Anatoly Karpov of Russia and Gata Kamsky of Brooklyn will vie in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) world championship next fall.
Karpov defeated Boris Gelfand of Belarus 6-3, and Kamsky defeated Valery Salov of Russia by 5 1/2-1 1/2 in a best-of-10-game qualification match Feb. 6-18 in Sanghi Nagar, India.Kamsky, 20, is the first American player to challenge for the world championship since Bobby Fischer won it from Boris Spassky in Iceland in 1972.
The Brooklyn grandmaster is also the youngest player ever to contest a world title match. Karpov, 43, will be spotting him an age difference of 23 years. So far the date and site have not been announced.
Kamsky's schedule will be crowded. He now goes to Las Palmas, the Grand Canary Islands, to contest the final qualification match in the rival Professional Chess Association's (PCA) world championship March 9-25. His opponent will be Viswanathan Anand of India.
The winner of that match will challenge for Gary Kasparov's world title in September in Cologne, Germany.
Kamsky gave one example after another of power chess to swamp Salov.
- NEW GAME? "I well remember with wonderment the sense of adventure and excitement I experienced as a 13-year-old at the chessboard," writes syndicated chess columnist Shelby Lyman.
"Every chess game was unique, each waiting to be choreographed as the glistening white and black pieces began their dance.
"Because the number of possible sequences increases exponentially, most of us never play the same game twice.
"Astonishingly, the number of possible chess games is estimated to be larger than the number of atoms in the universe.
"Since all the games heretofore played are only a fraction of all possible ones, only a small number can be expected to be identical. In fact, a search of chess literature discloses only a handful of duplicates - most less than 20 moves.
"The majority of duplications have occurred decades apart. A few, curiously, are fabrications.
"Although duplication is intriguing, it is the uniqueness of most games that gives chess its fascination and power.
"As each game begins, we are captains at the helm venturing into uncharted seas. Not only is there the excitement and joy of play, but also each game is potentially a significant addition to chess knowledge and - if recorded - a historical event that others can share even centuries later."
- LET'S READ - "I submit my discoveries for your delectation and astonishment," exults Irving Chernev, the Barnum of chess lore, in "Wonders and Curiosities of Chess," published by Dover Books.
This collection of oddities is dedicated to a chess widow (his wife) and contains 357 amazing chess facts (some spurious), including 100 games.
Don't stop Chernev even if you heard it before! He dusts off hoary chestnuts with aplomb to convey his boundless joy in "the small flat world of chess," a tight kingdom of 64 squares that tempts a happy few to spend their lives cornering a wood king on a wooden board.
The late author left us with a cornucopia of obscure tidbits, including the dates for a number of chess firsts, first book, first problem, first magazine, etc. Here are some samples:
- - The first regular newspaper column on chess appeared in Great Britain's Liverpool Mercury on July 9, 1813.
- Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort attended a dinner where a toast was proposed to the chess champion of the world. Both stood up.
- Paul Keres defeated nine world champions without ever winning the title himself.
- Arthur Dake journeyed 1,500 miles to take a board against Alekhine in a simultaneous exhibition. Dake lost in 13 seconds. (I once played against Dake at Herman Steiner's chess club in Hollywood in a simultaneous and lasted 13 minutes, I think.)