Garry Kasparov (1963) became World Chess Champion in 1985. Only 22, he dethroned Anatoly Karpov in a thrilling match. In 1986, 1987 and 1990 these chess giants faced each other again in World Championship Matches, but every time Kasparov managed to defend his title.

In 1993 a new challenger appeared on the scene: Nigel Short. Unhappy with the conditions offered by World Chess Federation FIDE, Kasparov and Short decided to play a match outside FIDE’s jurisdiction and formed a new organization: the Professional Chess Association (PCA). Kasparov defeated Short, but FIDE did not acknowledge Kasparov as World Champion. This caused a split in the chess world. From 1993 until 2006 there were two World Champions every time: one ‘classic’ champion and one FIDE champion. In 1995 Kasparov remained the champion of the PCA by beating challenger Viswanathan Anand, but in 2000 he lost his world title to Vladimir Kramnik. In 2005 Kasparov retired from competitive chess.

Kasparov still holds the record of being the youngest ever World Champion, and with 40 super-tournament victories he showed he was vastly superior to his rivals. The man from Baku did not lose many games in his career, but if someone managed to beat him, Kasparov usually left the building very quickly. In 2013 the 13th World Champion said: ‘It was not unfair to call me a “poor loser” when I played, but I think to be #1 you always need to expect to win and really hate to lose.’

Kasparov is a fighter, both in chess and in life. The 13th World Champion regards his playing style as ‘a symbiosis of the styles of Alekhine, Tal and Fischer’. Kasparov was known for his deep opening analysis, but also for his positional understanding and combinatory play.

Do you want to adopt Kasparov-like thought processes in your own games? Try this training app and play the same winning moves as the former World Champion did in his games! One hundred training exercises are offered, in positions where Kasparov turned the game in his favour. The puzzles start at a moderate level and gradually get more difficult. Don’t give up!