Player Profile: Garry Kasparov

Full Name: Garry Kimovich Kasparov

Peak FIDE Rating: 2851 (July 1999)

Active Since: 1978 (Retired in 2005)

Federation: Russia (previously Soviet Union)

Player Description:

Garry kaparov is widely regarded as one of the greatest player in the history of chess.Known for his deep tactical vision and undefeatable calculation which makes him set apart from rest of the players.Kasparov dominated the chess world from the mid-1980s to early 2000s. He became the youngest ever World Champion in 1985 at just 22, defeating Anatoly Karpov in a historic match. His rivalry with Karpov is one of the most intense and legendary in chess history.

Beyond the board, Kasparov was a visionary who introduced powerful computer analysis into top-level preparation and inspired a generation of attacking players. Kasparov was also a pioneer in man vs machine battles, famously drawing with IBM’s Deep Thought in 1989 and later losing to Deep Blue in 1997 — the first time a reigning World Champion lost a match to a computer under standard conditions. Post-retirement, he became a political activist and author, while continuing to influence chess through training and commentary.

Career Scorecard:

• 6-time Classical World Champion (1985–2000)

• Defended the title successfully five times (1985 ,1986, 1987, 1990, 1995)

• Qualified for USSR championship at the age of 15 in 1978.

• In 1980 he won the World Junior Chess Championship in Dortmund, West Germany.

Olympiad Medals:

• 1980 – La Valletta, Malta (Soviet Union)

• Team Gold, Individual Silver on Board 2 Kasparov scored 9/10 — one of the best performances in the event.

• 1982 – Lucerne, Switzerland (Soviet Union) Team Gold, Individual Gold on Board 2 Outstanding 8.5/10 performance with a 2700+ performance rating.

• 1986 – Dubai, UAE (Soviet Union) Team Gold, Individual Gold on Board 1

  First time as top board; scored 8.5/11 against world’s best.

  
  

• 1988 – Thessaloniki, Greece (Soviet Union) Team Gold, Individual Gold on Board 1 Scored 8.5/10 with brilliant attacking games.

• 1992 – Manila, Philippines (Russia) Team Gold, Individual Gold on Board 1 Represented Russia after USSR dissolved, led them to top finish.

  
  

Tournaments Won:

• World Championship: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993 (PCA)

• Linares 1999 (Spain)

• Wijk aan Zee 1999 (Netherlands)

• Tilburg 1989 (Netherlands)

• Moscow 1981 – USSR Championship

Memorable Games:

• Kasparov vs Topalov, Wijk aan Zee 1999 – Considered one of the greatest attacking games ever, featuring a queen sacrifice and precise calculation.

• Kasparov vs Karpov, World Championship 1985 (Game 16) – A critical win in their grueling match that helped Kasparov seize the crown.

• Kasparov vs Anand, World Championship 1995 (Game 10) – A beautifully prepared Sicilian Najdorf that showcased his deep opening work and psychological mastery.

• Kasparov vs Shirov – Novgorod 1994

• A masterclass in dynamic and intuitive attacking play, this game saw Kasparov unleash a beautiful kingside attack in a Grünfeld Defence. 5 Kasparov vs Judit Polgar – Hoogeveen 2002 This was a high-profile encounter between the strongest male and female players of the time. Kasparov played an incredibly deep positional squeeze in a Sicilian Defense, slowly restricting Judit's counterplay and converting with flawless technique.