EmmaThis is Today in History on Slow English FM, where we make important moments from the past clear and interesting. On November 9, 1985, a chess match in Moscow came down to its final game. Garry Kasparov, only 22 years old, faced Anatoly Karpov, the champion who had held the title for a decade. The championship was at stake: the winner of the match would hold the world title, and the final game would decide whether Karpov could overtake Kasparov.

The match had 24 games. In chess match scoring, a win is worth one point, while a draw—when neither player wins—is worth half a point for each player. Before the last game, Karpov needed a win to take the match. A draw or a loss would leave the title with Kasparov. That made the situation clear, even if the game itself was complex: Karpov had to win, while Kasparov needed only to avoid defeat.

EmmaKasparov played the final game with the black pieces. He attacked Karpov’s king with his queen and a rook, creating pressure from two directions. After 42 moves, Karpov resigned, accepting that the position could not be saved. That victory made Kasparov the world champion. The resignation ended the game without a checkmate on the board; it was Karpov’s acceptance that he could not save the position.

The final match score was 13 to 11 for Kasparov. He won five games; Karpov won three; and 16 games ended in draws. Those draws mattered: each added half a point to both players’ totals. The match was therefore not decided by one dramatic game alone, but by the points gathered across all 24 games—with the last win settling the contest. The score also shows how a match can remain close even when one player wins more games: draws contribute to both totals, not to either player alone.

EmmaKasparov’s victory marked a change at the top of chess. Karpov’s decade as champion ended, and the 22-year-old Kasparov took the title. The result also made him one of the youngest world champions in the game’s history. Karpov was 34, and the contrast in their ages was striking, but the result was decided over the board: Kasparov’s five wins and the final victory carried him to the title.

The final game was the 24th and last of a hard-fought match. Its result turned a score advantage into a championship: Kasparov finished on 13 points, against Karpov’s 11, and became the new titleholder. On this date in 1985, the final game gave the score its decisive point—and brought a new champion to the board. Thanks for listening to Today in History on Slow English FM. Stay with us for more stories that help make the past easier to follow.