About the Speaker
Garry
Kasparov
Former chairman of the Human Rights Foundation
Garry Kasparov is an outspoken advocate for human rights and democracy in Russia. Widely considered history’s greatest chess player, Kasparov retired from the sport in 2005 to devote his time to writing and human rights activism. An ardent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kasparov created the United Civil Front, a social movement with the mission of preventing Russia from returning to totalitarianism. He joined The Other Russia, a pro-democracy coalition opposing Putin, and was a candidate in the 2008 Russian presidential race. He is a frequent contributor to major international publications, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Kasparov is also a 2014 Templeton Leadership Fellow of the Atlas Network. In 2015, Kasparov published “Winter Is Coming: Why Vladimir Putin and the Enemies of the Free World Must Be Stopped,” which he said was a “push back against the rising tide of repressions coming from the Kremlin.” He is chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.