Chess legend Garry Kasparov makes his next move as he comes out of retirement after seven years
By Rick Dewsbury

PUBLISHED: 13:16 EST, 24 March 2012 | UPDATED: 14:03 EST, 24 March 2012

Concentration etched on his face, chess legend Garry Kasparov weighs up his next move.

The master gamesman, 48, was making a brief comeback at a charity event in Cape Town, South Africa, after quitting chess in 2005.

But the exhibition game was a much lighter affair than the intense duals he became known for at the height of his fame.

The match between Kasparov and South African champion Marcil Roberts is understood to have finished sportingly in a draw. A second game against 11-year-old schoolboy Daniel Barrish was also tied.

In a test of his mental agility, Kasparov even played simultaneous chess matches against 25 young people in Khayelitsha.

Daniel, a three-time under- 10 national chess champion, told the Cape Times: ‘I was very happy that I was going to play him, even more that I drew with him.

‘I was nervous and thought I was going to lose. He made a couple of mistakes, he was moving too fast and I capitalised. He had to fight for a draw.’

There was no sign at the charity event of the drawn out maneuvers that the Russian was renowned for in the 1980s with his rival Anatoly Karpov.

Intense: Kasparov clasps his hands to his face as he struggles over his next move at the charity exhibition game. The match was a little easier than the drawn out duels at the height of his fame

Moves: Kasparov plans his strategy as Marcil Roberts looks on during the match in Cape Town. Kasparov retired from professional chess in 2005

The two men waged one of the sporting world’s greatest rivalries when between 1984 and 1990 they met five times for the world championship and pretty much drew even: Kasparov won 21 games, Karpov took 19 and they drew 104 times.

One match between the pair in 1984 finally ended in stalemate after 48 games because both men were too exhausted to continue.

Kasparov went on to become arguably the most well-known chess player of all time. He was also the first world chess champion to lose a match to a computer under standard time controls, when he lost to Deep Blue in 1997.

He announced his retirement in 2005 to focus on writing and politics. His political party, the United Civil Front, opposed the Putin administration but was unable to topple the controversial leader.

It is not known if Kasparov plans to make a professional comeback.

Earlier this month chess officials in Europe banned cleavage from chess games to avoid women distracting their opponents.

Female players must wear skirts that are no shorter than 4in above the knee while only the first and second buttons on a blouse may be opened.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk