As compared to any other game, the argument of who was the greatest ever in chess is always much more intense and heated. I think that just shows the richness of our beloved game of chess. We have had many legends, world champions, exceptionally strong challengers and brilliant grandmasters.

The games of our masters are filled with beauty and brings a smile on our face. With so many great players throughout the history of chess, it’s just human nature to ask who was the greatest ever? Who was the best of them all?

The most important question to ask is : What would be the criteria to decide that? Longevity? Elo rating? Or their contributions to chess? This list shall be based on their contributions to our great game of chess.

Here are the Top 10 chess players

Honarable Mentions

VISHWANATHAN ANAND

TIGRAN PETROSIAN

VLADIMIR KRAMNIK

JUDITH POLGAR

Top 10

#10 Paul Morphy

#9 Alexander Alekhine

#8 Emanuel Lasker

#7 Mikhail Botvinnik

#6 Mikhail Tal

#5 Anatoly Karpov

#4 Jose Raul Capablanca

#3 Garry Kasparov

#2 Magnus Carlsen

#1 Robert James Fischer

Vishwanathan Anand

The speed demon who whipped everyone that came across his path – such was his reputation when he was at his peak. Vishy has been playing for a long long time now and he has faced and beaten players of 3 generations successfully. Vishy is still playing and takes great care of his health which has allowed him to play top-class tournaments. The Indian Tiger keeps reminding people of his majestic presence by occasionally beating the best in the world.

Anand was a player of fierce reputation in the 90’s. He lost in the PCA match against Garry Kasparov and then to GM Anatoly Karpov in the tie-breaks of the Fide world championship match 1998. Anand only grew stronger with each match and became the Fide World Champion from 2000 to 2002.

In 2008 Anand defeated Vladimir Kramnik and became the 15th undisputed chess champion of the world. Then on he successfully defended his title against GM Veselin Topolov (2010) and against Boris Gelfand (2012). He lost to Magnus Carlsen in 2013 (chennai).

Anand lifted the game of chess in India and inspired millions of people. He is nothing less than a superstar and his contributions to the uprising chess nation is immense.

Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian was said to be the most difficult player to beat in the history. Such were his brilliant active defensive skills. For the same reason he is many times referred to as “Iron Tigran”.

Petrosian was four-times Soviet Champion which is a strong statement in itself. He became the world champion in 1963 by defeating the legendary GM Mikhail Botvinnik. He then successfully went on to defend his title in 1966 against Boris Spassky. Later he lost in the rematch to Spassky in 1969.

Petrosian is best known for his defensive prowess and his brilliant exchange sacrifices. In their earlier encounter Fischer was highly impressed by Petrosian style of play, which he describes as, ‘A Bear’s Hug’, in his book My 60 memorable games. In 1971 Petrosian faced Legendary Bobby Fischer in the finals of the candidates. Although Bobby convincingly defeated Petrosian, his victory in the second game produced a great sensation as it broke Bobby’s historic winning streak.

Vladmir Kramnik

One must be a Super-Genius to destroy Garry Kasparov in a world championship match, and that is exactly what Kramnik is. Kramnik became the the classical world champion in the year 2000 after defeating Garry Kasparov. He then successfully defended his title in 2004 against Peter Leko. Kramnik went on to play in a title unification match against GM Veselin Topolov and defeated him.

Kramnik reminds me of none other than Capablanca such are his fantastic endgame skills. He might have won tons of games from mere equal looking positions. Kramnik’s name is taken among the greatest strategic geniuses alongside Petrosian, Nimzowitch, Karpov and Capablanca.

Kramnik realised that to beat a dynamic player like Kasparov, he needs to prepare openings which would neutralize Kasparov’s ambitious play. And that is exactly what he did. He occasionally employed the Berlin Defence which came as a surprise for Kasparov.

Judith Polgar

Judit Polgár is a Hungarian chess grandmaster, generally considered as the strongest female chess player of all time. Let’s consider some of her achievements.

Judith earned the Grandmaster title in 1991 at the age of only 15 years and 4 months and by doing so she broke Bobby Fischer’s then-record of the youngest grandmaster.

She became the youngest player to break into the top 100 players elo rating list in 1989.

Only women to qualify for a world championship tournament (2005).

She is the first and only women to have crossed the elo rating of 2700. That says a lot.

Her peak rating was 2735 and peak world ranking was No. 8 (2005).

Judith has defeated not one but eleven world champions including Magnus Carlsen, Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Veselin Topolov, Vishwanathan Anand, Vasily Smyslov, Ruslan Ponomariov, Alexander Khalifman and Rustam Kasimdzhanov.

The women who defeated eleven world champions, now imagine that in your resume.

Now Time for our top 10 list:

#10 Paul Morphy

Old but never obsolete. Maybe I can’t put him at #1 in the list but he definitely deserves to be among the top 10. He was the Joy and sorrow of chess. Bobby referred to him as, ‘the greatest genius of them all’.

Paul Morphy’s contributions to chess are very significant. He was the strongest player of the 19th century. He went on to defeat every strong master in Europe.

Morphy won in the American Chess Congress in the year 1857 and then travelled Europe and doing so, defeating everyone in every single match he played. He convincingly crushed the strongest players of his time and left no doubt that he was the Best. The only reason Paul Morphy did not become a world champion was because there were no official world championship during his reigns. He was the joy of chess as he brought something new to the game. His play was way ahead of his time. Many of his games are pieces of art and especially his Opera Game which has been published in hundreds and hundreds of books there after.

He taught the world about the importance of development and accuracy which lifted everyone’s understanding of chess. Thus his contributions cannot be neglected. He retired too early, hence called as the joy and sorrow of chess.

#9 Alexander Alekhine

You beat a player who is considered invincible and still not be in the list of the greatest player? No, that’s not happening buddy. His love for the game is well known. And his ability for hardwork and dedication is what made him soo strong.

Alexander Alekhine became the fourth World Chess Champion in the year 1927 by defeating none other than the Cuban genius who had a reputation of being invincible. Alekhine is celebrated for his sparkling combinational play that would arise from nowhere. He studied chess deeply and taught the world the importance of thorough analysis. Alekhine held the title from 1927 to 1946.

Alexander Alekhine successfully defended his title twice against GM Efim Bogoljubow (1929/1934). Later in 1935 Alekhine lost the title to GM Max Euwe but was able to beat him in a match in 1937 and regained the title again by winning the re-match. Alexander was planning his match against Botvinnik but that match never took place as he passed away in the year 1946, still being world champion.

#8 Emanuel Lasker

Emanuel Lasker was the second World Chess Champion. A title that he held for a period of over a spectacular 27 years. He was the Champion from 1894 to the year 1921 and his reign is the longest in thr history of our game. Lasker become the second World champion by defeating William Steinitz in the year 1894. He then successfully defended his title for five times against Frank Marshall, Siegbert Tarrasch, David Janowsky and Carl Schlechter. All the above challengers were very strong.

Later Lasker lost in a match against Capablanca in 1921 which ended his long reign. Even after losing the title he was very active and kept playing high level chess.

#7 Mikhail Botvinnik

The scientist of the chess world or more commonly known as, ‘The Father of the Soviet School of Chess’. There was a vacuum that was created after the great Alexander Alekhine passed away, and the throne of the chess world was empty and waiting for it’s heir. To decide the champion a Super-tournament was organised which Mikhail Botvinnik won and became world champion in the year 1948.

Botvinnik played at top level for nearly 3 decades. His play was scientific and based on logic. He would study his opponents carefully and adapt his own play accordingly. That’s what made him a player of exceptional strength.

Mikhail Botvinnik defended his title against GM David Bronstein in 1951 and then against Vasily Smyslov in the year 1954. He lost to Smyslov in 1957 but was able to regain his title back after defeating Smyslov in the rematch. Then came a storm named Mikhail Tal who defeated Botvinnik in 1960. But Mikhail Botvinnik once again carefully studied his opponent and regained his title of world champion in the rematch of 1961.

After a long and nice career Botvinnik finally lost to Petrosian in 1963. He just faced a player of exceptional strength and decided not to go for any rematch. But that cannot be all, a star gave rise to another bright stars. Botvinnik started his own chess school and trained many future history makers including Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.

#6 Mikhail Tal

When chess started to become a little dull, Chess goddess Caissa send a prince. He was lovingly called as Fortunes Favourite/ Magician from Riga/ Misha and tonns of other names.

Mikhail Tal is the most loved player of all times. His play was fresh and melodious. His sacrifices (call them incorrect if you like) would lead the audience to scream in joy and excitement. Many times the chess halls would be crowded when told that both Tal and Bobby are playing in the tournament. He was the darling of the press, his humourous and witty nature attracted people and his comments served perfect items for reporters.

There is no list without Tal. He became the eighth official world champion in the year 1960 by beating Mikhail Botvinnik. He became the youngest world champion at the time. A record which was later broken by Garry Kasparov and Magnus.

Tal was famous for his unique aggressive attacking style of play. His combinations just like Alekhine would drop out of the blue and his opponents would get confused in the crazy complications of the position. Tal was undoubtably the greatest attacking player of all times.

Both, ‘The Mammoth Book of the World’s Greatest Chess Games’, and ‘Modern Chess Brilliancies’, include more games by Tal than any other chess player.

Tal also held the record for remaining 95 games undefeated. That was a great feat at the time. Recently, Tal’s record had been broken by Ding Liren.

His book, ‘The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal’, is a classic and is a favourite book of many great players. Having said all this, I still feel that soo much remains to be said about this great genius.

Tal was really one of a kind and his games fill us with immense joy.

#5 Anatoly Karpov

After Bobby left the Chess World in 1975, Anatoly Karpov was declared as the 12th World Champion without playing a single move. Thus many people did not consider him worthy of the throne and called him paper champion. Karpov went on to win tournament after tournament and became the most successful tournament player in the history of the game, silencing the critics.

Karpov’s play was unique. His trademark: He was able to control his opponents play from a distance by something simply manuevering on the first three ranks. He was known for his exceptional prophylactic play and positional sense.

Karpov successfully defended his title twice against Victor Korchnoi in 1978 and 1981.

The Historic Duel:

Till that point a new star has made his way up the ranks of the strongest players, that was Garry Kasparov. In 1984, Karpov and Kasparov fought in a match. The duel went on for months with Karpov leading with 5 wins, 3 losses and 40 draws. But due to many reasons and Karpov’s severe health conditions the match was cancelled. They again played in 1985 but this time Kasparov defeated Karpov.

Karpov and Kasparov rivalry is perhaps the most famous rivalry in chess. They played several world championships, 1986, 1987 and 1990. Karpov later became the Fide World Champion in 1993 when Kasparov decided to create PCA due to his arguments with Fide. Even in the 90’s Karpov played at top level and played the best chess of his life creating many great achievements. He defended his title against GM Jan Timman in the year 1993 and later on against Kamsky (1996) and Anand (1998).

Karpov’s games reflect his true positional genius. And every chess player must study them carefully to deepen their understanding of the game.

#4 Jose Raul Capablanca

Capablanca became the third official world champion in 1921 by defeating the Legendary player Emanuel Lasker. Capablanca played chess that is unheard of during his time and was nearly invincible for a whole decade. He did not lose a single game between the year 1916 and 1924.

Capablanca taught the world about the importance of studying endgames. His contributions towards our understanding of Chess Endgames is of great significance. There are hundreds of good books written about the endgames of Capablanca. He completely revolutionarise the way we saw chess. Right from the opening he would look to get long term advantages which he would skillful convert to full points in the endgames.

Here is what Bobby said about Capablanca:

His trick was to keep his openings simple and then play with such brilliance in the middlegame that the game was decided- even though his opponent didn’t always know it – before they arrived at the ending. Bobby Fischer about Capablanca

Capablanca lost his title to Alexander Alekhine and even though many people claimed that Capablanca could regain the title in a rematch, to our misfortune we never got to see any rematch due to the World War.

Chess was Capablanca’s mother tongue!

#3 Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov became the 13th Official World Chess Champion after winning the historic duel with GM Anatoly Karpov.

Kasparov defeated Karpov in 1985 and with it also broke Tal’s record of youngest world champion till then at the age of 22 and a half. Also Kasparov held his title from 1985 to the year 2000 and was ranked No. 1 in the world till 2006.

Kasparov’s highest rating was 2856 which in itself says a lot. Later the record was broken by Magnus Carlsen.

Kasparov successfully defended his title against Karpov in 1986, 1987 and 1990. He created PCA and in 1995 brilliantly won a match against Vishy Anand. He also defended his title in 1993 against GM Nigel Short. It was in the year 2000 where Kasparov lost his title to Vladimir Kramnik. After a long and glorious career he announced his retirement in 2005. Although he occasionally makes his great presence felt by playing exhibition matches. He recently played against Caruana in FischerRandomChess (Chess960) and was always able to get Strategically winning Positions, although not in practice we could not see him convert it to full points.

Kasparov’s games has been cherished throughout the chess world and his book series, ‘My Great Predecessors’, is a must if you are a serious player.

#2 Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen doesn’t like to be on No. 2 and I have no doubt that if he continues to play the chess he’s currently playing, there is no reason he should not be called as the greatest of all times.

GM Magnus Carlsen became the Reigning World Champion after defeating Vishwanathan Anand in 2013 in (Chennai, India). People have many hobbies, that of Magnus is to break records.

Record for youngest player in the history to cross 2800.

Record for highest rating ever of 2889.

Streak of 120 games undefeated in standard time controls.

Not mentioning the online chess records that Carlsen breaks every now and then.

Magnus became the world champion in 2013 and there on has successfully defended his title in 2014 against Anand, in 2016 against GM Karjakin and in 2018 defeating GM Fabiano Caruana brilliantly in the rapid tie-breaks.

Magnus has been playing celestial chess and if he keeps doing so, then a New list of the greatest of all times is inevitable!

#1 Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer brought chess from obscurity of parks and coffee houses to international media headlines, at one point chess became the most popolar game due to Bobby’s phenomenal play.

The reason I’ve wrote this article and you are reading it is because this man existed! And that is by no means an exaggeration.

Bobby Fischer is undoubtably the most famous chess player ever. His story has inspired millions of people around the globe. Let’s dive into the story of a poor Brooklyn boy, who at one point couldn’t afford good clothes to wear who went on to become the most popular sportman on the planet for a brief period of time.

Bobby first came in contact with chess at the age of 6 and found the love of his life. At the age of 7 he was already serious about chess. Next few years, Bobby still a kid started studying chess books deeply. He started to give exhibitions and could have easily played thousands of blitz games in the period between 7 to 11 years.

At the age of 11 as he later said, he just got better. But what made him famous was his spectacular game against Donald Byrne at the age of 13, the game is known as, “The Game of the Century”, and is among the most famous games of chess ever played.

Here are a few achievements of Bobby:

At age 14, he became the US Chess Champion

At 15 he became both the youngest Grandmaster upto that point.

He became the youngest Candidate for the World Championship. A record that is unbroken till date.

At age 20 Fischer won the 1963/64 US Championship with 11 wins in 11 games, the only perfect score in the history of the tournament.

Bobby Fischer won 20 consecutive games, including two unprecedented 6–0 sweeps, in the Candidates Matches against World-Class players like Taimanov and Bent Larsen.

In 1972, the Chess World Championship held in Iceland between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.

He also invented Fischer random chess a new variant of chess also known as Chess960.

In the 1990s, he patented a modified Chess timing system that added a time increment after each move, now a standard practice in top tournament and match play.

Fischer’s My 60 memorable games is considered to be one of the best books in history.

Fischer at his peak was 125 elo rating points above the second highest rated. He was a class of his own.

Bobby Fischer crushed everyone that came in his road towards the world championship match. In 1972 he convincingly defeated Boris Spassky and became the 11th Chess Champion of the World! His style was classical, clear, original and straightforward aggressive. He was renowned as a Tactician but showed positional understanding that matches the finest. Fischer created a chess boom.

Bobby’s playing strength and his contributions to our beloved game of chess are unprecedented.