# World Chess Championship 1984–1985

The World Chess Championship 1984–1985 was a match between challenger Garry Kasparov and defending champion Anatoly Karpov in Moscow from 10 September 1984 to 15 February 1985 for the World Chess Championship title. After 5 months and 48 games, the match was called off, with Karpov leading 5 to 3, and 40 draws. The match was replayed in the World Chess Championship 1985.

## 1982 Interzonals

Three Interzonal tournaments were held. The top two finishers in each qualified. Zoltán Ribli won the Las Palmas Interzonal ahead of 61-year-old former World Champion Vasily Smyslov. Kasparov, 19 years old, won the Moscow Interzonal by a 1½ point margin ahead of Alexander Beliavsky. The Toluca Interzonal was won jointly by Lajos Portisch and Eugenio Torre.
    July 1982 Interzonal, Las Palmas Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break 1 Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)2580–1½1½½1½½½½11½9 2 Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)25650–10½½½½111½118½ 3 Mihai Suba (Romania)2525½0–0½111½11½108 4 Vladimir Tukmakov (Soviet Union)2555011–1½½01½0½½17½48.00 5 Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)2605½½½0–1½½½1½1½½7½47.00 6 Jan Timman (Netherlands)2600½½0½0–½11½0½½16½39.25 7 Bent Larsen (Denmark)25950½0½½½–00½11116½37.50 8 József Pintér (Hungary)2550½½01½01–0½½½½½639.25 9 Jonathan Mestel (England)2540½0½0½011–01½01636.00 10 Lev Psakhis (Soviet Union)2615½00½0½½½1–½½½1635.00 11 Lars Karlsson (Sweden)2505½001½10½0½–½½½5½35.25 12 Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)23600½½½0½0½½½½–½15½32.75 13 Jaime Sunye Neto (Brazil)2500000½½½0½1½½½–15½31.25 14 Walter Browne (United States)2590½010½00½00½00–3
    September 1982 Interzonal, Moscow Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break 1 Garry Kasparov (Soviet Union)2675–½½½½½1111111½10 2 Alexander Beliavsky (Soviet Union)2620½–1½11001101½18½ 3 Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)2610½0–½½½1½½11½1½848.00 4 Ulf Andersson (Sweden)2610½½½–0½1½½½11½1847.50 5 Efim Geller (Soviet Union)2565½0½1–½½011½½1½7½46.50 6 Guillermo Garcia Gonzales (Cuba)2500½0½½½–11011½017½45.25 7 Jacob Murey (Israel)25000100½0–1½½½½116½ 8 Gyula Sax (Hungary)256001½½100–½½0½½1637.50 9 Larry Christiansen (United States)250500½½01½½–0½½11634.25 10 Dragoljub Velimirović (Yugoslavia)2495000½00½½1–½11½5½ 11 John van der Wiel (Netherlands)25200100½0½1½½–½0½531.25 12 Florin Gheorghiu (Romania)253500½0½½½½½0½–1½529.25 13 Ruben Rodríguez (Philippines)24150½0½010½0010–14½ 14 Miguel Quinteros (Argentina)2520½0½0½0000½½½0–3
Tal and Andersson contested a playoff in Malmö for a reserve spot for the Candidates Tournament. The match ended 3–3; Tal became first reserve because of his better tie break score, but no reserves were needed.
    1982 Interzonal, Toluca Rating1234567891011121314TotalTie break 1 Lajos Portisch (Hungary)2625–½1½0½0111½11½8½51.75 2 Eugenio Torre (Philippines)2535½–½0½11½½½1½118½51.00 3 Boris Spassky (France)26100½–½½½½½½111½18 4 Igor Ivanov (Canada)2505½1½–½½½½½½1½017½48.00 5 Artur Yusupov (Soviet Union)25551½½½–½½½½0½1½17½46.00 6 Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)2610½0½½½–1½½½½½117½44.50 7 Yasser Seirawan (United States)259510½½½0–011½½117½44.25 8 John Nunn (England)25650½½½½½1–½½½½½17 9 Yuri Balashov (Soviet Union)25550½½½½½0½–101½16½38.00 10 András Adorján (Hungary)25100½0½1½0½0–1½116½36.75 11 Krunoslav Hulak (Yugoslavia)2495½000½½½½10–½½15½ 12 Jorge Rubinetti (Argentina)24150½0½0½½½0½½–½0427.00 13 Amador Rodríguez Céspedes (Cuba)248000½1½00½½0½½–0426.75 14 Bachar Kouatly (Lebanon)2440½000000000011–2½

## 1983–1984 Candidates tournament

The six Interzonal qualifiers were joined by Viktor Korchnoi and Robert Hübner, the Candidates finalists from the previous cycle (World Chess Championship 1981). The eight players participated in a series of knockout matches. The winner was Garry Kasparov.
| Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final | Final | Final |
| Moscow, 1983 | Moscow, 1983 | Moscow, 1983 | | | | | | |
| Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 6 | | | | | | |
| Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 6 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | | | |
| Alexander Beliavsky | Alexander Beliavsky | 3 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | | | |
| Alexander Beliavsky | Alexander Beliavsky | 3 | Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 7 | | | |
| Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 7 | | | |
| Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Bad Kissingen, 1983 | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 4 | | | |
| Lajos Portisch | Lajos Portisch | 3 | Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 4 | | | |
| Lajos Portisch | Lajos Portisch | 3 | | | | Vilnius, March–April 1984 | Vilnius, March–April 1984 | Vilnius, March–April 1984 |
| Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 6 | | | | Vilnius, March–April 1984 | Vilnius, March–April 1984 | Vilnius, March–April 1984 |
| Viktor Korchnoi | Viktor Korchnoi | 6 | | | | Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 8½ |
| Alicante, 1983 | Alicante, 1983 | Alicante, 1983 | | | | Garry Kasparov | Garry Kasparov | 8½ |
| Alicante, 1983 | Alicante, 1983 | Alicante, 1983 | | | | Vasily Smyslov | Vasily Smyslov | 4½ |
| Zoltán Ribli | Zoltán Ribli | 6 | | | | Vasily Smyslov | Vasily Smyslov | 4½ |
| Zoltán Ribli | Zoltán Ribli | 6 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | | | |
| Eugenio Torre | Eugenio Torre | 4 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | London, Nov–Dec 1983 | | | |
| Eugenio Torre | Eugenio Torre | 4 | Zoltán Ribli | Zoltán Ribli | 4½ | | | |
| Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Zoltán Ribli | Zoltán Ribli | 4½ | | | |
| Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983 | Vasily Smyslov | Vasily Smyslov | 6½ | | | |
| Robert Hübner | Robert Hübner | 7 | Vasily Smyslov | Vasily Smyslov | 6½ | | | |
| Vasily Smyslov | Vasily Smyslov | 7 | | | | | | |
The Smyslov–Hübner match was tied at 5–5. After playing four extra games without breaking the tie, the match was resolved by a spin of the roulette wheel. The ball went into the zero on the first spin, before deciding in favor of Smyslov.
Politics threatened Kasparov's semi-final match against Viktor Korchnoi, which was scheduled to be played in Pasadena, California. Korchnoi had defected from the Soviet Union in 1976, and was at that time the strongest active non-Soviet player. Various political manoeuvres prevented Kasparov from playing Korchnoi in the United States, and Kasparov forfeited the match. This was resolved when Korchnoi agreed for the match to be replayed in London, along with the Vasily Smyslov vs. Zoltán Ribli match. The Korchnoi–Kasparov match was put together on short notice by Raymond Keene. Kasparov won 7–4.

## 1984–1985 Championship match

    World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 1-24 Rating123456789101112131415161718192021222324 Anatoly Karpov2700 ½½1½½11½1½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½ Garry Kasparov2710 ½½0½½00½0½½½½½½½½½½½½½½½
    World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 25-48 Rating252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748WinsTotal Anatoly Karpov2700 ½½1½½½½0½½½½½½½½½½½½½½00525 Garry Kasparov2710 ½½0½½½½1½½½½½½½½½½½½½½11323
The previous record length for a world title match had been 34 games, the 1927 match between José Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine, which also followed the "first to 6 wins" format.
The match was ended without result by Florencio Campomanes, the President of the World Chess Federation, 5–3 in favor of Karpov, and a new match was announced to start a few months later. The termination was controversial, as both players stated that they preferred for the match to continue. There was speculation that Campomanes had made the decision due to political pressure. Announcing his decision at a press conference, Campomanes cited the health of the players, which had been strained by the length of the match (5 months: 10 September 1984 to 8 February 1985). This match remains the first and only world championship match to be called off without a result.
The restarted match (the World Chess Championship 1985) was best of 24. Kasparov won 13–11.
In 2020, Karpov said that if he had won this match 6–0, Kasparov would never have become world champion, because he was too emotional.