Today, on March 23, Victor Korchnoi turns 85! It's easy to forget about his accomplishments and get sidetracked by the ongoing candidates' tournament, but I think we should also remember and appreciate the titan of Victor Korchnoi. With Fischer out of the picture, it was him who fired up the chess world and drew public interest toward the game. Let us acknowledge this terrific player. Hopefully Victor "The Terrible" will be appreciated. GM Serper wrote a good article about Victor Korchnoi on his 80th Birthday. Let us continue to express our appreciation of one of the toughest fighters in the history of the game!

Корчной. Шахматы без пощады.

Korchnoi. Chess without mercy. A Russian-language documentary about details of his life and defection.

1/4 Виктор Корчной. Точка невозврата (2010)

1/4 Victor Korchnoi. Point of no return (2010)

2/4 Виктор Корчной. Точка невозврата (2010)

3/4 Виктор Корчной. Точка невозврата (2010)

4/4 Виктор Корчной. Точка невозврата (2010)

The Life and Chess of Victor Korchnoi (English).

1957 USSR Championship

1986

1968

1974

Amsterdam, 1972

Not sure about that. Korchnoi did have a difficult behavior, much like Fischer. He was often uncompromising and undiplomatic. Fischer was relatively free & could get away with it - and even that was up to a point; in the USSR, where individual freedoms were more restrained, such a behavior made Korchnoi's life very difficult. He was often denied the right to play international tournaments; a lot of his fellow GMs wouldn't help him to prepare for his match with Karpov in '74.

But I think if we take a look at life as a theatre, where every puppet has their roles, we'll appreciate the beauty and complexity of all the characters and their life circumstances. :)

Korchnoi the Insulter:

Victor Korchnoi: Greatest Insults

http://pogonina.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=118