Garry Kasparov Comes Out of Retirement for U.S. Chess Competition

Former world chess champion turned Kremlin critic Garry Kasparov will come out of retirement to take part in a U.S. competition next month, organizers say. Kasparov, who retired in 2005, has reportedly been given a wild-card entry at the Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis from Aug. 12 to 14. Kasparov confirmed the news on Twitter with a lighthearted post. “Ready to see if I remember how to move the pieces! Will I be able to announce my re-retirement afterwards if not?” he wrote. He later joked that his participation would “raise the average age of the field” and “lower the average rating.” Kasparov, an outspoken critic of Vladimir Putin, became a Croatian citizen in 2014 after his self-exile from Russia a year earlier. He will compete against nine other players. The current world champion in chess, Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, will also participate in the competition.