What is it like to be on the most famous chess scene in the world and in front of an undefeated World Champion? Garry Kasparov experienced this before anyone else in history: on September 10, 1984, he was 21 years, 4 months and 28 days old ... What did he feel at that moment? The answer may be surprising: "Nothing!" A new chapter in his life began. The "unlimited duel" started.
The fact that Kasparov would meet with Karpov sooner or later, or, in fact, sooner rather than later, was obvious ... The vertical rise of the chess genius from Baku began a few years before they met on the stage of the Pillar Hall of the House of the Unions. Garry became the World Champion among youngsters and the U.S.S.R. Champion, and as part of the U.S.S.R. national team, the Europe Champion and the winner of the Olympiad began to win by a huge margin all tournaments he played in wherever they were held. Finally, he brilliantly passed through the qualifying cycle of the 1982/83 World Championship: he won the Interzonal tournament and three Candidates Matches - against Beliavsky, Korchnoi and Smyslov. FIDE happened to be one of his opponents along the way...
Looking at these victories of Kasparov from a distance of forty years ... they seem to be something taken for granted, but it was not so easy to beat the honored veterans, as the duel with Korchnoi began with a defeat. In the future, Garry had only victories, the chronology of the battle with Smyslov was destined even before the start of the meeting. Things were, however, very different when it came to playing against the World Champion.
There was an inexplicable disaster at the start, when Kasparov, having lost 4 of the first 9 games at once, was on the brink of the abyss. A best-of-six match suddenly turned into an equation with two unknown for him - when and how Karpov would win the remaining two games. But time passed, and Garry did not lose. First, he opened the score in the 32nd game, and then seized the initiative, winning the 47th and 48th games - 3-5.
And then ... FIDE President Campomanes stopped the 1984/85 match in an unprecedented manner.
Kasparov has repeatedly talked in detail about the vicissitudes of meetings with Karpov, but each time his assessments sound new, and immerse the interlocutor in the incredible world in which he lived for five long months. But he did not give up, having gone through an incredible school of life!
About this and much more - in the ninth part of the conversation between Ilya Levitov and the 13th world champion "24 Hours with Garry Kasparov", an exclusive project of the Levitov Chess channel.
0:00 Semifinals against Korchnoi, London 1983
4:59 Garry Kasparov - Viktor Korchnoi, game seven
11:40 Final against Smyslov, Vilnius 1984
20:02 Garry Kasparov - Vassily Smyslov, game nine
23:00 Final against Smyslov, Vilnius 1984
26:04 Preparation to the match against Karpov
28:34 Match against Anatoly Karpov, 1984/85
34:16 Game three
37:43 Match against Anatoly Karpov, 1984/85
40:21 Game six
47:37 Match against Anatoly Karpov, 1984/85
59:26 Game sixteen
1:03:18 Match against Anatoly Karpov, 1984/85
1:06:18 Game twenty; game twenty seven
1:11:56 Match against Anatoly Karpov, 1984/85