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Last Updated:
2024-09-22 08:20:01

Garry Kasparov

Russian chess grandmaster, activist, writer
Russian chess grandmaster, activist, writer

Garry Kasparov, former World Chess Champion, achieved highest FIDE rating. Held world no. 1 rank for 255 months. Youngest undisputed world champion. Lost to Deep Blue in 1997. Active in politics and human rights advocacy.

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1963-04-13
Birth of Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov, born as Garri Kimovich Kasparov on April 13, 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan, U.S.S.R., is a renowned chess player and former World Chess Champion.

1970
Attending the Young Pioneer Palace

At the age of 7, Garry Kasparov started attending the Young Pioneer Palace in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.

1972
Training at Mikhail Botvinnik's Chess School

At the age of 10, Garry Kasparov began training at Mikhail Botvinnik's chess school under the guidance of coach Vladimir Makogonov.

1975
Kasparov's First Encounter with Karpov

In 1975, at the age of 12, Garry Kasparov faced Anatoly Karpov for the first time and lost. This initial encounter marked the beginning of their competitive rivalry in chess.

1976-01
Kasparov Wins Soviet Junior Championship

In January 1976, at the age of 12, Garry Kasparov achieved victory in the Soviet Junior Championship. He repeated this success the following year.

1978
Kasparov qualifies for USSR Chess Championship at age 15

In 1978, Garry Kasparov qualified for the USSR Chess Championship at the age of 15, becoming the youngest-ever player at that level.

1979
Moscow Interzonal

Kasparov achieved a score of +7 -0 =6 in the Moscow Interzonal, securing a spot in the Candidates matches.

1980-04
Kasparov sets new standards

In April 1980, Garry Kasparov, starting from the age of 12, was setting new standards in the world of chess.

1980-07
Skara 1980 Chess Championship

Garry Kasparov participated in the Skara 1980 Chess Championship as the USSR 2nd reserve, winning 5½ out of 6 games and achieving team gold and board gold.

1981
Kasparov's Record Streak Begins

Garry Kasparov starts his record streak of winning fifteen individual tournaments from 1981 to 1990, placing first or equal first in each.

1982
Kasparov wins Moscow Interzonal tournament

In 1982, Garry Kasparov secured victory in the Moscow Interzonal tournament, earning a place in the Candidates Tournament. This win further solidified his position as a rising star in the world of chess.

1983
Defeat of Viktor Korchnoi

Kasparov ended Viktor Korchnoi's bid for a third straight challenge to Karpov with a score of +4 -1 =6 in the semifinal.

1984-01
Becoming the No. 1 Ranked Player in the World

In January 1984, Garry Kasparov became the No. 1 ranked player in the world with a FIDE rating of 2710, making him the youngest ever world No. 1 at that time.

1984-09
Kasparov's First World Championship Challenge

Garry Kasparov challenged the reigning world champion Anatoly Karpov in a match that ended controversially after 48 games, leading to Kasparov becoming the youngest official champion in the history of chess.

1985-09
Kasparov earns the right to advance in the competition

In September 1985, Garry Kasparov earned the right to advance in the competition after defeating his opponents in the candidates matches.

1985-11
Kasparov vs Karpov World Chess Championship

In Game 16 of the World Chess Championship 1985, Kasparov defeats Karpov in a brilliant display of chess, showcasing his strategic prowess.

1986-10
Kasparov defends his title in World Chess Championship

In October 1986, due to the rematch clause of the 1985 match, Garry Kasparov was forced to defend his title in the World Chess Championship.

1987-12
Garry Kasparov defending his title

In December 1987, Garry Kasparov was obligated to defend his title due to the rematch clause from the 1985 match.

1988
GM Yasser Seirawan vs GM Garry Kasparov at the 1988 Olympiad

During the 1988 Olympiad, a notable chess match took place between GM Yasser Seirawan and GM Garry Kasparov. This event highlighted the competitive spirit and strategic depth of both players, leaving a mark in chess history.

1989
Kasparov Chess Foundation Established

The Kasparov Chess Foundation is a US-based non-profit organization that aims to promote the teaching of chess in education systems globally. It has programs implemented in schools in the United States and various centers in different countries.

1990-01
Highest FIDE Rating in 1990

In January 1990, Kasparov achieved the highest FIDE rating ever at that time, surpassing 2800 and breaking previous records.

1991-03
Kasparov's Streak Broken by Ivanchuk

Vasyl Ivanchuk breaks Kasparov's winning streak at Linares 1991, where Kasparov places second after losing their individual game.

1992
Debrecen 1992 Chess Championship

In the Debrecen 1992 Chess Championship, Garry Kasparov played for Russia as board 1, scoring 6 out of 8 and earning team gold, board gold, and performance silver.

1993
Formation of the Professional Chess Association (PCA)

In response to FIDE's actions, Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short formed the Professional Chess Association (PCA) as a rival organization, leading to Kasparov being stripped of his world champion title by FIDE.

1995-09
Garry Kasparov's victory with a score of 10 ½ - 7 ½

After four draws, Garry Kasparov achieved a 10 ½ - 7 ½ win in the match, with the ninth game becoming a distant memory.

1996-02
Kasparov vs Deep Blue First Match

Kasparov plays the first match against IBM supercomputer Deep Blue in February 1996, winning the match 4-2 and showcasing the battle between man and machine in chess.

1996-05
Garry Kasparov vs. IBM Deep Blue Matches

Garry Kasparov's famous matches against the IBM super-computer Deep Blue in 1996-97 were instrumental in popularizing artificial intelligence and chess.

1997
Loss to Deep Blue in a rematch

In 1997, an upgraded Deep Blue won a rematch against Garry Kasparov.

1999-07
Highest Elo Rating in 1999

By July 1999, Kasparov reached a 2851 Elo rating, the highest at that time, maintaining his dominance in the chess world.

2000-10
Kasparov vs Kramnik in 2000 London

In October 2000, Garry Kasparov faced off against Vladimir Kramnik in London, England. Despite not being recognized as the champion by FIDE, the match was significant in the world of chess.

2001
2001 Wijk aan Zee Tournament

Garry Kasparov achieved victory once again at the Wijk aan Zee Tournament in 2001, solidifying his reputation as a formidable chess player.

2002-12
Kasparov-Karpov match in New York City

Kasparov and Karpov played a four-game match with rapid time controls over two days in December 2002 in New York City, where Kasparov suffered a surprise loss (1.5 – 2.5).

2003-01
Kasparov vs. Deep Junior Match

In January 2003, Kasparov engaged in a match against Deep Junior, which was billed as the FIDE 'Man vs. Machine' world championship. After a series of games, the final game ended in a draw.

2003-06
Publication of My Great Predecessors Series

Between 2003 and 2006, Garry Kasparov authored the My Great Predecessors series, a five-volume collection focusing on former world champions and strong players. This series provided insights into the games of legendary chess figures.

2003-09
Planned match between Kasparov and Ponomariov

Kasparov was included in the 'Prague Agreement' to play a match against the FIDE World Champion Ponomariov in September 2003, but the match was called off after Ponomariov refused to sign his contract.

2005-03-10
Kasparov's retirement from regular competitive chess

After winning the Linares tournament for the ninth time, Kasparov announced on 10 March 2005 that he would retire from regular competitive chess due to a lack of personal goals in the chess world.

2006-08-22
Kasparov's return to public chess games

On 22 August 2006, Kasparov played in the Lichthof Chess Champions Tournament, marking his first public chess games since retirement, where he tied for first with Karpov.

2007-09-30
Kasparov enters Russian presidential race

In September 2007, Garry Kasparov entered the Russian presidential race by receiving 379 votes at a congress held in Moscow. He announced his intention to stand for the Russian presidency as the candidate of the 'Other Russia' coalition, advocating for a democratic and just Russia.

2008
Kasparov's Presidential Candidacy

Kasparov ran as a presidential candidate in 2008. His candidacy was seen as a challenge to the existing political establishment in Russia.

2009-09-21
Kasparov-Karpov match in Valencia

Kasparov and Karpov played a 12-game match in Valencia, Spain, from 21 to 24 September 2009, where Kasparov won with a final result of 9–3.

2010-03-10
Kasparov organizes 'Putin must go' campaign

On March 10, 2010, Garry Kasparov was among the key organizers of the online anti-Putin campaign 'Putin must go'. The campaign called for Russian law enforcement to ignore Putin's orders and garnered significant support with 90,000 signatures by June 2011.

2011-10-09
Kasparov wins blitz match against Nigel Short

On October 9, 2011, Garry Kasparov played a longer blitz match consisting of eight games against English grandmaster Nigel Short and won by a score of 4½–3½.

2012-01-31
Kasparov hosts opposition leaders meeting

On January 31, 2012, Garry Kasparov hosted a meeting of opposition leaders planning a mass march against the disputed State Duma elections. The meeting included prominent figures like Alexey Navalny and Yevgeniya Chirikova.

2012-08-17
Kasparov arrested outside Moscow court

On August 17, 2012, Garry Kasparov was arrested and beaten outside a Moscow court while attending the sentencing in the case involving the punk band Pussy Riot. He was later cleared of charges related to an unauthorized protest against the band's conviction.

2013-05-12
Op-ed in The Wall Street Journal

On May 12, 2013, Garry Kasparov wrote an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal questioning reports of Russian security agency FSB's cooperation with the FBI regarding the Boston bombers. He highlighted the lack of intelligence sharing from Moscow and criticized the FSB's history of failing to prevent terror attacks.

2013-06-06
Kasparov flees Russia

On June 6, 2013, Garry Kasparov announced that he had left Russia due to fear of persecution for his political views. He expressed concerns about the lack of democracy in what he referred to as Russia's 'dictatorship'.

2013-10-07
Kasparov announces candidacy for FIDE presidency

On October 7, 2013, Garry Kasparov announced his candidacy for the World Chess Federation president during a reception in Tallinn, Estonia.

2014-02
Acquiring Croatian Citizenship

In February 2014, Garry Kasparov applied for and was granted Croatian citizenship, citing difficulties living in Russia and his past support for Croatian independence.

2014-08
Kasparov loses FIDE presidential election

In August 2014, Garry Kasparov lost the FIDE presidential election to the incumbent Kirsan Ilyumzhinov with a vote of 110–61.

2015-04-25
Kasparov wins mini-match against Nigel Short

On April 25, 2015, Garry Kasparov played a mini-match against Nigel Short, consisting of two rapid games and eight blitz games, winning decisively with a score of 8½–1½.

2015-08-19
Kasparov wins simultaneous exhibition in Pula, Croatia

On August 19, 2015, Garry Kasparov played and won all nineteen games of a simultaneous exhibition in Pula, Croatia.

2016-04-28
Kasparov participates in Ultimate Blitz Challenge

On April 28, 2016, Garry Kasparov played a 6-round exhibition blitz round-robin tournament with top players like Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Hikaru Nakamura in the Ultimate Blitz Challenge.

2016-06-02
Kasparov wins simultaneous exhibition in Mönchengladbach

On June 2, 2016, Garry Kasparov played against fifteen chess players in a simultaneous exhibition in Mönchengladbach, winning all games.

2017-08-14
Kasparov participates in St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament

From August 14 to 19, 2017, Garry Kasparov came out of retirement to participate in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament, finishing eighth in a field that included top players like Nakamura, Caruana, Anand, and Aronian.

2018-10
Criticism of President Erdoğan's Regime in Turkey

In October 2018, Garry Kasparov criticized President Erdoğan's regime in Turkey for its crackdown on journalists and abduction operations, highlighting the dire human rights situation in the country.

2020
Interview on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

In 2020, Garry Kasparov expressed support for the Republic of Artsakh's right to independence and criticized Azerbaijan's claim over it. He highlighted the autonomous republics' right to self-determination under Soviet law and shared his personal experience during the Karabakh movement in 1988.

2021
Kasparov's Response to Russian Ransomware Attacks

In 2021, Garry Kasparov called for targeting the bank accounts of Russian oligarchs to force Russia to rein in its criminals' cyberattacks, stating that the only language Putin understands is power.

2022-05-20
Kasparov Designated as 'Foreign Agent'

On May 20, 2022, Garry Kasparov was designated as a 'foreign agent' by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation.

2023-08-04
Kasparov's Debate on Ukrainian Admission to NATO

On August 4, 2023, Garry Kasparov participated in a debate on the radio show 'Open to Debate' where he argued for Ukrainian admission into NATO and against appeasement towards Putin.

2024-03
Kasparov Listed as 'Terrorist and Extremist' by Russia

In March 2024, Russia placed Garry Kasparov on its list of 'terrorists and extremists'.

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Garry Kasparov
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