Just a Draw Away : Karpov Takes Lead, Is Close to Chess Title

Anatoly Karpov scored an upset victory Thursday over titleholder Gary Kasparov in the next-to-last game of the world chess championship, putting him only a draw away from recapturing his crown.

Karpov, playing white, scored his dramatic 57-move triumph after Kasparov self-destructed in an unfavorable position, experts said. The game had been resumed after adjournment at the 40th move.

The 36-year-old Karpov needs only a draw in the final game today to regain the title he held for 10 years but lost to Kasparov in November, 1985.

Kasparov, 24, must win the game to tie the contest at 12 points and keep his title.

The challenger, who now has 12 points to Kasparov’s 11 points, needs 12 1/2 points or six victories to win. A victory counts one point and a draw a half-point.

Karpov has scored four victories and his fellow Soviet grandmaster three, with 16 games drawn.

The winner of the 24-game series will be champion for three years, and after Thursday’s results, experts favor Karpov.

Spanish grandmaster Miguel Illescas gave Kasparov only a 15% chance of winning today.

British grandmaster Raymond Keene said the champion’s hopes were nearer zero. “You don’t bounce back after blowing yourself to smithereens.”

In a hair-raising time scramble, Karpov had outplayed his opponent to penetrate with a rook into the heart of black’s position.

Unwilling to defend passively, Kasparov launched a kamikaze attack, according to experts.

In a desperate search for active counterplay, Kasparov sacrificed a rook, hoping to open up the white king’s defenses. But Karpov captured the rook and after a flurry of exchanges emerged with an extra bishop in an endgame.

Here are the moves:

Karpov-Kasparov 23: 1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 d4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 g6 7 e3 Bg7 8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 Qc7 10 Rb1 b6 11 Qe2 Rd8 12 Be4 Ba6 13 c4 Nc6 13 d5 f5 15 Bd3 e5 16 e4 Nd4 17 Nxd4 cxd4 18 Bg5 Rf8 19 Rfc1 Rac8 20 Bd2 Rf7 21 a4 fxe4 22 Qxe4 Rcf8 23 f3 Bc8 24 a5 Bf5 25 Qe2 Re8 26 Be4 Bf8 27 Qd3 Bc5 28 Ra1 Qd7 29 Re1 Qc8 30 Kh1 Rc7 31 Rab1 Kg7 32 Rec1 Bxe4 33 fxe4 Rf7 34 Qg3 bxa5 35 Bxa5 Rf4 36 Re1 Qa6 37 Bd2 Rf7 38 Qd3 Ref8 39 h3 Rf2 40 Ra1 Qf6 41 Rg1 h5 42 Ra5 Qe7 43 Rb1 h4 44 Ra6 R8f7 45 Rc6 Qf8 46 Rg1 Be7 47 Re6 Kh7 48 Be1 Rf1 49 Bd2 Bc5 50 Rc6 R7f3 51 gxf3 Rxf3 52 Rc7+ Kh8 53 Bh6 Rxd3 54 Bxf8 Rxh3+ 55 Kg2 Rg3+ 56 Kh2 Rxg1 57 Bxc5 d3 Black resigned.