The Uncrowned Champions of Chess
Success is not always measured by the position one has reached in life, but by the obstacles one has overcome while trying to succeed.
— Booker T. Washington
Throughout the history of chess, there were eighteen world champions. Holding the title means you were one of the best chess player in the entire world, an achievement that many, many talented, brilliant people try to achieve but never did.
Today, we are looking at five Uncrowned Champions of Chess, in history, who were extremely hardworking, gifted, and accomplished, and were very close to holding that title. So close, if it weren’t for one game, or one single rule, they would take the crown.
These are five biographies, sectioned on how close they were to the crown. Enjoy!
These are just my opinions, I only got room for five people today!
- 5# - Samuel Reshevsky
- 4# - Akiba Rubinstein
- 3# - Paul Keres
- 2# - Viktor Korchnoi
- 1# - David Bronstein
- Conclusion
Chess sharpens the mind, stimulates concentration, improves the memory and promise visualization.
— Samuel Reshevsky
The first player on our list is Samuel Reshevsky. Even in his early years of life, he beat many seasoned players as a prodigy. And when he played chess again in his adulthood, he challenged the strongest chess players of his time. But it was not enough for the title.
Samuel Herman Reshevsky was born on November 26, 1911, in the small town of Ozorków Poland. He learned chess at just four years old, and only after a few years, at eight, he improved so much that he can win against established chess players with decades of experience, even while playing against multiple of them at the same time!
His start of fame came early, when The New York Times released an article on his skill, along with this famous picture, bringing in more recognition for Reshevsky, and chess itself. Throughout his youth, he would play many simultaneous exhibitions like the picture above, which are matches where he will play against all his opponents at once.
His brilliance in the game wasn’t just shown in his childhood.
The prodigy’s family immigrated to the US in 1921. Ten years later, he won the US Chess Championship, making him known as the best chess player in the country. Multiple times, he represented the US in the Chess Olympiad, and there, he even won against the former world champion, Jose Capablanca.
Reshevsky continued to be the US Champion throughout the 1940’s. But how close was he to being the best in the world?
What Kept Them from the Crown?
Good players develop a tactical instinct, a sense of what is possible or likely and what is not worth calculating
— Samuel Reshevsky
Samuel Reshevsky certainly was a strong player, but he would have a lot of competition outside of the US. After former world champion Alexander Alekhine died in 1946, the chess world had to find a new title holder. A tournament was hosted in Moscow, between the five best players to decide who will become the fifth world chess champion. But he didn’t make it to first.
He ended up being placed third. Ahead of him was Vasily Smyslov, and the world champion winner, Mikhail Botvinnik. But this was not over for him yet.
In 1951, Reshevsky was invited to the Candidates Tournament. If he wins, he can challenge Botvinnik. But because it was hosted in Budapest, a city banned from travel in the US, due to the cold war, Reshevsky couldn’t compete. His biggest chance was in the Candidates Tournament of 1953, but he fell behind Paul Keres, and David Bronstein, two players on our list.
Reshevsky played in one last Candidates tournament in 1967, but lost to Viktor Korchnoi, one who you will be reading about later. This was his last chance to become the world champion.
Samuel Reshevsky was the best player in the US at one point, and one of the best in the entire world. He had a staggering long 60-year chess career from 1920 – 1980. Along the way, he played against many famous chess players including most of the first world champions, along with one of the most famous chess rivalries, against teenage Bobby Fisher.
Samuel Reshevsky had a long chess career, stood the test of time, and continued to beat strong players across history.
What does that quote even mean?
Who is your opponent tonight, tonight I am playing against the Black pieces.
— Akiba Rubinstein
The second player on this list is Akiba Rubinstein. He was a talented player but couldn’t reach his full potential because his life had been sadly plagued by illness and war.
Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein was born on December 1, 1880, in the small town of Stawiskyi Poland. Because he learned chess at 14, he wasn’t a childhood prodigy, unlike the other players on our list. Rubinstein played well, from being coached by Gerz Salwe, a famous chess player, and in 1903, he decided to abandon his education and study chess full time.
Rubinstein was one of the few elite-level players in the beginning of the 1900s. This time in chess wasn’t very competitive, as there weren’t many strong players after Wilhelm Steinitz died. Because of this, he was able to win a streak of many tournaments, with examples across Saint Peterburg’s, San Sebastián, Pöstyén, and Warsaw, from 1907 to 1912.
Today, he is believed to be the strongest chess player besides Emanuel Lasker, the current world champion, at this period of time. Chessmetrics even placed him above Lasker! He couldn’t challenge the titleholder, because he didn’t have the money that was demanded for his championships.
He was known as the second-best player in the beginning of the 1900s, but how close was he holding the title of being the best chess player?
What Kept Them from the Crown?
I am pleased that in a match for the World Championship I was able to conduct a same in the style of Akiba Rubinstein, where the entire strategic course was maintained from the first to the last move.
— Boris Gelfand
By the time Rubinstein raised the money, World War 2 sadly started, and he couldn’t travel. Years after the war, another world champion, Jose Capablanca, offered to play against him, but again, he didn’t have enough money for the match. He did, however, bring Poland to victory through the chess world after winning the Polish Championships in 1927.
After winning the Polish Championship in 1927, he leaded the Polish team to win the 1930 Chess Olympiad, and again in 1931, where he won an Olympic silver medal. He then went on a tour of the United States, playing many simultaneous matches. He played more international tournaments, notably winning the Ramsgate tournament, but in his last major tournament, he came right in last place.
This was the end of his chess career. This is the start of a sad story of his mental illness. He started showing weird signs at tournaments, noticeably hiding in corners in tournaments. Rubinstein stopped playing in tournaments in 1932 because of his mental breakdowns, anthropophobia, and schizophrenia. Then, World War Two came. He spent the war in an infirmary, which was a much better stay then the work camps where his Jewish relatives went.
Rubenstein was a very strong player. If the war or his illness never happened, he could very well be on our list of chess world champions.
Akiba Rubenstein influenced chess in different ways. He was especially strong in endgames, pioneering the idea of choosing openings based on what endgames can come out of it. His ideas influenced future champions like Anatoly Karpov, Mikhail Botvinnik, and Magnus Carlson. He also brought Poland to fame, leading them to win in the Chess Olympiad.
Akiba Rubinstein helped Poland through the chess world, with his endgame skills that were ahead of his time and was tragically cut short with illness and war.
Chess is a test of wills.
— Paul Keres
The third player we will be looking at is the man of many nicknames, The Enteral Second, Crown Prince of Chess, Paul the Second, The Estonian National Hero, Paul Keres.
Paul Keres was born in Narva, Estonia (USSR), on January 7, 1916. He learned chess at a young age, from his brother and father. There weren’t any chess books in his small town, so he collected a staggering 1,000 chess games from his newspapers and learned from there. He started taking his chess to the next level in high school from learning just from newspaper games.
From 1930 to 1933, Keres became the schoolboy champion in Estonia. He also played many “postal” games, which is playing chess through letters. He did 500 through his childhood and even had 150 games at once! After high school, he represented Estonia in the Chess Olympiad. Seeing his results there, he started playing in international tournaments.
The same year, he won the Estonian Chess Championship, making him the best player in Estonia. Outside of his country, he had good tournament results in Margate, Ostend, Prague, Vienna, Kemeri, and Hastings, ahead of Jose Capablanca, Samuel Reshevsky, and Henry Grob. He played again in the Chess Olympiad, winning the bronze medal, a feat, for his small country.
Achieving so much, and being known as the Hero of Estonia, how close was he to gaining the title of World Chess Champion?
What Kept Them from the Crown?
However hopeless the situation appears to be there yet always exist the possibility of putting up a stubborn resistance.
— Paul Keres
Paul Keres was an incredible prodigy and had lots of potential. He played in perhaps the most stacked chess tournament ever, The AVRO Tournament, a tournament with Max Euwe, Alexander Alekhine, Mikhail Botvinnik, and Jose Capablanca. And he won first, ahead of many world champions, an incredible accomplishment. Keres can now challenge the reigning World Champion.
But what stopped him? The deadliest war in history, World War Two, which just broke out. Keres went to study in university, as international chess came to a complete stop. He did get a few notable games in the war though, famously winning a match against Max Euwe, who lost his title some years back, and winning the Soviet Championships.
After the war, he played in another incredibly elite tournament, the 1949 World Championship Tournament, the tournament who decides who becomes the fifth world champion, after Alekhine’s death. But this time, he didn’t have such a strong finish, as he was placed third, after losing badly in a match against Botvinnik.
There was a conspiracy that the KGB wanted Botvinnik to win, not Keres, so Keres was told to lose on purpose. After finding out, Botvinnik heavily complained, to the anger of the Soviet officials.
Did the Soviet Union prevent Keres from holding the title? Well, that’s just a theory, a chess theory!
Paul Keres was very close to challenging some of the world champions, after playing well in the five candidates’ tournaments. He was called many names, such as the Hero in Estonia, after winning them bronze for the Olympiad, and representing them in many international tournaments.
He played well, despite living through many occupations in his country, and will be known as Estonia’s Hero, and a strong challenger.
No Chess Grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness.
— Viktor Korchnoi
The fourth player we are looking at is Viktor Korchnoi. He was an incredibly strong player, who was exceptionally close to gaining the title. But he didn’t make it.
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi was born on the 23 of March 1931, in Leningrad, Russia (USSR). He learned chess at five and joined the Leningrad Pioneer Palace when he was twelve. He was coached by very famous players, notably Abram Model, who also coached Mikhail Botvinnik, and Vladimir Zak who coached Boris Spassky, two former world champions.
Being trained by masters who trained actual world champions, Korchnoi quickly improved at chess, winning the Junior Championship of the Soviet Union in 1947, and earning the Soviet Master title in 1951. In 1952, he played in the USSR Chess Championship, and finished fourth place, making him known as one of the best players in the Soviet Union at the time.
Not a game he played in his early chess years, but I wanted to include this because of how interesting it gets.
He left his country, and crushed a famous tournament in Bucharest, in 1954. FIDE awarded him the International Title in that year. But he didn’t settle for just that. He again crushed the Leningrad Championship and won second in a tournament in Hastings. In 1956, just two years later, he was awarded the Grandmaster title.
He was one of the strongest players without the World Champion title. He played alongside players like Spassky, Botvinnik, and Tal. He was one of the strongest in the Soviet School.
But what stopped him?
What Kept Them from the Crown?
It is a gross overstatement, but in chess, it can be said I play against my opponent over the board, and against myself on the clock.
— Viktor Korchnoi
One game stopped him. Only one game. This is the story of the 1978 World Championship Match. In the 1977 Candidates Tournament, he easily won against Lev Polugaevsky and Tigran Petrosian and had a very close victory against Boris Spassky. There is one more opponent left, and that is Anatoly Karpov. The final match was on July 18, 1978, in Baguio Philippines.
The challenge was the first to win six games. At first, Karpov leaded the wins with 4-1, but Korchnoi catches up, with three wins in a row. After a fierce fight, the score came to an equal 5-5 and twenty draws. If this final game does not draw, then it will decide who wins and keeps the crown. But Korchnoi lost, and Karpov kept the championship title.
That was certainly the closest chance he had gotten to that title. But he got another chance. Two years later, an opportunity again came to defeat Karpov. He again, defeated Tigran Petrosian and Lew Polugaevsky, along with Robert Hübner. After these results, he was able to play Karpov in Meran Italy.
But it was not. Not even close. This match was called the “Massacre in Meran” which was very appropriate, because Korchnoi lost 2-6. This defeat marked the end of Korchnoi's chess peak.
He did play another Candidates Tournament in 1984, but in the second round, he played against a young Garry Kasporov, who won 7-4. This was Kasporov's sign to the world that his youthful strength outplays experienced players. Korchnoi didn’t get another chance for the championships after that.
Viktor Korchnoi is known as a fearless and resilient challenger. He had a very long career like Reshevsky, playing chess from the 1940s to the 2000s. He defected from the Soviet Union in 1978, and even though the KGB was angry at him for leaving, he still played against Karpov, the Soviet’s best chess player.
Viktor Korchnoi was one of the best players in the world without the title, with a long career, and resilience against his home country.
The essence of Chess is thinking about what Chess is.
— David Bronstein
The final player we will be looking at is David Bronstein who also nearly took Mikhail Botvinnik’s title. He put up an incredible fight for it, but he lost, because of his last game.
David Ionovich Bronstein was born on February 19, 1924, in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine (USSR). At just six, he learned the rules to chess, and he improved quickly. In his teenage years, he played in the Kiev Championships, where he was placed second, and was placed second again, in the Ukrainian Chess Championship. At only 16, he was awarded the Soviet Master Title.
He had to take a break from chess because of World War 2. He worked to rebuild war-torn areas, while his father was sadly imprisoned in the Gulag. After the war, he put in a strong return to chess, in 1944, at the USSR Championship. He didn’t achieve much there, but in the next Championship, he made it to third, after much preparation and study.
Like Korchnoi, he was considered one of the best players in the Soviet Union. He helped his country win the famous Radio Chess Match of 1945 against the US and won first place in the 1948 and 1949 USSR Championships. In 1950, he was awarded the Grandmaster title and was qualified for the Candidates Tournament. He can challenge Mikhail Botvinnik for the title.
He had many achievements to boast and was one of the strongest players in the Soviet Union. He is going to have his chance against Botvinnik. But what happened? Why didn’t he didn’t make it on the list of world champions?
What Kept Them from the Crown?
Chess is infinite, and one has to make only one ill-considered move, and one's opponent's wildest dreams will become reality.
— David Bronstein
I’m going to tell you another tale. The tale of the 1951 World Championship Match. After winning the Candidates Tournament the past year, he will play against Mikhail Botvinnik, in Moscow, on March 11.
It wasn’t clear who would win. The score went back and forth constantly, and despite Botvinnik playing well, he criticized his performance from the surprise of Bronstein using his own lines in his games. They both tried their hardest, with the score going back and forth, but Bronstein couldn’t keep up at the end.
The last game decided the fate of the title. Bronstein was in the lead, but he lost a game, and now, there was one game left, to decide who wins. Both players fought hard. But at the end, he reached a draw. Because of that game, the entire match came to a draw. Korchnoi lost the title by a single game, but Bronstein lost it because of one rule…
And that rule was that in a world champion match, if it came to a draw, the reigning champion holder keeps the title. This changed in 2006, so that two players in this situation would play a smaller tiebreaker match.
If this rule existed in 1951, then Bronstein could’ve won the tiebreaker, and won the title. But instead, he lost, despite a draw. He was so close to winning, that he tied to a world champion.
Aside from the match, he did get another shot to challenge Botvinnik in the 1953 Candidates, but he lost to Vasily Smyslov and was placed second. Later in his life, he published books, notably his famous Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 and his last one, Secret Notes, a book about the conspiracies involved with the Soviet Union, and his experiences. Besides books, he was a regular writer in the Soviet newspaper, Izvestia.
Holding a Title or not, David Bronstein is known as one of the best chess players of all time, and possibly the best player without one. He brought excitement to the chess world through his close championship match and wrote one of the most popular chess books today, which was the 1953 Tournament book. He even theorized much of the Indian Game opening, one that is played by many.
He is one of the greatest players in chess history. Only a FIDE rule stopped him from making him officially the best chess player.
Thanks for reading!
I hope you learned a lot about these great players and remember that there are more great players than the title holders! And if you want more, expect another blog around the end of the month.
Comment your thoughts on this blog, and I will see you soon. I hope you enjoyed this blog. : D
