Garry Kasparov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Garry KasparovГарри Каспаров |
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Kasparov in 2015
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| Full name | Garry Kimovich Kasparov |
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| Born | 13 April 1963 Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union |
| Title | Grandmaster (1980) |
| World Champion |
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| FIDE rating | 2812 (June 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2851 (July 1999) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (January 1984) |
Garry Kasparov (born Garik Weinstein on 13 April 1963) is a famous Russian chess grandmaster. He was the World Chess Champion from 1985 to 2000. Many people consider him one of the greatest chess players ever.
Kasparov's highest rating was 2851 in 1999. This was the highest rating ever recorded until 2013. He was ranked the world's number one player for a record 255 months. This lasted from 1984 until he stopped playing regular chess in 2005. He also holds records for winning the most chess tournaments in a row (15).
In 1985, Kasparov became the youngest world champion at age 22. He beat the champion, Anatoly Karpov. He kept this record until 2024. Kasparov defended his title against Karpov three times. This happened in 1986, 1987, and 1990.
In 1993, Kasparov had a disagreement with FIDE, the world chess organization. He then started his own group, the Professional Chess Association. In 1997, he made history by losing a match to a computer. This was the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. He held his "Classical" world title until 2000. He lost it to Vladimir Kramnik. Even after this, he kept winning tournaments. He was still the highest-rated player when he retired.
After retiring from chess, Kasparov started writing books. He also became involved in politics. He wrote a book series called My Great Predecessors. It tells the history of past world chess champions. He also became a political activist. He worked to support liberal democracy and human rights.
Contents
Early Life and Chess Beginnings
Garry Kasparov was born Garik Kimovich Weinstein in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR. This was part of the Soviet Union at the time. His father was Jewish and his mother was Armenian. Kasparov considers himself Russian. This is because Russian is his first language. He grew up with Russian culture. In 1990, his family had to leave Baku. This was due to anti-Armenian events happening there.
Kasparov started studying chess seriously after solving a problem his parents had set up. His father died when Garry was seven years old. When he was twelve, Garry changed his last name to Kasparov. This was his mother's last name. It helped avoid possible anti-Semitic problems in the Soviet Union.
Learning to Play Chess
From age seven, Kasparov went to the Young Pioneer Palace in Baku. At ten, he began training at Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school. His coach, Vladimir Makogonov, helped him improve his chess skills. Kasparov won the Soviet Junior Championship in 1976. He was only thirteen years old. He won it again the next year.
In 1978, Kasparov played in the Sokolsky Memorial tournament. He got a special invitation to join. He won first place and became a chess master. Kasparov says this event changed his life. It made him decide to make chess his career. He felt he had a good chance at becoming world champion.
Chess Career Highlights
Rising Through the Ranks
Kasparov first played in the USSR Chess Championship at age 15 in 1978. He was the youngest player ever to reach that level. He won a qualifying tournament to get his spot.
He quickly moved up the FIDE world rankings. In 1979, he played in a tournament in Yugoslavia. He was still unrated at the time. He won this important tournament. This made him one of the top 15 chess players in the world. The next year, 1980, he won the World Junior Chess Championship. Later that year, he played for the Soviet Union at the Chess Olympiad in Malta. He then became a Grandmaster.
As a teenager, Kasparov shared the win at the 1981 USSR Chess Championship. In 1982, he won his first major international tournament in Yugoslavia. He then qualified for the Candidates Tournament. At 19, he was the youngest player to become a Candidate since Bobby Fischer. He was already the world's second-highest-rated player.
Kasparov's first Candidates match was against Alexander Beliavsky. He won easily. His next match was against Viktor Korchnoi. The Soviet authorities did not want Kasparov to travel to the United States for the match. This was because Korchnoi had left the Soviet Union. The chess world disagreed with this decision. Korchnoi agreed to play the match in London instead. Kasparov lost the first game but won the match.
In January 1984, Kasparov became the world's number one player. He was the youngest ever to reach this spot. This record lasted for 12 years. That same year, he won the Candidates' final against Vasily Smyslov. This meant he would play Karpov for the world championship.
The 1984 World Championship Match
The World Chess Championship 1984 match between Kasparov and Karpov was very long. It had a controversial ending. Karpov started very strong. After nine games, Kasparov was losing 4–0. The match was "first to six wins."
Then, there were 17 draws in a row. Kasparov lost game 27, making the score 5–0. But he fought back. He won game 32, making the score 5–1. This was his first win against the world champion. Another 14 draws followed. The match had already set a record for length.
Kasparov then won games 47 and 48. The score became 5–3 in Karpov's favor. But then, the FIDE President, Florencio Campomanes, stopped the match. He said it was for the players' health. Both players wanted to continue. This decision was very controversial. A new match was announced to start later. This was the only world championship match ever stopped without a winner. This event made Kasparov's relationship with FIDE difficult.
Becoming World Champion
The second Karpov–Kasparov match happened in Moscow in 1985. It was a 24-game match. The first player to get 12½ points would win. If it was a 12–12 draw, Karpov would keep the title. On 9 November 1985, Kasparov won the world title. He scored 13–11. He was 22 years old. This made him the youngest world champion ever. He broke the record held by Mikhail Tal.
Karpov had a right to a rematch. So, another match took place in 1986. It was held in London and Leningrad. Kasparov took a three-point lead. But Karpov fought back and tied the score. Kasparov then won one more game. He kept his title with a score of 12½–11½.
A fourth match happened in 1987 in Seville. Karpov had qualified again to challenge Kasparov. This match was also very close. Neither player had a big lead. With one game left, Kasparov was down by one point. He needed to win to keep his title. He won a long, difficult game. This meant the match was a 12–12 draw. Kasparov kept his title.
Kasparov and Karpov met for a fifth time in 1990. It was held in New York City and Lyon. Again, it was a close match. Kasparov won by 12½–11½. In their five world championship matches, Kasparov won 21 games. Karpov won 19 games. They had 104 draws in 144 games.
Breaking Away from FIDE
In 1986, Kasparov created the Grandmasters Association (GMA). This group was made to help professional players. Kasparov was a leader in this group. The GMA helped organize World Cup tournaments for top players. This caused problems between Kasparov and FIDE. Kasparov felt that FIDE's president needed to leave.
This disagreement continued until 1993. A new challenger, Nigel Short, qualified to play for the world title. Kasparov and Short did not agree with FIDE's plans for their match. So, they decided to play outside FIDE's control. They created their own group, the Professional Chess Association (PCA). This caused the world championship title to split. In 2007, Kasparov said that breaking with FIDE in 1993 was his biggest mistake. He felt it hurt chess in the long run.
Kasparov and Short were removed from FIDE's rating list. They played their match in London in September 1993. Kasparov won clearly by 12½–7½. This match made chess more popular in the UK. Meanwhile, FIDE held its own world championship match. Karpov won that match.
So, there were now two world champions. Kasparov was the PCA champion. Karpov was the FIDE champion. The title stayed split for 13 years.
Kasparov defended his PCA title in 1995. He played against Viswanathan Anand in New York City. Kasparov won the match.
Kasparov tried to organize another world championship match. He wanted to do it under a new group. But the plans fell apart. Eventually, a match was set up against Kramnik.
In 1999, Kasparov played a very famous game against Veselin Topalov. He won after sacrificing a rook. This game is considered one of his masterpieces.
Losing the Title and Aftermath
The Kasparov-Kramnik match took place in London in 2000. Kramnik had been Kasparov's student. He had also helped Kasparov's team in the 1995 match.
Kramnik won game 2. He also got good positions in other games. Kasparov made a big mistake in game 10. Kramnik won that game in only 25 moves. Kramnik played very well as Black. He drew all his games with that color. Kramnik won the match 8½–6½.
After losing the title, Kasparov still won many major tournaments. He remained the top-rated player in the world. He was ahead of both Kramnik and the FIDE World Champion. In 2001, he refused to play in a Candidates Tournament. He felt his results meant he deserved a rematch with Kramnik.
Kasparov and Karpov played a short match in 2002. It was a rapid chess match. Kasparov lost it by a small score.
There were plans to reunite the world championships. Kasparov was supposed to play a match against the FIDE World Champion. But these plans did not work out. In 2005, Kasparov announced he was tired of waiting. He decided to stop trying to become the undisputed world champion again.
Retiring from Regular Chess
After winning the Linares tournament for the ninth time, Kasparov announced his retirement. This was on 10 March 2005. He said he had no more personal goals in chess. He also felt frustrated that the world championship had not been reunited.
Kasparov said he might play some fast chess games for fun. But he wanted to spend more time on his books. He also wanted to work on how chess decisions relate to other parts of life. He also said he would stay involved in Russian politics.
Chess After Retirement
In 2006, Kasparov played his first public chess games since retiring. He played in a blitz event. He tied for first place with Karpov.
Kasparov and Karpov played a 12-game match in 2009. It was in Valencia, Spain. Kasparov won the match easily. This event happened exactly 25 years after their first, unfinished match.
Kasparov coached Magnus Carlsen for about a year, starting in 2009. Carlsen became the youngest player to reach a FIDE rating higher than 2800. He also rose to world number one. Carlsen said that Kasparov helped him understand complex chess positions much better.
In 2010, Kasparov played and won 30 games at once. This was a simultaneous exhibition in Israel. He also helped Anand prepare for his World Chess Championship match.
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Kasparov also trained U.S. grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in 2011. Their cooperation ended later that year.
Kasparov played two blitz exhibition matches in 2011. He won both of them. He also played and defeated fourteen opponents in a simultaneous exhibition in Slovakia.
In 2015, Kasparov played a mini-match against Short. He won the match very clearly. He won all five games on the second day. His wins showed his aggressive pawn moves.
Kasparov played in a blitz tournament in 2016. He finished third. He said he would donate his winnings from future matches to help the American Olympic Team.
Running for FIDE President
In 2013, Kasparov announced he would run for president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). He had support from Carlsen. But in 2014, Kasparov lost the election. He lost to the current president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Later, the FIDE Ethics Commission found Kasparov guilty of breaking their rules. He was suspended for two years from all FIDE activities.
Returning to Competitive Chess
Kasparov came out of retirement in 2017. He played in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament. He finished eighth in a strong group of players. Kasparov promised to donate any money he earned to charities that promote chess in Africa.
In 2020, he played in a Chess 960 tournament. He finished eighth. His game against Carlsen was a draw.
In 2021, he launched Kasparovchess. This is an online chess community. It has videos, lessons, puzzles, and articles. He also played in another blitz event in 2021. He did not perform well in that tournament.
Olympiads and Team Events
Kasparov played in eight Chess Olympiads. He played for the Soviet Union four times. After the Soviet Union broke up, he played for Russia four times. In 1980, at age 17, he was the youngest player to represent the Soviet Union at this level. He won 50 games, lost 3, and drew 29. He won 19 medals in total. This included team gold medals every time he competed.
For the 1994 Moscow Olympiad, Kasparov helped organize the event. It was put together quickly after another city canceled. Kasparov's detailed Olympiad record:
- Valletta 1980, USSR, team gold, board bronze;
- Lucerne 1982, USSR, team gold, board bronze;
- Dubai 1986, USSR, team gold, board gold;
- Thessaloniki 1988, USSR, team gold, board gold;
- Manila 1992, Russia, team gold, board gold;
- Moscow 1994, Russia, team gold;
- Yerevan 1996, Russia, team gold, board silver;
- Bled 2002, Russia, team gold.
Kasparov also played in the European Team Championship. He won five medals there. He also represented the USSR once at the Youth Olympiad in 1981. His team won the title.
His Impact on Chess
Kasparov won the Chess Oscar eleven times. This award is for the best chess player of the year. His Elo rating of 2851 in 1999 was a record for over thirteen years. He was the world's number one player from 1985 to 2006. This was for a total of 255 months.
The rivalry between Kasparov and Karpov is one of the most famous in chess history. They played five matches and 144 games. They had a strong rivalry. Karpov was seen as representing the Soviet system. Kasparov was young and popular. He was seen as a "child of change."
Carlsen said that Kasparov had an amazing feel for how pieces move in complex positions. Kramnik said Kasparov's ability to study was unmatched. He added that Kasparov could handle anything in chess.
In 2007, a company listed Kasparov among 100 living geniuses. He was ranked 25th. Kasparov also focused on physical fitness. He took time each year to work out hard.
How Kasparov Played Chess
Kramnik said Kasparov had almost no weaknesses as a chess player. His games were dynamic. They focused on tactics and deep strategy. He also had original ideas for the opening moves. Kasparov was known for preparing his openings very well. He played aggressively.
Many people compare Kasparov's attacking style to Alexander Alekhine. Alekhine was Kasparov's chess idol since childhood. Kasparov said his style was mainly influenced by Alekhine, Mikhail Tal, and Fischer. His early coaches also influenced him. He was one of the first to use computers to analyze games.
Botvinnik, his teacher, said Kasparov had amazing speed and memory. He could calculate deep moves and find surprising ones. Botvinnik felt Kasparov's ability to see combinations was like Alekhine's.
New Ideas in Chess Openings
Kasparov made many new ideas in chess openings. In the 1990s, he used computer programs to develop new variations. He also brought back the Scotch Game in top-level play. This opening was thought to be old-fashioned. Kasparov used it successfully against Karpov, Short, and Anand.
One part of the Sicilian Defense is called the Kasparov Gambit. Kasparov used this in his 1985 match with Karpov. He won a game with it.
Another famous example was in his 1995 match against Anand. In a well-known position, Kasparov found a new idea. He sacrificed a rook. This led to a winning attack.
Kasparov also wrote several books about opening theory.
Chess Rating Records
Kasparov holds the record for being the world's number one rated player for the longest time. This was from 1984 to 2005. He was still ranked number one when he retired in 2005. His rating was 2812.
In 1990, Kasparov reached a FIDE rating over 2800. This broke Fischer's old record. By 1999 and 2000, Kasparov reached a 2851 Elo rating. This was the highest rating ever achieved at that time. Carlsen broke this record in 2013.
Other Achievements
Kasparov holds the record for winning the most professional tournaments in a row. He placed first or tied for first in fifteen tournaments from 1981 to 1990. This streak ended in 1991.
In the late 1990s, Kasparov had another long streak. He won ten super-tournaments in a row. In these wins, he had 53 wins, 61 draws, and only 1 loss.
Famous Games
- Anatoly Karpov vs Garry Kasparov, World Chess Championship 1985, Game 16: Kasparov played perfectly. He sacrificed a pawn. Then he used a knight to control the board.
- Garry Kasparov vs Veselin Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999, Round 4: This is often called his masterpiece. Kasparov made many brilliant moves. He chased Black's king across the board. He ended with a precise combination.
Chess and Computers
Acorn Computers helped sponsor Kasparov's match in 1983. This was Kasparov's first time seeing computers. He got a BBC Micro computer. He took it back to the Soviet Union.
In 1985, Kasparov worked with Frederic Friedel. They discussed how a chess database program could help. Friedel later created Chessbase. Kasparov used it to prepare for games. That same year, Kasparov played against 32 chess computers. He won all the games.
On 22 October 1989, Kasparov beat the chess computer Deep Thought. He won both games. In 1992, Kasparov played 37 blitz games against Fritz 2. He won most of them.
In 1995, Kasparov used a chess engine to check a new opening idea. This became common later on.
Kasparov played two matches against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. The first match was in 1996. Kasparov won (4–2). The second match was in 1997. Deep Blue won (3½–2½). The 1997 match was the first time a world champion lost to a computer in a tournament.
The match was tied after five games. But Kasparov lost quickly in Game 6. Kasparov said he was "not well prepared" for Deep Blue in 1997. He felt his play was stronger than the computer's. Kasparov also said he was not allowed to see Deep Blue's recent games. But the computer's team could study his games.
After losing, Kasparov thought the machine showed deep intelligence. He wondered if human chess players had helped the computer during the games. IBM said no, except for changes between games. Kasparov asked for the computer's log files. IBM refused at first, but later published them online. Later, it was suggested that a glitch in the computer program caused the strange moves. Plans for a rematch did not happen.
Kasparov versus the World was a game in 1999. Kasparov played as White. More than 50,000 people from around the world played against him as Black. Kasparov called it "the greatest game in the history of chess." He won the game after 62 moves.
In 2003, he played a match against the computer program Deep Junior. It was called the FIDE "Man vs. Machine" world championship. The computer could check three million positions per second. After one win each and three draws, it came down to the last game. Kasparov offered a draw, and Deep Junior accepted. Kasparov said he was afraid of making a mistake. Deep Junior was the first machine to beat Kasparov with the Black pieces.
In 2003, he played a match against X3D Fritz. He used a virtual board and 3D glasses. The match ended in a draw. Kasparov received $175,000. He felt he had played better than the machine overall.
In 2021, Kasparov promoted a series of digital collectibles called NFTs. They showed important moments in his career.
Books and Other Writings
Early Books
Kasparov has written many books about chess. He published his autobiography when he was in his early 20s. It was called Child of Change, and later Unlimited Challenge. This book was updated several times. He also published a book of his games in 1983. He wrote a book about his 1985 World Chess Championship win.
He has written many notes on his own games for the Chess Informant series. In 1982, he helped write Batsford Chess Openings. This book sold well. He also helped write two opening books with his trainer, Alexander Nikitin.
In 2000, Kasparov co-wrote Kasparov Against the World. This book is about the 1999 online game. It has the longest analysis ever for a single chess game.
My Great Predecessors Series
In 2003, the first book of his five-part series Garry Kasparov on My Great Predecessors was published. This book covers world champions like Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, José Raúl Capablanca, and Alexander Alekhine. It won an award in 2003. The second book covered Max Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, and Tal. The third book featured Tigran Petrosian and Boris Spassky. The fourth book focused on Fischer. The fifth book was about Karpov and Korchnoi.
Modern Chess Series
His book Revolution in the 70s (2007) was the first in a new series. It talked about how chess openings changed in the 1970s and 1980s. It also looked at famous games from that time.
Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov Series
From 2011 to 2014, Kasparov published a three-book series about his own games. It covered his entire career until he stopped playing full-time in 2005.
Winter Is Coming
In 2015, Kasparov published a book called Winter Is Coming. The title is a reference to the TV show Game of Thrones. In the book, Kasparov writes about the need for democratic countries to work together. He believes they should replace the United Nations. He called the United Nations a "catwalk for dictators."
Other Writings
Kasparov wrote How Life Imitates Chess in 2007. It looks at how making decisions in chess is like making decisions in business. In 2008, Kasparov wrote a tribute to Bobby Fischer. He said he was sad he never got to thank Fischer for what he did for chess.
Kasparov is a main advisor for the book publisher Everyman Chess. He also worked on a book about world innovation. In 2018, he wrote about Google's AlphaZero chess system. He said he liked that AlphaZero had a dynamic style like his own.
Kasparov was a consultant for the 2020 Netflix miniseries The Queen's Gambit. He also worked on a book called Hyperautomation. He wrote the foreword for it. In 2021, The New York Times published an essay by Kasparov. It was called "Garry Kasparov: What We Believe About Reality."
Personal Life
Kasparov has lived in New York City since 2013.
He has been married three times. He has a daughter, Polina, from his first marriage. He has a son, Vadim, from his second marriage. With his current wife, Daria, he has two children: a daughter, Aida, born in 2006, and a son, Nickolas, born in 2015. Kasparov's wife manages his business activities.
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