"I wanted to defeat Bobby" | GM Anatoly Karpov Interview

[Music] his games are timeless his positional understanding unmatched he is one of the greatest players of all times he became world champion in 1975 and went on to dominate the chess world with his super tournament winning streak for over a decade I am delighted and in ought to have with us here at the Gibraltar Masters the 12th world champion mr. Anatoly Karpov welcome Thank You Anatoly first let's start with what it's like to be in Gibraltar your first impressions it's interesting place and so I think chess players idolize it to play here at the corner of Europe and for many years already your brother became one of the most important it's just centers in the world right and now you started playing chess when you were four years old right it's been a long journey which continues I have to ask you what is it that you love the most about the game I all these years I was growing up as chess player and at the age of eleven I became candidate monster in Soviet Union and then I was a youngest national master at the age of 15 I just like to play chess and to produce some ideas and results became important but much later first right I just love to play into to compete with people and growing up were their masters you idolized who had a very big impact on you and your growing up yes I think Capablanca was one of the most important real champions for me and I studied his games and the book there was a good book about kappa blanka games written by international master vasily panels russian author yes plus what strong influence of Pakistan the most exciting is all the World Championship matches that you have played and I want to start with the 1975 match with Fischer which did not happen but do you remember the first time you heard about Bobby Fischer and what was what was your feeling about it then of course I I knew his name and his games when I was very young because I followed candidate tournament in Yugoslavia and that time it was very long competition 28 games with the Germans so it was like 45 days very difficult to play and she sir played this this candidates tournament when he was he could fight when he was fifteen that time he became Grand Master's Grandmaster the at the age of fourteen very young and the youngest thing not in the history but of course the weight of fergan master title was much more important than nowadays when Fisher was going into the seventy to match with Boris Spassky how did you feel the match would turn out what were your predictions for the match hmm Fisher Fisher achieved fantastic results in candidates matches against against a manav's and Larsen 6-0 6-0 and then against patrician with four points advantage which was great sportive result not and of course everybody was impressed with that results and Fisher dominated he was very strong personality this players I think they missed they missed mostly psychologically games and when I when I had to play yes sir my prepared hmm I made big job and I think I had chances I can say I had better chances but I had chances and so I considered that still be tough match was that a bit disappointing for you after officials demands were not met and the match not taking place was it bittersweet to be world champion without a match no I prepared that I said I prepared for the match and I was ready to play yes but of course I couldn't first be sure to play if he didn't appear he didn't appear I wanted to play and to defeat Bobby that was my personal personal aim to win that match but the leaders of my country they didn't like the idea because they said you're world champion why you have risked the place so yeah well champion what you want I said I want to play the strongest player all the time and I want to beat him I have chances and then they after I assure you can mean I said I have good chances but in sport how can you be sure that you are and then that's why I had problems to negotiate because I said no if you're guarantees it Oh crazy I cannot guarantee I mean but I have good chances to beat you sir talking about good chances there was a lot of mixed views on this Kasparov felt that you know you probably would have won that match considering that you were very active you were at of your toughest you were peaking while Fischer hadn't actually played for met for three years after 72 well Spassky said that maybe Fischer would have won that match but you would come back and win the next cycle okay Fischer at big supporter as Foskey Spassky admired Fischer very much and probably because of this admiration has passed he missed his chances to to play most successful against future in the match if you analyze that match Fischer won this big gap but in the middle of the match they both lost energy and so they were playing like boxers fighting in the last rounds of of the battle and from game 11 or 12 I think five or six games both sides could win and so much could could continue in different direction and game search in Spassky was was winning calmness by force and he missed it in the middle of the game and actually I got a lot of respect among our top players when I showed during the game IANA West and then I showed Petrus John Kerry's house but he could could have in the game when you had the venue at that time no we were preparing for chess olympiad in scope are just innovations my assured that the scheme is a clear advantage a big advantage almost winning and then he lost that game at the end it was a leaking defense and then he missed chance and he lost opportunities after you became world champion you went on to play many tournaments you were a very active world champion so to say was there some sort of motivation to prove that even though match did not happen you were the best in the world no I played played Ole Miss a lot but not too much I had norm around 80 games a year but I played I played of course much more than any other world champions and probably because I accumulated a lot of energy and preparation was very serious which I made for future and then I could play with almost without preparation any tournament with any any list of the place so you wanted to make the most of that preparation so it doesn't go waste yes I used all my preparation of this now you played these matches with Korchnoi then with Kasparov and even the ones later with Casper were very close matches eleven and a half 12 and a half and it was it was very much 12 which World Championship match do you think had the biggest impact on you no I don't know but coach na reached his peak in 77 78 which I didn't expect but I was sure I had better chances in a match 78 was almost repetition of are much of 74 I won I won three games in in 18 games Koechner I didn't succeed to win even one so it was big big huge advantage three points before the end we needed to play six games and then suddenly I lost two games almost in a row I lost game 19 and I lost game 21 and then suddenly question I recovered and it was big big competition in the last three games but I had to whites and one black so I succeeded three draws even even the last game was completely winning for me but of course in special conditions question I had to him to equalize the score and so he he played little bit risky and then I offered him draw in winning position because I needed just draw answer I didn't make mistake just to try to win because I didn't need it and then question I realized realize that he was losing when I often draw she didn't take chance to lose another game last title I've won and instant yes so this was also very very exciting match for the chest won this was also a very big moment for what how rich the World Championship matches were the ones with Korchnoi and then in 84 the match with Castro which after 48 games which you were leading was stopped are you lost something like 10 kgs is what what was written in this but was lost weight and but still we had to continue yes according to regulations and so it was big pressure of Kasparov supporters and that time they took very high positions in Soviet Union and so come from - couldn't resist she made you might crazy decision which which separated world in two parts actually if I would win that much especially especially 6-0 I had chances never become this quickly he will be completely destroyed psychologically destroyed and because he is very emotional so I don't think he would become the strongest player and devote everyone who studies games from whether it's the World Championship matches or the alaka'i Memorial that you want or the leader s tournament you want to see the game again to understand what really happened your opponents have this feeling of helplessness recently I think it was Yannick Pelletier who said that he was playing against you many years ago and he has never felt so helpless in his life on the board how would you describe your style of play and what was it that left your opponent's so had this I was playing for win the whole game even you and I had I had some problems to defend but still I was looking how to defend himself then how to counter-attack and I could find the I could find addition all the possibilities how to create problems to my opponent interests but also a very strong positional style but it was an agressive positional style yes yes so probably this is a part of my style not only positional because Petrosyan played positional chess but this was different this was different and he played let's say he played kurakin defense just to make draw and I played kurakin defense to win so the big difference to play very passive opening but to play for a win and I want many games and then and then this discovery what I did with shamsky Blanco is black I made move King eight to seven without castle in the middle of the game with Queens and all the pieces so this was big surprise and all the players of the tournament endorphins were coming looking but what happened how do you assess the work of this new video under mr. Arkady dvorkovich now consider this like a positive change and he is working a lot and he succeeded to organize already many top-level official events and his safe situation with Saudi Arabia he moved that championship to some pitchers work and then this this year past year in Moscow and then he made decision which which decreased possibilities of corruption and chess politics because they my decision in the Congress to exclude proxies which was big part of of corruptive system which confirm an assumption of created in chess world so I can see there this change is a very important change and very positive also with a lot of work in Russia as a member of parliament tell us about that that must take a lot of your time yeah this full time full time job and so that's why I'm I'm playing less and less but now now I play only repeat chess or blitz blitz tournaments very seldom classical chess because classical chess tournaments they require a longer time but even now I am playing quite good in blitz and in the last year's for instance karyakin champion and it's two years ago before before the tournament I was almost equal with him playing privately blitz oh you had some training games yes we have for instance oh okay so we played from time to time privately and before before I was let's say six years ago I was stronger so you are a specialist in shorter time controls yes yes since young age I played all this ability you even now I play quite quite strong community you're also part of the organizing committee for the candidates that are coming up the tournament telemarketing work yes yes tell us about that involvement and as a as an organizer what expertise will you be bringing in I gave them advices how to organize things and I believe this will be well organized candidates tournament probably one of the best because we have top-level hotel and we made agreement already signed agreement with owners of the hotel some participants participants will stay there and they will play in the tournament hall in the hotel so there's the climate this is not so easy but if they don't want they don't need to leave the hotel they can stay there and then they have of course fitness center and everything so they can stay there without any problems fortunately we have governor who is supporting chess and I know I came for a long time so you got support of him and his deputy is chairman committee I'm sure it will be very well organized well the chess world is definitely looking forward to it and one of the stories around the candidates recently was the Alex & Co wild card in fact Alex ANCA will be here at the Gibraltar masters do you think that in the world championship cycle there should be a wild card so it was a difficult decision because we had Shallah graph who was the main the main candidate for this place but that time Russia didn't have even one and I don't think I'm in favor of a wild card four candidates tournament but I can hardly see organisers without their representative in the candidates tournament and so that's why it was difficult decision for feeder but that moment Russia didn't have representatives and then at the last moment we got another two right now you Anatoly have played so many different formats of the World Championship the one that currently exists the world championship cycle as is right now do you think it's ideal do you think there's room for improvement I don't like the decisions about changing time control and I'm not in favor of this and it brings closer classical Chester pitches and then I don't see the reason why we have two championships make one but still I believe that world championship match should be should be maybe 16 games and also many times as watch Championship match is going into tiebreaks which is then decided on rapid and Blake's actually notice this I'm strictly against against this because you can combine classical chess and blitz and World Championship title this is so important you kind of decided with these games but what do you do if the match is a tie how do you go forward let's see if it's even 16 matches and it's 8/8 how do you top little sauce then okay simple but it has yes yes for a classical World Championship which is okay now no conversation about the World Championship match is complete until I ask you this question which is that who do you think will challenge Magnus Carlsen in the 2020 match this time I think dink has has better chances so he showed his strength last year and I believe he is favorites but still I believe Carson will continue to be able champion you do at least at least yes at least another time and it's an absolute pleasure to have you here with us thank you so much for your time and thank you for inspiring us thank you thank you good luck you

Channel: GibChess

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Id: mPd1VdtAkOM

Length: 20min 21sec (1221 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 29 2020