Chessville - News - Clash of the Titans - Polgar vs Karpov

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“CLASH OF THE TITANS”

7-time World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov and 4-time Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar

BATTLE OF TWO
WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONS

Reported by FM Paul Truong

September 18-19, in tiny Lindsborg, Kansas, 7-time World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov and 4-time Women’s World Champion Susan Polgar squared off in a six-game triple challenge of Rapid Chess, Blitz Chess and Fischer Random Chess. This historic colossal battle and unique match marked the first ever official chess match between a Men’s World Chess Champion and a Women’s World Chess Champion. Anatoly Karpov and Susan Polgar have long been true ambassadors to chess. This time, their mammoth battle was designed to help promote chess in the United States.

Susan Polgar Foundation

A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization

103-10 Queens Boulevard (Suite 1C), Forest Hills, New York 11375

At the start of the match, a coin toss was made by the TD Ralph Bowman of Kansas, Chairperson of the US Scholastic Council. Karpov won the coin toss and chose black. Susan went all out for the win in game one.

She maintained an advantage until she decided to over-push, she decided to sac a pawn on move 17. However, Polgar did not follow it up precisely and lost the initiative, 19. Rb6 Nxc5 20. Qb1 would be better. Karpov equalized and had a very good endgame. During the game, one of the players accidentally knocked over a piece which caused the sensory board to go banana and the broadcast abruptly ended. Karpov had about 7-8 seconds when the game ended in a theoretical Rook and Pawn endgame draw. Karpov offered the draw and Polgar accepted on move 61.

Susan Polgar – Anatoly Karpov [D37]
Clash of the Titans – Game 1, 19.09.2004 (Rapid G/25 +5)

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.d4 e6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0–0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.0–0 a6 11.h3 Be6 12.Nd4 Qb6 13.Rb1 Rfd8 14.b4 Nxd3 15.Qxd3 Rac8 16.Na4 Qa7

17.Nc5 Bxc5 18.bxc5 Ne4 19.Nxe6 fxe6 20.Be5 Nxc5 21.Qd4 b6 22.Rfc1 Rc6 23.Rc3 Qf7 24.Rbc1 a5 25.Qg4 Rf8 26.Rf1 Rcc8 27.Bd4 Nd7 28.Rb3 Rc2 29.f4 Rxa2 30.f5 e5 31.Bxb6 d4 32.Rbb1 Nxb6 33.Rxb6 dxe3 34.Re1 Qxf5 35.Qxf5 Rxf5 36.Rxe3 Rg5 37.g3 after many more moves ½–½

Final position - Game 1

An estimated 450-500 people were on hand at the playing site. The players sat on stage with spot lights shining on the board. Behind them is a big projection board than can be seen hundreds of feet away.

In game two, Karpov had White and Polgar sacrificed a pawn early in a King's Indian. Polgar wanted to get into sharp position. As usual, she went all out. Karpov correctly gave back the pawn to have a small edge in a Rook, Knight and Pawns endgame. As typical Karpov, he slowly and patiently squeezed the position. At the end, he broke through and had a decisive winning endgame and Polgar overstepped the time limit.

Anatoly Karpov – Susan Polgar
Clash of the Titans – Game 2, 18.09.2004 (Rapid G/25 +5)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.h3 0–0 6.Be3 c5 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bxc5 Nc6 10.Nf3 b6 11.Be3 Nd7 12.0–0–0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Ba6

14.c5 Bxf1 15.Rhxf1 Nxc5 16.Bxc5 bxc5 17.Kc2 e6 18.Rxd8+ Rxd8 19.Rb1 c4 20.Rb7 Rc8 21.g3 a5 22.a4 h6 23.Rb5 f5 24.Nd2 fxe4 25.Nxe4 Kg7 26.Rc5 Ne7 27.Rxa5 Nd5 28.Ra7+ Kg8 29.Ra6 Re8 30.a5 g5 31.Rc6 Ra8 32.a6 Kf7 33.Nc5 Ne7 34.Rxe6 Rc8 35.a7 Ra8 36.Ra6 Nc8 37.Rc6 Nxa7 38.Ra6 Ke7 39.Na4 Kf8 40.Nb2 Ke7 41.Nxc4 1–0

After day 1, the score is Karpov 1.5 - Polgar .5

After the games, the World Champions signed autographs for hundreds of people.

Then they came back to the Russian Chess Cafe to have dinner with nearly 100 fans. This is a treat that very few people will ever experience in their lives. Susan represented the World Champions and made a speech to the crowd. Everyone was cheering them on enthusiastically. Among the chess celebrities in the crowd are IM Pascal Charbonneau (Canadian Champion), GM Yury Shulman, IM Krush and Zatonskih (members of the 2004 US Women's Olympiad team).

Susan Polgar – Anatoly Karpov
Clash of the Titans – Game 3, 19.09.2004 Fischer Random (15 0)

Starting Position

1.e4 e5 2.f3 f6 3.Nbc3 Bf7 4.Ne3 Ne6 5.Bc4 Bc5 6.Bxe6 Bxe6 7.Ned5 Bxg1 8.Qxg1 d6 9.d4 c6

10.dxe5 fxe5 11.Ne3 Qf7 12.0–0–0 Rd8 13.Qf2 Na6 14.Kb1 Nc7 15.Qg3 h6 16.a3 b5 17.Rd2 Rd7 18.Rhd1 0–0–0 19.Ne2 g5 20.h4 Qf6 21.hxg5 hxg5 22.Nc1 Kb7 23.Nd3 a5 24.Ng4 Bxg4 25.Qxg4 Ne6 26.Qf5 Qe7 27.c3 Kc7 28.Rh1 Rf8 29.Qg4 Nf4 30.Nxf4 gxf4 31.Rh6 Rf6 32.Rh8 Rf8 33.Rh5 etc. Black lost on time 1–0

Anatoly Karpov – Susan Polgar [D27]
Clash of the Titans – Game 5, 19.09.2004 (Blitz G/5)

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0–0 a6 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nbd2 Ke7 10.Be2 b6 11.b3 Bb7 12.Bb2 Nbd7 13.Rfd1 Rhd8 14.Ne1 Rac8 15.Nd3 Bd6 16.Nc4 Bc7 17.Ba3+ Ke8 18.Rac1 b5 19.Nd6+ Bxd6 20.Bxd6 Rxc1 21.Rxc1 Rc8 22.Rxc8+ Bxc8 23.Bf3 Kd8 24.Nb4 Nb6 25.Nc6+ Kd7 26.Bc5 Nbd5 27.Ne5+ Ke8 28.h3 Bb7 Karpov offered a draw ½–½

Before the start of game six, the Champions share a handshake, and wish each other...Good Chess!!

Susan Polgar – Anatoly Karpov [D47]
Clash of the Titans – Game 6, 19.09.2004 (Blitz G/5)

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Be2 a6 9.e4 b4 10.e5 bxc3 11.exf6 Nxf6 12.bxc3 Bd6 13.0–0 0–0 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bh4 c5 16.dxc5 Bxc5 17.Qa4 Be7 18.Ne5 Qc7 19.Nc6 Bb7 20.Nxe7+ Qxe7 21.Rab1 Rfc8 22.c4 Bc6 23.Qb3 a5 24.Rfd1 Qc5 25.Bxf6 gxf6 26.Qg3+ Kf8 27.Qf4 Qg5 28.Qd6+ Kg7 29.Bf1 Qe5 Black lost on time 1–0

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