Well there's always 
9- 8 + 4 the answer, since it's really an inquality not an equation.) I'm still thinking.

Here's another poor attempt. I start with  
9-8+7 = 6. Note that I've removed the crossbar in the number 4, tilted it a bit, and made it a seven. Next I take the crossbar and put it in front of the 6 on the right: 9 - 8 + 7 = -6. Now I correct the ambiguity in the equation by grouping terms. So now we have 9 - (8+7) = -6. Which is a correct equation! I'd very much appreciate you posting the actual answer.

The actual answer is "Remove the vertical line from the 4 and view upside down. "

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Thank you, Peter. The resulting equation 
9=7+8-6 has weird similiaries to my second stab at an answer.

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He [team captain Azmaiparashvili] exenailpd it in various ways, and later gave the very odd response that it would have meant Teimur having to play black for a second game in a row – and as a result he put me down for that disastrous match, which was the root of all our problems. In the end I lost the third game in a row and was knocked out until the end of the tournament.

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Following in Peter's footsteps: 
remove vertical line from 4 
tilt the remains a bit to ger a V (=5) 
 
9 - 8 + V = 6