchnoi emerged as winner of the last tournament in Zagreb, ahead of Jaan Ehlvest and Yasser Seirawan. In an extra playoff in Havana in November, Nikolić took the place as reserve for the Candidates Tournament with 6 points, ahead of Granda (4) and Nogueiras (2). No reserve was needed, however.

1988–90 Candidates Tournament

In addition to nine players from the Interzonals, the top four of the previous Candidates Tournament (Sokolov, Timman, Vaganian, and Yusupov) qualified directly for this tournament. The Canadian organizers of the preliminary matches (which were held in Saint John, New Brunswick) nominated one player, (Spraggett). Finally, Karpov, the challenger in the previous cycle, was seeded into the quarterfinals.

Karpov won, once again facing Kasparov for the fifth and final time in seven years. Karpov later alleged that a Dutch sponsor had offered to pay him to lose the match against Timman.[1]

1990 Championship match

The first twelve games were played in New York City (8 October – 7 November), the other twelve taking place in Lyon, France (26 November – 30 December).[2]

World Chess Championship Match 1990
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Total
align=left 2730½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 11½
align=left 2800½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 12½

Kasparov won the match and retained his title.

Flag controversy

Although still a Soviet citizen, Kasparov refused to play the Championship match under the flag of the USSR. Instead, he wanted to use the Russian flag (not the flag of the RSFSR, but the old tri-color) which, incidentally, would be re-adopted after the collapse of the Soviet Union a year later. Kasparov was indeed allowed to play with a small Russian tri-color at the table.[3]

Further reading

Kasparov, Garry 2010. Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess, Part 4: Kasparov v Karpov 1988–2009. London: Everyman Chess.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Главные спортивные новости на сегодня | Последние новости спорта в России и мире.
  2. Web site: Kasparov vs Karpov, 1990. Chessgames. 2008-06-14.
  3. Kasparov 2010: 83–84.

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