Garry Kasparov

Garry Kimovich Kasparov was born on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR (then part of the Soviet Union). His father, Kim Vainshtein, is an engineer of Jewish origin, and his mother, Klara Kasparova, is Armenian. Chess entered his life at an early age, and he quickly displayed exceptional talent. At the age of 10 he joined the renowned chess school of Mikhail Botvinnik, where he received intensive training. In 1979, at just 16, Kasparov won a strong tournament in Banialuka, Yugoslavia, defeating experienced grandmasters. This marked the beginning of his rise among the world chess elite.

In 1980 he became the youngest World Youth Champion, and the following year achieved an incredible success by qualifying for the Candidates Tournament—the tournament that determined the challenger for the world title. In 1983, Kasparov advanced through the Candidates matches by defeating Alexander Belyavsky, Viktor Korchnoi, and Vasily Smyslov, thus earning the right to challenge Anatoly Karpov, who was the dominant chess player at that time.

In 1984 one of the most dramatic world championship matches in history began – Kasparov versus Karpov. The match lasted five months and included 48 games; however, after Karpov led 5:0, Kasparov made an incredible comeback by winning three games. FIDE eventually terminated the match without declaring a winner, citing the players’ health concerns. In 1985 a new match was held in which Kasparov defeated Karpov. He then defended his title against Karpov in 1986, 1987, and 1990, each time retaining his crown in extremely contested matches.

In 2006, Topalov defended his title in a unification match against Vladimir Kramnik in Elista, Russia. The match was tense and contentious, and became infamous for the so-called "Toiletgate" scandal—where Topalov’s team accused Kramnik of using the restroom excessively, suggesting he might be receiving computer assistance.

In 1993, in a conflict with the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short left the organization and founded the Professional Chess Association (PCA). Although he continued to be regarded as world champion, his title was no longer recognized by FIDE. In the following years, Kasparov remained the dominant chess player in the world, winning numerous super tournaments.

In 2000, Vladimir Kramnik defeated him in the world championship match in London. This was a major blow to Kasparov, who failed to win a single game in that match. Nevertheless, he remained world number one and continued to win major tournaments. In 2005, after winning the prestigious Linares tournament, Kasparov surprisingly announced his retirement from professional chess.