Anatoly Karpov

Anatoly Karpov Jewgenjewitsch (Russian Анатолий Евгеньевич Карпов, scientific transliteration Anatoly Karpov Evgen'evič; * May 23, 1951 in Zlatoust ) is a Russian chess grandmaster, and was 1975-1985 World Chess Champion and 1993-1999 FIDE World Champion.

Life

Anatoly Karpov learned chess at the age of four from his father, an engineer. At age ten, he was already master of Zlatoust, age 12, was first invited to Moscow to attend a seminar of the Soviet chess school. Mikhail Botvinnik was initially unimpressed with the more cautious game of lanky boys, but then changed his mind when he realized how serious is dedicated to the Karpov Chess. He was first sent abroad already the end of 1966 and won a tournament in Třinec. In 1967 he was in Groningen European Junior champion, against competitors such as Jan Timman and Andras Adorjan. In 1969, he won the Junior World Championship in Stockholm. Shortly before, he had begun to work with Semyon Furman, who influenced his chess development greatly. 1970 Karpov received as at that time the youngest player to grandmaster title. He scored a significant success in 1971 with its split with Leonid Stein 1st place in the Alekhine Memorial tournament in Moscow. His first Chess Olympiad he played in 1972 in Skopje, where he obtained with 13 points from 15 games an outstanding result. As a youth world champion, he was pre-qualified for the interzonal tournament in Leningrad in 1973, which he won on points with Viktor Korchnoi.

Then he qualified in several competitions as a challenger of the World Champion Bobby Fischer. Initially he Polugajewski ( 5,5:2,5 ) and then Boris Spassky ( 7:4 ) off, he defeated in the final of the candidates matches his countryman Viktor Korchnoi with 12,5:11,5. As fishermen to defend their title in 1975 did not compete, Karpov won on April 3, 1975 world title fight. In the following years he played a lot of tournaments, to substantiate his claim as the best chess player in the world. In 1976, he first won the USSR championship. His world title he defended successfully twice against Korchnoi (1978 in Baguio and 1981 in Meran ). After the second defense Karpov was awarded the Order of Lenin. This competition was held in a very tense atmosphere because Karpov was considered line faithful representatives of the Soviet Union, while Korchnoi had emigrated as a dissident in the West.

In the World Chess Championship 1985 Karpov lost his title to Garry Kasparov and was able to conquer him, neither in 1986 nor rematch in 1987 or 1990. Only after Kasparov broke with FIDE world chess organization and was disqualified as a world champion, Karpov could win in 1993 by a 12,5:8,5 against Jan Timman the world title again and also retain until 1999. During this period he scored some major successes, including a convincing win in Linares in 1994, where he scored 11 points from 13 games and won with 2.5 points ahead of Kasparov and Shirov -. A success which considered one of the most superior Tournament Win chess history applies. At that time he also pointed to his best Elo rating of 2780 (July 1994).

From 1975 to 1984 he was the clear number one, from 1985 to mid-1990 the undisputed number two in chess. He is considered one of the best position players of all time. The Chess Oscar as the best player of the year, he won a total of nine times. There are also over 100 tournament wins, which is a world record.

Karpov wrote several chess books that have been translated into German, including my best games and Karpov Chess School. An autobiography he published in 1991 in English under the title Karpov on Karpov.

In recent years, Karpov Chess founded numerous schools, both in the successor states of the Soviet Union and in the United States, South America and Europe. In Germany, the Karpov Chess Academy Rhein- Neckar eV leads his name. Since 2009, Karpov held the title FIDE Senior Trainer. Since 1994 he is member of the Chess Association in 1930 Hockenheim, where he was reported in the 2011/2012 season in the Chess League. 2010 Karpov was known to run for the office of President of FIDE. He was nominated for the German Chess Federation. In the election on 29 September 2010, he defeated the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov with 55 to 95 votes.

Karpov is a member of the United Russia party and was elected in the parliamentary elections in December 2011 as a representative of Tyumen Oblast in the Russian Duma. Karpov is the patron of the "International Children's Home " ( Interdom ) in Ivanovo.

In his spare time he works on philately. His valuable collection includes chess motifs and other specialties.

After Karpov also discovered in December 2003 Asteroid ( 90414 ) Karpov has been called from the main belt. Dmitry Medvedev awarded him with the Presidential Decree N ° 660 22 May 2011 the Order of Friendship.

Karpov is the father of two children and was married twice. From the first marriage with Irina Kuimowa comes a son ( born 1979 ). With his second wife, Natalya Bulanowa he has a daughter (* 1999).