I like zman1234 's list... I think I would have Alekhine over Lasker. lasker had more longevity than anyone in history however. I think in terms of pure talent Alekhine. 27 years as a World champion has to count for something.

Sure, if by Tal you mean Capablanca and by ANAND??!! you mean Tal.

Capablanca, Kasparov, Karpov, Spassky, Carlsen

I will put all doubt aside by again posting the correct list :P

1. Bobby Fischer - Simply the best

2. Garry Kasparov - Four digits , 2851

3. Anatoly Karpov - Positional perfection

4. Jose Raul Capablanca - Smooth criminal

5. Mikhail Tal - One word, SACRIFICE...

Well, I certainly hope so (LOL).

1. Capablanca - "the chess machine" , unbeaten 1916-1924, number one, numero uno, whatever...natural talent, no chess education, enough said...

2. Tal - the last chess magician

3. Fisher -  rock 'n' roll star

4. somebody

5. somebody else

Why is it that every time I see the phrase "enough said," I always find myself asking more?...

I think that the greatest chess player of all time is...Viktor Korchnoi.  He has the LOVE!!  He reminds me of Jimmy Connors, the great tennis champ, who played much longer competitively than his contemporary challengers (McEnroe, Borg) and always came to the court with fire in his belly.  Can any professional now alive say they've played more tournament games than Korchnoi?  It's probably not even close.  He was Karpov's equal--while playing under extraordinarily trying circumstances (unlike Karpov, who enjoyed the good life).

Lasker

Fisher

Kasparov

Botvinik

Tal

"Give credit where it is due" is one lesson Korchnoi needs to learn.

...and played just a couple of weeks ago at the European Seniors Team Championship!

My top 5 is

1. Garry Kasparov

Style: Brilliant Tactician and Attacker. An aggressively dynamic player. He's not as artful or as clear as Fischer, but his play coincides with the realities of the day, which are all about defense."

2. Bobby Fischer Style: A uniquely superb master strategist who was not afraid of complications. Fischer was a specialist in certain openings that he knew better than anyone else. 

3. Jose Capablanca Style: Nicknamed the "Chess Machine" because of the systematic and seemingly simple method by which he bested his opponents. Capablanca was a natural player who is considered the epitome of the “Pure Positional” player.

4. Alexander Alekhine Style: Imaginative tactician and attacker, a true chess genius in his originality of thought. His ideas were rich with complexity. “His attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted from a clear blue sky” (Kasparov). He studied the openings and made many contributions to theory.

 5. Anatoly Karpov Style: Karpov played highly positional chess. He consistently improved his position by moves that show extraordinary positional understanding. He played without taking many risks, and without making many mistakes. 

Optional : Paul Morphy - brilliant attacker.

mine:

1. Kasparov

2. Karpov

3. Fischer

4.Alekhine

5. Tal

1. Kasparov

2. Tal

3. Fischer

4. Alekhine

5. Capablanca

1. Paul Morphy

2. Vishy Anand

3. Deep Blue (IBM)

4. Magnus Carlsen

5. Levon Aronian

LOL

He sure was the craziest that's not disputed...

...hardly