The World Chess Championship 1984–1985 was a match between challenger Garry Kasparov and defending champion Anatoly Karpov in Moscow from 10 September 1984 to 15 February 1985 for the World Chess Championship title. After 5 months and 48 games, the match was abandoned in controversial circumstances with Karpov leading 5 wins to 3 (with 40 draws), and replayed in the World Chess Championship 1985.

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World Chess Championship 1984–1985

	Defending champion	Challenger
	Anatoly Karpov	Garry Kasparov
	5* Scores 3*
	Born 23 May 1951 33 years old	Born 13 April 1963 21 years old
	Winner of the 1981 World Chess Championship	Winner of the 1983 Candidates Tournament
	Rating: 2700 (World No. 2)	Rating: 2710 (World No. 1)
← 1981 1985 →

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Three Interzonal tournaments were held. The top two finishers in each qualified. Zoltán Ribli won the Las Palmas Interzonal ahead of 61-year-old former World Champion Vasily Smyslov.^[1] Kasparov, aged 19 years old at the time, won the Moscow Interzonal by a convincing 1½ point margin ahead of Alexander Beliavsky.^[2] The Toluca Interzonal was won jointly by Lajos Portisch and Eugenio Torre.^[3]

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July 1982 Interzonal, Las Palmas

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Total	Tie break
1	Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)	2580	–	1	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	9
2	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	2565	0	–	1	0	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	8½
3	Mihai Suba (Romania)	2525	½	0	–	0	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	1	0	8
4	Vladimir Tukmakov (Soviet Union)	2555	0	1	1	–	1	½	½	0	1	½	0	½	½	1	7½	48.00
5	Tigran Petrosian (Soviet Union)	2605	½	½	½	0	–	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	7½	47.00
6	Jan Timman (Netherlands)	2600	½	½	0	½	0	–	½	1	1	½	0	½	½	1	6½	39.25
7	Bent Larsen (Denmark)	2595	0	½	0	½	½	½	–	0	0	½	1	1	1	1	6½	37.50
8	József Pintér (Hungary)	2550	½	½	0	1	½	0	1	–	0	½	½	½	½	½	6	39.25
9	Jonathan Mestel (England)	2540	½	0	½	0	½	0	1	1	–	0	1	½	0	1	6	36.00
10	Lev Psakhis (Soviet Union)	2615	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	1	–	½	½	½	1	6	35.00
11	Lars Karlsson (Sweden)	2505	½	0	0	1	½	1	0	½	0	½	–	½	½	½	5½	35.25
12	Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)	2360	0	½	½	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	–	½	1	5½	32.75
13	Jaime Sunye Neto (Brazil)	2500	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	½	½	–	1	5½	31.25
14	Walter Browne (United States)	2590	½	0	1	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	–	3

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September 1982 Interzonal, Moscow

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Total	Tie break
1	Garry Kasparov (Soviet Union)	2675	–	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	10
2	Alexander Beliavsky (Soviet Union)	2620	½	–	1	½	1	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	½	1	8½
3	Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)	2610	½	0	–	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	8	48.00
4	Ulf Andersson (Sweden)	2610	½	½	½	–	0	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	8	47.50
5	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	2565	½	0	½	1	–	½	½	0	1	1	½	½	1	½	7½	46.50
6	Guillermo Garcia Gonzales (Cuba)	2500	½	0	½	½	½	–	1	1	0	1	1	½	0	1	7½	45.25
7	Jacob Murey (Israel)	2500	0	1	0	0	½	0	–	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	6½
8	Gyula Sax (Hungary)	2560	0	1	½	½	1	0	0	–	½	½	0	½	½	1	6	37.50
9	Larry Christiansen (United States)	2505	0	0	½	½	0	1	½	½	–	0	½	½	1	1	6	34.25
10	Dragoljub Velimirović (Yugoslavia)	2495	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	1	–	½	1	1	½	5½
11	John van der Wiel (Netherlands)	2520	0	1	0	0	½	0	½	1	½	½	–	½	0	½	5	31.25
12	Florin Gheorghiu (Romania)	2535	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	–	1	½	5	29.25
13	Ruben Rodríguez (Philippines)	2415	0	½	0	½	0	1	0	½	0	0	1	0	–	1	4½
14	Miguel Quinteros (Argentina)	2520	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	0	–	3

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Tal and Andersson contested a playoff in Malmö for a reserve spot for the Candidates Tournament. The match ended 3–3; Tal became first reserve because of his better tie break score in the main event, but eventually no reserves were needed.

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1982 Interzonal, Toluca

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Total	Tie break
1	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	2625	–	½	1	½	0	½	0	1	1	1	½	1	1	½	8½	51.75
2	Eugenio Torre (Philippines)	2535	½	–	½	0	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	8½	51.00
3	Boris Spassky (France)	2610	0	½	–	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	8
4	Igor Ivanov (Canada)	2505	½	1	½	–	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	0	1	7½	48.00
5	Artur Yusupov (Soviet Union)	2555	1	½	½	½	–	½	½	½	½	0	½	1	½	1	7½	46.00
6	Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)	2610	½	0	½	½	½	–	1	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	7½	44.50
7	Yasser Seirawan (United States)	2595	1	0	½	½	½	0	–	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	7½	44.25
8	John Nunn (England)	2565	0	½	½	½	½	½	1	–	½	½	½	½	½	1	7
9	Yuri Balashov (Soviet Union)	2555	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	–	1	0	1	½	1	6½	38.00
10	András Adorján (Hungary)	2510	0	½	0	½	1	½	0	½	0	–	1	½	1	1	6½	36.75
11	Krunoslav Hulak (Yugoslavia)	2495	½	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	1	0	–	½	½	1	5½
12	Jorge Rubinetti (Argentina)	2415	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	–	½	0	4	27.00
13	Amador Rodríguez Céspedes (Cuba)	2480	0	0	½	1	½	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	–	0	4	26.75
14	Bachar Kouatly (Lebanon)	2440	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	–	2½

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The six Interzonal qualifiers were joined by Viktor Korchnoi and Robert Hübner, the Candidates finalists from the previous cycle (World Chess Championship 1981). The eight players participated in a series of knockout matches. The winner was Garry Kasparov.^[4]

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

Moscow, 1983

Garry Kasparov

6

London, Nov–Dec 1983

Alexander Beliavsky

3

Garry Kasparov

7

Bad Kissingen, 1983

Viktor Korchnoi

4

Lajos Portisch

3

Vilnius, March–April 1984

Viktor Korchnoi

6

Garry Kasparov

8½

Alicante, 1983

Vasily Smyslov

4½

Zoltán Ribli

6

London, Nov–Dec 1983

Eugenio Torre

4

Zoltán Ribli

4½

Velden am Wörther See, Mar–Apr 1983

Vasily Smyslov

6½

Robert Hübner

7

Vasily Smyslov

7

The Smyslov–Hübner match was originally tied at 5–5. After playing four extra games without breaking the tie, the match was resolved by a spin of the roulette wheel. Funnily enough, the ball went into the zero on the first spin, before deciding in favor of Smyslov.^[5]

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World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 1-24

	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24
Anatoly Karpov	2700	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½
Garry Kasparov	2710	½	½	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½

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World Chess Championship Match September 1984 – February 1985: Games 25-48

	Rating	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	Wins		Total
Anatoly Karpov	2700	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	0	5		25
Garry Kasparov	2710	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1	3		23

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The championship match between Karpov and Kasparov had many ups and downs, and a very controversial finish. Karpov started in very good form, and after nine games Kasparov was down 4–0 in a "first to six wins" match. Fellow players predicted he would be whitewashed 6–0 within 18 games.

But Kasparov dug in and battled Karpov to 17 successive draws. He lost game 27, then fought back with another series of draws until game 32, his first-ever win against the World Champion. Another 14 successive draws followed, through game 46. The previous record length for a world title match had been 34 games, the 1927 match between José Capablanca and Alexander Alekhine, which also followed the "first to 6 wins" format. Games 47 and 48 were both won by the challenger, making the score 5–3 in favor of Karpov and the eventual outcome far less certain.

Then the match was ended without result by Florencio Campomanes, the President of the World Chess Federation, and a new match was announced to start a few months later. The termination was controversial, as both players stated that they preferred the match to continue. Announcing his decision at a press conference, Campomanes cited the health of the players, which had been strained by the length of the match (5 months: 10 September 1984 to 8 February 1985).

The restarted match (the World Chess Championship 1985) was best of 24, with the champion (Karpov) to retain his title if the match was tied 12–12. Because Karpov's two-point lead from the 1984 match was wiped out, Karpov was granted the right of a return match (the World Chess Championship 1986) if he lost.

The 1984 match became the first, and so far only, world championship match to be abandoned without result. Karpov would later say that, if he had won this match 6-0, Kasparov would never have become world champion, because he was too emotional.^[6][7] On the other hand, Raymond Keene felt that Kasparov showed "an astonishing buoyancy and resilience of spirit".^[8]