Chess Mystery: Is Champ Wilting in Marathon Match?
The president of the World Chess Federation on Wednesday ordered the scheduled 49th game of the world championship postponed, and there were rumors that a deal was being sought to end the marathon match.
Florencio Campomanes refused to give a reason for ordering the game postponed until Friday.
Champion Anatoly Karpov and challenger Gary Kasparov have been playing since Sept. 10 in the first world championship match held in the Soviet capital since 1969. Karpov leads, 5-3, and the championship goes to the first player to win six games. Draws do not count--and there have been 40 of them in the match.
The postponement came amid reports from Soviet chess sources that the titleholder is wilting under the psychological strain of the lengthy struggle.
The 33-year-old champion, a favorite of the Kremlin, built an early 5-0 lead in the match but has not won a game since November. Chess experts say the quality of his play has declined noticeably.
The 21-year-old challenger has won the last two games in a row.
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