Karpov

Anatoly Karpov, born in 1951, was World Champion from 1975 to 1985 and later won titles in the FIDE championship line during the title split. He is a principal model for studying restriction, coordination, and the conversion of small advantages. His career also includes prolonged tournament dominance and five championship matches against Garry Kasparov.

A title preceded by successful qualification

Karpov earned the right to challenge Bobby Fischer by defeating Lev Polugaevsky, Boris Spassky, and Viktor Korchnoi in the 1974 Candidates cycle. Fischer did not play the defence, and Karpov received the crown in 1975. That outcome should not obscure his qualification against first-class opposition.

Over-the-board confirmation continued during his reign. He defended the championship against Korchnoi in Baguio in 1978 and Merano in 1981 while winning numerous tournaments. His reputation therefore rested on results against many opponents, not simply the previous champion's absence.

How he restricted opponents

In many Karpov games, the advantage appears as a gradual reduction in the opponent's options. A square becomes controlled, a pawn break no longer works, and a piece must defend a pawn. The opponent still has legal moves but fewer useful ones. This explains why a materially equal position may be deeply uncomfortable to play.

Restriction requires anticipating the opposing plan. Before improving a rook it may be necessary to prevent a freeing central break; before gaining space, weakened squares need checking. A preventive move can look slow while saving several later defensive tasks. Its value becomes visible when the idea it prevents is identified.

Karpov did not win without calculation. Once a position was prepared, a combination could win material or force an ending. Nor was every exchange desirable: keeping a piece that restricts the opponent may be better than simplifying. His technique teaches players to ask what function each piece performs before exchanging it.

The rivalry with Kasparov

The match beginning in 1984 ended without a result after 48 games. Karpov had led by five wins to none, but Kasparov reduced the margin before the cancellation. Karpov lost the title in the new match of 1985. Their encounters in 1986, 1987, and 1990 kept the rivalry at the centre of world chess.

In Seville in 1987 he needed only a draw in the final game to regain the crown, but lost. Reducing the rivalry to strategy against attack is tempting, yet both were complete players. The instructive aspect is how each directed play towards problems he understood better and adjusted his repertoire after a surprise.

A second period of success

After the 1993 split, Karpov won the FIDE championship editions of 1993, 1996, and 1998. These titles coexisted with Kasparov's line and need that context. His victory at Linares 1994 also demonstrated that he could still outperform elite opposition in tournaments.

To study his legacy, choose a win without an immediate attack and record the opponent's plan after each important decision. When that plan becomes progressively harder, the work hidden behind the label of positional player becomes visible. His games explain how square control and coordination acquire concrete consequences.

Annotated games

• Karpov-Kasparov 1984