Garry kasparov vs veselin topalov biography

Three out of three

Garry Kasparov reigned as world chess champion from 1985 until 2000, five years before his early retirement in 2005. Despite having lost the world title against Vladimir Kramnik, however, he continued to win elite tournaments until the day he quit competitive chess.

His two-decade dominance was an impressive showing of talent, determination and intense preparation.

The man from Baku, now devoted to politics and writing, achieved his highest-ever live rating in March 2000, shortly after getting his second straight victory at the traditional tournament in Wijk aan Zee.

In fact, the former world champion only played three times in Wijk, and he won the event every single time he participated — from 1999 to 2001.

Kasparov’s record in Wijk is jaw-dropping — he scored 19 wins, 19 draws and lost only once during his three appearances.

The only player to defeat him at the small coastal Dutch town was Ivan Sokolov, who obtained a memorable attacking win from the whi