Garry Kasparov

1963 – 20??

Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster who held the World Chess Championship from 1985 to 2000 and was the world's No. 1 ranked player for a record 255 months. His 1997 match against IBM's Deep Blue marked the first defeat of a reigning world champion by a computer in a classical match. Since retiring from professional chess in 2005 he has become one of the most prominent international critics of Vladimir Putin's regime, leading the Russian opposition movement Solidarnost and chairing the Human Rights Foundation.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM