Who is The Best Chess Player in The World?
Who is the Best Chess Player in the world? There are many contestants. From the World Champion Magnus Carlsen, to the Young Super GM Wei Yi, the Chess world is bursting with talent. Here are some of the players on the board:
GM Hikaru Nakamura- A 4-time U.S. champion, Nakamura is definitely a top chess player. Having a FIDE peak of 2816, He knows how to play. Being the Bullet World Champion, This means he is adept at fast chess. This probably comes from being a streamer. Although Carlsen is the World Champion in that too, Nakamura is #1 in blitz, having a rating of 2900, so he is a good opponent. This is enough to be the best chess player in the world, right?
GM Magnus Carlsen- The triple crown champion! He has won all the recent world championships! 2-time winner of the Sinquefield Cup, this demonstrates how good he is. These are only some of his amazing tournament victories. Biel- 2007 & 2011, London Classic- 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, Bilbao Masters- 2011, 2012, 2016. He slammed his fist (or should I say piece) into the spot of #1 Highest Live rating ever, 2889.0. Could it be that this GM is the top dog?
GM Maxime-Vachier-Lagrave- Maxime represented France in the Chess Olympiad every other year from 2006 to 2014 (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014), and also won Biel 2009, 2013, 2014 & 2015. He tied for first in the London Chess Classic with Carlsen. If you ask me, this player has a shot as the best.
GM Fabiano Caruana- As the Winner of the 2018 Candidates Tournament, that means Caruana outplayed all the competition and as a reward got a large amount of prize money and a chance to play a match vs. the world champion. Caruana tied the classical segment of the tourney, but when put against Carlsen in a rapid playoff, he crumbled, misplacing his pieces and losing all three games. However, he won the 2014 Sinquefield with a record breaking score (8.5/10) with 7 wins in a row.
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov- He won the BP Amoco Cup Tournament in Baku 1999, 2000, 2001, and is the last person currently to beat Carlsen in a classical game. (Biel 2017) He set #6 on the highest ever Live Rating chart, a remarkable feat many top GM's admire. Although his rating has dropped, he still is a fighter, and that's what makes him so cool. Is he the best?
GM Ding Liren- The GCT 2019 CHAMPION! Winning this year's Sinquefield Cup and the Whole Grand Chess Tour, Ding Liren seems to conquer the chess world. Not to mention him being 1 out of 2 players to ever beat Carlsen in a match! He has twice been the runner up to the 128-player Chess World Cup twice! He could be reaching for the spot!
GM Levon Aronian- WHAT A PLAYER! He is the only player in History to win the world cup TWICE, don't forget his winning the SINQUEFIELD twice, AND him being the first player to ever crush Carlsen in a match (2007)! On top of that, he also won Corus 2007 & 2008 too! This is a player to show some deference to. Plus, he has loads of Chess experience. Is he the master?
GM Wesley So- So what if he's not #1? Wesley So has won the Dubai open in 2008, and played in the chess Olympiads in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012. Once No.2 on the planet, So has broken the sound barrier and sped off towards the sun. He recently flattened Carlsen 13 1/2/16 to 2 1/2/16. Most are expecting big things from this player, and we will see!
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi- He performed well in the Cup of the REGION Group of Companies 2018 Blitz, earning a first place title, along with other speed chess titles. His world rapid and blitz scores were admirable, not to mention his constant 2700+ rating since before 2011. Who reading this blog-thinks this GM is top? Let me know in the comments!
GM Sergey Karjakin- Mr. Karjakin has mastered Norway Chess both in 2013 and 2014, and played in the Russian Premier League every year since 2006 not including 2009, 2011, and 2015. He was the 2016 World Championship challenger and pulled ahead by a game, but that was taken back two games later. I think we might just have a champion here!
GM Anish Giri- Winner of the Reggio Emilia 2011, secondly he played board one for Hoogeveen City in the World Cities Championship 2012, winning his team gold. He brought team gold in the Russian Premier League and let's not forget his outstanding performances in all this year's GCT events!
GM Viswanathan Anand- The five time world champion and multi-time competitor, the player has been dominating the board and the world for more than a quarter century. He represented India during the Chess Olympiads of 1984, 1986,1988, 1992, 2004 (he won individual silver on the top board in 2004) and 2006. Is this the best player to date?
All these chess players are spectacular people and players, but only one can be the best player in the world. You all have your opinions and I respect that. So, feel free to post your thoughts in the comments and Thank You for reading!
Jackaronian
