Kasparov is a genius with a laser-like focus. He terrifies people when they sit across from him, and then he beats them. He does not suffer fools gladly. I'm sure this can come across as arrogant and unpleasant, but he can be very charming in a social setting.
He took back a move against a young teenage Polgar, and that will not be forgotten. That was pretty slimy. Much later, he did something similar against Naka. Judit was rightly upset, Naka just smirked at him.
In the recent St. Louis Fisher random (I will never call it 9LX nor should anyone else) tournament, Garry lost to Caruana by a presumed mouse slip/pre-move error. His end of day interview was a rant about how he was winning (he was not, but he had chances). The end of the tournament interview he was still focusing on how he should have beat Caruana the previous day. It was just a little glimpse into his ego problem.
But I think a lot of the top chess players have little personality issues. Garry was the greatest up to his time, and has done a lot for the game, and is likable in a lot of ways.
This thread is copied from the general discussion since I'm really wondering what it is with Kasparov that people don't like. Everywhere I go people call him names and any documentary about him is littered with negative comments regarding his temperament, arrogance, etc. He's worked so hard to promote chess and is one of the all-time greats, so why is it that people have a dislike for him?
Kasparov is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, but I've seen and heard several people call him an a-hole, douchebag, this, that and the other even though he is according to many the most awesome player ever. What did he say or do that triggered these thoughts about him? (from the other thread)