Karpov, Anatoly

Anatoly Karpov was the twelfth World Champion (1975-1985), a protege of Botvinnik who compiled perhaps the greatest tournament record in chess history with over 160 first-place finishes. His "boa constrictor" positional style allowed him to slowly strangle opponents by accumulating minute advantages until no good moves remained, earning him nine Chess Oscar awards. His epic rivalry with Garry Kasparov produced five consecutive World Championship matches from 1984 to 1990, one of the greatest rivalries in sporting history.