Answers.Body: <p>As @Remellion pointed out, the <a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=55128" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1987 Kasparov - Karpov world championship match</a> also finished in a tie, 12-12, with Kasparov retaining the title.</p>
  
  <p>That chessgames.com link leads on to the 1910 Lasker vs Schlechter world championship match that finished 5-5 with Lasker retaining the title. The interesting story of the match is told <a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=54100" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>. With one game to play Schlechter was leading 5-4 and only needed a draw to become world champion. Instead of playing safe he played for the win but after a game lasting 11 hours spread over 3 days he lost and Lasker retained the title.</p>
  
  <p>Another tied game which had a winner was the <a href="https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=87187" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1983 Smyslov - Hübner Candidates Quarterfinal Match</a> which ended 5-5 and then was extended with 4 full length tie-break games (all draws) for a final score of 7-7. </p>
  
  <p>The match was held in Velden, Austria, about 500 meters from the Casino Velden and so to decide the winner they used the roulette wheel. If the ball fell into a black number Hübner would be the winner and if red then Smyslov. The first spin saw the ball end up in zero (no colour) so a second spin was needed which landed in red, so Smyslov won the match. </p>
  
  <p>Robert Byrne, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/08/arts/chess-should-chance-decide-the-outcome-of-a-match.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">reporting in the New York Times</a>, thought this was very unfair and proposed that more rapid games should be used to break ties when the tie-break games at the regular time control failed to produce a winner. Perhaps this was the first time rapid games had been suggested as a tie-break mechanism?</p>
  
  <p>So, that takes the total up to 6.</p>
  
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Answers.Text: Kramnik-Leko 2004
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Answers.CreationDate: 2019-12-19T17:23:47.913Z
Answers.Text: There is a theory that Schlecter played for a win because he needed to win by 2 points in order to win that title. Kasparov in OMGP is supporting that theory.
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Body: <p>In the current FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Jerusalem the <a href="https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/jerusalem-fide-grand-prix-2019/1/6/9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">first round match between Pentala Harikrishna and Sergey Karjakin</a> ended in a tied score, 4.5-4.5, but Karjakin won because the last game was an armageddon game with him as black.</p>
  
  <p>In the 1950's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship#FIDE_system_(1949%E2%80%931963)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Botvinnik "won" two world championship matches</a> as defending champion with a score of 12-12, one in 1951 against Bronstein and again in 1954 against Smyslov. At the time there were no tie-breaks for world championship matches. Instead the defending champion retained the title.</p>
  
  <p>That makes 3 matches. Are there any more?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2019-12-19T07:51:12.870Z
Comments.Text: Speaking of world championship matches: Kasparov - Karpov 1987, the 4th installment of their rivalry saw Kasparov win Game 24 to retain his title 12-12.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Remellion
Tags: <records>
Title: How many matches have there been at the top level which have ended up with a tied score and a winner?
ThreadText: # How many matches have there been at the top level which have ended up with a tied score and a winner?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-19)
  
  In the current FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Jerusalem the [first round match between Pentala Harikrishna and Sergey Karjakin](https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/jerusalem-fide-grand-prix-2019/1/6/9) ended in a tied score, 4.5-4.5, but Karjakin won because the last game was an armageddon game with him as black.
  
  In the 1950's [Botvinnik "won" two world championship matches](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship#FIDE_system_(1949%E2%80%931963)) as defending champion with a score of 12-12, one in 1951 against Bronstein and again in 1954 against Smyslov. At the time there were no tie-breaks for world championship matches. Instead the defending champion retained the title.
  
  That makes 3 matches. Are there any more?
  
  **Tags:** records
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Speaking of world championship matches: Kasparov - Karpov 1987, the 4th installment of their rivalry saw Kasparov win Game 24 to retain his title 12-12.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2019-12-19. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  As @username_1 pointed out, the [1987 Kasparov - Karpov world championship match](https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=55128) also finished in a tie, 12-12, with Kasparov retaining the title.
  
  That chessgames.com link leads on to the 1910 Lasker vs Schlechter world championship match that finished 5-5 with Lasker retaining the title. The interesting story of the match is told [here](https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=54100). With one game to play Schlechter was leading 5-4 and only needed a draw to become world champion. Instead of playing safe he played for the win but after a game lasting 11 hours spread over 3 days he lost and Lasker retained the title.
  
  Another tied game which had a winner was the [1983 Smyslov - Hübner Candidates Quarterfinal Match](https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?tid=87187) which ended 5-5 and then was extended with 4 full length tie-break games (all draws) for a final score of 7-7.
  
  The match was held in Velden, Austria, about 500 meters from the Casino Velden and so to decide the winner they used the roulette wheel. If the ball fell into a black number Hübner would be the winner and if red then Smyslov. The first spin saw the ball end up in zero (no colour) so a second spin was needed which landed in red, so Smyslov won the match.
  
  Robert Byrne, [reporting in the New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/08/arts/chess-should-chance-decide-the-outcome-of-a-match.html), thought this was very unfair and proposed that more rapid games should be used to break ties when the tie-break games at the regular time control failed to produce a winner. Perhaps this was the first time rapid games had been suggested as a tie-break mechanism?
  
  So, that takes the total up to 6.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: Kramnik-Leko 2004  
  > **username_3**: There is a theory that Schlecter played for a win because he needed to win by 2 points in order to win that title. Kasparov in OMGP is supporting that theory.  
  
  ---
  
  