A Reuters’ reporter recorded Anatoly Karpov’s interview on one of days free from the game. They spoke about the current game as well as a prospect of Karpov’s game with Robert Fischer.
“I do not know how many games we are going to have in Merano, but I am sure of the victory. I am in no hurry”.
Karpov said that in the Philippines Korchnoi showed a far better game than in Merano so far, in Baguio he had lots of fresh ideas throughout the whole match. “It was a game with a fighters’ spirit, and I would say it was one of the best games ever played by Korchnoi.
According to Karpov out of the games played in the current match the best were number two and nine won by him, and number 8 that Korchnoi managed to end in a draught being in a very complicated situation.
“He insulted me while playing the eighth and the ninth games. By the tenth game, he must have been afraid lest the judges could install a microphone to record his words. So he started telling complete nonsense”,
-Karpov commented, speaking about the game proper.
“While playing he has no decent man habit. In the sixth game, I made a serious mistake at the fortieth move. I had thirty-five minutes in my disposal, but I moved too quickly.
Chess matches are nerve breaking. Having won Champion title Fisher grew afraid to lose a single game’’
Reuter gives the following data: “Throughout his chess history Fisher won three hundred and twenty-seven games, played one hundred and eighty-eight games at level scores, and lost sixty-one games. Karpov won three hundred and eighty games, played four hundred and ten games at level scores and lost fifty-one games”.
World Champion said that he had several unofficial meetings with Fisher asking the latter to sit at the chess table again. But they never agreed upon the conditions of such a game.
“I’m sorry about it, and I think that should I play against Fisher even now, it would be the most interesting event in the world of chess.”
Italy. “Tempo” writes: “When Karpov entered the hall, there was a real ovation. There were about eighty Soviet tourists arriving in Merano to greet their Champion with a natural storm of applause and admiring cheers. Seeing such support Karpov gave a little smile. The Soviet people are very much confident in their Champion’s superiority.
Summing up the first month of the match in Merano “Stampa” newspaper writes: “Never before in the post-war championships the holder of the title has been such a strong advantage upon the first 10 games…”
Austria. “After the fifth victory of Anatoly Karpov the outcome of the World Championship Match may be considered as determined, – Austrian press agency APA mentions. – It is now rather a matter of how soon Karpov is to finish the match than of who the winner is”.
Mentioning World Champion’s convincing victory in the fourteenth game, the agency stresses that he was not lost after the annoying failure in the previous game and broke the runner up’s hope to turn the game to his favour.
Sweden. “Karpov has a strong advantage with the 5:2 score” – comments Scandinavian most popular “Dagens nuheter”. – “A.Karpov needs one more victory to keep the title of World Champion. It is very well possible, – the newspaper goes on, – that the match in the Italian village will be the shortest of World Championship matches”.
Yugoslavia. “World Champion, – “Politika” writes, – showed an inventive wonderful style with rich imagination, sacrificing a figure and checkmate schemes. This is while Korchnoi throughout the game had troubles with his position…”
“Borba” newspaper mentions, «Karpov used new schemes, that Korchnoi was not able to solve”. “The phone expert reports keeping a close eye on the game show that no one could find “remedy” from Karpov’s innovations, – the newspaper writes. – The position after the thirteenth move will make ground for substantial research by the world’s largest chess experts.
“Playing the open type Spanish game, – writes “Dnevnik” newspaper, – Karpov introduced a scheme that puzzled Korchnoi, and after the latter’s mistake at the sixteenth move it became clear that there is no way to save the runner up. Korchnoi put off the game after a quarrel in a completely hopeless position, the fact that by no means suits a world level player”.
USA. The New York Times newspaper published R. Baker’s article: “I know that I should be on Victor Korchnoi’s side wishing him to win over Anatoly Karpov. However, I do not do this.
I am well aware of Karpov’s being a Communist, a hero of the Soviet world, whereas Korchnoi is the person who escaped from Russia and grew to hate the Soviet Union. True, I have no right to support Karpov.
But I do not like Korchnoi. First, he does not impress me as a polite sportsman. He can even afford to insult his rival.
Are offensive words acceptable as pronounced by a chess-player? In baseball, a game that requires a tougher and rougher style compared to chess the players with a bat in hands spend most time to carelessly look around and spit, but you will never hear anyone say: “Stop spitting, you, bastard!”
I don’t like Korchnoi’s manner of wearing reflector sunglasses at the chess table. Do you know the way these glasses are? You look in them and see two tiny reflections of your own self right where you would normally see the eyes of the person wearing such glasses.
Korchnoi wears them on purpose in order to bother Karpov, and if Karpov feels the way I do – the former succeeds.
I would have difficulty showing my best abilities as a chess player if I did not every time contemplate on what trick the counter partner could undertake if I make this move with a pawn or another.
Korchnoi, making a parade of the sunglasses, might attempt to introduce a luck factor in the game…
Like what if making a look into the reflecting glasses before another move Karpov would make a mistake? But the course of the game clearly shows who is stronger and who is weaker”.
Italy. UPI agency reporter writes: “After the twelfth game, Karpov accused the runner up of “crying out offensive words” to the former and would purposefully wave hands, the fact that did not allow Karpov to focus on the game. In reply to the complaint Korchnoi objected that what he had done was only asking Karpov to sit quietly in the chair and not to distract Korchnoi’s attention.
In fact, after a remarkably sharp press of the clock button that Korchnoi used to identify his move the runner up went into a long and angry tirade in Russian. The latter was very well heard by the front-row audience.
Experts consider Korchnoi to be a player who shows best results in “conflict conditions”. I should think he meant to psychologically put Karpov down.
“Korchnoi always plays better when he has something to complain of”, – assures Raymond Kin, GM, formerly the runner up’s chess coach.
The insults done to Karpov are only part of psychological pressure that Korchnoi used on World Champion. He had reflector sunglasses on as well, remembering Karpov’s complaints in Baguio.
However this time the calm and confident game of Karpov cannot be spoiled by the old means: starting with 2:0 advantage Champion ended up in 4:2”.
“Journale” comments: “Karpov showed an absolute superiority in the tournament. He played a solid and confident game. We admire his tact and reserve. He did not fail when he lost the sixth game missing the opportunity to win in a favourable position, though all kind of breakdowns are normal in such a long-lasting and crucial game, provoking a most tense anxiety”.
England. Guardian writes that Karpov showed himself in Merano as an “enthusiastic player, who is able move by move to intensify the pressure upon the rival”. According to the newspaper endgame was the strongest point of the Soviet Grandmaster. “He is an outstanding champion”, the Guardian concludes.
“Financial Times” newspaper published Report Cornwell’s article received from Merano: “Karpov put down Korchnoi’s ambitious expectations, the latter being twenty years his senior winning the game seven years ago. At the time they fought for the right to play against Bobby Fisher in the match for World Champion title. However, Fisher quit the game and Karpov became Champion.
The match in Baguio, the Philippines, was the longest and the most tense of all ever played in the history of chess. It lasted for ninety-three days and there were thirty-two games played. Karpov won 6:5.
Now Korchnoi has got another chance. But he seems to have no hope: Karpov is stronger. Korchnoi appears to be even less balanced than three years before, less able to keep up to the level decent enough to hope for a victory over Karpov, whose perfect style cannot be argued”.
London. Reuter’s agency: “World Champion has an overwhelming advantage in the delayed game, and the score will most probably become 5:2, since the runner up’s position is hopeless, in spite of the fact that he broke the Protocol, refusing to accept evident loss without playing to the end.
This is absurd, – Robert Byrne, GM, commented Korchnoi’s action, when the runner up postponed the game at the forty-sixth move with the evidently failing position. The experts are unanimous to forecast World Champion’s victory that will leave only one more score for a total victory”
France. Under “A true World Champion” heading “Le Monde” newspaper writes: “The world’s chess crown is perfectly maintained by Anatoly Karpov. This year in Merano World Champion’s superiority was evident. Anatoly Karpov in full vigour proved his early maturity by his exceptionally successful strikes on the chessboard”.
Finland. The “Kansan Uutiset” stresses that Anatoly Karpov right from the start stupefied the audience not only with the result but with a powerful and confident game as well. The newspaper remarks that chess lovers will go on thinking of Karpov as an active World Champion.
Cuba. Anatoly Karpov once again proved that today he is the greatest personage in the chess world according to the “Huventud Rebelde” journal. The very start of the World Championship tournament in Merano was surprising: within 4 games Karpov scored half of what he needed for a victory. The young champion showed top mastership and had several new unexpected solutions in what seemed to be well-known positions. Anatoly Karpov’s advantage over the runner up was overwhelming”, the journal stresses.