“Kasparov v Karpov...” by Daily Mail

The young pretender (Kasparov)

Garry Kasparov is not in fact Russian but hails from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. He was born Garry Weinstein to an Armenian mother and Jewish father...

He adopted his mother’s name – Kasparyan – after his father died when he was seven, then modified it Kasparov.

Kasparov was a genuine prodigy and was given grandmaster status by the age of 17 and won his first world title beating Karpov in 1985 at the age of 22.

He once played chess at the top of the World Trade Centre, seven years to the day before it was destroyed in the 9/11 attackes on New York.

In 1997, he was beaten by Deep Blue – a supercomputer programmed by IBM.

A political reformer from Yeltsin era, he is an opponent of Vladimir Putin who had him arrested for organising an illegal protest in 2007.

When not playing chess, he writes nook about the game.

Kasparov v Karpov: Now for the great rematch

There epic contests in the last year of the Soviet Union were always about more than just chess.

In what seemed to be a battle for their country’s  soul. Garry Kasparov for tradition and authority.

And 25 years after their first encounter, the pair are to clash again in a dramatic reminder of the end of the Cold War and the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev.

Karpov, the older of the pair and undisputed world champion when they began their rivalry, was the favourite son of the Soviet old guard.

Kasparov, the young pretender, was more in tune with Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost – or openness – which signalled the end of totalitarian rule and Iron Curtain.

Their rivalry is just as intense today. Karpov is still a staunch communist, while Kasparov is one of Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin’s most vitriolic opponents, complaining of a lack of democracy. ..

Daily Mail/ Tuesday, September 22, 2009