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Garry Kasparov

International keynote speaker, presidential candidate and former World Chess Champion

Garry Kasparov was born in 1963 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, then part of the USSR. Kasparov started playing chess at five and by the age of seven, he was a child chess prodigy. He became the youngest player in history to win the Soviet Junior Championship and in 1980 Garry Kasparov achieved Grandmaster status at age 17. At 22, on November 9, 1985 Garry became the youngest ever World Chess Champion when he beat Anatoli Karpov.

In 1999 he created a new milestone by achieving an ELO rating of 2851, the only player in the history of chess to pass the 2850 level. From December 1981 to February 1991, Kasparov made chess history by not losing a single official event for ten years. This was the period in which he created the reputation of invincibility.

In February 1996 Garry Kasparov played IBM's Deep Blue computer. His opponent was able to analyze 50 billion moves in three minutes. In May 1997 Kasparov again played the monster computer. The series stands at one match each and the World Champion, backed by the world's estimated 200 million Chess players, challenged IBM to a tie-breaking third match. IBM cashed in its silicon chips and sailed off into the sunset, satisfied with a tied series.

All of his adult life the courage of his convictions has been put to the test. His matches against Anatoly Karpov (the previous champion closely connected with the Communist establishment) were widely regarded as a show of individual opposition to the authoritarian state. He had difficulties with the USSR Sports Committee, the Communist Party and even the KGB. He was in the forefront of the anti-Communist movement, resulting in real threats to his person.

The BRAIN CLUB & SYNAPSIA in London elected Garry as its first "Brain of the Year" and described him as "The World Chess Champion, athlete and humanitarian both, and a cultivated and curious man who closely follows literature, films and politics".

He has been a regular contributor to the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal since 1991.

After the spectacular success of the multiple-volume "My Great Predecessors" which follows the history of the twelve world champions who preceded Garry Kasparov, he has embarked on another even more ambitious project: ‘How Life Imitates Chess.’ It will be Kasparov's first venture into the larger general book publishing world.

On Friday, 11th March, 2005, Kasparov announced his retirement from competitive chess after twenty years as the Number One Ranked Player in the World.

Kasparov is busy campaigning throughout the length and breadth of Russia and, as he explains, "We are not fighting to win elections - we are fighting for having elections. The goal is to bring all opposition groups into a broad coalition to return Russia to the path of democracy."

In December 2004, Garry Kasparov was elected Co-Chairman of the ALL RUSSIA CIVIL CONGRESS and in May of 2006 he became Chairman of the UNITED CIVIL FRONT OF RUSSIA.

Kasparov has a passion for expanding chess into the educational system in the world at large. He is passionate about the Kasparov Chess Foundation which is headquartered in the US and is promoting chess in the classroom nationwide.

Garry Kasparov is a new "star" on the worldwide speakers circuit. He has thrown himself into this new profession with the zeal and gusto that exemplifies the Kasparov manner of enthusiastically attacking anything worthwhile whether old or new.

In 2006 he has delivered more than twenty speeches to top companies around the world, on a wide array of topics.

Kasparov’s speeches are tailored to the individual session but these are some examples: br>

"Strategy & Tactics"
"Achieving Your Potential"
"Logical Thinking"
"Strategy - The Big Picture"
"Limit Of Endurance"
"Leaders vs. Managers"
"Success Is In The Mind"
"How The Computer Changed The Game Of Chess Forever"
"From Man to Machine"
"Making Use Of Strategic Thinking In Business & Politics"
"Strategy For Decoding The Complexity Of Life"
"All You Have To Do Is Find The Courage To Make Up Your Mind"



Travels from Russia