Why would Kasparov want to play a match against Deep Blue?
There are a number of reasons why Garry Kasparov agreed to a rematch against Deep Blue. As the World Champion, Kasparov feels a sense of responsibility to be a spokesman for the game. He has taken it upon himself to increase worldwide interest in chess by aggressively promoting it globally.

Kasparov knows that last year's match generated an enormous amount of international interest, and he realizes that this year's event presents him with another opportunity to promote the game to a worldwide audience.

In 1996, over six million people visited the official event web site during the match, while millions more tuned into news and radio coverage. This year's event promises to generate even more international interest, and Kasparov looks to use the opportunity to continue his effort to promote his favorite pastime.

Kasparov also enjoys his role in the computer science experiment that is an integral part of this event. In a sense, he is playing the part of scientist by giving Deep Blue a very thorough product inspection. The technology behind Deep Blue may one day affect the way we live, do business and treat disease.

Kasparov is an integral part of testing the capabilities of this massively parallel, exceptionally powerful technology known as Deep Blue. As C.J. Tan of the Deep Blue development states, "I think Garry is gradually realizing that he is part of the team, he is really part of our scientific experiment. He wants to be part of the history-making event himself."

What does Kasparov risk by playing Deep Blue?
Although there is no risk of losing his World Championship title to Deep Blue, there is still much at stake for Kasparov. To date, no world title holder has ever lost a match to a computer opponent under regular tournament conditions. Kasparov is a fierce competitor and a proud champion who relishes his position at the top of the chess world. He certainly doesn't want to be the first to lose to a computer opponent, especially when the eyes of the world will be watching.

"A lot of serious grandmasters would not have done what Garry is doing, risking his reputation," says C.J. Tan. "After all, we have nothing to lose, and we have everything to gain from this event. Garry, on the other hand, if he loses, he doesn't lose his real title. But if he does lose, he can no longer be the world chess champion who never lost a match."

How much longer can Kasparov continue playing at such a high level?
Of the top 50 players in the world, a great majority of them are still in their 20s. Like gymnastics or tennis, chess is generally considered to be a young person's sport. The greatest players in the game have historically reached their peak before their 30th birthday.

But as the chess world has come to realize over the past decade, Kasparov is unlike any player in history. Although most of the contenders for the title are much younger than Kasparov (with the exception of Anatoly Karpov), the champion continues to play better than anyone in the world. Judging by Kasparov's recent results, including his last world title defense against young Viswanathan Anand in 1995, he is still playing his strongest chess.

"A few years ago, it seemed like the gap between him and the other players was closing," says grandmaster Joel Benjamin. "But he's opened it up again."

Who is heir-apparent to Kasparov's World Championship title?
Currently, there are a number of top players who might one day battle Kasparov for the World Championship. But very few of them are considered worthy of taking his title in the near future. Most chess experts feel that Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand and former World Champion Anatoly Karpov are best players in the world today. Of these, only Kramnik is thought to have a chance of ever defeating Kasparov for the world title.

Beating Kasparov not only requires a great deal of chess knowledge, but it also demands that the challenger be psychologically strong. Says grandmaster Joel Benjamin, chess advisor to the Deep Blue development team, "You not only have to be a great player, you have to have a tremendous amount of mental toughness. You have to just be ready for anything. You have to withstand the great pressure."

Benjamin considers Kramnik to be the top contender for Kasparov's title. He feels that the young Russian possesses both the chess knowledge and personal resolve to one day seriously challenge the World Champion. Kasparov also feels that Kramnik is the heir-apparent to the World Championship. But he is confident that no one will be able to seriously challenge him any time soon.

Where does Kasparov rank on the all-time list of great chess players?
In 1988, chess commentator and Professor of Mathematics Nathan Divinsky devised a computer program to analyze a vast collection of chess statistics in order to create an "all-time" ranking of chess players throughout history. Included in the survey were such legendary players as Karpov, Capablanca, Lasker, Alekhine and Fischer, among other renowned world champions. When Divinsky ran his program, Garry Kasparov came out ahead of every other player. He remains in the same position today.

Kasparov has been the World Champion for twelve years running, an amazing achievement given the considerable number of current players with an FIDE rating above 2,600. In 1989, Garry not only eclipsed Bobby Fischer's seemingly unsurpassable mark of 2,785, but reached a mark thought to be unattainable by a human: 2,800! He is still the only player in history to reach this milestone.