Chess legends to play again 25 years after famous battle

AFP 7-09-09

MOSCOW (AFP) — Chess legends Garry Kasparov and Anatoli Karpov are to relive their epic 1984 world championship duel 25 years on by contesting a new match this September in the Spanish city of Valencia.

"It will be 25 years since the start of the matches (against Karpov), there is nostalgia about this unique event," Kasparov, now a Russian opposition politician and Kremlin critic, told AFP. "This is where modern chess began."

The September 21-24 match is not expected to reflect the suspense of their first encounter and will be more of "a ceremonial tournament", Kasparov said, explaining there would be a time-limit on moves.

The five-month 1984 match marked the first battle between the famous chess rivals. At the time the world champion Karpov was 33 years old and the challenger Kasparov just 21.

The match was ended without result by World Chess Federation chief Florencio Campomanes on alleged health grounds, a decision that was controversial, as both players said they wanted to continue.

Kasparov later defeated Karpov narrowly. He won the world championship in late 1985 and defended his title the following year. The last time he played Karpov was in 1990 when he narrowly won.

Kasparov has been active in the political opposition to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin since announcing in 2005 he was withdrawing from competitive chess and creating his own political party.

Karpov was undisputed world chess champion from 1975 to 1985 and FIDE world chess champion from 1993 to 1999. Both Karpov and Kasparov are considered among the greatest chess players ever.

Source: AFP News