Chess masters row over draw offer

Press, 23 November 1987, Page 30

Chess masters row over draw offer

By JONATHAN TISDALL of Reuters

NZPA-Reuter

Seville, Spain

Chess stars Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov traded charges of impolite or incorrect behaviour on Saturday after drawing the 15th game of their bitterly fought world championship match.

World champion Kasparov, aged 24, told reporters he was “very cross” over the way in which Karpov had offered a draw in the game while Karpov, aged 36, responded by charging his young opponent with incorrect behaviour. . The controversy flared on Saturday after the 15th game was adjourned late on Friday night with Karpov depositing his next move in a sealed envelope before going to bed. The game was agreed drawn on Saturday without play resuming. Officials said Karpov’s offer of a draw had been delivered while Kasparov was asleep, and by the time he woke up and accepted it an irritated Karpov had decided to withdraw it. But the match's chief arbiter, Geurt Gijssen, of The Netherlands, who had carried the draw offer to the Kasparov camp, ruled that under the regulations it could not be withdrawn and had to stand. Mr Gijssen later told Reuters the game had

been officially registered as a draw. The draw leaves Kasparov ahead in the 24game match by 8-7 points, having won three games, lost two and drawn 10. Karpov is trying to regain the world title from his fellow Russian grandmaster. Kasparov’s English manager, Andrew Page, said the draw offer from the Karpov camp was submitted about noon when Kasparov was not available to reply and the titleholder accepted it at 3 p.m. But the Kasparov camp was told Karpov had since withdrawn the offer. Karpov tried to withdraw the offer after Mr Gijssen was told Kasparov was asleep and had failed to get a reply by 1.30 p.m. When the game was due to resume at 4.30 p.m., the stage was empty of top officials and players and the clock was not punched to signal the start of play. Karpov did not arrive until 12 minutes after play

was due to begin. Kasparov had turned up promptly but wandered into the press centre of the Lope de Vega theatre venue where he told reporters he had been “very cross” at the lateness of the offer. He said Karpov’s behaviour had been "very impolite.” “If Karpov can take 15 hours to decide to offer a draw, I can take three hours to accept it,” he said. In a statement to reporters, Karpov claimed that Kasparov’s behaviour had been "incorrect” and he told Mr Gijssen: “I cancel the offer.” Kasparov said that if Karpov wished to continue the game he would have to take the issue to an appeal committee. Then Mr Gijssen entered with a record of the game, signed by Karpov, in which he agreed to a draw. All the chess experts present at the venue agreed the game position was obviously drawn.