World chess champion-turned-politician Garry Kasparov will visit campus Friday, April 9, for the next edition of The Kerschner Family Series Global Leaders at Ƶ.
Kasparov will give a public talk at 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. No ticket is required. During his lecture, “Does Liberal Democracy have a Future in Russia,” Kasparov will assess democratic movements in present-day Russia.
Having won the World Chess Championship in 1985 and holding that title for 15 years, Kasparov is considered to be one of the greatest chess players of all time. When he retired in 2005, he was the No. 1 ranked player in the world for more than 20 years.
Since that time, he has devoted his time to politics. Kasparov is chairman of the United Civil Front and the political leader of The Other Russia, a coalition of opposition parties. He was a candidate for the 2008 Russian presidential race, but later withdrew.
Kasparov has authored many books and is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal.
He will be joined by faculty in a special panel discussion, also open to the public, called Chess Champion of the World vs. the Machine: The Inside Story.
It will be held 10:15 a.m. Saturday, April 10, at Golden Auditorium in Little Hall. Appearing with Kasparov will be Stanley Brubaker, professor of political science; Spencer Kelly, associate professor of psychology; Vijay Ramachandran, assistant professor of computer science; and Maura Tumulty, assistant professor of philosophy.
Now in its fifth year, the series, sponsored by Ƶ’s Parents’ and Grandparents’ Fund, allows the university to invite high-profile guests to campus. Kasparov’s visit is co-sponsored by the .
, former prime minister of Great Britain, delivered the most recent lecture in the series. During his October 2009 visit, Blair met with more than 50 students before addressing a Family Weekend crowd in Sanford Field House.
Other lecture series speakers have included , former U.S. secretary of state; the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism; and , award-winning authors of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.