At 75, Karpov Reveals What He Really Thinks of Chess Greats Carlsen, Fischer and Kasparov

Karpov’s Views on Five Chess Greats

The video presents Anatoly Karpov’s views on five chess greats as a countdown of the different ways each shaped his career.

• Magnus Carlsen: Karpov admires Carlsen’s nearly error-free play and ability to grind down opponents. He questions, however, whether Carlsen faced competition as deep as the champions in Karpov’s Soviet-era environment.
• Bobby Fischer: Karpov recognizes Fischer’s genius, but their 1975 match never took place. As a result, Karpov won the world title without feeling he had properly proved himself worthy of it.
• Viktor Korchnoi: Although Karpov defeated him in two championship matches, he remembers Korchnoi as an exceptionally stubborn defender who made every game—and every day—difficult to endure.
• Boris Spassky: Karpov praises Spassky’s natural, versatile style and the dignity he showed after losing his title to Fischer.
• Garry Kasparov: Their rivalry is central to the video. They played five championship matches, including the famously prolonged 1984 contest. Karpov calls Kasparov his strongest opponent but resists calling him the greatest, saying they were equals and history chose one of them.

The Rivalries’ Lasting Impact

Karpov measures these players by what they took from him: Fischer denied him a defining title match, Korchnoi consumed years of his prime, and Kasparov took the crown—and the ending to their rivalry.

The narration is dramatic rather than comic. Its most striking emotional moment is Karpov’s lingering disagreement over how the 1984 match was stopped.

Personalities Discussed

Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, Bobby Fischer, Viktor Korchnoi, Boris Spassky, and Garry Kasparov.