Contents
Garry Kasparov
Holding the classical world chess title from 1985 to 2000.
Classical world title · Deep Blue matches
- Born
- 13 April 1963
- Birthplace
- Baku, present-day Azerbaijan
More people
Garry Kasparov
Chess grandmaster whose aggressive preparation and long rivalry with Anatoly Karpov defined an era. His matches with IBM’s Deep Blue also became milestones in computing.
Early life
Chess childhood
Learned chess as a child in Baku and trained at Mikhail Botvinnik’s school.
A new surname
Born Garik Weinstein, he adopted his mother’s family surname after his father died.
Career
- 1980
Junior champion
Won the World Junior Championship and earned the grandmaster title.
- 1985
World champion
Defeated Anatoly Karpov in their second championship match.
- 1993
Break with FIDE
Helped form the Professional Chess Association, splitting the world championship.
- 2005
Tournament retirement
Stepped away from regular professional competition to focus on writing and politics.
Achievements
Classical world title
Held the championship until losing to Vladimir Kramnik.
Deep Blue matches
Beat IBM’s computer in 1996 before losing the rematch a year later.
Wijk aan Zee masterpiece
Defeated Veselin Topalov in a celebrated game featuring a long king hunt.
Beyond chess
Books on chess
Wrote the multi-volume My Great Predecessors series about earlier champions.
Political activism
Became an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin and an advocate for democratic opposition.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Sport authority — career and achievements ↗Photo: Fryta 73 from Strzegom. CC BY-SA 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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