World Chess Championship 1975

The 1975 World Chess Championship was never played due to a dispute over the match format. Champion Bobby Fischer (USA) was to play Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union) in Manila, commencing June 1, 1975.

Fischer refused to play the standard "Best of 24 games" match, instead asking for a "First to win 10 games" format. He also requested that the champion retain the title in the event of a 9–9 score. As a compromise, FIDE offered a "Best of 36 games and must win 10 of them" format. Fischer refused and telegrammed his resignation as FIDE World Champion. FIDE then agreed to a "First to win 10 games" match, but did not concede the 9–9 score request. Deadlines were extended for Fischer's reconsideration, but he did not respond, so Karpov was named World Champion by default on April 3, 1975.

1973 Interzonal tournaments

Two 18 player, single round robin Interzonals were played with the top three from each qualifying for the Candidates Tournament. Leningrad and Petropolis, Brazil were the venues.

June 1973 Interzonal, Leningrad

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total	Tie break
1	Viktor Korchnoi (Soviet Union)	2635	-	½	1	½	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	1	0	1	1	1	13½	108.25
2	Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union)	2545	½	-	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	1	13½	104.25
3	Robert Byrne (United States)	2570	0	½	-	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	1	1	1	1	12½
4	Jan Smejkal (Czechoslovakia)	2570	½	0	½	-	0	0	½	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	11
5	Robert Hübner (West Germany)	2600	0	½	½	1	-	0	½	1	1	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	0	1	10	79.50
6	Bent Larsen (Denmark)	2620	0	½	0	1	1	-	1	0	0	½	0	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	10	75.00
7	Gennady Kuzmin (Soviet Union)	2565	½	0	½	½	½	0	-	1	0	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	½	9½
8	Mikhail Tal (Soviet Union)	2655	0	½	½	½	0	1	0	-	1	½	1	1	½	0	0	1	0	1	8½	67.25
9	Svetozar Gligorić (Yugoslavia)	2595	½	0	½	0	0	1	1	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	½	0	1	1	8½	64.00
10	Mark Taimanov (Soviet Union)	2595	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	½	8½	63.00
11	Miguel Quinteros (Argentina)	2480	0	0	0	1	½	1	½	0	½	½	-	0	0	½	½	1	½	1	7½	55.75
12	Ivan Radulov (Bulgaria)	2510	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	½	0	1	-	1	1	½	½	1	1	7½	49.50
13	Wolfgang Uhlmann (East Germany)	2550	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	1	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	7	51.75
14	Eugenio Torre (Philippines)	2430	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	1	0	½	½	0	½	-	½	1	1	1	7	45.00
15	Josip Rukavina (Yugoslavia)	2460	1	0	0	0	½	0	0	1	½	0	½	½	½	½	-	0	1	½	6½
16	Vladimir Tukmakov (Soviet Union)	2560	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	0	1	½	0	½	½	0	1	-	½	1	6
17	Guillermo Estévez Morales (Cuba)	2385	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	½	0	½	0	0	½	-	1	4½
18	Miguel Cuéllar (Colombia)	2400	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	-	1½

Korchnoi, Karpov, and Byrne qualified for the Candidates Tournament.

July–August 1973 Interzonal, Petropolis

		Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Total	Tie break
1	Henrique Mecking (Brazil)	2575	-	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	½	1	1	1	12
2	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	2585	½	-	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	0	1	1	1	11½	89.50
3	Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)	2640	½	½	-	1	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	1	1	1	1	1	1	11½	88.00
4	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	2645	½	½	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	1	½	1	1	1	1	11½	85.50
5	Vasily Smyslov (Soviet Union)	2600	0	½	½	½	-	0	1	½	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	1	1	11
6	David Bronstein (Soviet Union)	2585	½	0	½	½	1	-	0	½	½	1	1	1	½	1	½	1	1	0	10½
7	Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia)	2610	½	½	½	½	0	1	-	1	0	0	1	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	10
8	Vladimir Savon (Soviet Union)	2570	0	½	½	½	½	½	0	-	½	0	1	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	9½
9	Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia)	2535	½	½	½	0	½	½	1	½	-	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	½	9	72.75
10	Ljubomir Ljubojević (Yugoslavia)	2570	½	0	½	½	0	0	1	1	½	-	0	1	½	0	1	½	1	1	9	67.50
11	Samuel Reshevsky (United States)	2575	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	0	½	1	-	1	½	½	1	1	½	1	8½
12	Oscar Panno (Argentina)	2580	½	½	1	½	½	0	½	0	½	0	0	-	½	½	½	½	1	1	8	62.50
13	Paul Keres (Soviet Union)	2605	½	0	0	0	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	-	½	½	1	1	1	8	54.25
14	Florin Gheorghiu (Romania)	2530	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	½	1	½	½	½	-	1	½	½	1	7½
15	Peter Biyiasas (Canada)	2395	1	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	½	0	0	½	½	0	-	½	1	1	6½
16	Tan Lian Ann (Singapore)	2365	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	0	½	½	-	½	0	3	22.00
17	Werner Hug (Switzerland)	2445	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	½	½	0	½	0	0	½	0	½	-	½	3	20.25
18	Shimon Kagan (Israel)	2405	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	½	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	½	-	3	19.50

Mecking qualified outright for the Candidates Tournament, while the three players tied for second place contested a playoff in Portoroz for the remaining two spots.

September 1973 playoff, Portoroz

		Rating	1	2	3	Total
1	Lajos Portisch (Hungary)	2650	-	11==	=1==	5½
2	Lev Polugaevsky (Soviet Union)	2625	00==	-	110=	3½
3	Efim Geller (Soviet Union)	2605	=0==	001=	-	3

Portisch and Polugaevsky qualified.

1974 Candidates tournament

The 1974 Candidates Tournament was played as knockout matches. Spassky as the loser of the last championship match and Petrosian as loser of the previous candidates final were seeded directly into the tournament and joined by the top three from each of the two interzonals.

The first round matches were first to win three games, draws not counting. Semifinals were first to four wins, while the final was first to five wins but with a maximum of 24 games. Karpov beat Korchnoi 3-2 with 19 draws, earning the right to challenge Fischer.

1st Round

Semifinals

Final

Moscow, Jan-Feb 1974

Anatoly Karpov

5½

Lev Polugaevsky

2½

Leningrad, Apr-May 1974

Anatoly Karpov

7

San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jan 1974

Boris Spassky

4

Boris Spassky

4½

Robert Byrne

1½

Moscow, Sep-Nov 1974

Anatoly Karpov

12½

Augusta, Georgia, USA 1974

Viktor Korchnoi

11½

Viktor Korchnoi

7½

Henrique Mecking

5½

Odessa, Apr 1974

Viktor Korchnoi

3½

Palma de Mallorca 1974

Tigran Petrosian (forfeit)

1½

Tigran Petrosian

7

Lajos Portisch

6

The semifinal stage was marked by the presence of two ex-champions, Petrosian and Spassky, playing in different matches. The two had faced each other in the 1966 and 1969 title matches. Both were eliminated in this stage of the current cycle. Although the match rules called for four wins in the semifinals, Petrosian resigned the match after losing three games. He then attempted, through political means, to have the result of the match reversed.

External links

• 1973-75 Candidates Matches, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages

Further reading

• Anatoly Karpov: The Road to the World Chess Championship, Robert Byrne, Bantam Books, 1976