Karpov hasnt his chess career already happened, as Spassky had, it is easy for you to blame such things, when you dont realizing all realities of that times. Probably you just too young for that, as you didnt even showed your birthday year, so i offer you to believe by words as was discribed upper the topic.

Are you honestly believe he did that by his own wish?

Maybe Karpov was too ashamed about this in front of Kortschnoj to look into his eyes?

Hey there is a great interview on Fischer by Karpov in the June Chess life...If you are in the mood and have the time, check it out, I am sure there is an online version, perhaps at USCF.com or Chesslife.com, if there is such a thing...

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Ozzie  -- I think is the one you want:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1068393

One of the kibitzers mentioned that Kaidanov taught him this game

 

Jul-31-05    notyetagm: I believe that this is the famous Karpov<prophylactic> game in which he simply refuses to allow Black to carry out his intended ... a5-c4 maneuver. Black gets flustered by his inability to execute this plan, blunders a pawn, and then has to lauch a kamikaze attack on the White king which fails. Aug-09-08    just a kid: Yusupov's knight."He tried to make me go to c4,but karpov said no,no,no."I love this game.Gregory Kaidanov taught me and 10 other students this game.

Great player that he is, Karpov was the darling of the Soviet Politburo and, as such, at the beck and call of the high level Soviet apparatchiks. Kasparov's latest book on the first matches with Karpov goes into this unfortunate side of Soviet politics in great detail. People will point out that Kasparov wasn't afraid to speak his mind, and is still willing do do so, putting himself in considerable personal danger. In Karpov's defense, Glasnost had not begun when he with the USSR's fair-haired boy. 

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Good point. 

To which I add that Karpov was the only player to visit Kasparov while Garrik was incarcerated.  So, from that gesture of Karpov's I choose to see some understanding from Karpov of his sense of history in all those messy situations.

This is what Kasparov has to say about the incident. 

" The five days spent in captivity became a fundamentally new reference point in my relations with people. From  behind bars, everything, as in chess, is seen in black and white – many expressed their solidarity, but there were also those who did ot pass the test of elementary decency. Anatoly Karpov made an attempt to visit me in prison - the solidarity of champions proved stronger than plitical and personal disagreements! He was not able to do this: the authorities, who did not allow any lawyers to see me, did not make an exception for Karpov. But in the new system of coordinates his goodwill gesture outweighed all the negative factors which had accumulated during our long years of confrontation. (emphasis added)" 

from Kasparov vs. Karpov 1975-1985 (part two)

Thank you Eternal_Patzer, yes that is the game. I have that book, Training for the Tournament Player, and so I'll take another look at Yusupov's annotations. Unfortunately I don't have notes from that class with Kaidanov.

FWIW, I just discovered that "Training for the Tournament Player" has been recently expanded and reissued:

http://www.newinchess.com/Secrets_of_Chess_Training-p-1477.html

 

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@ Ozzie and Eternal Patzer: 

There is an lucid explanation of the Karpov - Yusupov game (and a number of other Karpov's strategic gems) in Neil McDonald's The Giants of Chess Strategy (Learn from Kramnik, Karpov, Petrosian, Capablanca and Nimzowitsch) published by Everyman. 

Right you are!  I have the book but haven't read it through, and didn't realize this gem was in the last chapter.  Thanks!

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 Until now I did not know about this. Amazing ! It makes me thing better of Karpov as a human being ! I have always thought well of him as a chess player and champion. If you want to know who your real friends are its the ones who come to you during adversity to help, or lend support. When you are moving real friends will offer to help ! I was always moved by the fact that the only player to visit Tal during a tournament in which Tal had to be hospitalized was Fischer ! I was unpleasantly surprised by the fact that none of his countrymen visited him in the hospital, they must have hearts of stone. Fischer seemed to have a true friendship with few soviet players and Tal was one of them.

Karpov was a real socialist, in the sense that he praises humanity and solidarity.

Can someone also post a Jose Raul Capablanca game to

Try this :

http://www.chesscorner.com/worldchamps/capablanca/capablanca.htm

and:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=47544

I believe this may be the game you are looking for:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1142529

@ eternal patzer:

You're more than welcome. I'm sure you will enjoy McDonald's book. Until last summer, I hadn't read any of his oeuvre. Since then I've devoured three. McDonald has a knack for explaining the whys and wherefores of strategic thinking lucidly. The latest book has some shabby editing but overall, it is superb. I was especially taken with the games of Karpov and Kramnik, and struck with McDonald's assertion that the former was a master at winning games from the back rank.

Its to bad that we never got a chance for a Fischer vs. Karpov Championship match.

Agreed. 

It is probably one of the most fraught-over 'almosts' we have in chess.

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 I am a HUGE Korchnoi fan, and when those two went at it i was wishing bad things on Karpov.  Now that im older and wiser, i can appreciate how truely great he is.  And his best games books are some of the best when it comes to studying.

Korchnoi the chess player is a fantastic thing.  Amazing.  

 

Maybe THE strongest guy to never get the crown?