VALENCIA: Chess master Garry Kasparov handily defeated his Russian rival Anatoli Karpov in a rematch commemorating the 25th anniversary of their epic first duel in 1984. Kasparov, 46, triumphed in nine games while Karpov, 58, won three times in a three-day battle that ended on Thursday. “Karpov was unable to manage the enormous psychological pressure of the chessboard,” said Kasparov. Kasparov won five games of speed chess on Thursday to claim victory after winning four matches in the previous days. Karpov won one of the five-minute matches on the last day after winning just two earlier. But the Karpov said he would soon have his revenge on their next encounter in December in Paris. The duel comes 25 years after the chess icons faced off in an epic battle in Moscow that lasted five months. The match ended in controversy when the World Chess Federation stopped the game without a clear winner on alleged health grounds though both players said they wanted to continue. Karpov, who was 33 at the time, had won five of the matches. Kasparov, who was 21, won three and 40 more were draws. In their 1985 rematch, Kasparov beat Karpov, to be the youngest world champion, and defended his title next year. Karpov narrowly won the last match they played in 1990.