Garry Kasparov opens up on the moment he knew it was time to stop playing chess: 'I just blacked out during...'

Former world champion Garry Kasparov has spoken openly about the moment he realised it was time to quit playing chess. He said that he could no longer perform at the highest level of the game, explaining how age and mental fatigue eventually affected his concentration during matches.

Kasparov, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players in history, said that even when everything around him felt like the same, his mind stopped working in critical moments during games, which made him realise it was probably time to step away from chess.

"It feels like nothing has changed… but at some point, the brain just shuts off. You can’t control it. The level of concentration isn’t what it used to be… I just blacked out during games. At some point… it just happens. A total blackout and there is nothing I can do," Kasparov said.

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End of an era in chess

Kasparov retired from professional chess in 2005 after decades of dominance, during which he held the world No.1 ranking for many years and became the world champion a record six times. When he first won the world title in 1985, he was just 22 years old and held the record for the youngest undisputed champion until 2024, when India’s D Gukesh broke it by becoming champion at 18.

After retirement, Kasparov remained active by playing exhibition games and also became a political commentator. He famously coached the current World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in 2009 and helped him become the youngest ever to achieve a FIDE rating higher than 2800. He also became the number one-ranked player the same year.

Carlsen, who himself has won the world championship a record five times, has often described Kasparov as the 'Greatest of All Time' in chess, which many of his co-competitors also believe in. Kasparov was last seen playing an exhibition match against former world champion Viswanathan Anand at the 2025 Clutch Chess: The Legends. He dominated the match by winning the first three games.