Anatoly Karpov, 12th world chess champion and “Grandmaster”, one of the most prominent Soviet and Russian chess players, has achieved outstanding sporting achievements since childhood.
He founded chess schools and clubs, wrote specialized books, and remained influential in developing the game globally even after his retirement. He also held prominent political positions in Russia, and was subject to international sanctions because of his political positions.
Birth and upbringing
Anatoly Karpov was born on May 23, 1951 in the city of Zlatoust, Chelyabetsk Province, Russia. His father worked as an engineer in a machine-building factory, while his mother worked as an economic advisor in the same factory.
Karpov married Irina Kuimova, the daughter of a KGB general, with whom he had one child. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1982, due to his long absence from home due to regular chess tournaments and training camps.
As for his second wife, Natalia Bulanova, she worked in the medical field and later became the owner of an art gallery, with whom he had his second child.
From a young age, Karpov learned about chess, and his father was his first coach. He believed that losing was necessary in order to learn, but Karpov soon became a strong competitor in the game.
At the age of 11, he received the title of Candidate Mathematical Master, then joined the Botvinnik Chess School, and at the age of 14 he became a Mathematical Master of the Soviet Union, a prestigious official title that was awarded to outstanding athletes who achieved outstanding achievements at the national level.
Study and academic path
After graduating from high school, Karpov entered the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, then transferred to the Department of Economics at Leningrad State University.
During his studies, he continued to participate successfully in tournaments, and in 1969 he obtained the title of international sports master in chess, and in 1970 he became an international master of the game.
In the world of chess
While his father was his main competitor in chess at the age of four, at the age of six he became a fixture in the then-popular street chess arena.
His first defeats brought him bitter disappointment, but they also shaped his character. At the age of ten, he won the title of “First Category Player” and the region champion in his age group.
At the age of 15, he traveled abroad for the first time, to Czechoslovakia, where he won a cash prize of 200 rubles, a large sum at that time. Karpov bought himself a portable chess set, which served as his amulet ever since, accompanying him on all his travels until he lost it in the 1990s.
The year 1968 witnessed a turning point in his career, as he won the World Junior Championships in Stockholm, a title that no Soviet athlete had achieved since 1955.
In 1970, he took first place in the Russian Championship, securing his place in the main tournament of the Soviet Union, and in the same year he easily achieved the title of “Grand Master” in a tournament in Venezuela.
In 1973, Karpov took a step towards the World Chess Championship title, sharing the title with Viktor Korchnoi in the Leningrad tournament.
The following year, he tied with Lev Polugaevsky in the candidates match, and after that he prepared to face Bobby Fischer, the world champion at the time, but the latter refused the confrontation for reasons that were not officially announced.
In 1975, the then President of the International Chess Federation congratulated Karpov on his 12th World Chess Championship title.
His matches with Garry Kasparov were among the highlights of his career, as Kasparov was also a contender for the world title. Their first match, which lasted 5 months, ended early for political reasons, and the score was 5:3 in favor of Karpov.
This did not foster any harmony between the players, and the animosity between Karpov and Kasparov extended far beyond the chessboard.
Championships
- Grand Master of Chess (1970).
- 12th world champion (1975-1985).
- FIDE World Champion (1993, 1996, 1998).
- Champion of the Soviet Union 3 times, he won the Olympics and many other tournaments several times.
- He won the World Championship twice with the Soviet team, 1985 and 1989.
- He entered the Guinness Book of World Records several times.
After retirement
Even after his retirement from active competition, Karpov remained one of the most prominent chess experts in Russia and the world.
Karpov described the FIDE’s decision to allow only Russian athletes to participate in international tournaments without officially representing the country or flying its national flag as “foolishness.”
He also described the Shanghai Cooperation Organization tournament, which the Russian team won in December 2023, as an excellent alternative to the world championships.
The school that Karpov founded remained one of the strongest schools in the world of chess, and his books, such as “The Colorful Book of Chess,” “Strategy, Tactics, and Technique,” and “Inexhaustible Chess,” enjoyed wide popularity.
In 2011, the 12th world champion appeared in the documentary “Knight’s Move”, which covered his beginnings in chess and his famous matches with Viktor Korchnoi and Garry Kasparov.
Public and political activities
On 4 December 2011, Karpov was elected to the Duma (Russian Parliament), and became a member of the Duma Committee on Natural Resources, Nature Management and the Environment.
On September 18, 2016, he was re-elected to the State Duma, assumed the position of Vice-Chairman of the Duma Committee for International Affairs, and since 2022 has served as Honorary President of the Russian Chess Federation.
Karpov was a famous stamp collector, and his stamp collection is considered one of the most valuable in Russia, with an estimated value of about 13 million euros.
Karpov has written nearly 100 books on chess theory, held the title of “Grandmaster,” and won many awards, including 9 Oscars in chess. He also founded more than a thousand chess schools and clubs around the world.
On the international sanctions list
- On February 23, 2022, he was included in the European Union sanctions list.
- On February 24, 2022, he was added to Canada’s sanctions list of “close to the regime” for voting to recognize the “independence” of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics.
- On March 24, 2022, he was placed on a US sanctions list for “complicity in Putin’s war” and “supporting the Kremlin’s efforts to invade Ukraine.”
- For similar reasons, he was subject to Swiss sanctions announced on February 25, 2022.
- Subject to Australian sanctions announced on 26 February 2022.
- Subject to British sanctions announced on March 11, 2022.
- Subject to New Zealand sanctions announced on 18 March 2022.
- Subject to Japanese sanctions on April 12, 2022.
- By decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he was subject to Ukrainian sanctions on September 7, 2022.
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