The people behind the game
Anatoly Karpov
Became champion when Fischer declined to defend, then proved himself with a decade of tournament dominance. A master of slow, squeezing play.
- Born
- 1951
- Country connections
- Soviet Union / Russia
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
1985 · World championship · Game 16
The knight on d3
In game 16 of the 1985 championship, Kasparov’s knight occupies d3 and his pieces dominate the open lines.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 40 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Karpov became champion in 1975 after Fischer did not defend the title. He later held the separate FIDE championship during the split era. His long rivalry with Kasparov included five world championship matches, beginning with the unfinished 1984 contest. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 1975–1985Open world championship
- 1993–1999FIDE world championship · split era
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: Veni Markovski | Вени Марковски · CC BY-SA 4.0. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
