# Classical World Chess Championship 1995

The Classical World Chess Championship 1995, known at the time as the PCA World Chess Championship 1995, was held from September 10, 1995, to October 16, 1995, on the 107th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Garry Kasparov, the defending champion, played Viswanathan Anand, the challenger, in a twenty-game match. Kasparov won the match after eighteen games with four wins, one loss, and thirteen draws.

## Background

In 1993, the reigning FIDE World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov decided to split from FIDE because he felt the organisation was corrupt, and formed a rival organisation, the PCA (Professional Chess Association). In response, FIDE stripped Kasparov of his status and organised an event to determine a new champion — this event was won by Anatoly Karpov.
Kasparov claimed that, as he had not been defeated by a challenger to his title in a match, and in fact had defeated the rightful challenger (Nigel Short in 1993), that he was still the reigning world champion. Thus, for the first time since the inaugural World Championship in 1886, there were two rival World Chess Championships.
The PCA ran a world championship cycle similar in format to that in use by FIDE at the time. It was to be the only full championship cycle run under the auspices of the PCA.

## 1993 Qualifying tournament

The PCA held a qualifying tournament and Candidates matches in 1993–1995. A number of leading players did not participate, most notably FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov. The events were held at a similar time as the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, with many of the same players playing in both.
The Qualifying tournament in Groningen in December 1993 had 54 players participating in an 11-round Swiss system tournament, with the top seven qualifying for the Candidates Tournament.
    1993 PCA Qualifying Tournament Rating1234567891011Total 1 Michael Adams (England)2635=33+39+45=23-5+7=4+11=2+6=37½ 2 Viswanathan Anand (India)2725+52=5=7+30+22+20=8=6=1=3=47½ 3 Gata Kamsky (United States)2645=13=30=33+19+17=4=5=16+23=2=17 4 Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)2710+40=20-22+35+25=3=1=8+24=9=27 5 Sergei Tiviakov (Russia)2635+41=2=34+29+1=22=3=20-6+25=87 6 Boris Gulko (United States)2635=29=37+49=20+10=8+22=2+5-1=117 7 Oleg Romanishin (Ukraine)2615+53=24=2=25=9-1+28=10=26+22+207 8 Alexei Shirov (Latvia)2685+11+36=23-22+32=6=2=4=12=16=56½ 9 Sergey Dolmatov (Russia)2630=18=33=13+12=7=23=27=21+42=4=166½ 10 Eric Lobron (Germany)2575=19=38=11+36-6+17=44=7=15=14+256½ 11 Ivan Sokolov (Bosnia and Herzegovina)2610-8=28=10+41+37=24=31-1+44+26=66½ 12 Jeroen Piket (Netherlands)2590+25-22=35-9+47+15=24+34=8=20=186½ 13 Robert Hübner (Germany)2605=3=34=9=38=15=25=32+29=14=24+226½ 14 Julio Granda (Peru)2605=21-45=39+18=30=44+36=27=13=10+236½ 15 Rafael Vaganian (Armenia)2615=54=26=21=44=13-12+17+30=10=23+426½ 16 Predrag Nikolić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)2625+48-23+51=24+34=31=20=3=22=8=96½ 17 Judit Polgár (Hungary)2630=37=29+41=32-3-10-15+51+46+31+276½ 18 Lembit Oll (Estonia)2595=9=35-25-14=53=45+52+36+38+21=126½ 19 Jaan Ehlvest (Estonia)2620=10=51=37-3+48-29+35-26+41+32+246½ 20 Joel Benjamin (United States)2620+50=4+31=6+23-2=16=5=21=12-76 21 Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)2670=14=49=15=40=29=27+46=9=20-18+336 22 Alexander Beliavsky (Ukraine)2635+42+12+4+8-2=5-6=23=16-7-135½ 23 Evgeny Bareev (Russia)2660+46+16=8=1-20=9+29=22-3=15-145½ 24 Gregory Kaidanov (United States)2640+43=7=30=16=27=11=12+31-4=13-195½ 25 Julian Hodgson (England)2625-12+54+18=7-4=13=30+39+27-5-105½ 26 Boris Alterman (Israel)2585=35=15-32+47=40-28+37+19=7-11=315½ 27 Alexey Vyzmanavin (Russia)2605=31=44=36+45=24=21=9=14-25+34-175½ 28 Ljubomir Ljubojević (Yugoslavia)2595-36=11=46+43-31+26-7-38=49+48+445½ 29 Leonid Yudasin (Israel)2605=6=17+38-5=21+19-23-13=39=36=435 30 Gregory Serper (Uzbekistan)2575+32=3=24-2=14=40=25-15-35+45=345 31 Ilya Smirin (Israel)2640=27+47-20=37+28=16=11-24=32-17=265 32 Alexander Chernin (Hungary)2615-30+42+26=17-8=39=13=44=31-19=385 33 Vladimir Tukmakov (Ukraine)2600=1=9=3-34=38=35=49=41=40+46-215 34 Vladimir Malaniuk (Ukraine)2635=39=13=5+33-16=46=42-12+48-27=305 35 Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland)2625=26=18=12-4=54=33-19=43+30=39=375 36 Zurab Azmaiparashvili (Georgia)2630+28-8=27-10+51=42-14-18+50=29=405 37 Curt Hansen (Denmark)2590=17=6=19=31-11=38-26=49=47+52=355 38 Miguel Illescas (Spain)2625=51=10-21=13=33=37=41+28-18=40=325 39 Vladimir Akopian (Armenia)2600=34-1=14+52=44=32=40-25=29=35=415 40 Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)2610-4+50=44=21=26=30=39-42=33=38=365 41 Eduardas Rozentalis (Lithuania)2600-5+52-17-11=43+54=38=33-19+53=395 42 Alex Yermolinsky (United States)2605-22-32+50=48+45=36=34+40-9=44-155 43 Lev Polugaevsky (Russia)2605-24=53=48-28=41=50=51=35=45+49=295 44 Alexander Khalifman (Russia)2645=47=27=40=15=39=14=10=32-11=42-284½ 45 Kiril Georgiev (Bulgaria)2660=49+14-1-27-42=18=53=48=33-30+544½ 46 Mikhail Gurevich (Belgium)2605-23=48=28=51+49=34-21+50-17-33=474½ 47 Christopher Lutz (Germany)2605=44-31=54-26-12+53-48+52=37=50=464½ 48 Loek van Wely (Netherlands)2585-16=46=43=42-19=49+47=45-34-28=534 49 Jóhann Hjartarson (Iceland)2605=45=21-6=54-46=48=33=37=28-43=524 50 Patrick Wolff (United States)2585-20-40-42+53=52=43+54-46-36=47=514 51 Vadim Ruban (Russia)2590=38=19-16=46-36=52=43-17-53=54=503½ 52 Simen Agdestein (Norway)2610-2-41+53-39=50=51-18-47+54-37=493½ 53 Friso Nijboer (Netherlands)2555-7=43-52-50=18-47=45=54+51-41=483½ 54 Zsuzsa Polgár (Hungary)2545=15-25=47=49=35-41-50=53-52=51-453

## 1994–95 Candidates Tournament

The top seven from the Qualifying tournament were joined by Nigel Short, the loser of the 1993 PCA championship match against Kasparov.
The first round of Candidates matches were best of eight games, the semifinals were best of 10, and the final was best of 12. If the scores were tied, sets of two rapid chess games were played as tie breakers, until one player had a lead.
The quarterfinal matches were held at the Trump Tower in New York City in June 1994 and opened by Donald Trump. The semifinals were played in Linares in September 1994, and the final in Las Palmas in March 1995.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Gata Kamsky | Gata Kamsky | 4½ | | | | | | |
| Vladimir Kramnik | Vladimir Kramnik | 1½ | | | | | | |
| Vladimir Kramnik | Vladimir Kramnik | 1½ | Gata Kamsky | Gata Kamsky | 5½ | | | |
| | | | Nigel Short | Nigel Short | 1½ | | | |
| Nigel Short | Nigel Short | 6½ | Nigel Short | Nigel Short | 1½ | | | |
| Boris Gulko | Boris Gulko | 5½ | | | | | | |
| Boris Gulko | Boris Gulko | 5½ | | | | Gata Kamsky | Gata Kamsky | 4½ |
| | | | | | | Viswanathan Anand | Viswanathan Anand | 6½ |
| Michael Adams | Michael Adams | 7½ | | | | Viswanathan Anand | Viswanathan Anand | 6½ |
| Sergei Tiviakov | Sergei Tiviakov | 6½ | | | | | | |
| Sergei Tiviakov | Sergei Tiviakov | 6½ | Michael Adams | Michael Adams | 1½ | | | |
| | | | Viswanathan Anand | Viswanathan Anand | 5½ | | | |
| Viswanathan Anand | Viswanathan Anand | 5 | Viswanathan Anand | Viswanathan Anand | 5½ | | | |
| Oleg Romanishin | Oleg Romanishin | 2 | | | | | | |

## 1995 Championship match

The final was played at the World Trade Center, on the 107th floor of the South Tower.
The first player to reach 10½ points would be the winner.
    PCA World Chess Championship Match 1995 Rating (change)123456789101112131415161718Total  Viswanathan Anand (India)2725 (+13) ½½½½½½½½100½00½½½½7½  Garry Kasparov (Russia)2795 (-13) ½½½½½½½½01 1½11½½½½10½
The match began with eight consecutive draws, a record for the World Chess Championship until the 2018 Carlsen–Caruana match. In game 9 Anand, with white, broke through Kasparov's Sicilian Scheveningen defence to win. Kasparov hit back immediately in game 10, with a novelty in the Ruy Lopez Open Defence.
Game 11 was arguably the turning point in the match. Kasparov sprung a major surprise by playing the Sicilian Dragon with black – a once-popular defence which at the time was only played at the top level by a few specialists. Anand missed a comparatively simple combination and lost. After a draw in game 12, Anand again played weakly against the Dragon in game 13, losing again with white to go two points down.
When Anand lost game 14, Kasparov had a commanding 8½-5½ lead and the match was effectively over. The players drew their remaining games.