# World Chess Championship 1990

The World Chess Championship 1990 was played between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. It was the fifth and final Kasparov–Karpov championship match, and saw Kasparov win by a single point.

## 1987 Interzonal tournaments

Three Interzonals were held in the summer of 1987, with 16 to 18 players playing in each and the top three scorers from each qualifying.
    June–July 1987 Interzonal, Subotica Rating12345678910111213141516TotalTie break 1 Gyula Sax (Hungary)2570-1½½½11½½01½1½1110½74.25 2 Nigel Short (England)26150-½½11½1½1½1½1½110½73.00 3 Jon Speelman (England)2550½½-01½½½1½11½11110½70.75 4 Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)2605½½1-½½1½½½11½1011072.50 5 Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)2580½00½-½½½1½1111111063.25 6 Amador Rodríguez Céspedes (Cuba)249500½½½-½½½101½1118½ 7 Slavoljub Marjanović (Yugoslavia)25050½½0½½-½0½11½½118 8 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)2550½0½½½½½-½0011½1½7½52.00 9 Alexander Chernin (Soviet Union)2570½½0½0½1½-10010117½51.00 10 Petar Popović (Yugoslavia)254010½½½0½10-100½½17 11 Alonso Zapata (Colombia)25050½00010110-½01½16½ 12 Thomas Ernst (Sweden)2465½000000011½-11106 13 Lev Alburt (United States)25750½½½0½½00110-½0½5½ 14 Xu Jun (China)2495½00000½½1½00½-1½5 15 Devaki Prasad (India)24250½0100000½½010-½4 16 Ahmed Ibrahim Hamed (Egypt)23100000000½0001½½½-3
In the first tournament in Subotica, Sax, Short, and Speelman qualified. Lubomir Kavalek withdrew after six rounds; his results are not included in the totals for the other players. Robert Hübner was invited, but declined to participate. As a result, Ribli had a free day during the last round. To show his displeasure, he refused to take part in a playoff against Tal, which could have been important, if a reserve spot had opened up in the Candidates Tournament.
    July–August 1987 Interzonal, Szirak Rating123456789101112131415161718TotalTie break 1 Valery Salov (Soviet Union)2575-½½½11½1½0½11½111112½97.25 2 Jóhann Hjartarson (Iceland)2550½-½½½½11½11½01111112½96.50 3 Lajos Portisch (Hungary)2615½½-½1½01111111½½½½1298.50 4 John Nunn (England)2585½½½-½01½1111½101111292.50 5 Alexander Beliavsky (Soviet Union)26300½0½-½½½½1½1½1111111 6 Ulf Andersson (Sweden)26000½½1½-½1½½½½11½½½110½ 7 Ljubomir Ljubojević (Yugoslavia)2625½010½½-½½½1½½11½½110 8 Larry Christiansen (United States)2575000½½0½-½1½1101½119 9 Joel Benjamin (United States)2575½½00½½½½-0½½10½1118½61.75 10 Miodrag Todorcevic (Yugoslavia)247510000½½01-10½011118½59.75 11 Mihail Marin (Romania)2475½000½½0½½0-1½½1½½17½52.75 12 Dragoljub Velimirović (Yugoslavia)25200½000½½0½10-1½10117½51.75 13 András Adorján (Hungary)2540010½½0½00½½0-1½½1½755.00 14 Gilberto Milos (Brazil)2495½000000111½½0-½101749.75 15 Glenn Flear (England)248000½10½00½000½½-½116 16 Jesús de la Villa (Spain)248500½00½½½00½1½0½-015½ 17 Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)237000½00½½000½00101-½4½ 18 Denis Allan (Canada)231000½000000000½000½-1½
In the Szirák tournament, Valery Salov and Jóhann Hjartarson finished at the top of the table, while Lajos Portisch and John Nunn tied for third. The last place in the Candidates Tournament was decided in a separate playoff in Budapest, with Portisch defeating Nunn 4–2.
    August 1987 Interzonal, Zagreb Rating1234567891011121314151617TotalTie break 1 Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland)2630-½10½½011111½½1½111 2 Jaan Ehlvest (Soviet Union)2540½-½½110½10½1111½01080.75 3 Yasser Seirawan (United States)26000½-1½½100111½01111073.50 4 Jesús Nogueiras (Cuba)25551½0-1½½½½½½0½½1119½71.00 5 Predrag Nikolić (Yugoslavia)2620½0½0-½0½1½1½11½119½67.50 6 Julio Granda (Peru)2525½0½½½-½½½½½0111119½67.50 7 Eugenio Torre (Philippines)2540110½1½-½01½½001½19 8 Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)25950½1½½½½-½½1½½½0½18½65.25 9 Vereslav Eingorn (Soviet Union)2575001½0½1½-½011½0118½61.25 10 Yehuda Gruenfeld (Israel)2545010½½½0½½-01½½1118½59.50 11 József Pintér (Hungary)25750½0½0½½011-10½1118½59.25 12 Krunoslav Hulak (Yugoslavia)24950001½1½½000-½1½117½ 13 Ventzislav Inkiov (Bulgaria)2485½0½½001½0½1½-½½½½7 14 Tony Miles (England)2585½01½001½½½½0½-0016½ 15 Dragan Barlov (Yugoslavia)25550000½001100½½1-½16 16 Jörg Hickl (West Germany)2455½½0000½½0000½1½-15 17 Fletcher Baragar (Canada)2320010000000000½000-1½
Viktor Korchnoi emerged as winner of the last tournament in Zagreb, ahead of Jaan Ehlvest and Yasser Seirawan. In an extra playoff in Havana in November, Nikolić took the place as reserve for the Candidates Tournament with 6 points, ahead of Granda (4) and Nogueiras (2). No reserve was needed, however.

## 1988–90 Candidates Tournament

In addition to nine players from the Interzonals, the top four of the previous Candidates Tournament (Sokolov, Timman, Vaganian, and Yusupov) qualified directly for this tournament. The Canadian organizers of the preliminary matches (which were held in Saint John, New Brunswick) nominated one player, (Spraggett). Finally, Karpov, the challenger in the previous cycle, was seeded into the quarterfinals.
| Preliminary matches Saint John, Jan–Feb 1988 | Preliminary matches Saint John, Jan–Feb 1988 | Quarterfinals Antwerp, London, Quebec, and Seattle, Aug 1988 – Feb 1989 | Quarterfinals Antwerp, London, Quebec, and Seattle, Aug 1988 – Feb 1989 | Semifinals London, Oct 1989 | Semifinals London, Oct 1989 | Final Kuala Lumpur, Mar 1990 | Final Kuala Lumpur, Mar 1990 | Final Kuala Lumpur, Mar 1990 |
| Lajos Portisch | 3½ | | | | | | | |
| Rafael Vaganian | 2½ | | | | | | | |
| Rafael Vaganian | 2½ | Lajos Portisch | 2½ | | | | | |
| | | Jan Timman | 3½ | | | | | |
| Valery Salov | 2½ | Jan Timman | 3½ | | | | | |
| Jan Timman | 3½ | | | | | | | |
| Jan Timman | 3½ | | | Jan Timman | 4½ | | | |
| | | | | Jon Speelman | 3½ | | | |
| Jon Speelman | 4 | | | | | Jon Speelman | 3½ | | | |
| Yasser Seirawan | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Yasser Seirawan | 1 | Jon Speelman | 3½ | | | | | |
| | | Nigel Short | 1½ | | | | | |
| Nigel Short | 3½ | Nigel Short | 1½ | | | | | |
| Gyula Sax | 1½ | | | | | | | |
| Gyula Sax | 1½ | | | | | | Jan Timman | 2½ |
| | | | | | | | Anatoly Karpov | 6½ |
| Artur Yusupov | 3½ | | | | | | | | Anatoly Karpov | 6½ |
| Jaan Ehlvest | 1½ | | | | | | | |
| Jaan Ehlvest | 1½ | Artur Yusupov | 5 | | | | | |
| | | Kevin Spraggett | 4 | | | | | |
| Kevin Spraggett | 6½ | Kevin Spraggett | 4 | | | | | |
| Andrei Sokolov | 5½ | | | | | | | |
| Andrei Sokolov | 5½ | | | Artur Yusupov | 3½ | | | |
| | | | | Anatoly Karpov | 4½ | | | |
| Jóhann Hjartarson | 4½ | | | | | Anatoly Karpov | 4½ | | | |
| Viktor Korchnoi | 3½ | | | | | | | |
| Viktor Korchnoi | 3½ | Jóhann Hjartarson | 1½ | | | | | |
| | | Anatoly Karpov | 3½ | | | | | |
Karpov won, once again facing Kasparov for the fifth and final time in seven years. Karpov later alleged that a Dutch sponsor had offered to pay him to lose the match against Timman.

## 1990 Championship match

The first twelve games were played in New York City (8 October – 7 November), the other twelve taking place in Lyon, France (26 November – 30 December).
    World Chess Championship Match 1990 Rating123456789101112131415161718192021222324Total  Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union)2730 ½0½½½½1½½½½½½½½010½0½½1½11½  Garry Kasparov (Russia)2800 ½1½½½½0½½½ ½½½½½101½1½½0½12½
Kasparov won the match and retained his title.

### Flag controversy

Although still a Soviet citizen, Kasparov refused to play the Championship match under the flag of the USSR. Instead, he wanted to use the Russian flag (not the flag of the RSFSR, but the old tri-color) which, incidentally, would be re-adopted after the collapse of the Soviet Union a year later. Kasparov was indeed allowed to play with a small Russian tri-color at the table.