Brain Buzz: Best Chess Players In History
May 16, 2012 12:02 pm
If you’ve ever watched two brilliant chess players deep in thought, hunched over a chessboard, then you know the tension and excitement that can unfold during a truly compelling chess match. Read on to learn about some of the sharpest chess minds ever to play the game:
Bobby Fischer, 1943 – 2008
Bobby Fischer was an American player known for having displayed prodigious chess abilities from a very young age. At age 14 he won several US Championships, and by 15 he was the youngest chess Grandmaster ever to be awarded that title. In 1972, he won the World Championship, beating the Soviet Union’s revered Boris Spassky. Fischer set a number of winning records over the course of his chess career. He also influenced the game beyond the playing board, achieving success as a chess author and innovating a new chess timing system that became a standard of the game.
Alexander Alekhine, 1892 – 1946
Alexander Alekhine was considered one of the strongest players in Russia by age 16 and one of the best players in the entire world by age 22. He dominated the tournament circuit throughout the 1920’s and 30’s. His most famous triumph as a player is widely considered one of the most remarkable feats in chess history – his defeat of the legendary Jose Capablanca in 1927, which earned him the title of World Champion. He was known for his aggressive and innovative style of attack on the board and was also highly regarded as a chess writer and theoretician of the game.
Emanuel Lasker, 1868 – 1941
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player whose dominance over the chess world was so extensive that he spent an incredible 27 years as World Champion. Many of the best chess players around the world challenge him during his reign as the Champion but he went undefeated for a record amount of time (until finally losing the title to chess legend Jose Capablanca in 1921). By insisting of high feeds for his appearances, Lasker contributed to the development of chess as a viable professional career. Many Russian chess masters cite Lasker as a major influence on their playing style.
Anatoly Karpov, 1951 – present
Karpov is a Russian player considered by many to be the best player who has ever lived. He held the World Champion title twice in his career, first between 1975-1985, and then again between 1993-1999. Karpov has garnered over 160 first place tournament finishes over the course of his career. He is known for having engaged in a long and legendary rivalry with chess legend Gary Kasparov, and the continual competition between the two men is one of the most famous and exciting rivalries in chess history.
Gary Kasparov, 1963 – present
At age 22, Kasparov became the youngest ever undisputed chess World Champion, defeating renowned master Anatoly Karpov for the title. Kasparov was ranked number one in the world almost continuously from the mid-eighties until his 2005 retirement from the game. He is known for having dominated his chess peers for two decades in a variety of tournaments, earning a string of major titles along the way. He also contributed to the game in important ways as a chess writer and theorist.
Category: Miscellaneous Tags: Chess, Chess Players, Facts, Trivia
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