Anatoly Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Chess Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985, and held the title until 1993. Karpov is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. He has won numerous tournaments and is renowned for his positional style of play. Karpov is also known for his rivalry with Garry Kasparov, which lasted from 1984 to 1990.