Viktor Korchnoi
Notable Games

Viktor Korchnoi

20 celebrated games · 2200 in the full archive
Player Index ◈ Biography 2200 CURATED GAMES

Notable Games

  • 1960.12.05 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsBotvinnik, Mikhail 1-0 Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation, American Variation 42 moves Match/City Moscow-Leningrad 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).
  • 1962.05.09 Fischer, Robert James vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Pirc Defense: Austrian Attack 33 moves Candidates Tournament-05 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.
  • 1962.12.11 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsTal, Mikhail 1-0 Benoni Defense: Fianchetto Variation 54 moves URS-ch30 Final 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.
  • 1967 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsUdovcic, Mijo 1-0 French Defense: Tarrasch Variation, Closed Variation 31 moves October Revolution 50years 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).
  • 1971.05.13 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsGeller, Efim P 1-0 King's Indian Defense: Orthodox Variation, Modern System 36 moves Candidates qf Kortschnoj-Geller +4-1=3 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).
  • 1973.06.13 Larsen, Bent vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 English Opening: King's English Variation 43 moves Interzonal-09a 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.
  • 1974.11.11 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Anti-Queen's Indian System 19 moves Candidates f Karpov-Kortschnoj +3-2=19 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.
  • 1975 Planinc, Albin vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 King's Gambit Accepted: Kieseritzky Gambit, Kolisch Defense 19 moves Moscow 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.
  • 1977 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsPetrosian, Tigran V 1-0 English Opening: King's English Variation, Four Knights Variation, Fianchetto Line 71 moves Candidates qf Kortschnoj-Petrosian +2-1 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.
  • 1977.11.23 Spassky, Boris Vasilievich vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 French Defense: Winawer Variation, Poisoned Pawn Variation, Main Line 40 moves Candidates f Kortschnoj-Spassky +7-4=7 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.
  • 1978 Tatai, Stefano vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 French Defense: Exchange Variation 14 moves Beersheba 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.
  • 1978.09.12 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsKarpov, Anatoly 1-0 Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack 60 moves World-ch28 Karpov-Kortschnoj +6-5=21 World Championship, Baguio City 1978 (game 21) — Korchnoi's second win of the match, cutting Karpov's lead to 4–2. 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.
  • 1981.08.12 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsHuebner, Robert 1-0 Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov Variation 23 moves Johannesburg 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.
  • 1994 Karpov, Anatoly vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Main Line 72 moves Dortmund 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.
  • 2011.01.26 Caruana, Fabiano vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Anderssen Variation 46 moves Gibraltar Masters 9th 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.
  • 1960.02.22 Geller, Efim P vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Alekhine Defense: Four Pawns Attack, Korchnoi Variation 35 moves URS-ch27 Final Leningrad 1960 — a 35-move win with Black against Efim P Geller. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part V, game 7 (PDF page 36).
  • 1978.09.30 Karpov, Anatoly vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Ruy Lopez: Open, Berlin Variation 61 moves World-ch28 Karpov-Kortschnoj +6-5=21 World Championship 1978, game 28 — a 61-move win with Black against Anatoly Karpov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part V, game 31 (PDF page 132).
  • 1983.11.21 Kasparov, Garry vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Queen's Indian Defense: Kasparov-Petrosian Variation, Petrosian Attack 52 moves Candidates sf Kasparov-Kortschnoj+4-1=6 London 1983, Candidates match game 1 — a 52-move win with Black against Garry Kasparov. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part V, game 38 (PDF page 170).
  • 1989.09.25 Ivanchuk, Vassily vsKorchnoi, Viktor Lvovich 0-1 Catalan Opening: Open Defense, Modern Sharp Variation 26 moves Interpolis Tilburg 1989 — a 26-move win with Black against Vassily Ivanchuk. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part V, game 42 (PDF page 186).
  • 2003.02.27 Korchnoi, Viktor Lvovich vsBacrot, Etienne 1-0 English Opening: Anglo-Indian Defense, King's Knight Variation 44 moves Reykjavik Hrokurinn Reykjavik 2003 — a 44-move win with White against Etienne Bacrot. Selected in Garry Kasparov, My Great Predecessors, Part V, game 49 (PDF page 203).
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