Classical World Chess Championship 1995

The Classical World Chess Championship 1995, known at the time as the PCA World Chess Championship 1995,[1] was held from September 10, 1995, to October 16, 1995, on the 107th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Garry Kasparov, the defending champion, played Viswanathan Anand, the challenger, in a twenty-game match. Kasparov won the match after eighteen games with four wins, one loss, and thirteen draws.

Defending champion Challenger
Garry Kasparov
Viswanathan Anand
 Garry Kasparov (RUS)  Viswanathan Anand (IND)
10½ 7½
Born 13 April 1963
32 years old		 Born 11 December 1969
25 years old
Winner of the 1993 PCA World Chess Championship Winner of the 1994-95 Candidates Tournament
Rating: 2805 (Ranked #1) Rating: 2715 (Ranked #4)
← 1993 2000 →

Background

In 1993, the reigning FIDE World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov decided to split from FIDE because he felt the organisation was corrupt, and formed a rival organisation, the PCA (Professional Chess Association). In response, FIDE stripped Kasparov of his status and organised an event to determine a new champion — this event was won by Anatoly Karpov.

Kasparov claimed that, as he had not been defeated by a challenger to his title in a match, and in fact had defeated the rightful challenger (Nigel Short in 1993), that he was still the reigning world champion.

Thus, for the first time since the inaugural World Championship in 1886, there were two rival World Chess Championships.

The PCA ran a world championship cycle similar in format to that in use by FIDE at the time. It was to be the only full championship cycle run under the auspices of the PCA.

1993 Qualifying tournament

The PCA held a qualifying tournament and Candidates matches in 1993–1995. A number of leading players did not participate, most notably FIDE World Champion Anatoly Karpov. The events were held at a similar time as the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996, with many of the same players playing in both.

The Qualifying tournament in Groningen in December 1993 had 54 players participating in an 11-round Swiss system tournament, with the top seven qualifying for the Candidates Tournament.[2]

1993 PCA Qualifying Tournament
Rating1234567891011Total
1 Michael Adams (England)2635=33+39+45=23-5+7=4+11=2+6=37½
2 Viswanathan Anand (India)2725+52=5=7+30+22+20=8=6=1=3=47½
3 Gata Kamsky (United States)2645=13=30=33+19+17=4=5=16+23=2=17
4 Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)2710+40=20-22+35+25=3=1=8+24=9=27
5 Sergei Tiviakov (Russia)2635+41=2=34+29+1=22=3=20-6+25=87
6 Boris Gulko (United States)2635=29=37+49=20+10=8+22=2+5-1=117
7 Oleg Romanishin (Ukraine)2615+53=24=2=25=9-1+28=10=26+22+207
8 Alexei Shirov (Latvia)2685+11+36=23-22+32=6=2=4=12=16=56½
9 Sergey Dolmatov (Russia)2630=18=33=13+12=7=23=27=21+42=4=166½
10 Eric Lobron (Germany)2575=19=38=11+36-6+17=44=7=15=14+256½
11 Ivan Sokolov (Bosnia and Herzegovina)2610-8=28=10+41+37=24=31-1+44+26=66½
12 Jeroen Piket (Netherlands)2590+25-22=35-9+47+15=24+34=8=20=186½
13 Robert Hübner (Germany)2605=3=34=9=38=15=25=32+29=14=24+226½
14 Julio Granda (Peru)2605=21-45=39+18=30=44+36=27=13=10+236½
15 Rafael Vaganian (Armenia)2615=54=26=21=44=13-12+17+30=10=23+426½
16 Predrag Nikolić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)2625+48-23+51=24+34=31=20=3=22=8=96½
17 Judit Polgár (Hungary)2630=37=29+41=32-3-10-15+51+46+31+276½
18 Lembit Oll (Estonia)2595=9=35-25-14=53=45+52+36+38+21=126½
19 Jaan Ehlvest (Estonia)2620=10=51=37-3+48-29+35-26+41+32+246½
20 Joel Benjamin (United States)2620+50=4+31=6+23-2=16=5=21=12-76
21 Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria)2670=14=49=15=40=29=27+46=9=20-18+336
22 Alexander Beliavsky (Ukraine)2635+42+12+4+8-2=5-6=23=16-7-135½
23 Evgeny Bareev (Russia)2660+46+16=8=1-20=9+29=22-3=15-145½
24 Gregory Kaidanov (United States)2640+43=7=30=16=27=11=12+31-4=13-195½
25 Julian Hodgson (England)2625-12+54+18=7-4=13=30+39+27-5-105½
26 Boris Alterman (Israel)2585=35=15-32+47=40-28+37+19=7-11=315½
27 Alexey Vyzmanavin (Russia)2605=31=44=36+45=24=21=9=14-25+34-175½
28 Ljubomir Ljubojević (Yugoslavia)2595-36=11=46+43-31+26-7-38=49+48+445½
29 Leonid Yudasin (Israel)2605=6=17+38-5=21+19-23-13=39=36=435
30 Gregory Serper (Uzbekistan)2575+32=3=24-2=14=40=25-15-35+45=345
31 Ilya Smirin (Israel)2640=27+47-20=37+28=16=11-24=32-17=265
32 Alexander Chernin (Hungary)2615-30+42+26=17-8=39=13=44=31-19=385
33 Vladimir Tukmakov (Ukraine)2600=1=9=3-34=38=35=49=41=40+46-215
34 Vladimir Malaniuk (Ukraine)2635=39=13=5+33-16=46=42-12+48-27=305
35 Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland)2625=26=18=12-4=54=33-19=43+30=39=375
36 Zurab Azmaiparashvili (Georgia)2630+28-8=27-10+51=42-14-18+50=29=405
37 Curt Hansen (Denmark)2590=17=6=19=31-11=38-26=49=47+52=355
38 Miguel Illescas (Spain)2625=51=10-21=13=33=37=41+28-18=40=325
39 Vladimir Akopian (Armenia)2600=34-1=14+52=44=32=40-25=29=35=415
40 Zoltán Ribli (Hungary)2610-4+50=44=21=26=30=39-42=33=38=365
41 Eduardas Rozentalis (Lithuania)2600-5+52-17-11=43+54=38=33-19+53=395
42 Alex Yermolinsky (United States)2605-22-32+50=48+45=36=34+40-9=44-155
43 Lev Polugaevsky (Belarus)2605-24=53=48-28=41=50=51=35=45+49=295
44 Alexander Khalifman (Russia)2645=47=27=40=15=39=14=10=32-11=42-284½
45 Kiril Georgiev (Bulgaria)2660=49+14-1-27-42=18=53=48=33-30+544½
46 Mikhail Gurevich (Belgium)2605-23=48=28=51+49=34-21+50-17-33=474½
47 Christopher Lutz (Germany)2605=44-31=54-26-12+53-48+52=37=50=464½
48 Loek van Wely (Netherlands)2585-16=46=43=42-19=49+47=45-34-28=534
49 Jóhann Hjartarson (Iceland)2605=45=21-6=54-46=48=33=37=28-43=524
50 Patrick Wolff (United States)2585-20-40-42+53=52=43+54-46-36=47=514
51 Vadim Ruban (Russia)2590=38=19-16=46-36=52=43-17-53=54=503½
52 Simen Agdestein (Norway)2610-2-41+53-39=50=51-18-47+54-37=493½
53 Friso Nijboer (Netherlands)2555-7=43-52-50=18-47=45=54+51-41=483½
54 Zsuzsa Polgár (Hungary)2545=15-25=47=49=35-41-50=53-52=51-453

1994–95 Candidates Tournament

The top seven from the Qualifying tournament were joined by Nigel Short, the loser of the 1993 PCA championship match against Kasparov.

The first round of Candidates matches were best of eight games, the semifinals were best of 10, and the final was best of 12. If the scores were tied, sets of two rapid chess games were played as tie breakers, until one player had a lead.

The quarterfinal matches were held at the Trump Tower in New York City in June 1994 and opened by Donald Trump. The semifinals were played in Linares in September 1994, and the final in Las Palmas in March 1995.[3]

  Quarterfinals
 Semifinals
 Final
                           
 
    Gata Kamsky 4½  
    Vladimir Kramnik 1½    
      Gata Kamsky 5½  
      Nigel Short 1½  
    Nigel Short 6½
    Boris Gulko 5½    
      Gata Kamsky 4½
        Viswanathan Anand 6½
    Michael Adams 7½  
    Sergei Tiviakov 6½    
      Michael Adams 1½
      Viswanathan Anand 5½  
    Viswanathan Anand 5
    Oleg Romanishin 2  

1995 Championship match

The final was played at the World Trade Center, on the 107th floor of the South Tower.[4]

The first player to reach 10½ points would be the winner.

PCA World Chess Championship Match 1995
Rating (change)123456789101112131415161718Total
 Viswanathan Anand (India)2725 (+13) ½½½½½½½½100½00½½½½7½
 Garry Kasparov (Russia)2795 (-32) ½½½½½½½½01 1½11½½½½10½

The match began with eight consecutive draws, a record for the World Chess Championship until the 2018 Carlsen–Caruana match. In game 9 Anand, with white, broke through Kasparov's Sicilian Scheveningen defence to win. Kasparov hit back immediately in game 10, with a novelty in the Ruy Lopez Open Defence.

Game 11 was arguably the turning point in the match. Kasparov sprung a major surprise by playing the Sicilian Dragon with black - a once-popular defence which is now only played at the top level by a few specialists. Anand missed a comparatively simple combination and lost. After a draw in game 12, Anand again played weakly against the Dragon in game 13, losing again with white to go two points down.

When Anand lost game 14, Kasparov had a commanding 8½-5½ lead and the match was effectively over. The players drew their remaining games.[5]

References
  1. The name "Classical" was not used at the time, but is the name generally used for the title since it was coined for the Classical World Chess Championship 2004.
  2. 1993 Groningen PCA Qualifying Tournament, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
  3. 1994-95 PCA Candidates Matches, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
  4. The Week in Chess 358, September 17, 2001
  5. PCA World Chess Championship 1995 Archived 2013-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, Mark Weeks' Chess Pages
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