♟️ Chess · Grandmaster

Garry Kasparov

Russia · 1980–2005

World number one for 255 months — over twenty years.

2851
Peak rating: 1985–2000
World champion: 255
Months ranked no. 1: 22
Youngest champion at

Career

Kasparov combined ferocious opening preparation with attacking play that put opponents under pressure from the first moves. He held the world title from 1985 to 2000 and stayed the highest-rated player in the world almost continuously until retiring, and his 1997 loss to Deep Blue became a landmark in computing as much as in chess.

Honours

Youngest undisputed World Champion at the time, aged 22
Held the world number one ranking for over twenty years
First player to pass a 2800 rating
Played the landmark 1997 match against IBM's Deep Blue

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