Eight-on-one is incredible odds--but not for Gary Kasparov.

Kasparov, the world chess champion, simultaneously played seven "masters" and one computer at a Harvard tournament this weekend. And even though he had only 15 minutes to devote to each game, he defeated them all.

Chess' biggest persona since Bobby Fisher, the 26-year old Soviet citizen strutted around Sanders Theater Saturday, moving pieces on different boards in no apparent order. He started at the boards for a moment, moved a piece and stopped his time clock--all in a jiffy.

He paused in front of one game, then moved a piece on another board. And sometimes he would just watch, waiting for his opponent's next move before progressing to another board.

"I felt handled," says world champion backgammon player William G. Robertie '68. "He was on top of things and infallible."

Issa N. Youssef '90, says that being in Kasparov's grip is akin to battling a boxing champ. "In boxing the stronger and faster person wins. In chess the better player wins. There is no luck involved, and there is no one to blame if you lose."

And, he adds, as in boxing, "When you lose, you feel like shit."

In fact, all of Kasparov's opponents describe their experience as daunting--a brush with the "awesome and godly," the "infallible," the "genius."

"He knew he was going to win even before I realized I was in trouble," says Andrew H. Serrota '91, one of three undergraduates who competed against Kasparov. The last of the eight challengers to be defeated, Serotta says he was impressed by Kasparov's steady, calculated manner. "He makes nice solid moves, not flashy. When he's got you, he finishes you off."

Still, even if you lose, "it's easier to play a better player because you can follow their logic," says Noam D. Elkies.

And that's exactly where Kasparov undid him. Elkies says he was expecting the chess champion to make a specific opening move, and when he didn't, his concentration was undermined. So the game suffered from "bad opening moves," he says.

Douglas M. Myers '68 described his game with the champion as a learning experience--both for himself and for the onlookers.

"It didn't feel too different from an ordinary game," Douglas says. "He outplayed me without too much effort, but I think I put up some resistance and it made an interesting game."

Myers took two days off from work to review that last 30 games Kasparov had played. But even careful study was not enough to beat the champion, who at the end of the day could easily recall the moves in all eight games when the audience queried him on his moves.

He compared moves used by one opponent--Vivek V. Rao '92--to a game he played years ago in Seville against former world champion Anatoly Karpov.