The World Championships in chess have a storied history – dating back to 1886, although FIDE’s version has existed since 1948 (including a breakaway event from 1993 to 2006). Eras have come and gone, and despite the sport being fought over a table, a board and two chairs, plenty of drama has come to be associated with the World Championships.
Political intrigue, stunning fightbacks, clever ruses, emotional collapses – the World Championships have been witness to it all. Here is a selection of the most iconic and bizarre moments in chess World Championship history:
Anand almost loses the World Champion title in Bulgaria as a volcano erupts in Iceland
Eyjafjallajokull, the Icelandic volcano caused plenty of chaos when it erupted, and one of the casualties was very nearly Viswanathan Anand’s fourth World Championship title against Veselin Topalov in 2010. The Indian was left stranded (and reading about Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun to while away his time) when airports began shutting down, and despite being offered a private jet to reach Sofia, Bulgaria, closed airspaces meant Anand was stuck in Frankfurt with the clock ticking.
It didn’t help that the Bulgarian organisers were entirely unsympathetic to Anand’s plight, rejecting his request of a three-day postponement. Anand then set off on a 40-hour road journey, having to divert his way through Austria, Hungary, Romania and then into Bulgaria, since Serbia would not accept the Indian’s Schengen visas. The 2000 km long trip came with plenty of uncertainties, even as Anand’s wife Aruna managed to earn a day’s postponement. Inhospitable toilets, sheets of rain, canyon-sized potholes were the theme of the trip as Anand’s preparations with his seconds was severely affected, resulting in the team opting to ease their mental stress with a viewing of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.
An intense 20-minute wait at the ferry crossing near the Bulgarian-Romanian border saw authorities disappear with their passports into the night, and later return. Eventually, Anand and his team did reach Sofia, where his team were dismayed to learn that their 8-core computers used for preparations were set to be dwarfed by a 112-core cluster of computers with a new, powerful chess engine being made available to Topalov.
Anand was lucky to be level after blundering in the two opening games, when help came in the form of humans – with Vladimir Kramnik and Garry Kasparov offering help remotely. The third game was a draw but came in comical circumstances as Topalov refused to speak to Anand, who kept continuing the game despite knowing what his opponent wanted, necessitating Topalov calling the arbiter to communicate his wishes. Attempts were even made to pretend as though Topalov’s manager was receiving information over his phone to throw Anand off, but the Indian remained unaffected. He took the lead with a win in the fourth game, but a blunder in the eighth saw him lose that lead at 4-4. Three draws followed, and another in the final game would have seen the match go into a rapid tie-break – which favoured Anand. Topalov blundered in his desperation and Anand pounced, winning the final game to retain his title.
Bobby Fischer ends the Soviet hegemony
… and it almost never happened. Bobby Fischer’s path to the World Championship was mired in controversy, requiring creative interpretation of the rules to ensure the American won the right to challenge then reigning world champion Boris Spassky of the USSR. He then raised a series of objections over the venue, eventually agreeing to Reykjavik, Iceland. And even then, he almost didn’t go – it required a phone call from US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger to convince him.
Taking place amidst the Cold War, the 1972 World Championship (dubbed the ‘Match of the Century’) began with Spassky making a move, and then waiting nine minutes for his opponent to show up. An amateurish mistake from Fischer saw his Soviet opponent win game 1, and then the American forfeited game 2 after having his request for the removal of TV cameras be denied. Trailing 0-2, Fischer looked for flights out of Iceland, but was convinced by his second, William Lombardy, to continue. Spassky agreed to play the third game in a backstage room, and Fischer capitalised, using a novel counterplay to throw off his opponent and thus win game 3.
Back in the main hall, albeit with the cameras still removed, Fischer changed the habit of a lifetime in game 6, opening with 1.c4 instead of his usual 1.e4 (which he considered the ‘best by test’). The game moved into Queen’s Gambit declined and Spassky was thrown, making a series of errors as Fischer took the lead with a win. As the pair traded points, Game 13 proved pivotal, where Fischer played one of the best games of chess ever, squeezing a win from what looked like a guaranteed draw – sacrificing his bishop and trapping his own rook. Spassky was in shock after the game, still seated at the board for a long time as he replayed the loss… while Fischer nonchalantly made his way to his car. Now with a firm lead, Fischer coasted to the win with a series of draws (games 14-20) and won the title when Spassky conceded 41 moves into game 21 via telephone – opting not resume the game in person.
Fischer had won 12.5 – 8.5 and ended a 24-year long run of Soviet champions going back to 1948. His impact on the world of chess cannot be understated.
Toiletgate casts a shadow on FIDE’s reunification
The split in the chess World Championship title, which began in 1993 and continued for 13 years into the mid-2000s, saw 2004 Classical world champion Vladimir Kramnik take on 2005 FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov for the title of undisputed chess champion in 2006. FIDE had finally managed to end the divide, but their celebrations were marred by the 2006 championship descending into a bit of a farce.
Kramnik began with two wins and two draws to take a 3-1 lead, but Topalov’s manager Silvio Danailov threw a spanner in the works in the rest day that followed. He alleged that Kramnik made frequent trips to the bathroom (around 50!) – the only place not under audio and video surveillance. The implication was the consultation of a chess engine, especially since Danailov also later alleged that Kramnik’s moves were 78% of the time the same as recommended by Chessbase’s ‘Fritz 9’ engine. Topalov himself later also claimed that there were network cables in the bathroom ceiling, and he’d received threats that made him feel unsafe.
The toilet frequency allegations were taken seriously, and although the number of Kramnik’s trips were exaggerated by Danailov, the organisers mandated a common toilet open for both players. Kramnik called this an infringement on his rights, and protested, forfeiting game 5. With the championship under threat, both camps eventually agreed on the pre-match arrangements continuing, and Kramnik and Topalov ended level in a 6-6 scoreline in the classical section. A rapid tie-break followed, which Kramnik edged narrowly, taking the title of undisputed chess world champion. However, it was a bitter contest that saw both players still unable to shake hands with each other to this day.
Anatoly Karpov defeats Viktor Korchnoi amidst a circus in 1978
Arguably the most… eventful (and that’s putting it mildly) world chess championship event, Karpov vs Korchnoi in 1978 is an all-time classic. The background was delicious enough – Karpov the staunch representative of the USSR against Korchnoi, a defector from the USSR. Korchnoi represented the old guard that had been beaten by Fischer, Karpov the new. The duo had already effectively battled for the title before, when they faced off in the 1974 Candidates, Korchnoi finishing behind Karpov – who became world champion in 1975 by default after Fischer refused to defend his title due to FIDE shooting down his idea for a change in format.
The chess became secondary as the showdown in Manila began. Chairs were X-rayed, flags were protested and wild accusations from both sides were a constant theme. Korchnoi was particularly perturbed by an observer on Karpov’s team – hypnotherapist Vladimir Zukhar, who Korchnoi alleged was hypnotising him (as Zukhar sat and stared at him from the first row ‘with bulging eyes’ resulting in Korchnoi wearing mirrored sunglasses). Korchnoi lost his composure in game 7, coming off the stage with a loud yell and poking Zukhar in his nose, after which he was moved away from the front row.
There were more bizarre instances of controversy. During the contest, Karpov’s team sent him a blueberry yoghurt, unrequested – it caused Korchnoi to allege that this was a sort of code, with Karpov being sent yoghurts of different flavours earlier. While Karpov’s camp maintained this gesture was a parody of all the protests, investigations took place and a compromise was decided on – yoghurt could be delivered, but only the same flavour and at the same time during the game.
The actual chess, meanwhile, proved to be a bit of a disappointment – there were 21 draws in 32 games, with the winner being the first to six wins. Karpov had a 4-1 lead after 17 games, but Korchnoi held on, dragging it to 5-5 after the 31st game. Korchnoi then went against the grain in the next game, using the Pirc opening (something he had barely used) and Karpov capitalized, claiming the title.
The never-ending Kasparov vs Karpov tie
Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov’s rivalry came to define chess in the late eighties and early 90s, with many considering their contests to be one of the best ever. Their rivalry also came to be a clash of political ideologies, with then 34-year-old Karpov representing ‘Old Russia’ and communists like Leonid Brezhnev, while a 22-year-old Kasparov was a poster-boy for Mikhail Gorbachev’s ‘New Russia’. They first faced off in the 1984 World Championship, which proved to be a test of endurance.
With FIDE’s format being a race to six wins, Karpov seemed on his way after just nine games, taking a 4-0 lead. Kasparov went into defensive mode and the next month and a half was a series of draws, until Karpov won game 27 to lead 5-0. The win seemed inevitable, only for Kasparov to win game 32 and force another spate of draws. He clawed it back to 5-3 with wins in game 46 and 47, before FIDE President Florencio Campomanes controversially called off the tie, citing the health of the players – who had been competing for five months. There was speculation that Campomanes had yielded to political pressure, but the rematch came soon after in 1985. Kasparov won the best of 24 contest 13-11 and became the youngest world champion.
Kasparov defended his title in 1986 against Karpov again but was at his peak in the 1987 World Championship. After 23 games, Karpov led 12-11, which meant Kasparov had to win. The defending champion then went on to play one of the greatest games of chess ever, and came out triumphant after 64 moves, retaining his title with a win under immense pressure – which Kasparov described as his ‘Mount Everest’. He would remain victorious against Karpov again in 1990, winning his fourth world title.