Gary Kasparov
Gary Kasparov, original name Garri Weinstein (1963- ). Azerbaidzhani chess player, often considered the greatest master of modern times. Of Armenian-Jewish descent, he learned chess at the age of six and was an international grandmaster at 17. In 1984 he challenged Anatoly Karpov for the world title but the match was discontinued after 48 games without a result; he defeated Karpov in a rematch the following year, be-coming the youngest ever world champion. Kasparov successfully defended his title against Karpov in 1986, 1987, and 1990. In 1993 Kasparov left FIDE, the official chess organization, and set up a rival body, the Professional Chess Association, with the British player Nigel Short. He has subsequently played a number of exhibition matches against computers.
