Karpov-Kasparov 1984

Karpov-Kasparov 1984 was the World Championship match between champion Anatoly Karpov and challenger Garry Kasparov. It began in Moscow on September 9, 1984 and had no game limit: the first player to reach six wins would take the match. Draws did not count as wins, so play continued until someone reached six.

Karpov led 5-0 after game 27 but could not secure the sixth victory. Kasparov survived a long sequence of draws and then won three games, bringing the win score to 5-3. After 48 games, 40 of them drawn, International Chess Federation (FIDE) president Florencio Campomanes terminated the contest on February 15, 1985, citing its length and the players' condition. The match was recorded as unfinished and without a result.

The decision remains controversial because it stopped a contest before its stated winning condition had been met. Kasparov did not win this match: Karpov retained the title until a new 24-game match in 1985, which Kasparov won to become world champion. Kasparov had reached the 1984 match through the older system connected with Interzonal tournaments, and later played Kasparov-Deep Blue 1997.