What would you like to ask Anatoly Karpov?
30 January 2007 6:30 AM | Last modified: 7:54
This week, the 12th world champion of chess, Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, is in Holland. Karpov, who was the best chess player for ten years and who has won more tournaments than anybody else, doesn’t play chess very often anymore, but he’s still one of the Greats on Earth. Chessvibes has planned a provisional interview with Karpov, on Wednesday, January 31st (which he can’t confirm before tonight). We’re planning to ask him questions that are put forward by you, the Chessvibes audience!
Update: the interview with Mr Karpov has been confirmed, and will take place tomorrow!
What would you like to ask Anatoli Karpov? Fill in your question down here as a comment. We’ll collect the best questions and ask them to Mr Karpov!
Update: Thank you for all the questions! We’ve now closed the option to comment.

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What’s the best game he ever played?
In My Best Games (1978 RHM PRess) you spoke fondly of returning to your stamp collection after winning the World Championship. Is it still important to you?
Possibilities in chess at the top of the mountain seem to arrive to their end due to incredible development of computer programs, over-20-move home prepared variations and extremely high drawing rates. Do you cultivate Chess960 as an alternative solution?
How did you get your nickname ‘Tolja’?
If you had to do your chess career over again, what would you do differently?
Which chess engine(s) does he use? And why not Fritz if he uses Rybka (or why not Rybka if he uses Fritz or an other engine)?
Hi Karpov!
What is your best advise to people like me, who play chess just for fun? Any short-cuts to improve one’s strenght?
Do you still work to improve your chess skills?
We hebben de gewoonte om bij het beginnen van de partij elkaar een hand te geven.
Op veel foto`s is te zien dat schakers wel eens een vinger in de neus hebben.
Ook de schaakstukken kunnen bedekt zijn met vunzigheden.
Heeft u wel eens overwogen beschermende handschoenen aan te doen?
- How do you intimidate your opponant?
- Who does your haircut?
- Why are so many chess players paranoid?
- Is the world championship as valuable as it used to be?
- If you yourself were a chess piece, which would you be? (King, knight, queen…)
Suppose you had the chance to play a match with Fischer on island. Would you be interested in such an event?
What is your opinion about black’s chances of playing for a win? How difficult it is if black really needs a point?
Which of the current top-players do you like the most as a chessplayer? Do you see any similarities in their approach compared to your own brand of play?
why dont you just accept fischer demand for the world championship title?
Wat is Karpov zijn visie op het hele (toilet)gebeuren rondom de match Kramnik-Topalov. Ook zijn matches met Korchnoi waren doorspekt met paranoïde beschuldigingen. Hoort dat gewoon bij het schaken?
What do you actually do in the last years?
Do you have any contact at all with Kasparov and or Korchnoi?
Do you think with the current superiority of computers, there is a healthy future for positional and intuitive chess players and chess analysis, or do you think it will be all about tactis in the end?
If you had played a 24-game match against Fischer in 1975, what do you think the final score would have been?
What do you think about the Petrof defence at high
level chess is if always draw? And with that respect what is the future of the e4 openinigs
(to follow up on Van Tellingen)
Suppose you had the chance to play a match with Fischer on island. Which island?
And may I suggest Iceland?
or Terschelling?
Which format does he think is the best way to decide the world championship? Should Kramnik play in Mexico and place his title on the line in a round robin event?
What’s your view of the current state of Russian politics, and Kasparov’s role within that?
Hi Anatoly, as a great chess and music lover, I would like to know what kind of music you like to listen too or your favorite musical artist?
Take Care & Good Luck In Everything!
Last year you put up your candidacy for FIDE-president, and uttered severe criticism (to say the least) about the way Ilyumzinov had been running FIDE. Eventually you withdrew as a candidate and gave your support to this same Ilyumzinov. What made you change your mind?
What do you think about Vishwanathan Anand? Will he win the World Championship, Mexico?
Ik vind Karpov een oninteressante
oud Russische kommunistiese aparcik manetje en ik vind klote voor tijd welke hij
krijgt op deze uitstekende schaak pagina.
Daroom zou ik die man niks vragen.
Maar ik vraag redakcie zou zij kunnen maken
een interview met de beste schaaker alle tijden
Gari Kasparov.! ! !
En wat zou Karpov vinden van Bruno Jelic? Lijkt me ook een erg interessante vraag.
What do you think about drawoffers on move 15 in important tournaments?
Who do you consider as the best player of all times?
Do you prefer d4 or e4 openings?
Which stamp in your collection is your favorite? Which chess relate stamp is your favorite?
Do you still think Topalov doesn’t understand chess?
A couple of years ago you said Kasparov is not a happy person. What do you think it is that makes Kasparov an unhappy person?
Hi! We have heard of your encounters with Kasparov and that the relationship between you two has not been the best. Anyway, i saw you giving Kasparov a chess board as a gift in the Russian chess tournament 2005. Are you friends, at least talk to each other, or do not have any kind of contact?
2) What do you think of Kasparov´s political activities? Would you vote for him?
zijn politiek en schaak nog steeds zo verstrengeld als in de jaren voor 1990?
en is het schaak na de val van het communisme erop vooruit gegaan?
Radjabov and Aronian shared equal first with Topalov (who has been showing impressive form in recent tournies) in Wijk aan Zee. These are the “elders” of a new generation of chess professionals and I’d be greatful for your opinion on the subject; Which of them are you most impressed with?
Hi Karpov,
You are my favourite player for ever. In your daily life, do you practice religion and what is it? Are you interesting in spirituality ?
Thank you very much !
what do you think of anand, and why do you think he’s not been a world champion despite being one of the best players ever, what do you suggest to him in order to be world champion ? sorry if the question doesnt look relevent but this one of those questions which one always wonders about.
hi karpov,
who do you think, in your humble opinion, would be the next world champion in this classical line of legends?
q1
Which player has, to you, been the toughest to play against in your professional career?
q2
What do you think of the increasing amount of drawn games in tournaments?
What is the craziest non-chess thought you ever had during a game?
Which ”draw rule” do you think that is the best: after 20, 30 moves, no draw at all or do you think that it should be allowed anytime?
During the Korchnoi matches, did the punishments inflicted upon Petrosian, Taimanov, and Spassky for losing to Fischer intimidate you against speaking up to have Korchnoi’s family released or against the clearly unethical use of Professor Zukhar for no other purpose than to play mind games against Korchnoi’s paranoia?
Do you have children? If so do they play chess? If so how strong are they?
Could you describe what a “Karpovian move” is?
Do you think computer cheating in chess events is a problem, and what do you think should be done to prevent it happening?
Do you miss playing full-time chess? Do you have any ambitions left as a chessplayer? We miss seeing you at the board!
I think so at least,You won all games which you have a concrete plan and intuitive understanding about a game when u r best active player in the world.If this is true,do you have lesser forcing
initiative feelings now ?
Why do you no more play on toplevel?
How can we teach children chess the best way?
Instead of asking yet another question, I would like to express a keen interest in questions 1, 3, 13, 17, 19 and 43. As a Karpov admiror I have read quite a few interviews with him, but none of these contained the above mentioned questions. Thank you to the people who posted them and hopefully some of these questions will make it to the actual interview.
Vlastimil Hort once wrote that if you didn’t have the Champion’s reputation to consider, you would play the Sicilian Defence for Black. Is this true?