Garry Kasparov

Date of Birth: April 13, 1963

Zodiac Sign: Aries

Biography

Garry Kasparov, born Garik Kimovich Weinstein on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union, is a world-renowned chess grandmaster, writer, political activist, and former world chess champion. He began playing chess at the age of 6 and quickly demonstrated an extraordinary talent for the game. Kasparov became the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22 by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov. He held the official FIDE world title until 1993 and continued to be ranked world No. 1 for 255 months, the most of any player in history. In addition to his chess prowess, Kasparov has authored several books on chess and politics. Following his retirement from professional chess in 2005, he became actively involved in Russian politics and has been a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin. Kasparov founded the United Civil Front, a social movement that aims to preserve electoral democracy in Russia. He continues to be an influential voice in both the chess world and political arenas.

5 Interesting Facts about Garry Kasparov

1. Garry Kasparov won his first international chess tournament at the age of 16.

2. He holds the record for the longest time spent as the No. 1 rated player in the world.

3. Kasparov played and won against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in 1996 but lost in a rematch in 1997.

4. He has authored several highly acclaimed books, including “My Great Predecessors” and “Winter is Coming”.

5. Kasparov was awarded the title of Grandmaster in 1980.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Garry Kasparov

1. “Chess is life in miniature. Chess is a struggle, chess battles.”

2. “We are all chess pieces in a game played by a cruel and vengeful god.”

3. “The point of a political speech is to persuade people of what we think right.”

4. “I used to attack because it was the only thing I knew. Now I attack because I know it works best.”

5. “I think it’s very important to have a feedback loop, where you’re constantly thinking about what you’ve done and how you could be doing it better.”