Top 10 Best Chess Players

If all he had to do was play chess, his placement at the top of the list would be unquestioned. Imagine how many brilliancies he would have demonstrated had he continued competitive chess at the top level for the rest of his career - his contributions to our understanding of the game would have been immense. Fischer's issues away from the board are a tragedy to the chess world as well as an embarrassment to his legacy, but don't let them distract you from his undeniable, overwhelming ability to win chess games.

Most dominant chess player in 20th century with highest elo rating difference (125). Really good endgame and positional player. Youngest candidate to world championship and was youngest grandmaster over 30 years. Won all 8 US championships he participed and once with perfect score 11/11. Won last 8 classical chess tournaments he finnished, and also won first unnofficial blitz chess championship over 4,5 points in 1970. Won Interzonal biggest margin ever and after that beat Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen 6-0 on route to 20 wins in a row against grandmasters. Only one who could beat Soviet chess macine. Truly a genius on chessboard but his mentality lacked other parts of life. World champion of chess 1972-75.

While I am not a fan of Bobby Fischer, the person, I cannot help but admire him as the brilliant chess player that he was. Had Bobby had the same access to chess education and training that the USSR provided Kasparov, Karpov, or Spassky, this would not even be a debate. But what Bobby Fischer was able to accomplish in near isolation is intellectually astonishing. The chess world may never see an equal to his tactical genius.

An incomparable will to win backed up by strategic, tactical, and technical brilliance. At his peak, Fischer, like Capablanca before him, was a peerless tower of chess strength.

While I have an immense amount of respect for Fischer and Morphy as players, my vote has to go for Kasparov. Not only a dominant force in Chess for 30 years, Kasparov has continued to grow interest in chess after his retirement. Kasparov has been able to balance his brilliance in chess with other aspects of his life. His voice in opposition to Putin makes him one of my personal heroes, regardless of his chess skills.

Ranked #1 throughout his career after winning championship till retirement in 2005.

Kasparov without a shred of doubt deserves to be in number 1.

We were both born April, Friday the 13th so maybe I'll be lucky?

Hi actually magnus did win fide world cup and is 1st at the moment and has the highest rating ever so go magnus!

Magnus Carlsen is the best chess player. He is ranked number 1.

Highest FIDE rating ever, World number 1, World Champion and all round genius.

Magnus Carlsen is the best player of all time.

People keep throwing things in with the hope of success, they keep trying to throw all kinds of wild shots, this applies not just to chess but in life in general (I'm guilty of this too), it doesn't matter how good the shots you throw are, or how great the tactics you keep chucking at the wall happen to be, in life, if you strive for absolute zen like perfection everything should only take one shot. Capablanca understood this and hence was able to outdo and outmaneuver everybodies best attempts against his positions. One attack after one attack and he kept reassembling into ever so simple positions, he understood chess as merely where the pieces ought to be.

If you want a clear understanding of Capablanca's still just look at how well he handled the Marshall Attack of the Ruy Lopez, which is well known for being a very aggressive, tactical and sharp opening, no other opening within the Ruy Lopez is as aggressive and tactical as the Marshall Attack.

There was a time when a group of strong grandmasters were in a room together trying to solve an endgame position and none of them was able to solve it. Then Capablanca walked into the room and looked at the puzzle, then made 3 moves within the puzzle. After making those 3 moves on the chess board, he then asked the others if they could spot the remaining moves left that were needed to solve the puzzle, their reply was that they could spot the next remaining moves very easily after Capablanca moved the pieces 3 times, that's all it took.

I heard somewhere that s 2600+ plus player had studied Capablancas' games extensively and in one of his own games ended up playing against an opponent a similar game and position to Capablanca. However, despite studying Capablancas' games extensively he wasn't able to pick moves anywhere near as good as Capablancas'.

Ahead of his time without any real teaching. If he would born today, his godly talent would have: reform the game- (as he did in his 3 year career) and decimate the top tournament, heck even computers!

This fellow was too gifted for normal life, what he wanted deep inside...

Great chess players come and go, But to have a chess player like morphy that shocked chess with his skill and talent, the way he seen the board and how the pieces work together, the energy inside each piece, his lagacy will be talked about for many years to come!

In today's standards he wouldn't be the best but he was the most talented chess player ever.

Great chess talent & most spectacular moves & games.

Bobby Fischer was brilliant, but come on. Karpov at his prime vs Fischer at his prime is a blowout. Karpov's positional understanding would overwhelm Fischer.

I like Tal more but, honestly, Karpov is a genius and it is impossible to compare any player to him in his prime

Out of all the Russian World Class players that were tactical players, he was probably the best.

He's great! He's game made extra ordinary brilliant combination!

Alekhine should be higher on this list - top 6 at least.

Alekhine was a master at making combinations!

This list needs more attention and this man as well. Deserves to be in the top 10. A tactical combinatorial genius who enjoys himself a beautiful yet brilliant king hunt on every game of his.

He's my favourite chess player cause of his attacking style. So wild and but has meaningful tactics

Can't even fully describe how different, amazing and weird style he had.

Queen sacrifice and win

Worthy candidate of being world champion. Sadly he is not. Yet he still will remain one of the most eccentric brilliant players out there.

Vassily Ivanchuk is amazing. He defeated Kasparov, Karpov and Carlsen, and he always plays amazing games.

The only man kasparov ever feared!

Every game is more interesting if vassily ivanchuk is one of the players

AKA the Estonian powerhouse. Quite the positional player and how deadly his counterattacking abilities are. He doesn't let aggressive tactical players breathe in the slightest!