1-houdini

2-fritz

3-rybka

4-hiarks

5-stockfish

I'm new to chess. Saw the TV special on Magnus Carlsen, so seems he's the best?  Why is the India guy #1 in the world then?  Are they dodging Carlsen, like Spassky and the Russian dodged Fischer for years?

1.  Fischer
2.  Kasparov
3.  Capablanca
4.  Karpov
5.  Alekhine

I think you have that backwards (who forfeited to who in 1975?).

everyone seems to be forgetting reti

@AndyClifton fischer didnt play because they didnt meet his conditions. Karpov even said himself that he would only have 40% chance of winning and fischer would have a 60 % chance of winning

tal is a boss

Top 10: Morphy, Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, Carlsen.  

Top 5: hmm...  K + K, Bobby, Capa, Morphy

Kasparov,Fischer,Capablanca, Alekhine, Morphy.

Yeah, right.  I kinda remember that when it was happening.  And his conditions were a bit...controversial, I seem to recall.

Still, who would ever accuse Fischer of being a difficult subject to deal with? 

Fischer, Kasparov,Tal,Morphy,Capablanca.

Didn't Fischer accuse the Russians of x-raying his chair to see if something weird was going on there?  perhaps shooting invisible beams at him (Fischer)? 

They did x-ray his chair and inspect the lighting for sinister devices. They found two dead flies.

Nowadays, those 2 dead flies could indeed be bugged. 

Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov, Morphy, Capablanca ...

This was very hard to say, and very hard to leave off players like Tal and Lasker. But my criteria was not champions who were "first among equals" as Botvinnik once said. But rather stood head and shoulders above their rivals, and were virtually unbeatable during their prime.

And you picked Karpov and left out Lasker?! lol

1-Petrosian

2-Kasparov

3-Karpov/capablanca

4-Fischer

5-Alekhine

you might want to take a closer look at Lasker if your crieteria is "first among equals" Lasker was WC longer than anyone else steinitz as well. Lasker was phenomenal he just produced results.

Mine would be who changed the paradigm of how people viewed chess

1. Morphy Teaching the start of modern principles that good positions first then tactics and attack second. (He greatly influenced Steintz who in turn influenced Lasker)

2. Alekhine (he taught us the importance of serious study and work to overcome weaknesses. Talent can be beaten with work! he influenced everyone in modern chess. This to me sounds so much like Fischer I left him off the list , Deep theory, fight for the intitative and work on becoming a universal player etc. Fischer was just the apex of this approach just a lot better at it than everyone else. A chess pro if you will)

3. Kasparov who essentially helped with database chess. He opened up chess study to the amateur player. The format that helped spread instant access to games around the world. Chess study became much faster and easier leading to young and younger GMs. the use of computers led to a revelation in chess and Kasparov was the first to embrace it and show the power of them at the highest levels.

5. Botvinnik for formalizing chess instruction and learning. 

they arent really in a paritcular order

1) James Leonard

2) Handsome Hans Berliner

3) Art Buchwald

4) George Treysman

5) Franklin Young

...

73) Petrosian

kasparov

fisher

karpov

then for other one

did you say something efvaatn ?