Kasparov and Karpov to compete 25 years later
01:42 pm Today
World chess champions Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov will play a 12 games match in Valencia from 21 to 25 September, 2009. The match will consist of 4 rapid (or semi rapid) and 8 blitz games and will take place exactly 25 years after the mythical encounter between the two players.
The competitors will not meet each other before the match. Nor will they participate on the press conference held by the match organisers.
The legendary GMs are supposed to stay in different hotels in Valencia.
The match between Kasparov and Karpov is in honor of the Queen as a chess piece, which emerged from the region of Valencia in the XV century, thus putting the beginning of the modern chess rules.
Let’s remind that Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov held 144 matches from 1984 to 1990 in which they tried to maintain or win a champion’s title. The matches made the world-known grand masters rivals.
“We have never been kind to each other. We have different playing styles and are different like ice and fire,” said Karpov.
In 2007 Karpov wanted to pay a visit to Kasparov who was in custody for his anti-governmental calls but the latter refused to meet Karpov.
According to the organizers from Valencia, the negotiations for the match have been very long. Two more European cities (London and Vienna) and several Latin American ones wanted to host the event. Finally, after a month of debates, the match will take place in the Mediterranean Spanish city.
One of the reasons behind accepting to play the match in Spain was that it was the country where the GMs played the 4th match for the World Championship title in 1987. The last game of that match was something that the chess world dreams until today – it was televised by TVE (Spanish national TV) and was followed live by 13 million people.
Source: http://www.a1plus.am
Karpov is better.
Kasparov is better.
It is not true that Kasparov refused to meet Karpov – simply the guards wouldn’t allow it. In fact, it was later reported that Kasparov was very much touched by Karpov’s gesture. These two have so much class that it is very dishonest for the journalists to try to up the buzz by suggesting that the animosity between them continues to linger.
“Karpov vs Kasparov” made chess history!!
Anon # 3 is correct. Kasparov did not refuse to see Karpov, he appreciated the gesture and it helped facilitate a thaw between the two, or so it is written.
Kasparov 7-5 Karpov
That is natural. When two feuding beasts have tasted each other’s blood, a natural bond develops between the two.
For two guys that don’t like each other they spent a hell of a lot of time together at the same board.