Chess, originally named after a Persian word for king, is a game that has captivated and challenged individuals for centuries. It is a game of strategy, intellect, and patience.
Throughout history, there have been many players who have excelled in this game, but some have managed to stand out from the rest.
These players have not only managed to make their mark on the chess world but have also influenced the way the game is played today.
In this article, we will take a look at the top ten chess players of all time.
These players have made significant contributions to the game, and their skills and achievements have earned them a place in history.
1) Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian grandmaster who has been ranked as the world’s number one chess player since 2011. He was born in 1990 and became a grandmaster at the age of 13.
He is known for his aggressive and sometimes unorthodox playing style (unafraid to play uncommon openings to avoid playing theory), which has earned him the nickname “The Mozart of Chess.”
Carlsen has won numerous tournaments and championships throughout his career, including the World Chess Championship in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021. He is also the only player to win three times in a row at the World Rapid Chess Championship.
In addition to his competitive success, Carlsen has also made significant contributions to the development of chess. He has worked on chess software and has even designed his own app, Play Magnus, which allows players to play against computer-generated versions of Carlsen at different stages of his career.
2) Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov is a retired Russian grandmaster who is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. He was born in 1963 and became the youngest-ever undisputed World Chess Champion in 1985 at the age of 22.
Kasparov held the world number one ranking for 255 months, which is the longest anyone has held the top spot. He also won numerous tournaments and championships throughout his career, including the World Chess Championship in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, and 1995.
In addition to his competitive success, Kasparov also made significant contributions to the development of chess. He was a vocal advocate for the game and helped to popularize it around the world. He also worked on chess software, including the Deep Blue program that famously defeated him in a highly publicized match in 1997.
3) Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer is an American grandmaster. He was born in 1943 and became a grandmaster at the age of 15. He is known for his aggressive and uncompromising playing style, which earned him the nickname “The American Legend.”
Fischer won numerous tournaments and championships throughout his career, including the World Chess Championship in 1972, a world championship match that captured the world’s attention like none other since.
This victory was particularly significant as he defeated Boris Spassky, who was the reigning champion and a representative of the Soviet Union, which was the dominant force in chess at the time.
In addition to his competitive success, Fischer also made significant contributions to the development of chess. His win over Spassky helped to popularize it around the world. He also worked to develop the Fischer Random Chess variant (aka Chess 960), which is played with a randomized starting position of the heavy, non-pawn pieces of the back rank.
4) Jose Raul Capablanca
Jose Raul Capablanca was a Cuban grandmaster. He was born in 1888 and became the third World Chess Champion in 1921, a title he held until 1927.
Capablanca was known for his elegant and simple playing style, which earned him the nickname “The Chess Machine.” He was particularly skilled in endgame situations and was known for his ability to quickly find the most efficient moves.
He also played a significant role in popularizing the game in Cuba and Latin America.
5) Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov is a retired Russian grandmaster born in 1951.
Karpov won numerous tournaments and championships throughout his career, including the World Chess Championship in 1975, 1978, 1981, 1985, and 1993. He was known for his positional style of play, which emphasized control of the board and careful calculation.
In addition to his competitive success, Karpov also made significant contributions to the development of chess.
His success was somewhat overshadowed by that of Kasparov, but Karpov wasn’t really that far behind.
In Classical games, Kasparov leads Karpov with 28 wins, 21 losses, and 119 draws. That’s not a bad record at all against someone many consider the greatest chess player of all time.
He also worked on chess software and helped to develop the Karpov System, which is a method for teaching chess to beginners.
6) Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik was a Russian grandmaster. He was born in 1911 and became the sixth World Chess Champion in 1948, a title he held until 1963.
Botvinnik was known for his methodical and scientific approach to the game. He was particularly skilled in openings and was known for his innovative use of the Queen’s Gambit.
He also played a significant role in the development of chess theory, particularly in the areas of openings and endgames.
Botvinnik won numerous tournaments throughout his career, including the USSR Chess Championship seven times. He also played a significant role in the development of chess in the Soviet Union, where he helped to train a generation of world-class players.
7) Emmanuel Lasker
Emmanuel Lasker was a German grandmaster. He was born in 1868 and became the second World Chess Champion in 1894, a title he held until 1921.
Lasker was known for his ability to outmaneuver his opponents and was particularly skilled in endgame situations. He also had a strong understanding of psychology and was known for his ability to unsettle his opponents with unexpected moves.
Lasker won numerous tournaments throughout his career, including the New York 1924 tournament, which is considered one of the strongest tournaments in chess history. He also made significant contributions to the development of chess theory, particularly in the areas of positional play and endgames.
8) Viswanathan Anand
Vishy Anand is an Indian grandmaster. He was born in 1969 and became the most famous chess player in India by the late-1980s.
Anand won numerous tournaments and championships throughout his career, including the World Chess Championship (a title he lost in 2013 to Magnus Carlsen). He was known for his versatile playing style and his ability to adapt to different opponents and situations.
In addition to his competitive success, Anand also made significant contributions to the development of chess in India. He helped to popularize the game in his home country and was instrumental in the development of young talent.
9) Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine was a Russian-French grandmaster who was Kasparov’s favorite chess player. He was born in 1892 and became the fourth World Chess Champion in 1927, a title he held until 1935 and then again from 1937 to 1946.
Alekhine was known for his aggressive and imaginative playing style. He was particularly skilled in attacking positions and was known for his ability to find unexpected and creative moves.
He was also a skilled endgame player and made significant contributions to the development of chess theory, particularly in the areas of openings and the use of pawns.
He also played a significant role in the development of chess in France, where he lived for much of his later life.
10) Paul Morphy
Paul Morphy was an American chess player.
Morphy is difficult to judge because of how early he came and how little was known about the game back then (he is by far the oldest player on this list).
He was born in 1837 and became one of the strongest players in the world in the 1850s.
Morphy was known for his aggressive and dynamic playing style. He was particularly skilled in attacking positions and was known for his ability to find combinations that would quickly end the game. He was also a skilled endgame player and made contributions to the development of chess theory (e.g., Morphy Defense out of the Ruy-Lopez), particularly in the areas of openings and tactics.
Morphy won numerous tournaments and matches throughout his career, including a famous match against Adolf Anderssen in 1858.
However, he retired from competitive chess at a young age and never competed professionally again.
Morphy is a classic case of a player who is hard to assess because he doesn’t stack up in terms of ELO rating. And chess is a game that always builds on the past because of what other people have learned.
After all, he was a player from almost 200 years ago. And if he was 300-400 ELO points better than everyone else (the ELO system didn’t exist back then, but we can estimate), that doesn’t provide a lot of opportunity.
Moreover, the world was nowhere near as connected back then. If you wanted to play any game in the 1800s you were mostly limited to simply playing those in your local area or going to highly publicized tournaments in major cities whenever they were available.
But Morphy’s raw talent was certainly very high.
Criteria
The criteria used for these rankings can be subjective and varies depending on who is doing the ranking. However, in general, the following factors are typically taken into consideration:
- Accomplishments: This includes the number of major tournaments won, world championship titles, and overall career achievements.
- Strength of competition: This considers the quality of opponents faced and the level of competition during the player’s era.
- Style and impact on the game: This includes the player’s playing style, contributions to chess theory, and impact on the game as a whole.
- Longevity and consistency: This considers the player’s ability to perform at a high level over an extended period of time.
It is important to note that while these factors are important in determining a player’s rank, they can be subjective and depend on the individual’s preferences and biases.
Regarding the use of chess engines, it is true that modern players have access to advanced chess engines that can analyze positions and suggest optimal moves.
This can give modern players an advantage over older players who did not have access to such technology.
However, this does not necessarily mean that modern players are more naturally talented than older players.
If it was just a matter of ELO, this list would simply be comprised of the top players of today (e.g., Carlsen, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, etc.), along with Kasparov and Fischer, whose ELO and knowledge of the game in their prime would still hold up even though they didn’t have access to powerful chess software when they were winning world titles.
(Kasparov did use some of the first chess engines in the 1980s and 1990s, but they weren’t anywhere near as good as the modern Stockfish, Alphazero, Leela, and other incredible software we have today).
It’s a similar concept to Isaac Newton being considered one of the top physicists of all-time despite knowing less about physics than your average college professor today.
Using chess engines still requires skill and knowledge to be able to interpret and use the engine’s suggestions effectively in real-life games where such training aids are off-limits.
It also requires a deep understanding of the game and its principles.
Additionally, chess engines can only suggest moves based on their programming, whereas human players have the ability to think creatively and come up with unique solutions to problems on the board through their own calculation once they can no longer rely on opening theory.
Therefore, finding the right balance between the skill of modern players and the natural talent of older players is important when considering the top chess players of all time.
It is important to recognize the advancements in technology and the impact it has had on the game, but it is also important to consider the players’ achievements, playing style, and impact on the game as a whole.
Who Was the Best Chess Player of All-Time – Carlsen, Kasparov, or Fischer?
The question of who the best chess player of all-time is has been a topic of debate for decades.
While there are many strong candidates, three players stand out as particularly noteworthy:
- Magnus Carlsen
- Garry Kasparov, and
- Bobby Fischer
Each of these players has a strong case for being considered the best player of all time, depending on the criteria used to evaluate them.
Let’s go through each one.
Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is the current World Chess Champion and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.
He has an ELO rating of nearly 2900, his highest ever recorded was officially 2882, and has been ranked number one in the world for over 10 years.
Carlsen’s dominance in the modern era is unparalleled, and he has won numerous tournaments and matches against the best players in the world.
Carlsen’s style of play is characterized by his exceptional endgame skills and his ability to create winning opportunities from seemingly equal positions.
He is also known for his psychological toughness and his ability to win under pressure. His ability to save lost positions is also noteworthy.
If Carlsen continues his dominance in the coming years (even though he has officially given up the Classical World Champion title), he will have a strong case for being considered the best player of all time.
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov is widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players in history.
He was the youngest ever undisputed World Chess Champion at the age of 22 and held the title for 15 years before losing to Vladimir Kramnik in 2000 by a score of 8.5-6.5.
Kasparov’s aggressive and dynamic style of play made him a formidable opponent, and he dominated the game during his prime years.
Kasparov’s contributions to the game extend beyond his individual achievements. He played a key role in popularizing chess in the 1980s and 1990s, and his rivalry with Anatoly Karpov is considered one of the greatest in chess history.
Kasparov’s overall impact on the game, coupled with his individual achievements, make him a strong candidate for the title of greatest chess player of all time.
Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer is often considered one of the greatest natural talents in the history of chess. He won the World Chess Championship in 1972, defeating Boris Spassky in a highly publicized match that captivated the world because of the “US vs. USSR” Cold War storyline.
Fischer’s style of play was characterized by his aggression and creativity, and he was known for his ability to find unexpected and powerful moves.
Fischer’s impact on the game goes beyond his individual achievements. His victory over Spassky in 1972 is credited with popularizing chess in the United States and inspiring a new generation of players.
Fischer’s dominance during his prime years, coupled with his impact on the game as a whole, make him a strong candidate for the title of greatest chess player of all time.
Overall
In short, the question of who the best chess player of all-time is a highly subjective one.
Magnus Carlsen’s dominance in the modern era, Garry Kasparov’s overall impact on the game, and Bobby Fischer’s natural talent and impact on popularizing the game are all valid arguments for being considered the best.
Ultimately, the answer will depend on individual opinions and preferences.
This video takes a closer look at the progression over time:
The Best Chess Players Over Time (Estimated By Accuracy)
Conclusion
The top 10 chess players of all time are a group of incredibly talented and accomplished individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of the game.
From the aggressive playing style of Paul Morphy to the methodical approach of Anatoly Karpov, these players have each left their mark on the history of chess.
While it is difficult to compare players from different eras, each of the players on this list has proven themselves to be among the very best in the world at their respective times.
Their accomplishments, both on and off the board, have helped to popularize and advance the game of chess and inspire future generations of players to strive to be their best.