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Karpov vs. Kasparov – Chess Championship 1984–1985

World Chess Championship 1984–1985: the match that rewrote the rules

This championship was more than just a fight for the title.
It was a battle between two very different people and their approaches to chess.

In one corner stood Anatoly Karpov, the reigning champion.
He embodied calm, a steel grip, and relentless positional pressure.

In the other corner was Garry Kasparov, a young and daring challenger.
He was a glimpse into the future of chess.

This match was supposed to reveal a new world champion.
Instead, the world witnessed the longest and strangest championship match in chess history.

Rules without compromise

The match was held in Moscow from September 10, 1984, to February 15, 1985.
The format was unusual and extremely harsh:

  • the winner was the first to score 6 wins;

  • draws did not count;

  • there was no limit on the number of games.

This meant one thing: the match could go on indefinitely.

Karpov’s early domination

The opening phase looked like a confirmation of the champion’s superiority.

Karpov surged ahead, winning the early games and taking a 5–0 lead.
His style — exhausting, precise, psychologically crushing — seemed unstoppable.

It appeared that the question of the world champion was already settled.

The turning point: Kasparov refuses to give in

But Kasparov revealed what would later become his trademark —
the ability to adapt and survive.

He restructured his strategy, played more cautiously, reduced risk, and began accumulating draws, denying Karpov the final blow.

Gradually, the pressure started to work against the champion himself.

48 games of tension

By February 1985, the match had turned into a test of the limits of human endurance:

  • 48 games had been played;

  • 40 of them ended in draws;

  • the score in wins was 5–3 in Karpov’s favor;

  • the match had lasted over five months with no clear end in sight.

Both players were physically and psychologically exhausted.
This was especially true for Karpov, who had visibly lost form.

The controversial termination of the match

On February 15, 1985, FIDE President Florencio Campomanes announced
the termination of the match without declaring a winner.

The official reason was concern for the players’ health.
The unofficial one — fear that the match could continue indefinitely and damage the reputation of the World Championship.

The decision caused a massive controversy:

  • Karpov formally retained the title;

  • Kasparov was denied the chance to complete his comeback;

  • the chess world was split in its opinions.

The road to a rematch

FIDE adopted a compromise solution:
the match would be replayed in 1985, but this time under the classical format with a fixed number of games.

That new match became the logical continuation of the 1984–1985 drama —
and it was there that Kasparov finally completed what he had started.

The significance of the 1984–1985 match

This World Championship:

  • became the longest match in history;

  • changed the format of championship matches;

  • revealed the limits of human endurance;

  • marked the beginning of the Kasparov–Karpov era;

  • turned chess from a sport into a global intellectual drama.

Conclusion

The 1984–1985 World Chess Championship produced no champion,
but it delivered something greater — it changed forever how title matches are perceived.

It was the moment when it became clear:
chess is not only about pieces and calculation,
it is about character, endurance, and fighting to the very limit.

This is where a new chapter in the history of world chess began.

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