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    Anatoly Karpov
    2017. Photo: Veni Markovski | Вени Марковски, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

    12THWorld chess champion

    Anatoly Karpov

    Anatoly Karpov was world champion 1975–1985, for 10 years. He became champion in 1975 when Bobby Fischer declined to defend the title.

    Born
    23 May 1951 (age 75) · Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
    Learned chess
    Learned at four
    Profiles
    FIDE World Chess MuseumFIDE ratingsWikipediaChessmetrics
    10 years
    World champion
    3 of 7
    Title events won or kept
    2780
    Peak FIDE rating, Jul 1994
    2849
    On today's scale: 9th of 18

    Every title event

    YearOpponentScoreResultGamesWhere
    1975Bobby Fischer—Won by default (Fischer didn't play)–Manila
    1978Viktor Korchnoi16½–15½Won+6 −5 =21Baguio
    1981Viktor Korchnoi11–7Won+6 −2 =10Merano
    1984–1985Garry Kasparov25–23Abandoned, no result+5 −3 =40Moscow
    1985Garry Kasparov13–11Lost+3 −5 =16Moscow
    1986Garry Kasparov12½–11½Lost+4 −5 =15London (1–12), Leningrad (13–24)
    1987Garry Kasparov12–12Drawn; the champion kept the title+4 −4 =16Seville
    1990Garry Kasparov12½–11½Lost+3 −4 =17New York City (1–12), Lyon (13–24)

    Across 7 title matches, Karpov won 31 games, lost 28 and drew 135: a score of 50.8% of the points against the best player of his day.

    Scores are listed winner first; a dash means the match wasn't played or was a tournament. Games are won, lost and drawn (+ − =) from Karpov's side, counted from chessgames.com and shown only where they add up to the official score. Source: Wikipedia, List of World Chess Championships.

    Honours

    3
    World championship titles

    1975, 1978, 1981

    3
    Candidates wins

    1974, 1987, 1990

    1
    Interzonal wins

    1973*

    1
    World rapid titles

    1988

    3
    National championships

    1976, 1983, 1988*

    1
    World junior title

    1969

    6
    Olympiad team golds

    1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988

    3
    Olympiad board golds

    1972, 1974, 1988

    2
    World team golds

    1985, 1989

    4
    European team golds

    1973, 1977, 1980, 1983

    9
    Chess Oscars

    1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984

    Each year links to its source. * Shared title. World championship titles are title events won or kept. Olympiad board golds are the best score on a board. Most of these events didn't exist before the 1920s.

    Compare all 18 champions' honours

    Impact at home: Soviet Union and Russia

    • PlayersBecame the youngest Soviet master in history, at 15 in 1966, after rapid progress under Botvinnik source
    • HonoursOne of the most famous and wealthiest citizens of the Soviet Union source
    • InstitutionsPlayed six Chess Olympiads for the USSR, and the team won gold at every one source
    • PoliticsSat on the Supreme Soviet's Commission for Foreign Affairs and was president of the Soviet Peace Fund source

    The Soviet Union had 44 grandmasters when Karpov became world champion in 1975. By 1985 the Soviet Union had 80, and by 1991, its last year, 129.

    Measure1975when he became champion1985ten years on1991the Soviet Union's last year
    Grandmasters4480129
    In the world top 10046 Jan 1975 list29 Jan 1985 list45 Jul 1991 list

    Soviet grandmasters, 1950–1991

    02040608010012014019501960197019801990Karpov champion

    Move over the chart to see any year.

    Grandmasters by the year FIDE gave the title, from Wikipedia's list of all 2,162 grandmasters (October 2026); Soviet players are counted to 1991, including those the list now files under a successor state. Top 100 from FIDE's rating lists (OlimpBase to 2001, then FIDE); FIDE's lists begin in 1971. These numbers show what happened around each champion, not what he caused: many things grow a country's chess.

    Rivalries

    Fischer v KarpovTitle event 1975

    No recorded game between them.

    Karpov v KasparovTitle events 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990

    25 wins129 draws · 193 games39 wins

    Karpov v AnandTitle event 1998

    12 wins49 draws · 92 games31 wins

    How strong was Karpov?

    His highest official rating was 2780, on FIDE's Jul 1994 list, as world No. 1: 8th of the 8 champions from Fischer on, whose peaks fall on FIDE's lists.

    That month the best other player was Alexei Shirov, at 2740: Karpov was 40 points clear. The top 10 averaged 2708; on today's scale (FIDE's Nov 2026 top 10 average 2777) his peak is about 2849, 9th of the 18 champions. How this is worked out.

    Karpov's 2780 (July 1994) came while Kasparov was off FIDE's list after the 1993 split; Karpov was No. 2 behind Kasparov on most lists.

    Chessmetrics also ranks him 7th of all time on three-year average (2833, 1988-Jan to 1990-Dec). Source.

    250026002700280019721976198019841988199219962000200420082012201620202024Peak 2780 · Jul 1994
    FIDE standard rating on each list where Anatoly Karpov was in the world top 100 (lists were published once or twice a year until 2000), and FIDE's own monthly record from April 2003. Sources: OlimpBase, FIDE.
    Every month as a table
    FIDE listRating
    Nov 20262617
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    Nov 20102619
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    Jul 20092644
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    Oct 20082651
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    Apr 20082655
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    Oct 20072670
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    Oct 20002699
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    Jul 19992709
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    Jan 19982735
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    Jan 19962770
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    Jan 19952765
    Jul 19942780
    Jan 19942740
    Jul 19932760
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    Jul 19902730
    Jan 19902730
    Jul 19892755
    Jan 19892750
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    Jan 19882715
    Jul 19872700
    Jan 19872710
    Jul 19862705
    Jan 19862700
    Jul 19852720
    Jan 19852705
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    Jan 19842700
    Jul 19832710
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    Jan 19822720
    Jul 19812700
    Jan 19812690
    Jan 19802725
    Jan 19792705
    Jan 19782725
    Jan 19772690
    Jan 19762695
    Jan 19752705
    May 19742700
    Jul 19732660
    Jul 19722630
    Jul 19712540

    The road to the title

    1. 1969-08

      World Junior Chess Championship (Stockholm)[1]

      Won, unbeaten, 10/11 in the final; earned the IM title

      The first Soviet player since Spassky (1955) to win it

    2. 1970-09

      Caracas International Tournament[1]

      Tied 4th–5th with Pal Benko; earned the GM title

    3. 1974-01

      Candidates Quarterfinal Match vs. Lev Polugaevsky[1]

      Won match (+3=5)

      Decisive victory in his first Candidates match, advancing to face former champion Boris Spassky.

    4. 1975-04-03

      Fischer forfeits[1]

      Declared world champion

      FIDE President Max Euwe ruled that Fischer had forfeited the title

    5. 1978-10-18

      World Chess Championship Match vs. Viktor Korchnoi (Baguio)[1]

      Retained the title

      First to six wins, in Baguio

    6. 1981-11-20

      World Chess Championship Match vs. Viktor Korchnoi (Merano)[1]

      Won 11–7 (+6−2=10)

      Remembered as the "Massacre in Merano"

    7. 1974–1998

      Champion or challenger[1]

      For 25 straight years (1974–1998)

      A record surpassed only by Emanuel Lasker

    What Karpov changed about chess

    • strategyHis "boa constrictor" style: solidly positional, taking minimal risks but punishing the slightest error; often compared to Capablanca.[1]

    Achievements

    • 1994-03Linares 1994, which Jeff Sonas considers the best tournament result in history[1]
    • 1988The first World Rapid Champion (1988), and nine Chess Oscars[1]
    • 1972–1988Six Olympiads with the USSR, team gold at all six[1]
    • 1979-05Joint first with Tal at Montreal 1979 (+7−1=10)[1]

    Famous games

    • Anatoly Karpov v Veselin Topalov, Linares 1994 1994 · 1–0[1]

      Two exchange sacrifices to wreck Black's kingside: known as "Karpov's Immortal".

      Loading the board…

      Game score: chessgames.com

    • Anatoly Karpov v Gyula Sax, Linares 1983 1983 · 1–0[1]

      A sacrifice for an attack that won 20 moves later after another spectacular sacrifice; the tournament's first brilliancy prize.

      Loading the board…

      Game score: chessgames.com

    • Anatoly Karpov v Garry Kasparov, World Chess Championship 1984–85, game 9 1984 · 1–0[1]

      Instead of regaining his pawn, 47.Ng2 activated his king to break into Black's position.

      Loading the board…

      Game score: chessgames.com

    In his words

    "If you want to become a world champion you should avoid playing in open tournaments."[2]
    "The chaos in the chess world is caused by "leaders" who are unable to do their job properly."[2]

    More on Anatoly Karpov

    Quick answers

    When was Anatoly Karpov world chess champion?

    1975–1985: 10 years. He became champion in 1975 when Bobby Fischer declined to defend the title.

    What was Anatoly Karpov's highest FIDE rating?

    2780, on FIDE's Jul 1994 list, when he was world No. 1. That is 8th of the 8 champions from Fischer on.

    Sources

    1. [1] en.wikipedia.org: "In 1969, Karpov became the first Soviet player since Spassky (1955) to win the World Junior Championship"
    2. [2] en.wikiquote.org: "If you want to become a world champion you should avoid playing in open tournaments."