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Garry Kasparov, the brilliant and aggressive tactician regarded by many as the greatest chess player of all time, announced his retirement from professional play.

He said he plans to write books and become more active in the politics of Russia, a country that he says is "headed down the wrong path."

The 41-year-old Kasparov, who became the game's youngest world champion at age 22, has been ranked No. 1 in the world since 1984, dominating chess for two decades with formidable energy, discipline and intellect. His announcement came shortly after he won the 14-match Linares tournament in Spain.

Kasparov's mastery of chess seemed sometimes to be superhuman, but he will also be remembered for one of his losses, in a 1997 match against IBM supercomputer Deep Blue. In 2003, he averted a similar loss when he agreed to a draw in the last game of his series against Deep Junior, which could process 3 million chess moves per second.

Kasparov, who became a grandmaster at 17, also became famous for his colorful and vibrant personality. A Russian citizen, Kasparov has emerged as an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin and is playing a leading role in the Committee 2008: Free Choice, a group formed by liberal opposition leaders.

But he was increasingly exasperated with the politics of the chess world, which has been bitterly divided since 1993 into two rival federations with rival champions. He also said part of the reason he was retiring was that he saw no real goals in professional chess.

"As a chess player, I did everything I could, even more. Now, I want to use my intellect and strategic thinking in Russian politics," Kasparov said Friday in a statement cited by the Interfax news agency.

"I will do everything in my power to resist Putin's dictatorship," he said. "My opinion is that the country is headed down the wrong path now."

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press