Chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov defeated 11 opponents at once in Toronto
All manners of celebrities have appeared at the 2022 Collision Conference in Toronto, but one of the hottest stories out of the global tech industry event is actually… chess-related?
Like a scene out of the hit Netflix drama "The Queen's Gambit," legendary chess Grandmaster Garry Kasparov singlehandedly defeated 11 simultaneous opponents before a stunned crowd on Wednesday at the Enercare Centre.
Chess Grandmaster & Avast Security Ambassador, @Kasparov63, took down 11 opponents on our Q&A stage- all at the same time! 😱 ♟ pic.twitter.com/vXASimB068
— Collision Conf (@CollisionHQ) June 22, 2022
Kasparov was on hand in his capacity as an ambassador for tech company Avast Security, delivering analysis on the war in Ukraine with Financial Times editor Gillian Tett and cybersecurity expert Ondrej Vicek.
But what really seemed to fill the seats was Kasparov's exhibition chess match held against 11 opponents at once.
What? Oh, just watching Chess Grandmaster, World Champion and human rights advocate Gary Kasparov @Kasparov63 taking on 11 challengers at #Collisionconf @CollisionHQ. What are you up to? pic.twitter.com/00N0KViG6v
— Robert Livingstone (@enotsgnivil) June 22, 2022
And every single one of them fell to the Grandmaster, who spent a record 255 months at the top of the world's chess rankings and is widely considered among the greatest of all time.
Garry Kasparov Chess Grandmaster and former world champion playing 10 people simultaneously at Collision 2022 in Toronto #collisonconf #Toronto #Chess pic.twitter.com/Cv3M0fu7Ud
— Jim Harris at #CollisionConf (@JimHarris) June 22, 2022
Sure, it would probably hit harder to see a 59-year-old Michael Jordan (the chess and basketball legends are the same age!) winning an 11-on-1 matchup, but Kasparov made a pure show of it all, reminding everyone in attendance that he is one of the true legends of the game.
Every loss is a lesson! Thanks for playing. @Avast #collision2022 https://t.co/pMDcgXaZXn
— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 23, 2022
The 2022 Collision Conference runs from June 20 through 23 and is attended by over 35,000 people representing the best and brightest in the tech world.
And somehow, a game dating back to the 15th century became one of the hottest stories out of the conference. Go figure.
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