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Date Posted: 10:54:49 06/06/02 Thu
Author: Todd
Subject: Evans on Karpov( in 1986)

Anatoly Karpov won games but never the hearts of fans. He will go down in
history as the man who avoided a match with Bobby Fischer and then eluded him
for the next ten years.

True, Karpov was an active champion -- perhaps to prove that he deserved a
title earned by default. True, his terrific record surpassed that of any other
titleholder. Yet how reliable are some of those results? There are reports of
Soviet rivals throwing key games to enable Karpov to win international events.
Indeed, Boris Spassky finally broke with Russia when his interzonal funding was
cut for the cardinal sin of placing first ahead of Karpov at Linares, Spain, in
1983.

Karpov reigned in an era of dirty tricks and Soviet manipulation of FIDE
flunkies. His title was also clouded by matches against Viktor Korchnoi with
the defector's family held hostage in the Soviet Union and with his son beaten
in a labor camp on the eve of their 1981 match. Karpov might have shown the
world he was truly a champion by asking his masters in the Kremlin to release
Korchnoi's family beforehand. This contempt for public opinion lasted for years
as Soviet grandmasters boycotted events in the West whenever Korchnoi was
invited. Yet Karpov repeateldy denied any official boycott.

To secure his throne Karpov made FIDE restore the infamous rematch clause which
was stricken in 1963. FIDE lacked the courage to resist this Soviet ploy, but
Dr. Max Euwe, an honorable president, argued the clause gave Karpov a larger
mathematical edge than anything Fischer ever sought. Of course, Karpov is now
exercising this loophole [by forcing Karpov into a rematch].

The frail, exhausted Karpov bent the rules in his aborted match with Gary
Kasparov by demanding a long postponement after two straight losses, to protect
his dwindling lead. But this maneuver backfired and led to Karpov's downfall
when a new match started from scratch. No politicians intervened to save
Karpov's title the second time around.

Upon assuming the crown, Gary Kasparov paid tribute to his boyhood idol -- the
American Bobby Fischer. "In a juster world of chess," he said. "we might be
able to see Fischer at the chessboard again. Fischer not only made chess more
popular but raised its quality."

This generous spirit was alien to karpov, who did all in his power to drive an
unstable American genius out of chess. Anatoly Karpov is respected for cold
technical precision, not for his sportsmanship. Posterity may remember him as a
sad-faced champion who never won a fair title match.

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