Anatoly Karpov vs Boris Spassky (1974)

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Anatoly Karpov vs Boris Spassky
Karpov - Spassky Candidates Semifinal (1974), Leningrad URS, rd 1, Apr-12
Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen. Modern Variation (B83) · 0-1

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 5 OF 5 · Later Kibitzing>
Oct-18-09		HeMateMe: Is the ending that hopelss? R vs. Knight, only 4 pawns on the board, oppossing one anonther? For the world championship, seems that playing a few more moves and hoping for a mistake would be wise.

Oct-18-09		tamar: <HeMateMe> But h5 pawn is very weak, and cannot be supported with with g4, for example 64 Qxd4 Rxd4 65 Kf3 (65 Nf5 Rf4+) Rh4 click for larger view what can White do while Black walks his King to g5?

Apr-09-10		thegoodanarchist: <suenteus po 147: it looks quite even to me until well in the middlegame when Spassky gets those two connected passers on the queenside. Karpov dispatches then, but his play isn't as strong afterwards.> Are you sure? It looks to me that Spassky traded the two passers for the Bishop.

Apr-09-10		Petrosianic: Actually, it looks like Karpov traded the Bishop for the two passers, but same difference. After 46. Qxa4, he loses either the Bishop or the Knight on f4. I don't think he had much choice, though, something was about to give. The exchange down ending with all the pawns on the kingside seems to have been the best hope to save it.

Apr-09-10		thegoodanarchist: Yes, the best practical chance.

Jan-09-11		Salaskan: "The worst happened: I caught a very bad cold. Before the beginning of the first game I did not feel too badly. My fever had subsided and my head had cleared. I chose a complicated line of play thinking I could handle any problems. Alas, I had overestimated my stamina. At the decisive moment my head began to spin. (...) Paradoxically, it was the very first game that sealed Spassky's fate in this match. He had hardly reckoned on the possibility of winning the match easily, but after his relatively easy win in the first game he had formed a premature impression of my play in general." -Karpov What would this decisive moment be? 16.Nb5 was an overconfident try at complication and Spassky stood better, but after some inaccuracies the position would've been equal with 28.Qh5+ defending b5 (+0.08). Karpov's Qf3+ looks like a simple blunder that gives black the connected passers and loses (-1.15), must have been due to a lack of concentration. Karpov's hypothesis that this became a psychological advantage is interesting though.

Mar-27-12		screwdriver: Oh, the days when Boris Spasky squished everyone like bugs.

Mar-27-12		RookFile: Just playing over this game, I think Karpov for the most part turned in an excellent defensive effort. Couldn't believe it when he was able to get both queenside pawns of the board, and he had a fighting change at holding the exchange down ending with pawns on the same side of the board.

Dec-23-12		Albanius: This game, the first of their 1974 match, was practically Spassky's last hurrah as a world championship contender. After this game, Karpov went 12-1 against Spassky (omitting draws) until Spassky won a game in 2006. After 18..d5! 19 c3 "trapping" the knight could be met by 19..dxe4 20 Be2 Nd3 21 Nxd3 exd3 22 Bxd3 exf4 23 Bd4 and W may be OK: Pa4 is en prise, and 23..a3 can be met by 24 Qc1

Mar-03-15		offramp: Discussions about Karpov - Fischer World Championship Match (1975) are like <The Undertaker in WWE>; you never know where or when or how or why they will suddenly turn up. But one place they never seem to take place is at Karpov - Fischer World Championship Match (1975)!

Sep-11-18		HeMateMe: Spassky's only victory over Karpov.

Sep-11-18		Howard: He also beat him in 1982, though.

Sep-11-18		Howard: Actually, to be fair, the 1982 encounter had just a one-hour time control---so HeHateMe is, basically, correct.

Mar-23-20		Chesgambit: @HeMateMe no

Mar-23-20		ewan14: Any conspiracy theories about Karpov deliberately losing ? as in a recent , at the time , World Championship match

Mar-23-20		harrylime: to play the greatest 😎

Feb-17-21		edroche1111: 16.Qg1 is now played and is superior to Nb5. Also 6.g4 (Keres attack) is now the best way.

Feb-17-21		W Westerlund: The Fischer mania, again. But Karpov wanted to play the match. There were secret negotiations between Fischer and Karpov. Karpov's behaviour makes it clear that he wanted to play. Unless anyone believes that Karpov wanted to lose, he wanted to play the match to win, so he believed he could win it.

Feb-17-21		keypusher: < Mar-23-20 ewan14: Any conspiracy theories about Karpov deliberately losing ? as in a recent , at the time , World Championship match> What I assume ewan is talking about is Karpov throwing the game to discombobulate Spassky like Fischer supposedly did in 1972. I don’t think the theory is worth a bucket of warm spit in either case.

Dec-27-21		Clement Fraud: This game is remarkably similar to a later one between Kasparov and Gelfand (Kasparov vs Gelfand, 1996). Could it really be that with correct play from both sides, this opening is losing from the outset (for the black position)?

Dec-27-21		Dionysius1: Where do you want to take the opening from to investigate? As you can see, Thomas the Tank E is fine with it up to move 25 and beyond - further than the opening.

Dec-27-21		Dionysius1: Is that why commentators talk about a player "going into the tank"? Brain, analogous these days to the computer engine, Thomas the Tank Engine, Tank? Otherwise it seems even dafter: what kind of tank are they supposed to go into: a water tank, a battle tank?

Dec-27-21		Clement Fraud: I think the chief difference - between the two games - is Kasparov's idea to delay deployment of his dark squared Bishop, and advance his King-side Pawns instead. In the Kasparov vs Gelfand, 1996 game, Black was compelled into e5xf4... after which White could recapture with gain of tempo.

Apr-12-25		Catur Proklamasi 17: Greetings from Indonesia My name is Catur Proklamasi 17 Today, April 12, 2025, exactly 51 years ago, April 12, 1975, the start of the first party candidate semifinal between Anatoly Karpov vs Boris Spassky in Saint Petersburg / Leningrad. Let's go to Moscow then to Leningrad using Lufthansa, Germany. The world's number 1 airline and very safe. Lufthansa is great.

Apr-12-25		offramp: Lufthansa is controlled by the Epopts of the Hanseatic League.

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