There is no doubt that throughout the history of chess there have been many superb players who have reshaped and redefined the way the game is played. This list is an attempt to examine and categorize the greatest of those. No doubt there are many worthy names that could be added, but here is the Top 10 who I believe have rightly earned their places as the greats. The criterion used is based upon a number of factors including dominance over contemporaries, length of career at the top, contributions to chess and individual flair and brilliance. Please note this is not a head to head of who would beat who, as most modern professional players would dominate the forefathers of yesteryear due to developments in Chess Theory, but a historical look at the greats.
Any attempt to create this kind of list will always be disputable. Nevertheless, methinks, this is not a bad list at all.
The list from highest to lowest:
- Garry Kasparov
- Anatoly Karpov
- Emanuel Lasker
- Wilhelm Steinitz
- Jose Raoul Capablanca
- Bobby Fischer
- Alexander Alekhine
- Mikhail Botvinnik
- Paul Morphy
- Deep Blue
