Viktor Korchnoi, Chess Giant Who Drew Soviet Ire, Dies at 85

Viktor Korchnoi, who was widely considered one of the greatest chess players in history but never captured the world championship in more than 60 years as an elite competitor, died on Monday in Switzerland, where he had lived for decades after defecting from the Soviet Union. He was 85.

He had been ill since he suffered a stroke several years ago, his son, Igor, told The Associated Press.

Mr. Korchnoi was stubborn and combative. He often would capture his opponents’ pieces even if it exposed his king to danger, and then go into a defensive crouch, grimly trying to hang on to his extra booty. When he lost, he could be condescending toward his opponents, who, he judged, had benefited from his mistakes rather than their own skill. His nickname was “Viktor the Terrible,” largely because of his temper.

Garry Kasparov, the world champion who defeated Mr. Korchnoi in a 1983 match, wrote in the preface of Mr. Korchnoi’s autobiography, “Chess is My Life”, “In all of history you cannot find another player with his long-lived discipline, vigour and ferocity