Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round Six

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Unlike in his last game where Karpov was smiled on by Caissa in the form of his opponent blundering badly in a level position, in round six he is simply better right out of the opening and never relinquishes control of the game.

With this game, the former world champion has gotten off to a 6-0 start.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round Five

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Sometimes in the course of a chess tournament, especially a long super elite one, it suddenly appears obvious that Caissa is favoring one participant or another.

In Linares 1994 that starts to become obvious in round five. After a perfect 4-0 start the game between Ivanchuk and Karpov starts out a bit of a quiet affair. After opening with the QID the game settles into a bit of a maneuvering affair and neither player is able to get much of an edge.

Then, suddenly, the game turns on a dime when Chucky plays 28.Qe3? and gets run over by a two move tactic.

When a player is both in top form, and has fortune smiling on them, it’s a clear sign that you might be witnessing something special in the making.

Til next time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round Four

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Today we look at Karpov’s fourth win in a row to start the 1994 Linares tournament. The annotations are in German, but the lines are interesting.

This win comes at the expense of future World Number One Veselin Topalov.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round Three

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Today we continue looking at Karpov’s maginificent performance in Linares in 1994!

In round three Karpov faced the local hero, Miguel Illescas, and once again the Russian brought home the full point to start a perfect 3-0. This time showing magnificent technique in a queen ending.

Annotations by Zoltan Ribli

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round Two

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

In round two, Karpov kept up his winning ways by beating his countryman, Evgeny Bareev, thus starting 2-0.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov in Linares 1994 – Round One

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

In 1994 the lineup at the annual tournament in Linares, Spain was so strong that it was said by World Champion Garry Kasparov that the winner could consider themselves to be the world champion of tournament chess.

Perhaps Kasparov thought that he was informally creating another accolade for himself with that proclamation, but it was to be his old rival, Anaroly Karpov, with whom he had contested five matches for the world crown, who was to win.

Not only did Karpov win, but he did so with an impressive +9 score with 11/13, finishing a full 2.5 points ahead of Kasparov.

In this series we’ll take a look at the performance of Karpov in this event.

Here is Karpov’s round one win against the Frenchman Joel Lautier, with annotations by Zoltan Ribli.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

The Technique is Still Impeccable

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Just over a year ago, former world champion Anatoly Karpov played in his most recent OTB event, which was a rapid featuring many players from his generation.

In this game against Robert Hübner he shows that his technique is, well, Karpovian. I particularly enjoy the Nb4-c2-e3 maneuver.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

What a Difference a Year [Doesn’t] Make: Karpov – Unzicker 1975 1-0

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

In our last post we took a look at Karpov – Unzicker 1974 from the Nice Olympiad. Here we have a game from the following year where Unzicker chooses a different line in the opening, yet crashes and burns even faster.

I’m really enjoying looking at these old Karpov games and seeing how he handled the Spanish.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov – Unzicker 1974 1-0

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter.

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Here’s another game from the 1974 Olympiad that really demonstrates the power of a pre-world champion Anatoly Karpov.

This game is a masterful example of how to make use of a space advantage. It also shows how Karpov was able to ever so slightly increase the pressure in his position until his opponent collapsed.

Check out the reshuffling maneuver beginning with 24.Ba7 and ending with 27.Bb1 and marvel at a master in action.


Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott

Karpov – Westerinen 1974 1-0

Listen, since you here, I could really use your help. If you’ve seen this more than once that means that you’re hopefully getting something useful out of this blog. I pay all of the costs for hosting, and put a lot of effort into creating the content. Please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. 

If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me continue this project.

Here is a game that I’m marveling over from the 1974 Nice Olympiad vs Finnish GM Heikki Westirnen

It’s amazing to see a strong player get completely squeezed like that. “Spanish torture” indeed.

Til Next Time,

Chris Wainscott