Anatoly Karpov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anatoly KarpovАнатолий Карпов |
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Karpov in 2017
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| Country |
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| Born | May 23, 1951 Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1970) |
| World Champion |
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| FIDE rating | 2617 (August 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2780 (July 1994) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (January 1976) |
| Member of the State Duma for Tyumen Oblast's Party List | |
| Assumed office 21 December 2011 |
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| Personal details | |
| Political party | United Russia |
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (born May 23, 1951) is a famous Russian chess grandmaster. He was the 12th World Chess Champion from 1975 to 1985. He also won the FIDE World Champion title three times (1993, 1996, 1998).
Karpov was a key player for the Soviet Union's chess team. He helped them win the World Chess Championship twice (1985, 1989). He also won six Chess Olympiads with the team. In 1988, he became the first World Rapid Chess Champion. He received nine Chess Oscars, which are awards for the best chess player of the year.
Anatoly Karpov has won over 160 chess tournaments. His highest Elo rating was 2780. He was ranked as the world's number one player for 102 months. This is the third-longest time for any player in history. Karpov is also a politician. He is a member of the State Duma in Russia.
Contents
Early Life and Chess Beginnings
Anatoly Karpov was born on May 23, 1951, in Zlatoust, in the Urals region of the Soviet Union. He started playing chess when he was just four years old. He quickly became very good at the game.
By age 11, he was a candidate master. At 12, he joined Mikhail Botvinnik's famous chess school. Botvinnik was a former world champion. He initially thought Karpov had no future in chess. However, Karpov worked hard and improved quickly. He became the youngest Soviet master at 15 in 1966. This tied a record set by Boris Spassky.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Early Tournament Successes
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Karpov won his first international tournament in Třinec. In 1967, he won the Niemeyer Tournament in Groningen. He was an excellent student and went to Moscow State University in 1968. He later studied economics at Leningrad State University. This move helped him be closer to his coach, Semyon Furman. Karpov said Furman greatly helped him become a world-class player.
In 1969, Karpov won the World Junior Chess Championship. He was the first Soviet player to do so since 1955. This win earned him the International Master title. In 1970, he earned the international grandmaster title. He was awarded this title by FIDE in September 1970.
Rising Through the Ranks
Karpov won the 1971 Alekhine Memorial tournament in Moscow. This was his first big win as an adult. His Elo rating quickly increased from 2540 in 1971 to 2660 in 1973. He finished second in the 1973 Soviet championship. This allowed him to qualify for the Leningrad Interzonal tournament.
Path to the World Championship
The Candidates' Matches
Karpov's win at the World Junior Championship helped him enter the 1975 World Championship cycle. This cycle was designed to find a challenger for the world champion, Bobby Fischer. Karpov finished first in the Leningrad Interzonal. This qualified him for the 1974 Candidates Matches.
Karpov first defeated Lev Polugaevsky. Then he faced former champion Boris Spassky in the semifinal. Karpov won against Spassky with a score of +4−1=6. This was a big surprise to many.
The final Candidates' match was against Victor Korchnoi in Moscow. Karpov took an early lead. He won the match with a score of +3−2=19. This meant he would challenge Bobby Fischer for the world title.
The 1975 World Championship Match
Everyone was excited for the match between Karpov and Fischer. However, the match never happened. Fischer had special rules he wanted for the match. He wanted to win by being the first to get ten wins. He also wanted to keep his title if the score was tied 9-9.
FIDE, the International Chess Federation, did not agree to these rules. They gave both players a deadline of April 1, 1975. When Fischer did not agree to FIDE's rules, FIDE President Max Euwe declared Karpov the new World Champion on April 3, 1975. So, Karpov became World Champion without playing the reigning champion.
World Champion Years
Karpov wanted to prove he was a true champion. For the next ten years, he played in almost every major tournament. He won the Milan tournament in 1975. He also won his first of three Soviet titles in 1976. He had an amazing series of tournament wins against the world's best players. Most chess experts soon agreed that Karpov was a rightful world champion.
Defending the Title
In 1978, Karpov defended his title against Viktor Korchnoi in the Philippines. Karpov took an early lead. Korchnoi made a comeback, but Karpov won the last game to keep his title. Three years later, Korchnoi challenged Karpov again in Italy. Karpov won this match easily, 11–7.
Karpov's tournament career was at its peak in 1979. He finished first in the Montreal "Tournament of Stars." He also won many other prestigious tournaments. These included Las Palmas (1977), Bugojno (1978, 1980, 1986), Linares (1981, 1994), and Tilburg (1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983). He also won the Soviet Championship in 1976, 1983, and 1988.
Karpov played for the Soviet Union in six Chess Olympiads. The USSR team won the gold medal in all of them. Karpov lost only two games out of 68 played in Olympiad matches. This shows how dominant he was.
Rivalry with Kasparov
FIDE Champion Again (1993–1999)
In 1992, Karpov lost a Candidates Match to Nigel Short. However, in the World Chess Championship 1993, Karpov became the FIDE World Champion again. This happened when Garry Kasparov and Short decided to leave FIDE. Karpov then defeated Jan Timman, who had lost to Short in the Candidates' final.
A big chess event happened in 1994 at the Linares chess tournament. Karpov played incredibly well. He was undefeated and scored 11 points out of 13. This was one of the best tournament performances ever. He finished 2½ points ahead of Kasparov. Many of his wins were amazing. His performance rating for this tournament was 2985. This was the highest performance rating for any player until 2009.
Karpov defended his FIDE title against Gata Kamsky in 1996. In 1998, FIDE changed its championship system. Karpov was placed directly into the final of the FIDE World Chess Championship 1998. He defeated Viswanathan Anand to keep his title. In 1999, Karpov refused to defend his title under the new rules. He stopped being the FIDE World Champion after the FIDE World Chess Championship 1999.
Later Chess and Political Career
Since 1997, Karpov has played fewer classical chess tournaments. He became more involved in Russian politics. He was a member of the Supreme Soviet Commission for Foreign Affairs. He also led the Soviet Peace Fund before the Soviet Union ended.
Karpov often plays in exhibition events now. He is very good at rapid chess. In 2002, he won a rapid match against Kasparov. In 2006, he tied for first with Kasparov in a blitz tournament.
Karpov and Kasparov played a 12-game match in Valencia, Spain, in September 2009. This match happened exactly 25 years after their famous 1984 World Championship match. Kasparov won the match 9–3. In 2012, Karpov won a match against Yasser Seirawan in St. Louis, Missouri. He also won the Cap d'Agde rapid tournament in November 2012.
Professional and Political Life
In 2003, Karpov opened his first American chess school in Lindsborg, Kansas. It was called the Anatoly Karpov International School of Chess. In March 2022, the school changed its name to the International Chess Institute of the Midwest. This change happened because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Karpov has been a member of the Russian State Duma since 2011. He has also been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia since 2005. He supports many good causes, like promoting the use of iodised salt. In December 2012, Karpov supported a law that banned U.S. citizens from adopting Russian orphans.
Karpov supported Russia's actions in Crimea. He also said that Europe was trying to make Russian President Putin look bad. In August 2019, Karpov had trouble getting a visa to the United States. He had visited the country often since 1972. Karpov was among the Russian politicians who faced sanctions from the EU and UK during the Russo-Ukrainian War. In March 2022, FIDE suspended Karpov's title of FIDE Ambassador for Life.
In November 2022, Karpov had a head injury and was in a coma for a short time. His family said he had accidentally fallen. He made a full recovery from the injury.
Chess Style
Karpov's chess style is often called a "boa constrictor" style. He plays in a very solid and positional way. He takes very few risks. But he is very good at taking advantage of even the smallest mistakes his opponent makes. Because of this, he is often compared to José Raúl Capablanca, an earlier world champion.
Karpov described his own style: "If a game can go two ways: one is a beautiful tactical move that is hard to calculate, and the other is clear positional pressure that leads to a tiny chance of winning... I would choose the second without thinking. If my opponent wants sharp play, I don't mind. But I get more satisfaction from a game played with careful strategy and logic."
Notable Games
- Viktor Korchnoi vs. Anatoly Karpov, Moscow 1973 Karpov gives up a pawn to get a strong attack.
- Anatoly Karpov vs. Gyula Sax, Linares 1983 Karpov makes a sacrifice for an attack. This game won a special prize for its brilliance.
- Anatoly Karpov vs. Veselin Topalov, Dos Hermanas 1994 This game shows Karpov giving up two pieces. He gets them back with a forced sequence of moves. He ends up winning the game.
Hobbies and Collections
Karpov has a very large stamp collection. It includes stamps from Belgium and Belgian Congo. He also collects chess stamps and chess books. His private chess library has 9,000 books. Karpov also enjoys playing Backgammon.
Honours and Awards
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class (2001)
- Order of Friendship (2011)
- Order of Lenin (1981)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1978)
- Order of Merit, 2nd class (Ukraine) (2006)
- Chess Oscar (9 times)
- Asteroid 90414 Karpov is named after him.
- The Anatoly Karpov International Chess Tournament is held every year in his honour.
Books
Karpov has written or helped write several books about chess. Many of these books have been translated into English.
See also
In Spanish: Anatoli Kárpov para niños
