Special feature in memory of Viktor Korchnoi’s 95th birth year

Born on 23 March 1931, Viktor Korchnoi is remembered as one of the most striking, combative, and controversial grandmasters of 20th-century chess. To mark the legend’s 95th birth year, ChessBase has prepared a special content package, once again bringing his unique place in chess history into focus. Trained in the Soviet chess school, Korchnoi rose to the world elite at a very young age; yet he stood out not only for the strength of his moves, but also for his independent character, razor-sharp competitive spirit, and unbending temperament.

The special package sheds light on Korchnoi’s chess legacy from different angles. In his video lesson, grandmaster Ivan Sokolov touches on Korchnoi’s understanding through the reversed-color Dutch Defence and Grünfeld structures; while in Master Class Vol.15 - Viktor Korchnoi, experts such as Pelletier, Marin, Müller, and Reeh examine the legendary grandmaster’s opening choices, his dynamic strength in the middlegame, and his technical mastery in the endgame. Korchnoi’s repertoire was never based solely on theoretical memorization; he was a fighter who wore down his opponents in complex positions with his calculating power, defensive resilience, and ability to create counterplay.

Korchnoi’s life story also includes a dramatic history that extends far beyond the chessboard. His defection to the West during a tournament in 1976 became a sharp turning point in both his career and his political life. For a time left stateless, Korchnoi also had to contend with pressure placed on the family he had left behind in the Soviet Union. Even so, he never broke away from chess; on the contrary, he continued with a competitive identity hardened even further under the shadow of personal costs and political tension. His 1978 and 1981 World Championship matches against Anatoly Karpov were seen not only as top-level sporting contests, but also as symbolic encounters between East and West in the atmosphere of the Cold War.

One of the things that makes Korchnoi special in chess history is that he continued to compete at the highest level despite his advanced age. While many grandmasters slowed down in the later stages of their careers, he kept fighting in tournaments, resisting in complex positions, and refusing to surrender easily even to the youngest opponents. His fighting spirit, psychological toughness, and uncompromising style of play gave him a distinct place among the strongest players never to have won the world championship title. Today, Korchnoi’s legacy is remembered not only through brilliant games or world championship bids, but also through his exemplary character: someone who could stand firm under pressure and turn chess into a test of character.

This special commemorative feature by ChessBase is an important effort to pass Viktor Korchnoi’s impact on chess history on to new generations. A photograph taken in the old ChessBase studio with his wife Petra and ChessBase co-founder Frederic Friedel also adds an emotional dimension to the remembrance. Korchnoi’s life tells more than the career of a grandmaster: political pressure, personal sacrifice, unending ambition, and love of chess. For that reason, his name lives on not only in crosstables, but among the most resilient and unforgettable figures in chess history.