Garry Kasparov

1985 marked the beginning of Garry Kasparov's reign as the youngest uncontested World Chess Champion at the age of 22. He was ranked number one for a very long time, refusing to give the title to any of his other components. His domination only ended when he decided to leave the scene in 2005.

However, as the adage goes, "every Chess grandmaster was once a novice," and that applies even to a champion! Garry began his path to becoming one of the greatest chess players of his generation in the chess academy of Mikhail Botvinnik at the age of 10. In 1978, he won a pro chess tournament - a competition that he joined by mistake. He was rated second in the world in 1983. In 1984, Garry Kasparov confronted Anatoly Karpov for the World Championship but lost to him in a 48-game tournament. The next year, he won the championship and successfully defended it three times.

Following his departure from FIDE in 1995, the crown remained divided for thirteen years until 2000, when Kasparov ultimately lost his championship to Kramnik. And finally, in 2005, after winning the renowned Linares event for the tenth time, he declared his retirement, as we previously mentioned. Despite the fact that he's no longer in the game, Garry Kasparov will be forever remembered as the unique champion in chess history and one of the most famous chess players.

Born: 1963

Nationality: Russian

World Champion: 1985-1993; 1993-2000