Viktor Korchnoi

Viktor Korchnoi, 1976
Surname	Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi
Association	USSR (until 1977) Switzerland (since 1979)
Born	March 23, 1931 Leningrad , USSR
Died	June 6, 2016 Wohlen
title	International Master (1954) Grand Master (1956)
Best Elo rating	2695 (January 1979, January 1980, July 1981)

Viktor Korchnoi (name form used in German by Korchnoi, and Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi, Russian Виктор Львович Корчной ., Scientific transliteration Viktor L'vovič Korčnoj , English and FIDE notation Viktor Korchnoi * 23. March 1931 in Leningrad ; † June 6 2016 in Wohlen ) one was Swiss Chess - Grandmaster of Russian origin. After his emigration from the Soviet Union (1976) he was defeated by Anatoly Karpov in two competitions for the world championship in 1978 and 1981 .

Korchnoi became senior world champion in 2006 and was still ranked 85th in January 2007. At 75, he was the oldest player in the top 100 since its introduction.

Life

Viktor Korchnoi learned to play chess from his father when he was seven. The Siege of Leningrad , he barely survived, he lost his father and almost all his family. In 1943 he became a member of the chess club of the Leningrad Pioneer Palace. Here he was trained by Abram Model, Andrei Batujew and Wladimir Sak . In 1947 and 1948 he was the youth champion of the Soviet Union . In 1951 he received the title of “Master of Sports”, and a year later he qualified for the Soviet championship for the first time. He studied history for six years and graduated from Leningrad Zhdanov University in 1954 . In 1954 he was awarded the title of International Master by the World Chess Federation FIDE , followed two years later by the title of International Grand Master .

Korchnoi achieved his first major success in 1962 at the zone tournament in Moscow, where he qualified for the Stockholm interzonal tournament after failing at the first attempt four years earlier. In the Swedish capital, he finally finished fourth, which gave him a place in the Curaçao Candidates Tournament - the elimination competition for the World Cup. There Korchnoi reached fifth place in the victory of the eventual world champion and compatriot Tigran Petrosjan .

After he had missed participation in the next interzonal tournament in Amsterdam in 1964 and thus prematurely the possible elimination of the World Cup for 1966 , Korchnoi qualified in 1967 in Tbilisi for the interzonal tournament in Sousse . In the Tunisian port city, he made his participation in the 1968 Candidates' tournament perfect with second place, in which he advanced to the finals. There he failed because of his compatriot and defeated World Cup challenger from 1966, Boris Spasski , who should then successfully return the favor against world champion Petrosyan.

By reaching the finals three years earlier, Korchnoi was set for the subsequent Candidates Tournament in 1971 , but this time had to cancel the sails in the semifinals against the dethroned world champion Petrosian. In 1973 Korchnoi won the interzonal tournament in Leningrad together with his compatriot Anatoly Karpov . At the candidate tournament the following year, both players faced each other again in the final. This time Korchnoi had to admit defeat to his 20 years younger opponent, who was declared world champion in 1975 without a fight. Kortschnoi thus once again missed participating in the World Cup against the later title holder.

Korchnoi won the title of USSR champion four times (1960, 1962, 1964, 1970). A total of six times he was victorious with the team of the USSR in chess Olympiads (1960, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972 and 1974).

Viktor Korchnoi fled to the West in 1976 on the occasion of an international tournament in Amsterdam . He left his wife and son in the Soviet Union. With the help of FIDE he then tried to get an exit permit for his family. First he stayed in the Netherlands , then - from 1978 - in Switzerland , for which he has since competed in tournaments. Right before Korchnoi's 1978 World Cup fight, his son was supposed to be drafted into military service. When he refused and tried to escape, he was jailed for two years. In 1981 a committee was formed in Iceland to support the Korchnojs family , which campaigned for the family to be released. The committee consisted of 100 celebrities from politics and culture, including Nobel Prize winner Halldór Laxness .

As a set participant in the 1977 World Cup elimination , Korchnoi was given the opportunity to play the World Cup for the first time after victories over Petrosian, Lev Polugajewski and Spasski (all of the USSR). This competition, which was held in Baguio (Philippines), took place in a politically heated climate: Korchnoi made defending champion Karpov, who was considered “loyal to the line”, responsible for the political situation in the USSR. The World Cup duel - the winner should be the player who won six first - Korchnoi lost just five to six wins in 21 draws, after he had previously made up a three-point deficit within four games.

Viktor Kortschnoi (right) with Max Euwe (1978)

Viktor Korchnoi (1993)

As the last World Cup participant to automatically qualify for the Candidates' tournament in 1980 , Korchnoi defeated Petrosyan and Polugajewski as he had done three years earlier, as well as West German Robert Huebner in the final , thus once again gaining the right to challenge world champion Karpov. Korchnoi also lost the new World Cup - held in Merano in autumn 1981 - when he had to admit defeat this time after 18 games six times (with two wins).

Korchnoi was also set for the next candidates' tournament in 1983 . When he was supposed to face Garry Kasparov (USSR) in the semi-finals in August 1983 , there was a dispute between the world chess federation FIDE and the Soviet chess federation over the planned venue Pasadena in the USA. FIDE awarded Korchnoi a non-fighting victory that he refused to accept. Finally, the competition came about after a three-month delay in London, Korchnoi defeated Kasparov with one to four wins (4: 7).

In the course of qualifying for the 1990 World Cup - Kasparov was now the title holder - Korchnoi won one of the three scheduled interzonal tournaments in Zagreb in 1987 . In the subsequent Candidates Tournament he lost at the beginning of 1988 in the round of 16 against Jóhann Hjartarson from Iceland . In qualifying for the World Cup in 1993 , Korchnoi reached sixth place in the interzonal tournament in Manila in the summer of 1990, once again a starting place for the candidates' tournament . There he finally lost in August 1991 in the quarter-finals against the Dutchman Jan Timman with 2.5: 4.5.

Viktor Kortschnoi in Zurich, August 2009

With his further participation in various World Cup qualifications, Korchnoi did not get beyond the first qualifying rounds. However, despite his advanced age, Korchnoi continued to successfully take part in high-class chess tournaments. After he had long refused to compete in special senior competitions, he became senior world champion straight away when he participated for the first time in 2006 . In Arvier , Italy , he won with nine points from 11 games ahead of the Czech grandmaster Vlastimil Jansa (8.5 / 11). He won the Swiss national championship five times: 1982, 1984, 1985, 2009 and 2011.

His uncompromising style earned Korchnoi the nickname Viktor the Terrible . According to the American mathematician Jeff Sonas , between September and December 1965 he had the highest historical rating of all active chess players during that period. Korchnoi's best FIDE rating was 2695 (between 1979 and 1981).

Due to his unusually long active career, Korchnoi holds the record for the most chess games played with almost 5,000 documented games . In addition, from 1960 he took part in 17 Chess Olympiads, six times for the USSR and eleven times for Switzerland. In addition to the six gold medals for the USSR, he received four golds for his best board result, most recently in 1978 on the first board of the Swiss team. He fought at the Chess Olympiads for almost 50 years, arguably another world record.

At the end of December 2012, it was announced that Korchnoi had previously suffered a stroke and therefore probably had to end his long career. At the end of March 2014, Korchnoi, sitting in a wheelchair, played two show matches against Wolfgang Uhlmann in Leipzig , both of which he won. In November 2014, Korchnoi was made an honorary member of FIDE.

From May 21, 1991 Viktor Korchnoi was married to Petra Leeuwerik, who had already supported him as head of the delegation in his 1978 World Cup fight. Also in 1991 got Korchnoi from his home in Wohlen in Canton Aargau , the Swiss citizenship . He died there in June 2016 at the age of 85.

Elo development

National team

Korchnoi was a national player for 56 years. In the Soviet national team he made his debut in the qualifying competitions for the 1957 European Team Championships held in July 1955 , later he took part with the USSR team in the Chess Olympiads in 1960 , 1966 , 1968 , 1970 , 1972 and 1974 (which he won all and also in 1966 on first reserve board, he achieved the best individual result on the third board in 1968 and the second board in 1972) as well as the European team championships in 1957, 1961 , 1965, 1970 and 1973 (which he won all and also in 1957 on the eighth board, 1961 on the sixth board and 1965 on the third board achieved the best individual result). With Switzerland he took part in the chess Olympiads in 1978 , 1982 , 1988 , 1990 , 1992 , 1994 , 2000 , 2002 , 2004 , 2006 and 2008 on the top board (with the best individual result on the first board in 1978), as well as in the team world championships 1985, 1989, 1993 and 1997 (1985 and 1989 he achieved the best individual result on the top board) and at the European Team Championships in 1989, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2011 . Korchnoi was nominated for both competitions between the USSR and the rest of the world . In 1970 he played for the USSR team on the third board and was defeated by Lajos Portisch 1.5: 2.5. In 1984 he reached on the third board of the world selection 2.5 points from four games, namely a win and two draws against Lev Polugajewski and a draw against Volodymyr Tukmakow .

societies

Kortschnoi played in the Swiss National League A until 2012 for the Zurich chess company , with which he became Swiss team champion in 1999 , 2002 , 2003 , 2005 , 2008 , 2009 and 2010 . In the Dutch Meester class (formerly Hoofd class ) he played for Rotterdam until the 2000/01 season , with which he also took part in the European Club Cup five times and reached the final in 1979. He won the Russian team championship in 2000 and 2001 with Lentransgas Saint Petersburg , the British Four Nations Chess League in the 2001/02 season with Beeson Gregory . In the Austrian State League he played in the 1995/96 season for SC Margareten , where he was reported in the following two seasons, but was not used. In the German Chess Bundesliga he had in the 1977-78 season two forces in SG Porz , later he was in Germany at SV Glückauf Rüdersdorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the SV Lingen reported.

Game example

Fischer – Korchnoi

	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H
8th									8th
7th									7th
6th									6th
5									5
4th									4th
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	G	H

End position after 33 ... Qxg3

In the following game, Korchnoi defeated the eventual world champion Bobby Fischer with the black stones in the 1962 Curaçao Candidates Tournament .

Fischer – Korchnoi 0-1

Curacao, May 9, 1962

Pirc Ufimzew Defense , B09

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 0–0 6. Be2 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. 0–0 Qxc5 + 9. Kh1 Nc6 10. Nd2 a5 11. Nb3 Qb6 12. a4 Nb4 13.g4 Bxg4 14. Bxg4 Nxg4 15. Qxg4 Nxc2 16. Nb5 Nxa1 17. Nxa1 Qc6 18. f5 Qc4 19. Qf3 Qxa4 20. Nc7 Qxa1 21. Nd5 Tae8 22nd Bg5 Qxb2 23.Bxe7 Be5 24.Rf2 Qc1 + 25.Rf1 Qh6 26.h3 gxf5 27.Bxf8 Rxf8 28. Ne7 + Kh8 29.Nxf5 De6 30.Rg1 a4 31.Rg4 Qb3 32.Qf1 a3 33.Rg3 Qxg3 0: 1

Publications

• Viktor Kortschnoi: A life for chess. Rau-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1978, ISBN 3-7919-0170-2 .
• Viktor Korchnoi: My best fights. 1952 to 1978. Rau-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1979, ISBN 3-7919-0177-X .
• Viktor Korchnoi : ANTISCHACH. My competition for the world championship against KARPOW in Baguio City 1978. Self-published, Wohlen 1980.
• Viktor Kortschnoi: Practice of the rook endgame. Olms-Verlag, Zurich 1999, ISBN 978-3-283-00287-9 .
• Viktor Kortschnoi: My best fights, volume 1, games with white. Olms-Verlag, Zurich 2001, ISBN 978-3-283-00407-1 .
• Viktor Kortschnoi: My best fights, volume 2, games with black. Olms-Verlag, Zurich 2001, ISBN 978-3-283-00408-8 .
• Viktor Kortschnoi: My life for chess. Olms-Verlag, Zurich 2004, ISBN 978-3-283-00409-5 .

literature

• Gennadi Sosonko : Evil-Doer. Half a Century with Viktor Korchnoi . Elk and Ruby, Moscow 2018, ISBN 978-5-9500433-8-3 .
• Andrew Soltis : Tal, Petrosian, Spassky and Korchnoi. A Chess Multibiography with 207 Games. McFarland, 2018, ISBN 978-1-4766-7146-8 .

Web links

Commons : Viktor Kortschnoi  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Literature by and about Viktor Kortschnoi in the catalog of the German National Library
• Replayable chess games by Viktor Kortschnoi on chessgames.com (English)
• Biography of Viktor Kortschnoi on chessdiagonals.ch (English with German-speaking part about his tournament successes)
• Interview with Axel Jomeyer, November 2005
• Weak spirits checkered Kortschnois interview with Hartmut Metz, August 4, 2008

Individual evidence

1. ↑ olimpbase.org
2. ↑ “There is some confusion regarding his birthday, because many sources, including Kortschnoi's 400 wins , which were published in 1978 and co-written by himself, give July 23 as the date. As luck would have it, my son was born on that very day, and of course we called him Victor. Later I heard the other version of Korchnoi's birthday, and I decided to ask the great Master myself for some enlightenment on the matter. He named March 23rd as his actual birthday ... ”- Mihail Marin: Learning from the Legends . Quality Chess, 1st German edition, 2008.
3. ^ André Schulz : On the death of Viktor Kortschnoj In: de.chessbase.com. June 6, 2016, accessed November 9, 2019.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Viktor Korchnoi Dies
5. ↑ fide.com
6. ↑ Willy Iclicki: FIDE Golden book 1924-2002. Euroadria, Slovenia, 2002, p. 74.
7. ↑ Overview of the Soviet Zone Tournaments (English) ( Memento of 5 June 2011 at the Internet Archive )
8. ↑ Alexander Armbruster: Viktor Korchnoi is dead: a chess elemental force . ISSN  0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed May 12, 2019]).
9. ↑ Deutsche Schachzeitung August 1981, p. 249.
10. ↑ www.chessmetrics.com
11. ↑ MEN'S CHESS OLYMPIADS - Kortschnoj, Viktor (Switzerland) on OlimpBase (English)
12. ↑ Report to Chessvibes December 28, 2012.
13. ^ Kortschnoi versus Uhlmann , Leipziger Volkszeitung, March 30, 2014.
14. ↑ Viktor Korchnoi died at the age of 85
15. ↑ Numbers according to FIDE Elo lists. Data sources: fide.com (period since 2001), olimpbase.org (period 1971 to 2001)
16. ↑ Results of qualification group 1 for the 1957 European Team Championship on olimpbase.org (English)
17. ↑ ^{a b} Viktor Kortschnoi's results at the Chess Olympiads on olimpbase.org (English)
18. ↑ ^{a b} Viktor Kortschnois results at European team championships on olimpbase.org (English)
19. ↑ Viktor Kortschnois results at team world championships on olimpbase.org (English)
20. ↑ Viktor Kortschnois results in the European Club Cup on olimpbase.org (English)
21. ^ Johannes Eising , Karl-Heinz Podzielny , Gerd Treppner : Schach-Bundesliga 1974-80. P. 14, ISBN 3-923113-00-5 .
22. ↑ Results of SV Glückauf Rüdersdorf in the 2007/08 season at the German Chess Federation
23. ^ Report to the German Chess Federation