History mirrored as Kasparov begins title defence

History is repeating itself for the king of world chess Gary Kasparov -- only this time the roles are reversed.

When he sits opposite the young pretender to his throne at the opening of the World Chess Championships on Sunday, he will be facing a challenger in his early 20s, just as he was when he snatched the title from Russia's Anatoly Karpov in 1985.

He confessed on Thursday that 24-year-old former pupil and acknowledged world No. 2 Vladimir Kramnik of Russia will be the toughest opponent he has faced since becoming world champion.

''I would predict that this match would be the most interesting and the most important for the game of chess,'' Kasparov said at the official launch of the contest.

''I'm facing an opponent who is fearless,'' he added. ''I think it will be a really very, very tough match. It will be the toughest challenge (since Karpov). He is a very dangerous opponent.''

For Azerbaijan-born Kasparov, the fresh-faced yet hulking Kramnik is the ''first real challenge from the next generation'' after his last two challengers -- England's Nigel Short in 1993 and India's Vishwanathan Anand in 1995 -- gave him ''no real resistance''.

Kramnik is unperturbed by the confrontation with the man who took him into his Botvinnik-Kasparov chess school in Moscow when he was just 11 years old, and whom he seconded in Kasparov's title defence against Anand.

Nor is he focusing on the 2 million dollar prize for the winner of the tournament, which will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.Braingames.Net.

''I'm not too nervous personally in general,'' said the soft-spoken Russian, who has developed special mental exercises to banish visions of chessboards that interrupt his sleep during tense chess tournaments.

''I have my strategies,'' he said with an impassive smile.

The pair will play 16 games and the winner will be announced in a month's time.

UNI