Viktor Korchnoi remembered with respect in his 95th birth year

Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi would have turned 95 today had he still been alive. FIDE’s commemorative article offers an important occasion to look back at one of the toughest, most stubborn, and most resilient grandmasters in chess history. For many chess fans, Korchnoi brings to mind a strong player, a fighter who never stopped battling until the very end, and an unusual character who sometimes stood out for his harsh temperament. Yet these descriptions alone are not enough to capture the depth of his approach to chess. Korchnoi was not merely a grandmaster who got results; he was the symbol of resisting in every position and fighting to the last bullet in every game.

The most distinctive feature that set him apart from his contemporaries was that he viewed chess not as a realm of romantic inspiration, but as a discipline of tireless labor and calculation. As FIDE notes, Korchnoi was among the players who worked relentlessly on chess, together with a select few such as Geller, Polugaevsky, and Fischer. This work ethic allowed him to remain competitive even at a very advanced age. In fact, stories of young players in training camps complaining of exhaustion after working with Korchnoi in his seventies became common anecdotes in chess circles. Treating piece coordination, calculation of variations, and defensive resources with extraordinary seriousness, Korchnoi had a material-gathering instinct that today might be called “computer-like”; even so, he was also often able to meet opposing attacks with great composure.

In Korchnoi’s playing style, the concept of danger hardly seemed to exist. He relied less on intuitive guesswork than on concrete calculation, and even in sharp positions he would examine as many variations as possible rather than settle for rough evaluations. This made him especially effective against opponents who thrived in tactical chaos. Indeed, his remarkable results against an attacking genius like Mikhail Tal can largely be explained by this trait. Korchnoi was a defender who did not underestimate the opponent’s initiative, yet was never afraid of it; when necessary he would win a pawn, when necessary he would stubbornly hold cramped positions, and in the endgame he would press even the smallest chance to the limit. In this respect, he can also be seen as an early and powerful example of the long-term pressure and endgame grind that in modern chess has become closely associated with Magnus Carlsen.

Korchnoi’s place in chess history is not defined by his playing style alone. He is also unforgettable for his great battles for the world championship, his stance against the Soviet chess system, and a top-level career that spanned decades. Although he never attained the official title of world champion, for many experts he remains, regardless of titles, one of the greatest fighters in chess history. As we remember Korchnoi today on the 95th anniversary of his birth, we recall not only a great grandmaster, but a legend who became an example for generations through his discipline, endurance, fighting spirit, and unshakable devotion to chess.