Anatoly Evgenievich Karpov was born in Zlatoust, Russia, in the Ural Mountains, in 1951.  His ascent proved once again the adage that where there’s a will, there’s a way.  He was born in a remote provincial town and grew up under hard post-war conditions; however he managed to catch the crest of the wave and achieved success and prosperity.

            He learned the rules of chess when he was four.  By the age of nine, he already had class A rating.  He was not 12 yet when he became a chess expert.  He received master title at 15 and the minor chess crown, for the World Junior Championship in Stockholm, at 18.  He achieved the grandmaster title at 19 and became the challenger for the world crown at 22.  Finally, before he was 24, he became the world champion.

            During his chess career, Karpov has already played more than 3000 games in various competitions—individual and team, national and international.  Karpov was awarded the Chess Oscar eleven times. 

            His most imposing achievement is the fact that he has 152 victories in competitions after he had obtained his master title.  The achievement closest to this belongs to Alekhine who won 76 competitions, exactly half of Karpov’s, and Karpov’s career is still far from over.  For this he is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for winning the highest number of internationally rated chess tournaments.

            His efforts toward the popularization of chess can hardly be overestimated.  He opened more than fifty chess clubs in Russia and abroad, the most recent occurring just before his fiftieth birthday in Salehard and Norilsk.  More than twenty chess schools named after Karpov are situated all over the world.  He has written many books and articles, and became a member of the Journalists’ Union of Russia.  His selected games and other books written by him are published in many countries.

            Karpov graduated from the Department of Economics of the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) State University.  After graduation, he moved to Moscow and became a senior faculty member at Moscow University.  For many years, he successfully combined his chess activities with social causes.  Since 1982, he has been the President of the International Association of Peace Foundations (formerly, the Soviet Peace Foundations).  Anatoly Karpov took the floor many times in the United Nations, UNESCO and other international bodies, speaking on problems of peace and international cooperation.  This has brought him international fame and personal respect among political leaders of many countries.  Evidence of this is the honorable statue of ”the Ambassador of Peace“ which was assigned to the Association of Peace Foundations led by Karpov.

            Anatoly Karpov was elected to the Russian Parliament.  In 1998, he became an Ambassador of the UNICEF in Eastern Europe and countries of former Soviet Union.  Beside Karpov, there are among the fifty Good Will Ambassadors such outstanding persons as actors Michael Douglas and Peter Ustinoff, boxer Mohammad Ali, and soccer player Ronaldo.

            Anatoly Karpov is an honorary citizen of the Russian towns of Zlatoust, Tula, and Orsk, as well as Serba (Ukraine) and Molodechno (Belorussia).  He is also an Honorary Texan.  He was awarded a Major Golden Medal of Paris, golden medals of the French towns of Le Havre, Vannes, Lyon, La Rochelle, Belfort, and Ouzes, as well as the Honorary Prize ”Fountains of Rome.“  Squares in Spanish towns of Valencia and Las Palmas have been named after him.

            For his achievements in chess and social activities, Karpov was awarded the Orders of Lenin and Labour Red Flag, an Honorary Diploma of the Russian Parliament, (he was the first person to receive this award), and other decorations from numerous international and Russian organizations.

            For his contribution to the restoration of ancient memorabilia, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia awarded him the Order of St. Daniel of the Second Degree.

            All these numerous awards of Karpov confirm that a talented man is talented in everything.  His industry and purpose have brought excellent results in every sphere of his activities.

            Anatoly Karpov never forgot charitable activities.  In the course of his career, he gave more the 3 million U.S. dollars for the development of national sports.  In 1986, Karpov together with Gary Kasparov gave $650,000 to the Foundation of Help to Victims of Chernobyl’.  Nowadays he gives money to an orphan boarding school in his native town of Zlatoust, pays grants to talented children within the New Names program and to best apprentices of the Chernobyl’ Children chess school.