MADRID , Spain ( CNN ) -- Chess legends Garry Kasparov and Anatoli Karpov faced off again in Spain on Tuesday , 25 years after their epic first world championship battle in Moscow , in what organizers are calling a `` historic revenge match . '' Garry Kasparov , right , and Anatoli Karpov play chess at the Arts Palau in Valencia , on Tuesday . Revenge or not , the past chess champs will receive undisclosed sums for playing the three-day , 12-game match in the eastern port city of Valencia . There will be no additional cash prize for the winner of the exhibition event , which the regional Valencia government is organizing under the title `` Valencia , cradle of modern chess , '' event spokesman Rafa Carretero told CNN . But bragging rights , yes , and perhaps with more on the line for Kasparov , who dominated the chess world for 20 years . Kasparov carried on that legacy on Tuesday , winning the first two games in this rematch , Spain 's state new agency EFE reported . Karpov was world champion when they began their initial five-month match in 1984 in Moscow . That match was controversially stopped by chess authorities , citing concerns about the health of the contestants after 48 grueling games . But the next year in Moscow , Kasparov beat Karpov in a rematch and went on to hold the number-one world chess ranking almost without interruption until his retirement in 2005 . The two last met , in their fifth match , in 1990 , with games played in New York and Lyon , France . Kasparov won . In a total of five world championship matches , Kasparov has the edge with 21 wins , 19 losses and 104 ties in a total of 144 games . Karpov , now 58 , and Kasparov , 46 , told Spanish newspaper El Pais they hoped the rematch in Valencia would put chess in the spotlight again . Karpov came from Russia to Valencia more than a week ago , with a team of elite trainers , organizers said . Kasparov arrived last Sunday from his home in Croatia , where he had been training . The match , at Valencia 's Palace of Arts , has attracted interest from ticket buyers on five continents , organizers said . One of the highest-profile fans on hand is Sulaiman Al-Fahim , president of the chess federation of the United Arab Emirates and owner of England 's Portsmouth football team . Dutchman Geurt Gijssen , who was referee for the last two matches between Karpov and Kasparov , will referee this match as well , the organizers said . Kasparov is now an opposition politician in Russia , running unsuccessfully against then-President Vladimir Putin in 2007 . During their first match , in 1984 , Kasparov was just 21 and Karpov was 33 .
Garry Kasparov and Anatoli Karpov face off again , in Valencia , Spain . Match comes 25 years after their epic first world championship battle in Moscow . Kasparov wins first two games in the 12-game rematch . Comment: