Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparovis a Russian chess Grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, and political activist, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. From 1986 until his retirement in 2005, Kasparov was ranked world No. 1 for 225 out of 228 months. His peak rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by Magnus Carlsen in 2013. Kasparov also holds records for consecutive professional tournament victoriesand Chess Oscars...
ProfessionChess Player
Date of Birth13 April 1963
CityBaku, Azerbaijan
I wouldn't place much stock in numbers. I don't believe that they reflect Putin's true popularity. Just think about how the pollsters proceed. They call people and they ask them questions on the street. In today's Russia, it takes a lot of courage to tell a stranger something critical about the head of the Kremlin. And yet more than 20 percent do so nonetheless.
Chess continues to advance over time, so the players of the future will inevitably surpass me in the quality of their play, assuming the rules and regulations allow them to play serious chess. But it will likely be a long time before anyone spends 20 consecutive years as number, one as I did.
The scale of the man to whom we are bidding farewell today in no way corresponds to the paltry scale of today's authorities.
I don't have to run for Presidency in Russia to feel good about myself. I already completed more than many people could have dreamed of.
Chess was natural for me; I was extremely successful.
It's absolutely vital now for Russia to make sure that democratic institutions will be resurrected and will go through the election process.
I think that it's a vital moment now for Russian democracy to convince people that it's only our actions, our joined actions and protests that could force Kremlin to reconsider its plans to abolish presidential elections.
I think our chances are not looking great today but the only way to fail for me is just not to try.
In chess, we have styles - like in any other field. There are also fashions in the kinds of systems that people play. So I'm trying to know my opponent as much as possible.
I organize a chess festival in Hungary. I support chess in schools, and I have my own chess foundation. And I started writing books.
It is pointless to discuss today who will run and how.
So far it's very hard to prove that joining Europe or joining any other international organisation could change their lives for better.
I don't really like discussions about a supposed Russian national character.
My mother lives in Moscow, and I would like to visit her. Now she always has to travel to Finland or a Baltic country to meet me. But I have to expect that my papers would be confiscated in Moscow immediately, and that they would harass my family. I can still have more impact in the West with my books and lectures.