http://www.chessknowledge.com/Chess_World_Champions/Chess Directory http://www.chesscorner.com/worldchamps/kasparov/kasparov.htm Garry Kimovich Kasparov was born Gary Weinstein in Baku, Azerbaijan, USSR in 1963. Kasparov learned to play chess from his father who later died in a road accident when he was 7 years old. He subsequently changed his name to Kasparov, a Russified version of his mother's maiden name, Kasparyan. Kasparov's chess talent was apparent at an early age. In 1973 he attended the Botvinnik Chess School and Kasparov continued to make rapid progress...Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:53:30 GMThttp://www.chesscorner.com/worldchamps/capablanca/capablanca.htm Jose Raul Capablanca was born in Havana, Cuba on the 19th of November 1888. He learned chess at the age of four by watching his father play and in 1901, at the age of 12, he beat Juan Corzo, the Cuban champion. Capablanca was regarded as the most naturally talented chess player anyone had ever seen. He was educated in America, studied engineering at Columbia University and spent much of his free time playing masters at the Manhattan Chess Club in New York City...Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:45:52 GMThttp://www.chesscorner.com/worldchamps/fischer/fischer.htm Robert James Fischer is considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time. He was born in Chicago, USA in 1943 and brought up in Brooklyn where his mother moved after she was divorced in 1945. He learned to play chess at the age of 6 and soon became deeply absorbed in the game saying "All I want to do, ever, is play chess." At the age of 13 he became the youngest national junior chess champion in the USA and at the age of 14 he became the youngest senior US Champion...Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:52:11 GMT