(The annotations to this game, by A. E.

Karpov, are from Sto pobednykh partii (Fizkultura i Sport,

1984). The translation from the original Russian is by Douglas Griffin.)

I included this game in the book not because I count it among the best or most interesting, but
because victory in it brought one of the six points necessary in order to defend the title of
Champion.White employed a novelty in a well-known variation and gained some advantage, but
then played in routine, univentive fashion, permitting the opponent to first achieve equality, and
then to gain a symbolic advantage, which unexpectedly brought victory.

Korchnoi – Karpov
27 match-game, World Championship, Baguio City, 28th September 1978
th

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5

In the 9th game of the Candidates final match (Moscow, 1974) Korchnoi continued 5.Bg2.
The move in the next was not new in his practice; it was played in one of the games of the
Korchnoi-Petrosian semi-final match from the same Candidates’ cycle (Odessa, 1974), where the
ex-World Champion retreated the bishop to c5, leading to very complicated play. Theory
previously considered that the exchange of knights leads to an approximately level position, but
Korchnoi had prepared a novelty, which shook the generally-accepted assessments.

5...Nxd5 6.cxd5 Nd4 7.Nxd4

The move 7.Nxe5 is impossible in view of 7...Qe7 8.f4 (8.Nd3 Nf3#) 8...d6 9.Nd3 (bad is
9.Qa4+ b5 10.Qxb4 Nc2+) 9...Qe4 with advantage for Black. White does not achieve real results
after 7.Bg2 Nxf3+ 8.Bxf3 0–0 9.0–0 d6 or 9...Bc5.

7...exd4
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8.Qc2!
Here is the prepared novelty. Now hasty castling leads to the loss of a pawn (8...0–0 9.Qc4).
After the usual order of moves – 8.Bg2 – Black has time to withdraw the bishop to e7 and to play
...c7–c5. Now he has only one reply.

8...Qe7 9.Bg2
If 9.Qxc7, then 9...Qe4 with advantage for Black.

9...Bc5 10.0–0 0–0 11.e3

In the event of 11.d3 White will experience the same difficulties in advancing the e-pawn as Black
will with the c-pawn. Of course, White does not intend to exchange at d4; he tries to force Black
to take at e3, and in this case both dxe3 and fxe3 give White the better game. His queen’s bishop
will be brought to b2, whereas Black’s king’s bishop proves to be limited on the b6–square.
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11...Bb6
Clearly, Black ought to wait with this unforced retreat. But here I could not decide which plan
to choose: 11...d6 did not appeal to me, since it makes the advance of the c-pawn exceptionally
difficult. I removed the bishop so that after ...c7–c5 the c6–square would be defended twice.
Deserving attention is 11...a5, in order to limit the opponent’s activity on the queen’s flank. I
rejected this move on theoretical grounds, since after the planned ...c7–c5 there appears a ‘hole’ at
b5. But in the absence of knights from the board, this is not so terrible.

12.a4
A natural reaction. Now 12...a5 is not good on account of 13.b3 with threats of Bc1–b2 or
Bc1–a3. At first I intended to play 12...c5, but after 13.a5 Bd8 14.exd4 cxd4 15.b3 Black does not
have time to reorganise for the defence of the d4–pawn. Therefore he has to determine the
position in the centre and exchange at e3.

12...dxe3 13.dxe3
Also possible was 13.fxe3 followed by placing bishop and queen on the diagonal a1–h8, with
prospects of an attack on the king. But Korchnoi prefers to limit himself to a spatial advantage
with pressure being exerted in the centre.
13...a5 14.Bd2 Bc5
Black must hurry to cover the c-file with the bishop and defend it two-fold with pawns, in order
to cover the weakness of the backward c-pawn.

15.Bc3
It seems to me that White should have preferred the preparation of the break b2–b4 to his
intended plan with the advance of the e-pawn, and to this end played 15.Rfb1 or 15.Rab1.

15...d6 16.Qd2 b6 17.Rfe1 Bd7

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18.e4
Somewhat premature. This advance would have gained in force after useful prophylactic moves,
such as, for instance, b2–b3, h2–h3 and Kh2 and the inclusion of the queen’s rook. Ultimately,
Black would have had to play ...Rac8, ...c7–c6, exchanging the light-squared bishops and leaving
himself with a weak d-pawn and passively-placed major pieces. After the move in the text there
appears the possibility of freely carrying out...c7–c6 and retaining the light-squared bishop, which
eases the defence.

18...Rfe8!
The simplest. Seemingly, the move 18...c6 could not be delayed, but then the reply 19.e5
would have been extremely unpleasant. Black’s calculation consists in the fact that this move is
now not so terrible: 19.e5 dxe5 20.Bxe5 (20.d6 cxd6 21.Bxa8 Rxa8 with advantage for Black, while
if 20.Rxe5, then 20...Qd6 followed by ...f7–f6 and the exchange of rooks on the e-file) 20...Bb4
21.Bc3 Qd6 with approximate equality.

19.Kh1
As previously, at White’s disposition was the move b2–b3 with the favourable manoeuvre
Qd2–b2. Admittedly, Black is already prepared for this and has freed the f8–square for the queen
with the aim of defending the g7–pawn.
19...c6!
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20.e5
All the same 20.dxc6 retained a slight advantage for White. However, Korchnoi wants more
and after a 45–minute thought decides on the break in the centre. But the danger for Black has
already passed.

20...cxd5 21.Bxd5 Rad8 22.Qf4 Qf8 23.Qf3

While this is a clearly bad move.

23...dxe5 24.Bxe5
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24...Bg4!
Being in time trouble, Korchnoi had clearly overlooked this reply. The exchange of
light-squared bishops is now to Black’s advantage, while it cannot be avoided. The game could
have ended prettily in the case of 25.Qe4 Bxf2 26.Rf1 Rxd5 27.Qxd5 Rxe5 28.Qxe5 Bf3#.

25.Qxg4 Rxd5 26.Bc3

 26.Bxg7 fails in view of 26...Rxe1+ 27.Rxe1 Qxg7 28.Re8+ Bf8.

26...Red8
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The possession of the d-file secures Black a minimal advantage, and had White’s time shortage
not been acute, the game would have quickly ended in a draw.

27.Kg2 Bd4 28.Rac1 g6 29.Qe2 Qd6 30.Bxd4 Rxd4 31.Qb5 Rb4 32.Re8+ Kg7 33.Rxd8 Qxd8
34.Qe2 Qd5+!
Clearly, White had reckoned only on 34...Rxa4 35.Qe5+ Qf6 36.Qxf6+ Kxf6 37.Rc6+.

35.f3
A final mistake – the weakening of the 2nd rank.

35...Rxa4 36.Rc2 Rd4 37.Qe3 b5 38.h4 h5 39.Qe2 a4 40.Qe3 b4 41.Rf2 Rd3

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The sealed move. White resigned, without resuming play.