As a sporting contest, it had an exciting climax. The match would go to the first player to win six games, draws not counting. After 17 games, Karpov had an imposing 4–1 lead. Korchnoi won game 21, but Karpov won game 27, putting him on the brink of victory with a 5–2 lead. Korchnoi fought back, scoring three wins and one draw in the next four games, to equalise the match at 5–5 after 31 games. However, Karpov won the next game, and the match, by 6–5 with 21 draws. For the second time, Karpov had won by the narrowest possible margin.