Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov was the world's best player during my childhood, but apart from his appearances in Wijk aan Zee I mainly know him from his exhibition events in Saint Louis. During the Ultimate Moves 2015, which is just a fun event, he struck me as very nervous with a huge winners mentality. He can't forgive himself to lose a game. 

I've been very lucky to have witnessed his break from retirement during the Saint Louis Rapid/Blitz in 2017. When 'the Boss' enters the room, you really feel his energy. His facial expressions during his infamous game against Navara were second to none as it sometimes looked like his eyes were popping out of his face!

Because I've never experienced the highlights of his career, it feels quite weird to mainly capture a vulnerable Kasparov, but it also helps me to shamelessly portrait him this way.

One funny moment with Garry was in Paris, when he had to rehearse an on-camera appearance. Once he got into the playing hall, he completely lost his eye for the video crew and instantly noted that the DGT boards had different sets of pieces – and spent the next 10 minutes comparing them. The video crew realized they wouldn't be able to get Garry's attention back again.