Anatoly Karpov

Anatoli Yevgenyevich Karpov (????????? ??????????? ???????) (born May 23, 1951) is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He is the most successful tournament player of all time, and as of July 2005 he has 161 first-place finishes to his credit. From 1978 to 1998 he played in every FIDE World Championship match. His overall professional record is 1,118 wins, 287 losses, and 1,480 draws in 3,163 games. His peak ELO rating is 2780.

Style

Karpov's "boa constrictor" playing style is solidly positional, taking no risks but reacting mercilessly to any tiny errors made by his opponents. As a result, he is often compared to his idol, the famous José Raúl Capablanca, the third World Champion. Karpov himself describes his style as follows: "Let us say the game may be continued in two ways: one of them is a beautiful tactical blow that gives rise to variations that don't yield to precise calculation; the other is clear positional pressure that leads to an endgame with microscopic chances of victory.... I would choose the latter without thinking twice. If the opponent offers keen play I don't object; but in such cases I get less satisfaction, even if I win, than from a game conducted according to all the rules of strategy with its ruthless logic."

Related Topics:
Boa constrictor - José Raúl Capablanca

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Despite suggestions that Karpov's style is bland, there is evidence that he is capable of brilliant attack (for example, Torre-Karpov, Bad Lautenberg 1976 shows Karpov provoking his opponent to overextend then counterattacking through the centre with a pretty pawn sacrifice, and the aforementioned Topalov game features a double exchange sacrifice in which he offers a rook three times within nine moves). Though he keeps his opening repertoire relatively narrow (he likes to stick to the Queen's Indian and Caro-Kann Defences), his middlegame is solid and his mastery of the end game in particular, is unparalleled. He thinks quickly and rarely gets into time trouble.

Related Topics:
Torre - Bad Lautenberg - 1976 - Queen's Indian - Caro-Kann Defences

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But Karpov's greatest strength is his mastery of prophylaxis, pioneered by Aron Nimzowitsch and Tigran Petrosian. He can anticipate and frustrate his opponent's plans before they do any damage. This leads to a safe, though slightly passive, position. Usually, his opponents become frustrated and try to create something out of nothing. They would become overly aggressive and overextend their forces. Karpov then pounces relentlessly and crushes his opponent.-->

Related Topics:
Prophylaxis - Aron Nimzowitsch - Tigran Petrosian

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