Korchnoi was due to play the young Soviet Garry Kasparov in the next (1984) Candidates' cycle. He seemed to have great fondness for Garry Kasparov – possibly because he recognized the situation Kasparov was in – a prominent talent blocked by the Soviet bureaucracy.
The match was to be held in Pasadena, California, but the Soviet Chess Federation protested. Possibly this was because Korchnoi was a defector and the match was in the cold-war enemy's backyard, and because of the soon-to-be-announced Soviet decision to boycott the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles). At any rate, Kasparov was not allowed to fly there to play the match. This defaulted the match to Korchnoi.
However, after a remarkable series of events, spearheaded by the British Grandmaster Raymond Keene, Korchnoi agreed to play the match in London. This was a gracious gesture by Korchnoi, since technically he had already won by default. After a good start, Korchnoi was overcome by Kasparov's attacking play and remarkable maturity.
Viktor continued to play in Europe, living in his adopted country of Switzerland. He represented their Olympiad team on top board. Korchnoi first played for Switzerland at the 1978 Olympiad, held in Buenos Aires, where he took the individual gold medal for best performance on board one.
On the January 2007 FIDE rating list, Korchnoi was ranked number 85 in the world at age 75, by far the oldest player ever to be ranked in the FIDE top 100. The second-oldest player on the January 2007 list was Alexander Beliavsky, 22 years younger than Korchnoi.
In September 2006, Korchnoi won the 16th World Senior Chess Championship, held in Italy, with a 9–2 score. Korchnoi scored 7.5–0.5 in his first eight games, then drew his last three games. This is the first world title Korchnoi had won. Viktor achieved another mark by winning the 2009 Swiss championship in Grächen. He scored 7/9 at the open tournament.
Viktor's style of play was total commitment. He almost always played for a win if at all possible, and rarely took short draws. He was often seen in complex, double-edged positions, where it is difficult to see what is going on.
Korchnoi died at the age of 85 in Wohlen, Switzerland from complications of a stroke on 6 June 2016.
Mycenae
Mycenae (Greek "Mykēnai" or "Mykēnē"), is an archaeological site in Greece. It is about 90 km south-west of Athens, in the north-eastern Peloponnese.
In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the most important centers of early Greek civilization with a strong army. The time of Greek history from about 1600 BC to about 1100 BC is called Mycenaean Greece.
The Mycenaeans of Greece had learned many things from other lands. By 1400 B.C., they were known for their art, literature, and philosophy. Their most important city, Mycenae (mi see' née), was just north of what later became Corinth.
In 1300 BC the king built a wall 23 ft wide and 60 ft high. The stone blocks used were very big. A "corbel arch", where each stone hung a little further beyond the one below, was used. A triangle was also used to support it. The Lion Gate, the main gate of the wall and an example of a corbel arch, is still admired today.
The common people went inside the palace walls in times of danger but at other times lived in their own houses. Their houses were shaped like deep rectangles with flat roofs and front porches. People worked at many different jobs. They were cooks, doctors, carpenters, tailors, woodcutters, and makers of textiles. The Mycenaeans grew many things and kept animals like oxen, sheep, pigs, and goats. They also built good roads and bridges. Their army was strong. Spears and have been found, and also many swords, big and small. Their edge and point were used.
By 1200 BC the power of Mycenae was declining. The eventual destruction of Mycenae was part of the general Bronze Age collapse in the Greek mainland and beyond. Within a short period all the palaces of southern Greece were burnt, including that at Mycenae. The cause or causes of the Bronze Age collapse are not known for sure.
For their worship of gods, these people made shrines. Poseidon was worshiped as a chief deity, and the “protector of the sky” was Zeus. They also worshipped Apollo, Artemis, Hera and many others of the Greek religion.
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov (born Zlatoust, Russia, 23 May 1951) is a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was official world champion from 1975 to 1985, played three more matches for the title from 1986 to 1990, then was FIDE World Champion from 1993 to 1999.
His tournament successes include over 160 first-place finishes. He had a peak Elo rating of 2780, and his 90 months at world number one are second only to the record of Garry Kasparov.
Since 2005, he has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. He has recently involved himself in several humanitarian causes, such as advocating the use of iodised salt.
Vasily Smyslov
Vasily Smyslov (24 March 1921 – 27 March 2010) was a Russian chess grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958.<ref name=H/W>Hooper D. and Whyld K. 1992. "The Oxford companion to chess". 2nd ed, Oxford University Press.</ref>
Smyslov was a candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 1985). He was one of the five players selected to compete for the 1948 World Chess Championship tournament to determine who should succeed the late Alexander Alekhine as champion. His selection was questioned by some, but this criticism was silenced when he finished second behind Mikhail Botvinnik. His victories in the double-round Candidates tournaments of 1953 and 1956 were the greatest tournament wins of the 1950s. He played three 24-game world championship matches against the formidable Botvinnik, drawing the first in 1954, winning the second in 1957 but losing the return match in 1958. All three matches were held in Moscow.
Smyslov was twice equal first in the Soviet Championship (1949, 1955), and his total of 17 Chess Olympiad medals won is an all-time record. In five European Team Championships, Smyslov won ten gold medals (team and individual). He remained active and successful in competitive chess well into the 1960s and 1970s and he qualified for the finals of the World Championship Candidates' matches as late as 1983. Vasiliy won the first World Senior Chess Championship in 1991. He retired from competitive play in 2001.
Smyslov was also a concert-level singer. His baritone singing, and fellow grandmaster Taimanov's piano recitals, were evening events at many major chess tournaments.
A tribute from Anatoly Karpov:
Karachay-Balkar language
The Karachay-Balkar language (Къарачай-Малкъар /Qarachay-Malqar/) is a Turkic language spoken by the Karachays and Balkars. It is divided into two dialects: Karachay which pronounces two phonemes as and , and Balkar, which pronounces the corresponding phonemes as and .
Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky (born 30 January 1937 in Leningrad), is a Soviet–French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from late 1969 to 1972.
Spassky won the USSR Chess Championship twice outright (1961, 1973), and twice more lost in playoffs (1956, 1963). He was a World Chess Championship candidate on seven occasions (1956, 1965, 1968, 1974, 1977, 1980, and 1985).
Boris won the Candidates match series in 1965 and 1968. He played for the world championship three times. Against Tigran Petrosian in 1966 he lost; against Petrosian again in 1969 (winning), and against Bobby Fischer in 1972 (losing). The match with Fischer in Reykjavik was the most publicised chess match of any time. His loss was subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny by the Soviet central committee for chess, and he was criticised for lack of adequate preparation.
The second half of his life until recently was lived in France. He has both Russian and French nationality.