Viktor Korchnoi

Kortschnoj – Botvinnik · 1960 · 1–0

Moscow–Leningrad match, 1960 — a Nimzo-Indian win over Mikhail Botvinnik, months before Botvinnik regained the world title. The 29-year-old Korchnoi simplified with 21.Bxh7+ into a favourable bishop endgame and ground it out with a decisive king march (32.Kg3–h4–g5).

→

Fischer – Kortschnoj · 1962 · 0–1

Curaçao Candidates, 1962 — one of Korchnoi's two wins over Robert Fischer at the tournament, where he finished their individual score +2 without a loss. Meeting Fischer's Austrian Attack, Korchnoi (Black) won the exchange on the queenside (15…Nxc2), rode out the attack, and forced resignation with 33…Qxg3.

→

Kortschnoj – Tal · 1962 · 1–0

30th USSR Championship, Yerevan 1962 — a Benoni win over former World Champion Mikhail Tal, the opponent against whom Korchnoi famously held a lifetime plus score. Korchnoi built a broad centre, broke with 19.e5, and queened his passed d-pawn (54.d7) on the way to his second Soviet title.

→

Kortschnoj – Udovcic · 1967 · 1–0

October Revolution 50th-Anniversary tournament, Leningrad 1967 — a French Tarrasch brilliancy. Korchnoi cracked open the black king with the twin knight sacrifices 24.Nxg5! and 26.Nxe6!, and the queen swept to h5–g6–h6 to force resignation (31.Rg3).

→

Kortschnoj – Geller · 1971 · 1–0

Candidates quarterfinal, Moscow 1971 — the opening game of the match Korchnoi won +4−1=3 to launch his Candidates run. Against Geller's King's Indian he seized the queenside with a4–a5 and the b-file and steered the game into a won position (33.Nxc5, 36.gxf4).

→

Larsen – Kortschnoj · 1973 · 0–1

Leningrad Interzonal 1973 — a win over Bent Larsen from the interzonal Korchnoi shared first. After an early queen trade (11.Qxg6) Korchnoi (Black) took over the endgame, sacrificed the exchange with 22…Rxf4 for two minor pieces and passers, and outplayed Larsen.

→

Kortschnoj – Karpov · 1974 · 1–0

Candidates Final, Moscow 1974 (game 21) — a 19-move Queen's Indian miniature and one of Korchnoi's two wins in a match Karpov edged 12½–11½. The piece offer 13.Nxh7! launched a forcing combination that won material, and Karpov resigned after 19.f4.

→

Planinc – Kortschnoj · 1975 · 0–1

Moscow 1975 — a rare outing for the King's Gambit, refuted in 19 moves. Korchnoi (Black) took Planinc's romantic gambit apart with a central counterblow (13…Nxd4, 14…Nxe4) and a mating attack; after 17…Rxg2 and 19…Qg4+ White resigned.

→

Kortschnoj – Petrosian · 1977 · 1–0

Candidates quarterfinal, Il Ciocco 1977 — from the bitterest rivalry of Korchnoi's career, played without handshakes after their 1974 rupture. Korchnoi ground down former World Champion Tigran Petrosian in a 71-move English to win the match 6½–5½ and advance toward the title.

→

Spassky – Kortschnoj · 1977 · 0–1

Candidates Final, Belgrade 1977 — the notorious match in which Spassky took to playing from a screened box offstage. In a sharp French Winawer, Korchnoi (Black) met Spassky's 7.Qg4 pawn-grab with a central counterattack (12…dxc3, 13…d4) and won; he took the match +7−4=7 to become Karpov's challenger.

→

Tatai – Kortschnoj · 1978 · 0–1

Beersheba 1978 — a celebrated 14-move miniature. In a quiet-looking French Exchange, Korchnoi (Black) pounced on White's inaccuracies with 12…Qg3! and 13…Re2!, and Tatai resigned after 14.Nd4 Nxd4, helpless against the threats around g2.

→

Kortschnoj – Karpov · 1978 · 1–0

World Championship, Baguio City 1978 (game 21) — Korchnoi's first win of the match, when Karpov led four wins to none. A Queen's Gambit Declined in which 19.Rxd5! won a pawn and the initiative; Korchnoi converted in 60 moves and began the fightback that levelled the match 5–5 before Karpov clinched it in game 32.

→

Kortschnoj – Huebner · 1981 · 1–0

Johannesburg 1981 — a 23-move Queen's Indian miniature against fellow Candidates finalist Robert Hübner. The breakthrough 15.Nxd5! and the sacrifice 21.Nxf7! stripped the black king, and after 22.Ng5+ Kh8 23.Bc3 Hübner resigned on the long diagonal.

→

Karpov – Kortschnoj · 1994 · 0–1

Dortmund 1994 — a late-career win over his old adversary Anatoly Karpov, two decades after their world-title battles. The 63-year-old Korchnoi (Black) rolled his kingside pawns forward (…g5, …h5, …g4, …h3) to smash open the white king and won the long fight in 72 moves.

→

Caruana – Kortschnoj · 2011 · 0–1

Gibraltar Masters 2011 — at 79, Korchnoi (Black) beat the 18-year-old future world No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, already rated over 2700. In a Ruy Lopez he seized the initiative with …f5 and a kingside pawn storm (…g5–g4), won material and converted — a vivid testament to a lifelong will to win.

→