Kasparov on Change

Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion, speaking at the Youth Engagement Summit 2009 at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on 17 Nov 2009:

“The consistent pressure from my great rival, Anatoly Karpov, kept me going even after I won the world championship in 1985 because we played another match in 1986, then in 1987 and then in 1990. Every time I had to face the same great opponent to retain the title. I didn’t have time to rest and I did extremely well.

“But then in the 1990s, Karpov faded away and suddenly I discovered myself facing a new generation of younger players. Yes, I won another two more matches in 1993 and 1995 but eventually, I became a little bit of a fossil and I lost in 2000 to Vladimir Kramnik.

“At that time, I told myself that it was still not too late for me to change. I was 37 and I was willing to learn from the younger generation. It kept me going for another five years and when I retired in March 2005, I was still number one.”