Viktor Korchnoi vs Anatoly Karpov – (Game 31) World Chess Championship 1978

Result: 1–0 (Korchnoi, White)

Date: October 12, 1978 (City of Baguio)

Match Score Before the Game: Karpov 5 – Korchnoi 4 (first to 6 wins)

A Battle of Endurance and Spirit

Introduction

There have been few chess matches in the history of the game that carry the same raw psychological heft as Karpov–Korchnoi (Baguio 1978). This is a game from the World Chess Championship Match that year. It was sport, politics, and endurance entangled: the Soviet champion Anatoly Karpov, supported singly by the USSR, against Viktor Korchnoi, the defector who fought largely alone. The match became an emblem of stubborn human will, where every half-chance mattered and every endgame was a test of nerves.

Game 31 arrived with ultimate tension: Karpov needed just a single win to retain the title; Korchnoi needed two. Rather than risk a sharp tactical opening, Korchnoi steered the game into a long, technical grind—a domain where his patience, defensive technique, and endgame skill could be fully unleashed. The result was a 71-move master class in building pressure, preparing the central break 41.e4!, and winning a superior rook endgame with perfect king activity.