Kasparov, Garry vs Karpov, Anatoly, World Championship 34th-KK4

The 1987 Seville World Championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov is sometimes considered the highest-quality match of the long rivalry. Kasparov was now the established champion; Karpov was the challenger after qualifying through the candidates cycle. The match used the 24-game format with the title retained by the defending champion at 12-12.

The early games of the match were sharp and competitive, with both players willing to enter complicated positions. By the time Game 4 was played on December 4, the match was tied at 1.5-1.5. The game was drawn in 40 moves after a complex middlegame in which neither side could establish a clear advantage.

The match would continue through 24 games with Karpov leading at several points. He won Game 23 to lead 12-11 going into the final game. He needed only a draw in Game 24 to win the title back. Kasparov, needing a win to retain the title at 12-12, played one of the great fighting games of his career: a 64-move win in the Sicilian Defense that has been studied as an example of attacking play under maximum pressure.

The match ended 12-12. Kasparov retained the title under the champion’s-privilege rule. He had defended the title without actually winning the match — a result that the chess world found both unfair and dramatic. Game 24 has been called the most psychologically intense game in world-championship history.

Game 4 — a quiet draw early in the match — was a small part of that larger story. It demonstrated, however, the technical level both players brought to Seville. Even the unremarkable draws were played with care, with subtle move-order choices that betrayed deep preparation. The 1987 match was the strongest sustained chess of the Karpov-Kasparov rivalry.