
Anand vs Karpov – Match of World Champions
The World Champion Vishy Anand is playing a four-game rapid chess match against
the legendary twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov, on the island of Corsica.
The games take place in Bastia on October 31th, and then in Ajaccio on November
2nd. Time controls are 15 minutes for the whole game and 3 seconds increment
per move. Live coverage is available on the official
web site and on the Playchess server.
Corsica
Corsica, which the French call La Corse, is located west of Italy, southeast
of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia. It is famed as
the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte.

The island was formed through volcanic eruption. It is the fourth largest in
the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus, which lies south
of Turkey, much further to the east).
Corsica is 183 kilometres long and 83 kilometres wide, with over 1000 kilometres
of coastline. The two locations of the rapid chess match are marked in the map
above: Bastia and Ajaccio.
A panorama of Corsica and Calvi, by Wolffy & Greudin
Anand vs Karpov – rounds three and four
The second day of the rapid chess match was quite grim for Anatoly Karpov.
He lost the first game in thirty moves, and after putting up a token fight in
the last game he was horribly mangled by Anand:
Karpov,Ana (2619) - Anand,V (2788) [E32]
Rapid Match Corsica FRA (4), 02.11.2009
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d5 7.cxd5 Ne4
8.Qc2 exd5 9.Bf4 Nc6 10.e3 g5 11.Bg3 f5 12.0-0-0 f4 13.f3 Nd6 14.exf4 gxf4 15.Bf2
Bf5 16.Qc5 Ne7 17.Ne2 Bg6 18.Qc3 Qd7 19.g3 fxg3 20.Nxg3 Nb5 21.Qb3 a6 22.Rd2
Nc6 23.h4 Na5 24.Qb4 Qc6+ 25.Kd1 Nc4 26.Bxc4 dxc4 27.d5 Qf6
28.Qxc4? Qxf3+ 29.Kc1 Rf4 30.Qa2 Nd6 31.b3 Qc3+ 32.Kd1 Rxf2 0-1. [Click
to replay all games]
"Karpov really does have to do at least some remedial work on his game
if he is to play any more of these exhibitions," write Mark Crowther in
TWIC.
"At the moment they're close to being a waste of time." Europe
Echecs tells us that the planned match Karpov vs Kasparov, which was scheduled
for December 11 to 13 in Paris has been cancelled. But it may still be staged
in connection with the Year of Russia in France, which begins in March 2010.
Actually we believe that Karpov's poor showing is due to a lack of practice
and modern training methods, and that this can be remedied. Let us see what
can be done in the coming weeks and months.

The audience in Ajaccio waiting for the rapid chess match to begin

A handshake before the start of the second round of games

The clock is started, Anand has white in game three

Karpov ponders before playing 6...c5
Results and standings
|
Rtng. |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Tot. |
Perf |
Viswanathan Anand |
2788 |
1 |
½ |
1 |
1 |
3.5 |
2957 |
Anatoly Karpov |
2619 |
0 |
½ |
0 |
0 |
0.5 |
2450 |
Links
The games are being broadcast live on the official
web site and on the chess server Playchess.com.
If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase
Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program
to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009! |
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Karpov vs Kasparov 2009

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Anand vs Karpov rapid chess match in Corsica
01.11.2009 – First there were 32-board simuls,
against participants from the Corsica Masters. Reigning World Champion
Anand won all his games, 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov conceded
one draw, against a 15-year-old. Then they faced each other in the first
of four rapid chess games. Anand won one, the second was drawn. The
next two are scheduled for November 2nd. Illustrated
report.
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Karpov-Kasparov: Grudge Match in Valencia
30.08.2009 – They played each other in five
big World Championship matches, most famously in 1984, when their first
encounter was abandoned after 48 games without a final decision. Now to
mark the 25th anniversary Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov will play
a 12-game match – four rapid and eight blitz games – from 21 to 24 September,
2009, in Valencia, Spain. Details
and statistics. |

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Karpov-Kasparov: Match start in Valencia today
22.09.2009 – Exactly 25 years after their
first encounter – the World Championship match in Moscow – the perennial
opponents Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov are playing a twelve-game
rapid and blitz match in the Spanish city of Valencia. The rounds start
on Tuesday at 19:00h CEST (21:00h Moscow, 1 p.m. NY), with two days
of rapid games and one for blitz. Watch
it on Playchess. |

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Valencia: Kasparov starts with 2-0 crunch
23.09.2009 – Twenty-five years and still
going strong: Garry Kasparov started his commemorative match against
eternal rival Anatoly Karpov with two quick wins. The first game was
over in 24 moves, when Karpov overstepped his time; and the second ended
in 28 moves after a flashy kingside attack by Kasparov. The international
press is reporting extensively, and we have some interesting
video documents. |

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Valencia: Karpov wins game three, Kasparov wins the
match 3-1
24.09.2009 – Day two of the commemorative
rapid chess match saw Anatoly Karpov win a fine game against the man
who dethroned him as World Champion 25 years ago. In the final game
Garry Kasparov only needed a draw, but put on the pressure until Karpov
crumbled and lost – again – on time. The final score of 3.0-1.0 is exactly
what the ratings predicted. Illustrated
report with videos. |