Garry Kasparov (born in 1963) was widely thought to be a future champion in his teens, and he lived up to these expectations after winning the Interzonal in Moscow (1982) and crushing Beliavsky (+4-1=4), Korchnoi (+4-1=6), and Smyslov (+4-0=9) in the Candidates matches. His unlimited first-to-win-six-games match with Karpov (Moscow, 1984) became the longest in history. It was terminated without result and stirred up much controversy.
Garry Kasparov (1997-05-15) by Ted ThaiLIFE Photo Collection
The next year, another match was organized, which Kasparov won 13-11 to become the youngest World Champion. In the next five years, Kasparov defended his title in three matches with Karpov: London-Leningrad,1986 (12½–11½), Linares,1987 (12-12), and New York-Lyon,1990 (12½–11½).
In 1993, Kasparov and Short (the winner of the Candidates cycle) played the title match outside of FIDE jurisdiction, which Kasparov won 12½–7½. Two years later, he defended his title in the match against the winner of the PCA candidate cycle, Viswanathan Anand, by a score of 10½–7½ (New York, 1995).
Despite losing the chess crown in 2000, Kasparov continued to dominate tournaments and was #1 on the FIDE rating list when he retired from professional chess.
Autograph of Garry Kasparov by Garry KasparovInternational Chess Federation (FIDE)
Kasparov's autograph
Kasparov's signature chess combination
Kasparov – Karpov. Lyon 1990
Is there a more elegant way to win in chess than with a queen sacrifice? Kasparov calculated a long and beautiful winning sequence: 34. Qxh6+! Qxh6 35. Nf7+ Kh7 36. Bxf5+ Qg6 37. Bxg6+ Kg7 38. Rxa8 Be7 39. Rb8 Be7 40. Be4+ Kxf7 41. Bxd5+, and Karpov resigned.
The world speaks: opinions on Kasparov
After Karpov and Kasparov, there are no longer kings, but only prime ministers." - Boris Spassky
"Perhaps Kasparov can be compared with Botvinnik in his willpower, but he surpasses his teacher in flexibility. He soaks up changes like a sponge, quickly and successfully incorporating everything he sees into his arsenal. I think this is what distinguishes Kasparov from all other chess players." - Vladimir Kramnik
"In my opinion, Garry Kasparov is the greatest player ever. Garry is a hard worker, with a very special talent for the game from a very early age. He could find ideas that nobody else could." - Magnus Carlsen
Kasparov's Timekeeping Habit
Note Kasparov's detailed time annotations on this scoresheet. His emphasis on tracking time, beginning at move 12, highlights the importance of time management in chess.
Timeless chess wisdom from Kasparov
If you wish to succeed, you must brave the risk of failure.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do in a pressure situation is to allow the tension to persist. The temptation is to make a decision, any decision, even if it is an inferior choice.
The biggest problem I see among people who want to excel in chess—and in business and life in general—is that they do not trust their instincts enough.
The public must come to see that chess is a violent sport. Chess is mental torture.
Dive deeper: explore Kasparov's legacy through these videos
