World Chess Championship 1990
The fifth and final Kasparov–Karpov match — split between New York and Lyon, Kasparov retains the title with one round to spare.
- Year
- 1990
- Format
- Best of 24 classical games
- Venue
- Hudson Theatre, NY · Palais des Congrès, Lyon
- Prize fund
- $3,000,000
- Cycle
- classical
The 1990 match was the fifth Kasparov–Karpov championship — a record never likely to be matched. The format split the match between two venues for the first time in championship history: Games 1–12 in New York at the Hudson Theatre, Games 13–24 in Lyon at the Palais des Congrès. The dates ran from 8 October to 31 December 1990.
The Match
Karpov narrowed the gap that had defined the earlier matches and traded the lead with Kasparov through the New York half. Kasparov pulled ahead late in the Lyon games and won Game 22 to secure the title with two games to spare — though both Game 23 and the meaningless Game 24 were played and drawn. Final score 12.5–11.5.
The End of the Rivalry
Karpov contested the FIDE side of the championship after the 1993 PCA split (winning Karpov–Anand 1998), but never challenged Kasparov in a classical-line championship again. Their combined five matches between 1984 and 1990 — 144 classical games — remain the most-played championship rivalry by a margin.