1. Kasparov
Kasparov’s grandfather was a communist, yet at 13 he began questioning Soviet communism by reading banned books like Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. Gradually his political views changed until in 1981 his trainer Alexander Nikitin encouraged him to relocate abroad for professional chess playing.
In 1996 he participated in the much-publicized ‘Man vs Machine’ match against Deep Blue, an IBM custom-built chess computer designed by IBM and capable of outwitting even his greatest attempts to win against it. Although he won the initial match he lost its rematch in 1997.
Kasparov was an accomplished World Champion who won many tournaments during his reign and competed against some of the finest players. He also spearheaded an online campaign calling for Putin’s removal as leader, signing 34 founding documents of an online petition called Putin Must Go.
He has written extensively on chess and related subjects. In 1982 he published his controversial autobiography Child of Change (later revised into Unlimited Challenge), followed by Fighting Chess: My Games and Career (1983) an annotated collection of games featuring himself and British Grandmaster Raymond Keene’s games in Batsford in the 80s.
2. Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov was born to a poor family in the Soviet Union. However, his natural talent soon made itself evident as early as age 12 when he won the Soviet Junior Chess Championship at Tbilisi by scoring 7 1/2 out of 9; an achievement which was repeated the next year and in 1980 won him World Junior Chess Championship honors as well.
Garry emerged as a professional chess player at age 15 and quickly rose through the ranks to become world champion by 1992. He enjoyed immense popularity globally and was involved in various political activities around the globe.
Kasparov won the world title match against Indian chess star Viswanathan Anand in 1995, becoming an instant icon within chess history. Additionally, he has written numerous books including his autobiography titled Child of Change.
In 1996, Kasparov took part in a pair of matches against IBM’s supercomputer Deep Blue; Deep Blue won both matches; the second victory marked the first time ever that a reigning world champion had been defeated by a computer under tournament conditions. Kasparov has long advocated for peace and democracy around the globe while publishing several books about his predecessors.
3. Anatoly Karpov
Karpov was well known for his positional approach and ability to convert small advantages into victories. Additionally, he excelled at endgame play, often holding onto difficult positions that others would have lost. Additionally, he was an outspoken human rights activist; serving on both the Supreme Soviet Commission for Foreign Affairs and as President of the Soviet Peace Fund before its disintegration.
Karpov began playing chess seriously at age four and by twelve had been accepted into Mikhail Botvinnik’s famed chess school. Though initially skeptical of Karpov’s capabilities, Botvinnik quickly came around when Karpov made rapid gains through the ranks.
In 1967, Karpov won the European Junior Championship in Groningen and three years later, was crowned World Champion. Karpov participated in nearly every tournament thereafter and created an astounding streak of tournament victories against some of the strongest players of his era – most famously Viktor Korchnoi after he defected from Soviet Russia! Throughout his career he also founded 15 chess schools worldwide including one here in America for which he served as founder.
4. Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand (Hebrew:, Belarusian: ars Abramovich Gel’fand and Russian: oris eloendovi elandrov; born 24 June 1968) is a Soviet-born Israeli grandmaster specializing in 1.d4 openings as White as well as Najdorf Sicilian openings (Najdorf Sicilian), Petroff Defense and Slav Defense as Black. Gelfand participated in nine Chess Olympiads winning team gold twice and individual silver each time.
Gelfand began his professional tennis career by winning three tournaments – Linares Open and Dortmund tournament, followed by Palma de Mallorca Open in 1990 and Palma de Mallorca Open two years later. In 1993 he continued his success by dominating Biel Interzonal with 9/13 wins; additionally he claimed victory at 1992 Moscow Tournament.
Gelfand was not one of the favorites to win the World Chess Championship 2007, yet he stunned many by outwitting Rustam Kasimdzhanov in the quarterfinals and Gata Kamsky in the semis en route to losing in the final to Viswanathan Anand with a peak rating of 2773 earned through this performance. Additionally, Gelfand finished second at London Candidates tournament 2013 while winning Tal Memorial with victories over Alexander Morozevich, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura among others.
5. Boris Gelfand
Boris Gelfand is a compassionate genius, known for travelling the world and sharing his wisdom with budding players of all ages. He stands out due to his strong positional awareness and low propensity for making mistakes.
Gelfand achieved FIDE Grandmaster status in 1989 and quickly made an impressionful mark on the tournament scene, winning 1994 editions of Dos Hermanas and Cap d’Agde while placing second at Dortmund and Biel and shared first place overall at Biel; additionally he captured Sigeman & Co Malmo and Rubinstein Memorial tournaments during 1999.
After placing second at Munich in 1993, his most notable tournament win to date was at Biel Interzonal with a score of 9/13 and qualifying for the 1994 World Championship Candidates Matches where he defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 5 1/2-1 1/2 in quarterfinals and Gata Kamsky 4 1/2-3 1/2 in semifinals before losing in finals against Anatoly Karpov.
Er took part in nine Chess Olympiads, representing both Soviet Union and Belarus twice each. He won team gold playing on board two in 1990 as well as seven individual silver medals overall.