World Championship 1981: Karpov – Korchnoi
The rematch was no contest. Three years after his narrow escape in Baguio, a peak Karpov crushed Korchnoi 6–2 in Merano — a rout so one-sided it entered chess lore as the "Massacre in Merano."
◈Korchnoi's last shot
Korchnoi, now past fifty, once more battled through the Candidates — beating Petrosian and Polugaevsky, then reaching the match when Robert Hübner withdrew from their final while trailing. The contest ran under the same first-to-six-wins rules as Baguio.
This time there would be no drama.
◈A rout, and a family freed
Karpov, at the very height of his powers, overwhelmed the challenger to win 6–2 (+6−2=10), a far cry from their knife-edge 1978 clash. But the deepest stakes were painfully human: Korchnoi's wife and son had been held in the Soviet Union since his defection, harassed for years — and were permitted to emigrate only after he lost this second title match.
It was the last time the two great rivals would meet for the crown.
◈Cross Table
| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karpov | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 11 |
| Kortschnoj | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 7 |
1 win · ½ draw · 0 loss — click a game number to replay it.