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PAGE 9 :Anatoly KarpovDefeated grand master KorchnoiYoung Sovietchess winnerproving toughMOSCOW (AP) — Soviet hopes of regaining the world chess title rest 011 the shoulders of Anatoly Karpov, a 23-year-old who has proved, he is a worthy challenger to champion Bobby Fischer of the United States.Karpov won the right to play Fischer next year by taking the final challengers’ match, 3-2, from Viktor Korchnoi, also of the Soviet Union.In the grueling road to the title match, Karpov won 20 games, lost only three and played 37 draws against the best in the world,1Iri the quarterfinals, Karpov.beat Lev PoJugayevsky, a fellow Soviet, with three victories and five draws and then smashed former world champion Boris Spassky in the semifinal with four victories, six draws and one defeat that Karpov attributed to illness.Among those who watched Karpov drive toward the championship, there is no doubt Karpov is the strongest foe for Fischer. 'Karpov looks immature — a skinny kid with a high-pitched voice and an ill-fitting suit. His light brown hair, worn long at the back, is ufcually combed down over his brow on a slant.Referring to his slight physique, one Soviet commentator said, “He looks like the grand master of the lightweights.”Playing with a cool, precise economy and always looking i for the easiest way to'win, Karpov does not go in for flashy combinations or striving lor brilliance.One knowledgeable chess observer, who has watched Karpov, said he has a-talent for “making a move hardly noticed at the time that turns out to be the key Lo the game.”Karpov has saki of his own game: “Sometimes I am reproached because my game is dry and rational. Yes, I am a practical man. From several possible solutions, I choose not the simpiiesl but the most expedient.”Karpov's father gave him a chess set as a toy when he was 4^ years old and a few months later, he was playing. He started winning children’s tournaments in this chess-mad country by 'age 15, he was a master and at IB, he was junior champion of the world.Four years ago, Karpov gained recognition as an international grand master. In 31171, he won the prestigious Alekhine Tournament and in 11573, he was voted the best Soviet chess player. For a long time, before Fischer, that meant the best in the world.Karpov lives in Leningrad, where he is an economics student at the university and a member or the Central Committee of the Communist Youth Organization. His chess doesn't leave much time for study, but like most Soviet stars in chess or sports, the state makes sure he doesn't have to worry aboutsuch things as his grade average.■For relaxation, Karpov collects stamps and goes lo the theater.Asked if he was happy with his life, Karpov said, “I am satisfied that I am busy with chess, that I play chess. Chess is my life.”After a rest, Karpov will start preparing for Fischer, a man he calls “the outstanding chess player of the present time/’
Newspaper Details
Tucson Daily Citizen
Tucson, Arizona, US
Wed, Dec 04, 1974
Page 57
Full Page
Clipped by
Los A.
CA, USA 23 Jan 2023
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