World chess champion Garry Kasparov studies the board shortly before game two of the match against the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue (R), May 4, 1996. REUTERS Garry Kasparov is one of the greatest chess players of all time.

And to that end, Business Insider asked him in an interview what he thinks separates a good chess player from a great one.

"I would say that when you go to the very, very top, it's an ability to come up with new ideas, with something new, to make the difference," he said.

"Every world champion, every player who was traversing this universe, managed to bring something new to the game," he continued. "This ability to always find some unconventional ways. That makes the final difference."

Kasparov also said that it's about one's ability to operate different kinds of positions.

"[T]o oversimplify: A very strong player can manage and can just know how to manage a thousand positions. I get it; it’s a very arbitrary number. So then you have the world champion who could do more. But, again, any increase in numbers creates, sort of, a new level of playing," he said.



"And then you go to the very top, and the difference is so minimal, but it does exist. So even a few players who never became world champion, like Vassily Ivanchuk, for instance, I think they belong to the same category."

Check out Business Insider's full interview with Garry Kasparov here.