Anatoli Karpov, 70, one of the greatest chess players of all time, is on the list of 351 Russian lawmakers who have been sanctioned for supporting the war in Ukraine. He can no longer enter the European Union or move assets in member countries of the group.
Former world champion, Karpov differs from most chess players in this conflict. Some of the main names in the sport condemned the invasion, and Fide (International Chess Federation), historically aligned with Moscow and commanded by a Russian, reinforced the sporting isolation of the country led by Vladimir Putin.
Karpov, on the other hand, voted in favor of the operation in the neighboring country. But the attitude is not surprising because, in 2014, a deputy for three years, he had supported the annexation of Crimea.
And, even more, because Karpov always played close to power, offering his prestige to the authorities and receiving, in return, advantages such as the help of the KGB, the Soviet secret police, in the dispute of three world finals.
Born in Zlatoust, an industrial hub in the former Soviet Union, Karpov learned to play around the age of 4 or 5. It didn’t take him long to excel in children’s competitions and attend the best chess schools in a country proud to be the world’s greatest power in the sport.
In 1969, he became world youth champion and made the eyes of the Communist Party leaders shine, who saw in Karpov the right man to perpetuate Soviet hegemony.
He had not only the necessary skills but also a great history: he was the son of a proletarian, not someone from the elite, and his ancestry was considered pure by the regime, not being of Jewish origin.
Karpov rose to the top of the world in 1975, winning by folding Bobby Fischer, an American who beat Boris Spassky in 1972 and broke a long tradition. Since 1948, the world champion and runner-up were from the Soviet Union.
As in the arts and science, the communist regime also sought to assert itself over the West in sports. Keeping the title with Karpov was a matter of state, and even more so when, in 1978, he faced Victor Kortchnoi, a player considered an enemy of the people.
Korchnoi had defected from the Soviet Union two years earlier and was living in Switzerland. He had fled his homeland not for political reasons, but because he wanted to pursue his career without mincing words or depending on the Communist Party, which decided who traveled to tournaments abroad and, in many cases, even who would win.
The fact that Kortchnoi had escaped for personal reasons did not lessen the reaction against him. He came to be painted as a traitor and had his name suppressed from the chess news (he was called “opponent” or “challenger”).
In the 1978 match, both players played a series of matches in the Philippines. Kortchnoi, then 47, arrived with three coaches and an assistant. Karpov, 20 years his junior, led a delegation of nearly 20 people, including at least seven KGB agents.
The head of Karpov’s delegation was Colonel Viktor Baturisnky, who had been a military prosecutor and aide in the repression in the Josef Stalin years.
KGB agents looked after the security of the Soviet favorite and, by many accounts, spied on Korchnoi’s drills to anticipate moves. It is claimed that even a double agent was used.
In addition, they prepared the yogurt that Karpov ate during matches and which seemed to provide him with extra doses of energy and concentration.
But nothing beats the fact that Kortchnoi’s family was in the Soviet Union, barred from leaving the country. The wife could not get a visa, while the son, who had refused to do military service, lived in hiding for a time until he ended up behind bars.
It is also said that the Russian delegation, filled with some of the best chess players of the time, still communicated secretly with Moscow, where two more teams analyzed the matches and passed daily reports to Leonid Brezhnev, then leader of the Soviet Union.
In the book “The KGB Plays Chess” Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Popov, a former secret police agent, claims that Karpov himself was a secret agent and operated under the codename “Raul”.
Kortchnoi, on top of all that, always stated that he feared for his life if he beat Karpov, and some witnesses later confirmed that the KGB had plans to kill the defector if he became champion – which the agency denied.
Faced with such pressure, Kortchnoi lost, but not without a fight: it was 6-5, not counting 21 draws.
Three years later, Karpov had to defend his title again against Kortchnoi, this time in Italy.
Not wanting to get into trouble, the Soviet Union sent a delegation at least three times the size of the previous one, with even more KGB agents. Korchnoi’s wife was still in the Soviet Union, her son was in prison and was reportedly mistreated.
Result: Karpov won easily.
In the following cycle, Karpov faced fellow countryman Garry Kasparov in what would become one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.
Kasparov, who never conformed to the Soviet regime, faced the entire KGB spy apparatus in a very long series of matches. Still 12 years younger, he beat Karpov in 1985 and held the title until 2000.
Karpov would still become world champion from 1993 to 1999, in a parallel World Cup recognized by Fide, but without the same weight as the trophy that Kasparov had.
Off the boards, Karpov is described as a kind person even by his opponents. In 2007, when Kasparov was arrested for participating in anti-Putin acts, Karpov went to visit him in detention. They couldn’t see each other, but the old rival left a chess magazine as a gift.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
