The World Chess Championship 1990 was played between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov. It was the fifth and final Kasparov–Karpov championship match, and saw Kasparov win by a single point.

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World Chess Championship 1990

	Defending champion	Challenger
	[lower-alpha 1] Garry Kasparov	Anatoly Karpov
	12½ Scores 11½
	Born 13 April 1963 27 years old	Born 23 May 1951 39 years old
	Winner of the 1987 World Chess Championship	Winner of the Candidates Tournament
	Rating: 2800 (World No. 1)	Rating: 2730 (World No. 2)
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Three Interzonals were held in the summer of 1987, with 16 to 18 players playing in each and the top three scorers from each qualifying.

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June–July 1987 Interzonal, Subotica

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Total	Tie break
1	Gyula Sax (Hungary)	2570	-	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	0	1	½	1	½	1	1	10½	74.25
2	Nigel Short (England)	2615	0	-	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	10½	73.00
3	Jon Speelman (England)	2550	½	½	-	0	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	10½	70.75
4	Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)	2605	½	½	1	-	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	0	1	10	72.50
5	Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)	2580	½	0	0	½	-	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	10	63.25
6	Amador Rodríguez Céspedes (Cuba)	2495	0	0	½	½	½	-	½	½	½	1	0	1	½	1	1	1	8½
7	Slavoljub Marjanović (Yugoslavia)	2505	0	½	½	0	½	½	-	½	0	½	1	1	½	½	1	1	8
8	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	2550	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	0	0	1	1	½	1	½	7½	52.00
9	Alexander Chernin (Soviet Union)	2570	½	½	0	½	0	½	1	½	-	1	0	0	1	0	1	1	7½	51.00
10	Petar Popović (Yugoslavia)	2540	1	0	½	½	½	0	½	1	0	-	1	0	0	½	½	1	7
11	Alonso Zapata (Colombia)	2505	0	½	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	-	½	0	1	½	1	6½
12	Thomas Ernst (Sweden)	2465	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	½	-	1	1	1	0	6
13	Lev Alburt (United States)	2575	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	0	0	1	1	0	-	½	0	½	5½
14	Xu Jun (China)	2495	½	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	½	0	0	½	-	1	½	5
15	Devaki Prasad (India)	2425	0	½	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	1	0	-	½	4
16	Ahmed Ibrahim Hamed (Egypt)	2310	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	1	½	½	½	-	3

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In the first tournament in Subotica, Sax, Short, and Speelman qualified. Lubomir Kavalek withdrew after six rounds; his results are not included in the totals for the other players. Robert Hübner was invited, but declined to participate. As a result, Ribli had a free day during the last round. To show his displeasure, he refused to take part in a playoff against Tal, which could have been important, if a reserve spot had opened up in the Candidates Tournament.

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July–August 1987 Interzonal, Szirak

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total	Tie break
1	Valery Salov (Soviet Union)	2575	-	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	½	0	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	12½	97.25
2	Jóhann Hjartarson (Iceland)	2550	½	-	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	12½	96.50
3	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	2615	½	½	-	½	1	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	½	½	½	½	12	98.50
4	John Nunn (England)	2585	½	½	½	-	½	0	1	½	1	1	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	12	92.50
5	Alexander Beliavsky (Soviet Union)	2630	0	½	0	½	-	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	11
6	Ulf Andersson (Sweden)	2600	0	½	½	1	½	-	½	1	½	½	½	½	1	1	½	½	½	1	10½
7	Ljubomir Ljubojević (Yugoslavia)	2625	½	0	1	0	½	½	-	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	½	1	10
8	Larry Christiansen (United States)	2575	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	-	½	1	½	1	1	0	1	½	1	1	9
9	Joel Benjamin (United States)	2575	½	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	-	0	½	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	8½	61.75
10	Miodrag Todorcevic (Yugoslavia)	2475	1	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	1	-	1	0	½	0	1	1	1	1	8½	59.75
11	Mihail Marin (Romania)	2475	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	½	0	-	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	7½	52.75
12	Dragoljub Velimirović (Yugoslavia)	2520	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	1	0	-	1	½	1	0	1	1	7½	51.75
13	András Adorján (Hungary)	2540	0	1	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	-	1	½	½	1	½	7	55.00
14	Gilberto Milos (Brazil)	2495	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1	½	½	0	-	½	1	0	1	7	49.75
15	Glenn Flear (England)	2480	0	0	½	1	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	½	-	½	1	1	6
16	Jesús de la Villa (Spain)	2485	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	0	0	½	1	½	0	½	-	0	1	5½
17	Slim Bouaziz (Tunisia)	2370	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	0	1	-	½	4½
18	Denis Allan (Canada)	2310	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	½	-	1½

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In the Szirák tournament, Valery Salov and Jóhann Hjartarson finished at the top of the table, while Lajos Portisch and John Nunn tied for third. The last place in the Candidates Tournament was decided in a separate playoff in Budapest, with Portisch defeating Nunn 4–2.

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August 1987 Interzonal, Zagreb

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Total	Tie break
1	Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland)	2630	-	½	1	0	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	½	½	1	½	1	11
2	Jaan Ehlvest (Soviet Union)	2540	½	-	½	½	1	1	0	½	1	0	½	1	1	1	1	½	0	10	80.75
3	Yasser Seirawan (United States)	2600	0	½	-	1	½	½	1	0	0	1	1	1	½	0	1	1	1	10	73.50
4	Jesús Nogueiras (Cuba)	2555	1	½	0	-	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	1	1	1	9½	71.00
5	Predrag Nikolić (Yugoslavia)	2620	½	0	½	0	-	½	0	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	1	9½	67.50
6	Julio Granda (Peru)	2525	½	0	½	½	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	9½	67.50
7	Eugenio Torre (Philippines)	2540	1	1	0	½	1	½	-	½	0	1	½	½	0	0	1	½	1	9
8	Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)	2595	0	½	1	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	1	½	½	½	0	½	1	8½	65.25
9	Vereslav Eingorn (Soviet Union)	2575	0	0	1	½	0	½	1	½	-	½	0	1	1	½	0	1	1	8½	61.25
10	Yehuda Gruenfeld (Israel)	2545	0	1	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	-	0	1	½	½	1	1	1	8½	59.50
11	József Pintér (Hungary)	2575	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	0	1	1	-	1	0	½	1	1	1	8½	59.25
12	Krunoslav Hulak (Yugoslavia)	2495	0	0	0	1	½	1	½	½	0	0	0	-	½	1	½	1	1	7½
13	Ventzislav Inkiov (Bulgaria)	2485	½	0	½	½	0	0	1	½	0	½	1	½	-	½	½	½	½	7
14	Tony Miles (England)	2585	½	0	1	½	0	0	1	½	½	½	½	0	½	-	0	0	1	6½
15	Dragan Barlov (Yugoslavia)	2555	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	1	0	0	½	½	1	-	½	1	6
16	Jörg Hickl (West Germany)	2455	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	0	½	1	½	-	1	5
17	Fletcher Baragar (Canada)	2320	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	0	-	1½

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Viktor Korchnoi emerged as winner of the last tournament in Zagreb, ahead of Jaan Ehlvest and Yasser Seirawan. In an extra playoff in Havana in November, Nikolić took the place as reserve for the Candidates Tournament with 6 points, ahead of Granda (4) and Nogueiras (2). No reserve was needed, however.

In addition to nine players from the Interzonals, the top four of the previous Candidates Tournament (Sokolov, Timman, Vaganian, and Yusupov) qualified directly for this tournament. The Canadian organizers of the preliminary matches (which were held in Saint John, New Brunswick) nominated one player, (Spraggett). Finally, Karpov, the challenger in the previous cycle, was seeded into the quarterfinals.

Preliminary matches Saint John, Jan–Feb 1988

Quarterfinals Antwerp, London, Quebec, and Seattle, Aug 1988 – Feb 1989

Semifinals London, Oct 1989

Final Kuala Lumpur, Mar 1990

Lajos Portisch

3½

Rafael Vaganian

2½

Lajos Portisch

2½

Jan Timman

3½

Valery Salov

2½

Jan Timman

3½

Jan Timman

4½

Jon Speelman

3½

Jon Speelman

4

Yasser Seirawan

1

Jon Speelman

3½

Nigel Short

1½

Nigel Short

3½

Gyula Sax

1½

Jan Timman

2½

Anatoly Karpov

6½

Artur Yusupov

3½

Jaan Ehlvest

1½

Artur Yusupov

5

Kevin Spraggett

4

Kevin Spraggett

6½

Andrei Sokolov

5½

Artur Yusupov

3½

Anatoly Karpov

4½

Jóhann Hjartarson

4½

Viktor Korchnoi

3½

Jóhann Hjartarson

1½

Anatoly Karpov

3½

Karpov won, once again facing Kasparov for the fifth and final time in seven years. Karpov later alleged that a Dutch sponsor had offered to pay him to lose the match against Timman.^[1]

The first twelve games were played in New York City (8 October – 7 November), the other twelve taking place in Lyon, France (26 November – 30 December).^[2]

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World Chess Championship Match 1990

	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	Total
Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union)	2730	½	0	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	0	½	0	½	½	1	½	11½
Garry Kasparov (Russia)[lower-alpha 1]	2800	½	1	½	½	½	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	0	1	½	1	½	½	0	½	12½

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Kasparov won the match and retained his title.