Kasparov Splits from FIDE
The stage was set in 1993 for a dramatic change in the chess world when Englishman Nigel Short beat Karpov in the semifinal Candidates match and Timman in the final match, thereby earning the right to challenge Kasparov. Both Kasparov and Short agreed that the title match would be played outside of FIDE's jurisdiction. They created the Professional Chess Association (PCA), secured the sponsorship of The Times of London, and played a 20-game match won by Kasparov 12.5-7.5.
The PCA succeeded the Grandmasters Association (GMA), another Kasparov initiative which had failed when the founders could not agree on objectives. Kasparov admitted openly that the GMA and the PCA were attempts to weaken the influence of FIDE and Campomanes in professional chess.
FIDE refused to recognize the renegades and held its own title match between Karpov and Timman in 1993. At stake was the question 'Who owns the title?' : FIDE the title giver -or- Kasparov the title holder?
Sponsored by chipmaker Intel, the PCA organized one more title match between Kasparov and challenger Viswanathan Anand at New York in 1995. Kasparov won the 20-game match with a score of 10.5-7.5.
The PCA ran into trouble with its sponsors and, at the end of 1996, quietly cancelled a series of Grand Prix tournaments. During the following years Kasparov announced title matches with Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, and Alexei Shirov, but all failed for lack of sponsorship.
Kasparov Loses the Title of World Champion
Kasparov finally got the backing of the newly formed Brain Games group, which organized a match with Kramnik as challenger at London in 2000. Kasparov lost the match 8.5-6.5, failing to win a single game. Attempts to organize a rematch with Kramnik were unsuccessful.
Almost nine years after Kasparov created the PCA, the first serious attempt to reconcile the split with FIDE was announced in 2002. The Prague Unity Plan would pit Kasparov against then-FIDE Champion Ruslan Ponomariov. The winner of that match would play the winner of a match involving Kramnik 'to lead to only one undisputed World Champion recognized by FIDE'. Kasparov's title hopes were alive again.
Other Kasparov Accomplishments
While the World Championship may be the most visible indication of Kasparov's success, it is not the only one. His reign as World Champion from 1985 to 2000 fell within his unbroken ranking (except for a brief period when he shared the honor with Kramnik) as the world's no.1 rated player, which started in 1984. In 1989 he was the first player to achieve a stratospheric 2800 FIDE rating.
His name is almost synonymous with Linares, the world's greatest super tournament, which he has won eight times since he first competed in 1990. He has played nine times in the Olympiad, aiding his teams -- first the Soviet Union, then Russia -- to capture 1st place each time.
Kasparov's name may be most associated by the general public with Man-Machine chess events. He beat IBM's Deep Blue (+3-1=2) at Philadelphia in 1996, but lost the following year against the same opponent (+1-2=3) at New York. In 2003, also at New York, he battled World Computer Champion Deep Junior to a draw (+1-1=4).
Less well known is that in 1998 he played against Veselin Topolov in the first high-level Advanced Chess match at Leon, Spain. Advanced Chess is a phrase meaning computer assisted chess.
Kasparov has been an active ambassador for chess in other ways. He has appeared in numerous simultaneous exhibitions including clock simuls against national teams of International Master (IM) strength. He has also authored or co-authored many books on chess and has been a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal. He is certain to play a leading role in the chess world for many years to come.