It’s More Than a Game

The untimely and unprecedented cancellation of the marathon world-championship chess match in Moscow has left a bad taste in the mouths of competitors and spectators alike. For reasons that may never be completely known, Florencio Campomanes, a Filipino who heads the International Chess Federation, called off the match last week with the champion, Anatoly Karpov, leading the challenger, Gary Kasparov, 5 games to 3, with a record 40 games having ended in draws. The first person to win six games wins the title.

Campomanes said that everyone involved in the five-month-long match was exhausted, and he ordered that the slate be wiped clean and a new match start in September. Kasparov, who was down 5 to 0 at one point but won two games in a row to revive his chances, understandably cried foul, complaining that the match had been canceled to preserve the championship for Karpov. The U.S.S.R Chess Federation may have put pressure on Campomanes in order to help Karpov against Kasparov, who is half-Jewish and not a member of the Soviet Establishment. Stung by this charge and by widespread public belief that something is fishy, the champion has called on Campomanes to reverse himself and let play resume.

There was no good reason to call off the match, and plenty of reason to let it continue. The Russians could show the world that they are prepared to play by the rules and not change them as it suits their purposes--a demonstration with international implications.