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While today’s chess generation looks up to such superstars as Anand, Kramnik, Topolov, Shirov, Carlsen, etc, there was a time a few decades ago when the names Karpov, Korchnoi, Seirawan, Miles, and some up-and-comer named Kasparov, were the heroes of the day. And while today the moves are available in real-time via the internet, back in the early eighties you had to wait for the chess magazine to arrive in the mail to get the games. What’s more, events back then were rarely filmed; unlike today where practically all the major tournaments are recorded on video, and some even have cameras that give “live feeds” directly to the internet. The fact that one of the strongest tournaments of the eighties was recorded and is now available on DVD is something that all serious chess players should be excited about. Impala Press has released a two DVD set called Prelude to Armageddon (Kasparov and Karpov in London).
Before we get to the “good stuff,” (and it’s very good) there are a few
negatives I’d like to get out of the way. First, one could be forgiven for
expecting to see Kasparov and Karpov playing each other somewhere on these
two discs. They do not. What the subtitle “Kasparov and
Karpov in London” is referring to is that both of them played in big
events in London just prior to their match for the world title (hence
the “Prelude to Armageddon” part). On the first DVD Kasparov
plays Korchnoi in the semi-finals of the 1983 candidates match, and on the
second Karpov plays in the 1984 Kings Tournament. Disc 1 Review: 1983 Candidates Semi-Finals And this brings us to the second negative. While Disc 2 is extremely fascinating and you will want to watch it numerous times, Disc 1 which contains the 1983 World Chess Championship Candidates Semi-Finals is a bit uneven. Some of it is worth seeing, while other parts of the four 22 minute clips don’t hold up well. For example, the opening music on Disc 1 sounds like something from a very old video game. I mention this because the intro music is really important as it helps set the mood. And once you hear the excellent opening music on Disc 2, it makes you wonder why they (they meaning the TV production company, not Impala Publishing, which didn’t even exist back then) chose the “Pac-Man” music for Disc 1. The two hosts of the show (which was originally broadcast on British TV), John Walton and Sue Moreman do a good job of giving us a video tour around the Great Eastern Hotel (where the matches were played), as well as properly plugging the tournament sponsor, Acorn Computers. However, things quickly come to a stall with a rather boring interview with the soft spoken 19 year old female assistant arbiter, Sophia Goreman, as she tells us how she got interested in chess. Seeing this when it originally aired might have been fine, but seeing it almost 25 years later really adds nothing and should probably have been cut out of the DVD. (Note, it could be argued that Impala didn’t want to tamper with the original show, and so put it out “as is.” However, it could also be argued that some editing would have helped “tighten things up a bit,” and make for a better overall viewing experience.) Next up is a lengthy, but fascinating interview with GM Ray Keene, who was in large part responsible for bringing the candidates matches to London. He explains in great detail how (then) FIDE President Florencio Campomanes had decided that the Kasparov-Korchnoi match should be held in Pasadena, California; and the Smyslov-Ribli match in the Arab Emirates. Not surprisingly, the Soviet Chess Federation objected very strongly, and in fact refused to play the matches. As a result, they were defaulted and things looked bad. However, this is where GM Keene went to work “behind the scenes” to see if he could work out a compromise for all involved.
And so in large part the chess world owes GM
Raymond Keene a great debt for saving the 1983 World Chess Championship
Candidates Matches. I think most chess players, especially those that
followed the matches at the time, will find this interview extremely
interesting. And even if you are too young to have been around back then, it
is worth watching for its important historical significance. The Players
Keene then goes on to give some interesting color commentary about each of the four semi-finalists. He describes Korchnoi as a great chess player, but a complex human being who is a bit eccentric to say the least, pointing out his use of gurus and parapsychologists during his match against Karpov. On the other hand, he has nothing but praise for the young (only 20 years old at the time!) Kasparov, referring to him as the “reincarnation of Alekhine.” He also says how impressive it is that someone so young could already be such a strong challenger for the world title. Moving on, Keene points out that since Smyslov, now in his sixties, was already World Champion some 30 years earlier, he really has nothing to prove and is not under as much pressure as the others. And finally he concludes by mentioning that while Ribli is a solid GM, he is thought to be slightly out of his league amongst the present company. The next segment on the DVD features highlights from the various match games. Regrettably, the presentational standards are not up to par. First there’s the “cheesy” looking presentation board. This consists of a green and black Velcro chess board mounted on cardboard, with yellow and blue chess pieces that looked to be cut out of construction paper by a kindergartener! Furthermore, it is a bit difficult at first to make out exactly what each piece is (although eventually you figure out that the little “hats” are pawns, etc.) Honestly, if you are going to broadcast something on TV, the least you could do is go out and get a decent looking demo board.
However that said, “Professor Wade” (I call him that because he sounds just like what I imagine a professor from Oxford sounds like!) has a straightforward and easy to follow commentating style. Both Keene and Wade alternate going over positions from the games for the rest of the DVD. Of the two, Keene is the more charismatic.
Now let’s move on to the real gem in this package: Disc 2! Disc 2 Review: Kings Tournament 1984 The video opens dramatically to a black screen and the sound of a clock rapidly ticking away. A few seconds later, the source of the ticking comes into view: a close-up of a wooden chess clock. As the camera slowly pulls back, you can see two flags next to the clock, one Russian, the other Swiss. Sinister downbeats from a piano let you know that something dramatic is happening. Suddenly, the camera pulls back and we see GMs Karpov and Korchnoi sitting at the chess board engaged in a tense struggle. Korchnoi is holding a cigarette while staring down at the board, trying to find a good move as his time ticks away. Across from him sits the current World Champion, GM Anatoly Karpov, who looks cool, composed, and very dangerous. As he reaches for a sip of coffee, he delivers an icy cold stare at the cameraman (see photo below).
Karpov’s
intimidating stare is leveled at the
How would you like to sit across the board from this guy!?
Karpov and Korchnoi shake hands as the audience applauds.
Another highlight of the DVD is the interview with Victor Korchnoi. With “Victor the Terrible” you never know what you’re going to get as he is a very complex man. (I remember when I was in Las Vegas at the 1999 FIDE Knockout World Chess Championship and was able to get a photo with many of the top players including Kramnik and Short. However, when I asked Victor if we could take a photo I received a curt “No!” Although in all fairness to him, perhaps I should have waited a while before asking, as he had just lost his game…doh!) I must say that during this interview he exudes a ton of charm and charisma. His softly spoken and thoughtful answers emanating out from his very expressive face. When asked what he thought his chances in the tournament were, the Soviet defector, now playing for Sweden, said (Obviously the guy doing the voice-over on the DVD means Switzerland!-MJ):
Will you be playing more tournaments?
This is the first tournament you’ve played in with a number of Soviet players. Are you pleased that the chess boycott has been lifted?
Before getting to the games, GM Keene gives his predictions about who he thinks will win the tournament, which is the strongest ever to be held in London. Following this, the “most interesting” games from each round are shown. From Round one:
White to move and win Torre has just played 27…Re6, and now Chandler unleashed a beautiful combination. (Solution at end of review.)
Black to move and win
Korchnoi has just played 27.Kh2. How did Yasser finish him off?
(Solution at end of review.) Those Were the Days… Here are some screenshots from the DVD that shows what some of these well known Grandmasters looked like in 1984:
Separated at birth!?
Although the two gentlemen pictured below could pass as twins, they are
actually not related! Can you correctly name them both? (Solution at
end of review!
The DVD concludes with a short interview with the winner of the tournament, 33 year old World Champion Anatoly Karpov. He says that he was pleased with the quality of his games, with the exception of his loss to Torre, and that he likes London. Here are the final standings from the tournament:
Buy these DVDs! While the second Disc is more interesting than the first, both are worth seeing. By the way, on the second Disc is some footage of the GM’s playing soccer against the GLC All-Stars during their off day. While the GM’s lost the game 3-1, it was even worse for GM Jan Timman who broke his foot during the game (ouch!). There’s a short interview with him where he talks about it.
While I would probably only give the first Disc a 7, the second Disc
is definitely a 10. Getting to see footage of these great
players from a generation ago is a real treat (not to mention seeing Karpov
in his prime!) Plus, you are bound to learn some things from the
featured game from each round. Prelude to Armageddon (Kasparov and
Karpov in London), on a scale of 1-10, gets a 7 and a
10! Solution to Problems 1) Murray won with: 28.Nf6+ Rxf6 29.exf6 Rxe1+ 30.Kb2 g5 31.Qc8+ Kh7 32.Qf8 Kg6 33.g4 1–0 (Here Torre resigned because he’s getting mated: 33…Kxf6 34.Rf5+ Ke6 35.Qxf7+ Kd6 36.Rd5# ) 2) Seirawan weaved a mating net with: 27…Nxd5! 28.Nxb5 [28.if exd5 Kf7 29.Kh3 f5 followed by 30.Rh8#] 28...Kd7 29.Kh3 f5! 0–1 (Korchnoi resigned, as 30.exf5 Nf6! holds the rook and 31….Rh8# cannot be prevented.)
3)
On the Left is GM Mestel and on the right is GM Speelman, both from England!
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