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1978, Thy Name is Drama

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batgirl

First, forgive the length of this presentation. I saw no way to shorten it and say what I wanted to say.  I've divided it into sections, to hopefully make it more readable. Unless otherwise cited, all the images came from the pages of "Chess Life and Review."

I've been reading the coverage of the 1978 title match between defender Anatoly Karpov and challenger Viktor Korchnoi.  My sources are Chess Life and Review articles by GM Raymond Keene, GM Michael Stean, , GM Lubosh Kavalek, GM Larry Evans and other unspecified writers plus contemporary articles from various newspapers, Sports Illustrated and GM Garry Kasparov's My Great Predecessors Part V, as well as various chess sites (whom I'll cite when appropriate).

In the 1970s chess world everything seemed possible, even the most improbable.

The 1972 World Champion, Bobby Fischer, had refused to defend his title under FIDE's rules in 1975. The title passed on to the qualified challenger, Anatoly Karpov, without a single move having been played.  Viktor Korchnoi, who had just defected from the USSR for professional reasons, defeated Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky in the Candidates Tournament earning the right to challenge Karpov for the world championship in 1978.

The ensuing match proved to be somewhat comical, a bit sad and more bizarre and convoluted than even the 1972 Spassky-Fischer match . . . and totally fascinating. 

Let the drama unfold.

The Bare Bones

Let's start with the bare bones accounting.  The event was held in the 2000 seat Convention Center of Baguio City, Philippines The match terms dictated that the first player with 6 win would earn the title. the number of games was unlimited and draws didn't count.  If the challenger won, he would have to give a rematch, using the same terms (minus the rematch clause), within 18 months.  If the champion won, there was no rematch requirement. 
The official purse was $550,000: $350,000 for the winner; $200,000 for the loser; split in case of a tie.  the NY Times stated there was an additional $500,000 unofficial stakes (say, "Thank you GM Fischer."). As it turned out, the winner received $432,645 and the loser received $263,587.

Lothar Schmid refereed the match. His assistants were Grandmaster Miroslav Filip of Czechoslovakia and Filipino arbiter Manuel Lara.
The Jury included Ed Edmondson of the United States, Prof. Lim Kok Ann of Singapore, and Andrey Petrov Malchev of Bulgaria, Petra Leeuwerik, Lothar Schmid of West Germany, Florencio Campomanesof the Philippines, Victor Baturinsky of the USSR and . It was their job to solve disputes.

Korchnoi's team consisted of Petra Leeuwerik, Yasha Murei (a parapsychologist/chess analyst) , Michael Stean and Raymond Keene.

Karpov's team consisted of Victor. Baturinsky, Igor Zaitsev, Yuri Balashov, Mikhail Tal and about fourteen others (among which were Kaprpov's personal physician, Dr. Mikhail L. Gershanovich,  his personal trainer, Valery Krylov,  a physical therapist, a psychologist/psychiatrist, a chemist, an expert to conduct physical tests during the match, two translators, Cosmonaut Vitaly Sevastyanov and two-four members of the KGB secret police).


Korchnoi's entourage 
l-r:  Ray Keene, Michael Stean, Annette Keene, Viktor Korchnoi and Petra Leeuwerik


Vikcor Baturinsky, Anatoly Karpov and Max Euwe

Victor Davidovich Baturinsky, a lawyer  (sent to law school by Krylenko), KGB Colonel and strong player who had defeated masters such as Petrosian and Smyslov in individual games, was also a chess functionary who, in the 1970s aligned himself unflaggingly with Karpov. During this time, he wore many hats being Deputy Chairman of the USSR Chess Federation, Head of Chess, head coach of the chess within the Sports Committee of the USSR and Head of the Soviet delegation at the world championship matches. when he was older and in need of money, he sold this massive 7,000 volume (mainly pre-WWII) chess library to Karpov. At the start of the match he was nicknamed "Cuddles," but the longer the match wore on, the more ironic his nickname seemed.



Some background
FIDE had met and decided the terms of the match.  It's curious that they acceded to some of the terms they rejected for the 1975 Fischer-Karpov match.  They had turned down Fischer's unlimited proposal as unreasonable and put in a 36 game limit (as a last ditch Hail Mary attempt to entice Fischer to play, they did away with the 36 limit, but it was too little, too late with too much water under the bridge).  For the 1978 match they only reduced Fischer's 10 wins to 6 wins but completely rejected his very controversial 9-9 tie clause in which they would share the prize money equally but the current champion would retain the title (essentially, the challenger would have win the match and title by a 2 game margin. The champion would also need a 2 game lead to win but the title was his at the tie).  The 1978's rematch condition, however, was just as controversial. 

A Few Words About the Rematch Clause:
The rematch clause gave the current champion the right to a rematch under the same conditions within 18 months. So if the challenger won the title, it was for less than a year and a half. To retain the title, he would have to win the second match, in a sense making the title a 2 part ordeal for the challenger, whereas for the champion, if he won, it was all over.  Also, in a sense, that meant the challenger had to win two matches by 1 game, that is he had to win the set by 2 games to have the title free and clear. It's not quite the same as Fischer's 2 game advantage his draw clause dictated, but it's similar in some ways.
 
A Few Words About Fischer's Draw Clause:
This was the most criticized (by Soviets and Americans alike) element of Fischer's demands for the 1975 match, and the only one FIDE wouldn't agree to even in the last minute.  But, while there's a strong element of unfairness about it, there's also a logic to it.  Incorporated in limited or set matches such as the 24 game format is the possibility of a draw: 12-12. If that occurs, the prize is split and the Champion retains the title.  With unlimited matches, there is no built-in draw.  Fischer's proposal harkened back to earlier times in which some unlimited matches did incorporate draws-- with a 10 game win, the draw would be if the players reached a score of 9-9. The difference between the old matches and Fischer's proposal is that in the old matches, a 9-9 meant no one would have the title while in Fischer's scenario, the current champion would retain the title.  In 1911, Lasker proposed a somewhat similar 2 game condition on Capablanca and Capa withdrew his challenge ending the negotiations. However, it seems through indirect evidence, though it never been quite proven, that Lasker had imposed this same condition on Carl Schlechter in their 1910 match.  

Both the Fischer draw proposal and the rematch clause were roundly condemned by Larry Evans and Robert Byrne, but Evans, along with Lubosh Kavalek, considered the rematch clause even more advantageous to the reigning champion. 

We all know about Fischer's demands, trying to use his leverage to force FIDE to accept them and his ultimate refusal to play. What most people don't know is that Karpov was thinking of using the exact same tactics but exhibited less fortitude in the follow-through:

Chess Life and Review,  June 1976
Mr. Karpov was interviewed in Belgrade and asked his opinion of the proposed Regulations for the 1978 World Championship Match. Speaking of the Bureau decisions of the previous week, Karpov stated: "I will not defend my title if these new tournament rules are adopted by FIDE." He made it clear that he insists upon a match with a 24-game limit, the Champion to retain the title in case of an equal score.
The following day, President Euwe was interviewed in Belgrade and asked what he thought of Karpov's comments. Applying it now for a slightly different reason, Dr. Euwe repeated the statement which I (Ed Edmondson) made during our Bureau Meetings:
"Karpov may become the first World Champion to both win and lose the title without playing a game."


The Fischer-Spassky affair was seen as more than chess match but as a symbol of cold war tensions. Similarly the Karpov-Korchnoi represented possibly an even greater tension between a representative of the Communist Party and a defector (or dissident or as one person termed it a chessident - "Sports Illustrated, Jul 31, 1978) from that system. Additionally, while the USSR government bore a special animosity towards the defector,  Korchnoi's acrimony towards his former homeland was augmented by their holding his family hostage in retaliation.  The 1972 match was political; this match was personal.

Just prior the match itself, Korchnoi published an open letter to Leonid Breshnev publicly outlining the  situation and pleading with him to intercede.

It starts:

As a professional chess grandmaster, recently a citizen of the USSR, now resident in Switzerland, I turn to you.
Two years ago I emigrated to the West, since it was no longer in my power to bear the extreme and hostile attitude of Party, Soviet and Sport leaders, since I no longer had the possibility to continue my creativity in the Soviet Union.
My family remained in the Soviet Union, my wife and son. In spite of the fact that they are loyal Soviet citizens they submitted a request in July, 1977 to emigrate from the Soviet Union. They did this, impelled by their love for a husband and a father. November, 1977 this request was refused. In private conversation Soviet police chiefs left no doubt open that the members of my family are hostages, human beings who have chosen to suffer penance for my escape.
About one year has passed since their request for emigration. The situation of my family is now catastrophic. They have been robbed of the means of their existence and of the possibility of working or studying. The authorities confront them with suspicion and hatred, ordinary people avoid all contact with them. For my family there has now been a severe diminution of all the rights guaranteed by the Constitution—but there has been no reduction in their duties!
My son, who already a year ago declared his intention of leaving his homeland, has nevertheless been obstinately called up for military service.

and ends:

I beg you to allow my family to depart from the Soviet Union.
I appeal to you to demonstrate the goodwill necessary for the fulfillment of the conditions of the Helsinki International Agreement, which prescribes the reunification of divided families.
I invoke your mercy, Mr. Chairman; I beg you to show compassion for two citizens of the USSR, whose life, by decree of fate, is no longer bound to the life of Soviet society. Permit them to leave the Soviet Union.

His family was released almost exactly four years later.

Two interesting side notes:

1) In a video discussion between Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, Seirawan gives the anecdote that in 1975 Ferdinand Marco, the president of the Philippines, offered $5,000,000 for a Fischer-Karpov match, thinking money was Fischer's real motivation. Fischer turned it down and that same 5 mil was used to finance the famous 1975 Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier "Thrilla in Manila match instead.

2) In September 1977 Fischer invited Korchnoi to visit him in Pasadena to discuss a possible match. Korchnoi went to see Fischer and, while they analyzed a lot of games together, the match idea never bore fruit.  the following year (July 29, 1978) the Bloomington (Illinois) Pantagraph printed this:  "He's [Fischer] a great player. he could beat anybody, including me and Karpov,” said Korchnoi, the self-exiled Russian who is challenging Karpov, representing the Soviet Union.

Sports Illustrated (July 28, 1978) quotes Korchnoi saying:

"I was a grand master when Karpov was four, I am half Catholic, half Jewish, and he's pure-blue Soviet. I lived through the siege of Leningrad and saw my relatives die of starvation. You don't forget these things. Karpov? He's a child of peacetime, of the modern world, a little boy who lives for chess. But where is his blood, his tears, his manhood? He's cold and dry and doesn't deserve his championship. He licks the boots of the regime, he concedes to them.
He has, I suppose, great willpower for chess, but I have the experience. And his style is so safe, so unattractive. I am—how do you say—a sculptor of chess. He is merely a surgeon. He's not the greatest player in the world, like he thinks; Bobby Fischer is. Then me. When Karpov loses here, he'll sing a different tune, learn humility. He'll know then what Spassky went through after Iceland, and myself for speaking out. Maybe then he can be a true world champion, but this time it is me, and I deserve it."

And Karpov saying:


"Korchnoi believes that chess is a battleground, a kind of war," he said. "He gets that from Emmanuel Lasker, the old champion. But that view is too limited, too simplistic, like his game. Chess is a battle, but it is also an art, a science and, above all, a game. When we played in 1974, Korchnoi was described as a romantic and me as a realist. But I think that's changing, we are both moving toward the other side. One must grow, and I will concede that Korchnoi, even at his age, is growing. Many people in the West think I'm a cold player, but that's not true. But particularly with Korchnoi, if one remains calm, he can't stand it. It is an act to get him to blow up. Maybe in this match he'll be calm and I'll go crazy."

Silliness Abounds: 

Let's start with the fact that Karpov was defending a title he never earned (this isn't to say he didn't deserve it) and that neither contestant had ever played in a world champion match. 


Karpov, Euwe and Ferdinand Marcos  standing; Korchnoi and Petra sitting; Zukhar lurking.

The Songs:
During the opening ceremonies, the band played "The Internationale" ("Интернационал") : https://youtu.be/1OOgjhBAuU0 
The problem is "The military band was supposed to play the Soviet national anthem but got their music mixed up and instead played "The Internationale," the anthem of international communism which the Soviet Union dropped as its national anthem in 1943. When the music started, Karpov and Viktor Baturinsky, the head of the Soviet delegation, exchanged what-do-we-do glances and decided to rise. It couldn't hurt. The audience also rose—but not Korchnoi, who remained seated, laughing." ("It has since been rumored that the band leader is now waving his baton at the Siberian Academy of Music" - Michael Stean)

"Korchnoi's own musical selection was the "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony: https://youtu.be/hdWyYn0E4Ys. The Schiller poem Beethoven used for his text includes the line "All men shall be brothers." The FIDE motto is Gens Una Sumus, "We are one family." [a rather loose translation] The audience remained seated during this selection."

The Flag:
"Korchnoi, who is a resident of Switzerland, wanted to play under the Swiss flag. Karpov was to play under the U.S.S.R. flag. The Soviets protested that Korchnoi was not a citizen of Switzerland and could not play under its flag; they suggested that he play under a white banner bearing the word "Stateless." Korchnoi was adamant. The problem was submitted to the seven-man match jury for a binding decision. The jury was deadlocked at first but finalilyI accepted a compromise offered by jury member Ed Edmondson: that neither player have a flag."  Baturinsky even threatened to prevent the match from taking place is Korchnoi played under the Swiss flag.  Since this was also a threat against the organizers who had too much invested in this event, this threat, once acquiesced to, as it was, also became the intimidation wedge that gave the Soviets an upper hand in future negotiations during the match.

The Chair:
"Korchnoi is using a special chair, imported from Switzerland. The chair, costing $ 1,300, is raised and lowered by power supplied by a gas cannister. This aroused the suspicions of the Soviet camp, who, fearing some kind of foul play, insisted that the chair be examined.
It was duly dissected in a hospital operating room, but nothing unusual was found and the chair was sutured and sent to the recovery room. In 1972, Spassky, in his losing title defense against Bobby Fischer, suggested that he was being influenced by a chemical agent. Later, two dead flies were found hiding in a lighting fixture, but they were deemed innocent when forensic scientists determined that they had died prior to the time of the alleged incident."

The Handshake:

"On the opening day of the match, 12th July, the head of the Soviet delegation, Colonel [KGB] Viktor Baturinsky, 'on the instructions of the champion’, publicly stated that Karpov was agreeable to shaking hands before a game (this point in the rules, suggested by Korchnoi, also contained this condition: 'if one of the contestants no longer intends to do this, he must inform the arbiter beforehand.')" [Kasparov]

"Another unpleasant surprise awaited Korchnoi in the 8th game. Before the start of it, as usual, he offered his hand to his opponent, but the latter suddenly replied that he would no longer shake hands with him, 'because he was behaving indecently’. The astonished Korchnoi turned to Schmid who was standing alongside: Do you understand what is happening? (according to the rules, Karpov was obliged to warn the arbiter beforehand).
The arbiter confusedly muttered that this could have been expected — and started the clocks. Korchnoi was beside himself: 'What a blatant, perfidious violation of the agreement! The shot hit home: I played like a child.'" [Kasparov]


Karpov refusing to shake hands, saying "Never. Never willI shake hands with you."


Vlad the Impaler

The Guy with Kaleidoscope Eyes: 
"The Soviets may have decided to forgo such detectable methods as chemical agents: for this match they are using the services of a parapsychologist, Vladimir Zukhar, a Soviet citizen sometimes stationed in Washington, D.C. Comrade Zukhar sits in one of the first few rows of the auditorium and stares unwaveringly at Korchnoi. Hypnotized or not, Korchnoi is annoyed; he has complained to the match referee but without success. Korchnoi's supporters around the world are asked to concentrate their thoughts on Comrade Zukhar beginning at 5:00 p.M., Baguio time, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays."

This led to still further silliness:

"When Korchnoi's attempts to have Zukhar removed from the first rows of the auditorium failed, he took to wearing sunglasses with mirrored lenses—perhaps to bounce Zukhar's stares in Karpov's direction. The champion, however, found Korchnoi's glasses not to his liking, and a conference between representatives of the two camps produced an agreement that Zukhar would henceforth sit in the rear of the auditorium and Korchnoi would stop wearing his-mirrored lenses." (CL&R)

Kasparov gives a different scenario:

"The challenger decided to play wearing mirrored glasses, and not at all because of the bright southern sun. ‘The aim was simple: to deprive Karpov of his favorite occupation — standing at the board, stating straight at his opponent. While I was wearing these glasses, all he could admire was his own reflection.

Korchnoi also wore at all times a pen-sized radiation detector.


Korchnoi wearing his notorious mirrored glasses designed to fend off this stare




The Yogurt Code:
"A minor incident occurred during the second game. Near the end of the game, a cup of yogurt was delivered to Karpov. Korchnoi protested to Lothar Schmid, the match referee, that the yogurt might have been a signal to oÃer a draw. He cited a FIDE statute prohibiting the delivery of food, clothing, extra equipment, or CARE packages during a game.  Grandmaster Schmid ruled that Karpov may receive violet yogurt at precisely 7: 15 p.M. and at no other time unless cleared in advance. Should Karpov wish to change flavors, this too must be cleared in advance with referee Schmid"

The waiter bearing yogurt or is it a secret code?
He also has a can of caviar...what could that mean?



The Ananda Marga Incident:

Even before the mirror-glasses and the removal of Zukhar from the front rows - the Jury had unbelievably decided that "mental disturbance" didn't violate any FIDE regulations and Zukhar could pretty do whatever he wanted without restraint- Korchnoi got into a verbal confrontation, threatening to escalate it to a physical one if Zukhar wasn't removed. Rather than dealing with the problem simply and directly, Florencio Campomanes, who organized this event and who was later accused of being a KGB puppet, made the decision to remove all spectators from the first seven rows.  Korchnoi was placated, but his nerves were in shambles and he converted his winning position to a dead loss. After this game (game 17), Korchnoi, down 4-1 now, took two timeouts to get away for a while. He wet to Manila where he met two American members of a sect called Ananda Marga.  They taught him some yoga and meditation that seemed to miraculously restore his calm and his spirit. It the group was a spiritualist who claimed he could counter Zukhar's mental signals. When Korchnoi returned to the playing hall, he was accompanied by a large group of Ananda Margas. In the meantime Zukhar was relegated to the rear of the auditorium. Korchnoi, who had lost 3 of the last 5 games, suddenly started playing like...well, Korchnoi the Terrible. But it was let out the two Americans Korchnoi had met had been convicted of attempted murder of an Indian diplomat earlier that year and were out on bail. The organizers demander everyone from that sect be removed from the convention center threating to terminate the match in Karpov's favor otherwise.  (see @Roaringpawn's blog for a photo of the American Ananda Margas with Korchnoi)

Garry Kasparov gives a slightly different version in his My Great Predecessors Pt. V:

"A new twist in the confrontation began from the 19th game. Korchnoi: ‘I acquired some voluntary, unpaid assistants — two yogis, the Americans Stephen Dwyer and Victoria Shepperd. They only had to enter the hall and seat themselves in the lotus posture, for something to happen with Zukhar. He covered his face with a handkerchief, and within a short time he left the hall — for good, until the end of the game.’ Before the 21st game the jury again assembled. ‘Campomanes announced that my yogis, members of the Ananda Marga organisation, had been accused of murdering an Indian diplomat, but released on bail for lack of evidence, and as potential criminals they should not be in the hall. Such was the Soviet viewpoint! Throughout the world the “presumption of innocence” is adopted: until evidence has been gathered to show that a person has committed a crime, he cannot be treated as a criminal. Here it was just the opposite! But it was clear that dangerous criminals, real terrorists, would not have been released for any money.’
Nevertheless, the jury removed the yogis from the hall, and then from the hotel where Korchnoi was living. He was very angered when he learned that his new helpers, graduates from Harvard University — Dada and Didi to give them their Eastern names — had been forced to give a written undertaking not to leave his out of town villa, where they were living. And of course he submitted another protest..."

In a post-match Interview with Korchnoi by Jules Welling, Korchnoi spoke about the Ananda Marga tantric yoga:

"'Seven years ago I studied yoga,' said Viktor Korchnoi. 'I found that it increased my energy, but at the time I did not know how to direct that energy. And so I stopped. After the seventeenth game these two American gurus, Michael Dwyer and Victoria Shepperd, offered to help me.  They were very enthusiastic people, wanting to help everybody. Before I began practicing with them I had to swear that I would not use my knowledge against any human being. The exercises relaxed me and I felt new energy surging through me.  The fact that these two gurus were removed from Baguio City before the start of game thirty-two must have uplifted Karpov.'
The fact that these two gurus were under sentence for attempted murder was brushed aside by Korchnoi.
'They had been out on bail since February. If they were dangerous criminals this would not have been possible. I accepted their explanation.'
Korchnoi added that the gurus' case was still in the courts and they must be therefore be presumed innocent.
According to Korchnoi, the gurus completely neutralized the effect of Dr. Zukhar and thus deprived Karpov of the benefit of Zukhar's presence. He pointed out that Zukhar had greater influence on Karpov than on him.
'I do not know whether he was able to influence me except as a source of irritation, but he was in constant contact with Karpov, and that is not permitted under the rules. A player is not permitted to have access to a third party during the game. It is significant that Karpov was unable to win games when Zukhar was moved to the rear of the hall, out of Karpov's sight'. During that period Karpov scored only one point on his own out of six games. I do not say that Zukhar was bothering me, but I am sure that Karpov definitely profited from his close proximity. I point out these facts so that nobody can say that I was crazy.'"

The two American yogis had special names. Stephen Michael Dwyer went by Dada Arisudan, Didi meaning Brother and Arisudan meaning "Purifier of Evil" and Victoria Shepherd went by Didi Madhurii, Didi meaning Sister and Madhurii meaning "Full of Divine Sweetness."


l-r: John Prentice of Canada (FIDE Deputy President); Ed Edmondson; Florencio Campomanes; Anatoly Karpov; Dr. Mikhail L. Gershanovich and Dr. Vladimir Zukhar


l-r: Korchnoi, Campomanes, Miroslav Filip and Manual Lara discussing Zukhar




The Petra Problem:


Petra and Viktor in Amsterdam, Feb. 1978
(via https://dgriffinchess.wordpress.com/)

On the surface it seems rather minor, but the ramifications far outweigh the actions.  
Petronella Leeuwerik was Korchnoi's manager, personal representative or head of his delegation -her position is somewhat unclear and described in various terms.  They met after he defected and the recently divorced Petra, who had spent 10 years in the Vorkuta concentration camp under suspicion of having spied for the Americans, became Korchnoi's constant companion (he'd marry in 1991 after divorcing his first wife, Isabella).  By all accounts Petra was a delightful, pleasant lady but one who had an understandable detestation for all things Soviet.  

As possibly Korchnoi's biggest fan, Petra was very protective and very aggressive in her negotiations. She wasn't a chess player and had little understanding of nuances. She alienated Campomanes, and by extension his friend Marcos, and the jury by accusing them of favoring the Soviets and this caused the ripple effect of also making the people in power indisposed to caring about Korchnoi's problems with Zuhkar or in helping him with his yoga friends.  By all accounts Korchnoi was deeply affected by these peripheral things (as his 17th game indicates) and a resolution rather than a revolution would have been more in his favor.  After game 17 Petra was replaced by Keene.  But Korchnoi supported Petra:


"It is difficult for me to discuss Petra's role. I am convinced that she did her best to help me. From all sides she was accused of starting the political disturbances. That is not true. It was begun by the Russians. She had the onerous task of defending us against the Russians. Probably she was unprepared and rather outspoken. However, all of her political statements had my support and I appreciated her courage in making them. It was not her fault that politics became such a major issue. The match in Baguio fitted well into a Russian master plan, and I was just a pawn in it."

A statement issued by the Soviet Chess Delegation claimed: 

This woman, who never had anything to do with chess and the international chess movement, who openly declares her spiteful hatred of the USSR, is trying to convert the distinguished sporting competition that the World Chess Championship Match is to the training ground of the Cold War and to impede the consolidation of friendship and cultural cooperation, which admittedly serve chess, between countries.



Down time:


At a banquet held on Sept. 4 Justice Ramon Gaviola Chairman of the Philippine Chess Federation had the misfortune of being seated between Karpov and Korchnoi who refused to speak to each other. Behind them are members of the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company.

 


Korchnoi spent a lot of time out and about. Every day he jogged up to 8 miles around the Green Hills golf course or played ping-pong.  Karpov never went out in public. He played billiards and tennis but only with his personal trainer Valery Krylov.




How It All Turned Out:





Karpov, of course, won the match (6-5). Here's a box score:

The games are most notable for the tenacity of the combatants and the number of mistakes and blunders —— mainly due to the non-chess pressure. 
I haven't put any of the games in this already long presentation but the games can be seen with a just few mouse-clicks.

Douglas Griffin published translations of Tal's annotations to the games -- here
They can be seen without annotation but with amateur commentary ——  here

While the games may have been flawed to a degree, the drama more than made up for them.  This match was as much a battle off the board as it was on the board.  Many things were were at stake.  Besides the state vs defector theme, Karpov had to prove himself the rightful heir to the crown; Korchnoi knew this would be his last opportunity to seize that crown.  Like the Spassky-Fischer match, this match also saw the Soviets throwing their full weight around and the challenger throwing it back at them.  But unlike the mercurial Fischer, Korchnoi wasn't prepared to walk away and the Soviets knew that and used it against him, just as Fischer had wielded his power over the Soviets .  This was a pins-and-needles match with everyday bringing surprises and new challenges.  And it came down to a cliffhanger moment.

Notice that by game 18 Karpov is ahead 4-1.   After his yoga getaway, Korchnoi rebounded and by game 31 the score was tie, 5-5, meaning whoever won the next game walked away with the marbles.  The Soviets had no intention of letting Korchnoi win. They had tricks up their sleeves to end the match at 5-5 if it looked like Karpov might lose, but even more tricks to ensure that wouldn't be an issue.

Fate and the Soviets conspired against Korchnoi.  The level-headed Lothar Schmid had left on pressing business after game 27 and Dr. Miroslav Filip (doctor of jurisprudence), of Czechoslovakia, a Soviet sympathizer, took his place.  Max Euwe, on the most important game of the entire match, saw fit to leave to handle some matters with the Venezuelan Chess Federation. He empowered Petra and Keene to stop the match if the yogis were further victimized. The Soviets were emboldened.
Kasparov wrote:

"The attack began on 14th October with a press conference by Campomanes, which stated that the ‘criminals’ Dwyer and Shepperd [the American yogis] were again visiting the hotel where the challenger was living and using the official match transport, and he demanded of Korchnoi ‘the observance of norms of decency and respect to the organizers’.  In reply Korchnoi invited journalists to his place, and under the guidance of Dada and Didi he performed a series of yoga exercises."

The day before the 32nd game the Soviet delegation made a written demand to the Jury that what they now termed criminal terrorist be removed. Campomanes had suggest this as cause for termination of the match.

Kasparov continued:

"As we see, back in 1978 Campomanes and the Karpov team were conceiving the possibility of terminating the match . When the score became 5-5, rumors began to circulate that the Soviet delegation, concerned about the state of the champion’s health, had suggested that FIDE should terminate the match — in which case Karpov would, of course, retain his title. And at some point Euwe had supposedly said to Keene that with the scores equal the match should be terminated. Such a scenario could have come about, for example, in the event of a draw in the 32nd game. It is quite possible that this idea was suggested to Dr. Euwe.  At any event, six and a half years later it was put into effect with the formal approach by Sevastyanov to another FIDE President — Campomanes, when he terminated my first match with Karpov in a similar situation and under the same pretext..."

On the day of the 32nd game the Jury held a special meeting and Keene  "who by that time had become the head of the challenger’s delegation, ‘after being obstinate for the sake of appearances, agreed to remove the yogis from Baguio’. And at two o’clock in the afternoon, without Korchnoi’s knowledge — ‘all the power and information was then with Keene’ — they left his villa." [Kasparov]

When Korchnoi arrived at the convention center, police were everywhere and when he sat down to play, he could see the Soviet delegation taking up the front row and in the 4th row was Dr. Vladmir Zukhar, giving him the stare. Korchnoi was shaken and upset, which was the plan, played poorly and sealed what he knew to be a pointless move at the adjournment.  The next morning Keene took it upon himself to call Dr. Filip and inform him of Korchnoi' resignation.  Korchnoi, however, wrote a letter to Filip stating "‘I shall not resume the 32nd game, But I am not going to sign the score-sheet because the game was played under absolutely illegal conditions."

Korchnoi made a formal protest to FIDE and boycotted the closing ceremonies.

"This was also my protest against the behavior of the Soviets and Campomanes. In a match, which was transformed into a blood battle, where with the complicity of the jury all concepts of fair play were rejected, where rules and agreements were unscrupulously broken — in such a competition, even the closing ceremony turns into a place of execution for a person without rights."




batgirl

Korchnoi and Karpov shaking hands prior to Karpov's no-handshake policy:

batgirl

                     

Lubosh Kavalek wrote:

    "There is plenty of time to speculate on the match. If one becomes bored with predictions, one can always kill time by toasting anniversaries. The Korchnoi camp celebrated Kore'hnoi's forty-seventh birthday and the second anniversary of his defection to the West. I offered to drink to my eight years in the United States. Cosmonaut Sebastianov offered a toast to the one thousandth anniversary of Poland.
     You can drink to the beauty of the Filipino girls. You can drink just because you like to drink. I have the feeling that a lot of alcohol will be consumed by the newsmen, spectators, and everyone else connected with this match before it is over."

batgirl

Shades of Fischer!


Kavalek also wrote:
"At the beginning, Karpov did not like the chess set or board. The board presented no problem, but there seemed to be no chess set in all of Baguio City that would suit Karpov. About four hours before the start of the first game, a driver in Manila (six hours by car from Baguio) loaded a few new chess sets into his car and took off. Would he fly his car to Baguio? And what if Karpov did not like the sets he was bringing? But the drama ended happily: the driver arrived fifteen minutes before the game was due to start—I can't imagine how he made it—and Karpov was delighted with the set. A great sound that everyone thought was a tropical storm was only the sigh of relief that escaped the lips of Grandmaster Lothar Schmid, the Chief Match Referee."

batgirl

""The tickets for the match were priced at $30 for the first round but were later lowered to $7. Still, that is a high price, and the hall is never more than half filled. Narciso Rabell-Mendez came to campaign for the FIDE presidency and staged a press conference. He promised to improve many things in the chess world, but he also said that he would follow the decisions of the FIDE general assemblies and the recommendations of the various FIDE committees. (Which probably means that the affairs of the active professional chess player will be in the hands of FIDE delegates, most of whom do not play chess actively any more)." ---Kavalek

power_9_the_people

Me too I went to Manila to learn yoga 🧘‍♂️ Strange coincidence 

batgirl

                 
                                                       "Cuddles" Baturinky

CMDRExorcist

Phenomenal report! I love reading about this particular match and all the weirdness around it. The 1984 movie Dangerous Moves was based somewhat on this match (although its easy to see parts of the 1972 Fischer match in it as well).

 

Endless-love-inactive

batgirl

                 

ChampoftheBepoCamp

You should just blog this too long?

simaginfan

Baturinsky sold his library to Karpov!?. Would love to get my hands on that!!

batgirl
simaginfan wrote:

Baturinsky sold his library to Karpov!?. Would love to get my hands on that!!

Good luck.

 

batgirl

The animosity of the Soviets towards Korchnoi was boundless. In 1979, the year following this match, all invitations (it was an open, blanket invitation to those qualified) to the fabled Lone Pine Tournament were turned down by Soviet players (who would have loved to have played) because Korchnoi accepted.  Their loss


Louis Statham was the sponsor of Lone Pine (officially titled "The Louis D. Statham Masters-Plus Tournament")

Ubik42
Thank you Batgirl! I am just settling for to read. I remember following this in real-time in the local paper, I did not even know about the USCF back then so no chess life magazine. I think I discovered it shortly after this match.

I still remember a picture in the paper of Korchnoi training with yoga. Funny how weird things stick in your head.
Eilysiumm

What a good forum 

WoW !!#

batgirl
Ubik42 wrote:
Thank you Batgirl! I am just settling for to read. I remember following this in real-time in the local paper, I did not even know about the USCF back then so no chess life magazine. I think I discovered it shortly after this match.

I still remember a picture in the paper of Korchnoi training with yoga. Funny how weird things stick in your head.

@Roaringpawn has that photo on his blog

batgirl
JerryCai0579832 wrote:

Wow! That is the single longest blog that I've ever seen in my life. Can u friend me Batgirl??

It's more about completeness than length.

I don't utilize the friend feature here. 

Ubik42
OMG Batgirl thanks I haven’t seen that pic in over 40 years!

My father was a defector from Bulgaria, so we were naturally pulling for Korchnoi.
batgirl
Ubik42 wrote:
OMG Batgirl thanks I haven’t seen that pic in over 40 years!

My father was a defector from Bulgaria, so we were naturally pulling for Korchnoi.

The photo was probably taken when, after the delegation demanded their expulsion,  Korchnoi invited the jury and media to his place to demonstrate how benign these people, called criminal terrorists, were and how they were indeed teaching him tantric yoga positions.