The chess grandmaster title is not easy to obtain although the world of chess has thousands of players across the world. Only a few of these players stand out as real experts in this classic game. Chess mastery is not determined only by the skill level of players but also by their strong sense of pattern recognition and ability to solve uncountable chess patterns. Chess masters should also be able to use modern chess tactics and should not rely only on traditional ways.
In this blog, we will study the greatest chess players of all time who have set the criteria and foundations for today’s Chess Grandmasters.
List of Greatest Chess Grand Masters
- Garry Kasparov
- Bobby Fischer
- Magnus Carlsen
- Jose Raul Capablanca
- Anatoly Karpov
Let’s elaborate on the success stories and achievements of these greatest Chess Grandmasters of all time.
- Garry Kasparov
In chess, holding the title of No. 1 chess player in the world for 255 consecutive months is not something ordinary. Although Garry retired almost 2 decades ago in 2005 many of his records are still unbreakable which shows that he was a giant chess player. His achievements are the following;
- 11 chess Oscars
- 15 consecutive chess tournament victories
- Peak rating of 2851by FIDE
- Mentor of top Chess Player Magnus Carlsen
In this era of advanced technologies and perfect chess computer analysis, Garry was being challenged by Magnus. He lost his only match against the computer “Deep Blue”. After retirement, he mentored Magnus Carlsen and ultimately guided him to become the youngest chess world champion by breaking his records.
- Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer was 1st chess player who challenged the Soviet chess hegemony and ultimately dominated every tournament in which he participated. But Fischer never tried to defend his title although he brought many new techniques and innovations in chess and also earned the top 3rd position in the list of all-time Chess Grandmasters. In 1972 during the Cold War tensions, the competition between Spassky and Fischer grabbed the whole world’s attention. His list of achievements is as follows;
- Peak rating of 2785 of that era
- Increased chess players pay
- Helped to choose chess as a career
- Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen is the strongest chess player that the world has ever seen. He is a chess legend who has influenced the new generation of chess players a lot. The list of his achievements is following;
- Highest rated player in the world
- Youngest player with a rating of 2800
- 1 position holder in FIDE international rankings
- Hold a record of unbeatable steak in classical chess for the longest time
- Become chess champion in 2013 by defeating Anand
- Holds 2nd position in the list of all-time great chess players
- Jose Raul Capablanca
Jose is a chess player who is so famous that he doesn’t have even a chessboard in his house. But his achievements have just surprised the whole world which is following;
- Defeated the Cuban Champion only at the age of 13
- Claimed crown of world championship from Emanuel Lasker
- Elevated the techniques of end-game single-handedly
- Went undefeated from 1916 to1924
- Great ability to play complex chess positions in a simple way
But his end-game strategies just blew up the minds of chess players and famous Chess Grandmasters Karpov and Fischer also admitted his great impact on their way to becoming chess masters.
- Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov deserves the position in the top five chess players in the world. In the 12th World Chess Championship, he constantly dominated his successor (Garry Karpov) and challenged him, and this championship led to the greatest rivalry in chess history. Achievements of Anatoly Karpov are following;
- Hold world championship title from 1975 to 1985
- Master in methodological tactics and positional chess play
- Won 6 gold medals during chess Olympiads and contributing them to USSR teams
- Peak 2780 Elo ratings
- Won 160 chess tournaments
- Earned 3rd position among world Chess Grandmasters for 102 months
- 9 chess Oscars
Summing Up
This article elaborates on the chess grandmasters whose strategies, legacies, and powerful chess tactics have made a great impression on the world chess community. We can say that these Chess Legends have paved a path for chess beginners and made it easy to follow their strategies to become Chess Grandmasters just like them.