Garry Kasparov is considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. Born in 1963 in Baku, Azerbaijan (then part of the U.S.S.R.), Kasparov became the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22, defeating Anatoly Karpov. He was the world number-one ranked player for 255 months, by far the most of all-time and nearly three times as long as his closest rival, Karpov.

Kasparov announced his retirement from professional chess on 10 March 2005, to devote his time to politics and writing. He formed the United Civil Front movement, and joined as a member of The Other Russia, a coalition opposing the administration of Vladimir Putin. He was a candidate for the 2008 Russian presidential race, but later withdrew.

Kasparov has written many books on chess as well as business, including "How Life Imitates Chess."