HALL OF FAME

Who are the greatest chess players of all time?

Check out the full list from 1-50!

Grandmasters and Carlsen-trainers Peter Heine Nielsen and Jan Gustafsson got together to compile their own list of the 50 best players ever. Neither is a big expert on chess history, so what could go wrong? 50 players, 50 videos! Let us know what they got right. Who did they miss? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
50: Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch is best known for his book 'My System'. But does he belong here as a player?
11 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
49: Sergey Karjakin
Sergey Karjakin held Magnus Carlsen to a 6-6 tie in classical games in their World Championship match.
9 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
48: Lajos Portisch
Hungary's Lajos Portisch had a long and distinguished career.
7 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
47: Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Polugaevsky is a representative of an incredibly strong generation of Soviet players. Never in a title match, but very much a top player for 20+ years.
9 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
46: Gata Kamsky
Gata Kamsky emerges as a prodigy in the 1990s, takes time off from chess from 1996-2004, but returns in 2004 and goes on to win the 2007 World Cup.
10 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
45: Geza Maroczy
Maroczy was born in 1870 and was one of the leading players of his time. Enough?
8 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
44: Peter Leko
After becoming the youngest grandmaster in the world in 1994, Peter Leko played a World Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik in 2004, coming as close to the title as it gets.
15 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
43: Szymon Winawer
Winawer is one of the premier players a looong time ago. Where does that rank him?
7 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
42: Miguel Najdorf
Miguel Najdorf was one of the world's best players in the 1940s and 1950s.
9 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
41 Jan Timman
The Dutch legend was considered "Best in the West" and was an absolute top player throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
9 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
40: Mikhail Chigorin
"The Founder of the Soviet School of Chess"
10 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
39: Boris Gelfand
Gelfand came close to the World Championship title in 2012, when he lost to Vishy Anand by the smallest of margins.
12 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
38: Efim Geller
An amazing tournamemnt player, Geller never got to a World Championship match, but had + scores against the likes of Fischer, Botvinnik and Petrosian.
9 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
37: Harry Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury only had a brief career, but his highs were incredibly high.
8 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36: Carl Schlechter
Schlechter was the first player to seriously challenge Lasker in a World Championship match.
9 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
35: Vasyl Ivanchuk
Widely considered a chess genius, Ivanchuk enters the list.
11 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
34: Siegbert Tarrasch
Dr. Tarrasch was maybe the world's best player in the 1890s.
10 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
33: Levon Aronian
The Armenian Superstar requires no introduction
10 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
32: Reuben Fine
He did just fine in 1938.
9 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
31: Efim Bogoljubov
Another veteran, who played two World Championship matches.
7 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
30: Samuel Reshevsky
Reshevsky was a contender for the World Championship from the mid-1930s to the mid-60s.
13 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
29: Bent Larsen
The Great Dane makes the Top 30. Another Great Dane explains why.
21 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
28: Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais
The French master was considered to be the strongest player in the world in the early 1800s.
10 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
27: Johannes Zukertort
Zukertort lost to Steinitz in the first World Championship match in 1886, but was a dominant player in the 1870s and 1880s.
14 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
26: Adolf Anderssen
Anderssen won two big tournaments in 1851 and 1862, as well as giving the world the "Immortal Game".
12 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
25: David Bronstein
David Bronstein is best known for tying the 1951 World Championship match against Botvinnik, while also giving the chess world some highly influential books.
14 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
24: Howard Staunton
Howard Staunton was considered the world's leading player from 1843-1851. He also gave us the Staunton chess set and the "Chess players handbook".
11 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23: Akiba Rubinstein
Akiba Rubinstein was one of the world's best players in the early 20th century and leaves behing an impressive legacy of endgame technique and ideas.
17 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22: Paul Keres
The Estonian master never got to the World Championship, but had an amazingly long and successful career.
13 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
21: Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov was the FIDE World Champion in 2005 and lost World Championship matches against Vladimir Kramnik in 2006 and Vishy Anand in 2010.
18 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
20: Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Korchnoi is widely considered one of the greatest players to never become World Champion.
20 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
19: Fabiano Caruana
Fabiano Caruana is the current World Number 2.
15 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
18: François-André Danican Philidor
Philidor is by far the greatest player of the 18th century.
15 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17: Max Euwe
Max Euwe is the fifth official World Champion.
13 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
16: Boris Spassky
Boris Spassky is the 10th World Champion.
15 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
15: Mikhail Tal
Mikhail Tal is the eighth World Champion.
14 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
14: Vasily Smyslov
Smyslov is the 7th World Champion.
13 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
13: Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz is the first undisputed World Champion.
11 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12: Tigran Petrosian
Tigran Petrosian was the World Champion from 1963 to 1969.
12 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
11: Vladimir Kramnik
Kramnik defeated Kasparov in 2000 to become the Classical World Champion.
16 min
 3 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10: Paul Morphy
Paul Morphy is one of the biggest phenomena the chess world has ever seen.
16 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
9: Viswanathan Anand
Vishy Anand has won everything there is to win in chess.
17 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8: Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik won or drew 4 World Championships and stayed at or near the top of chess for 30 years.
14 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7: José Raúl Capablanca
Jose Raul Capablanca is remembered as a great champion and one of the most accurate players ever.
15 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6: Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov dominated chess throughout much of the 70s and early 80s.
17 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5: Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine defeated Capablanca in 1927 to become the 4th World Chess Champion.
12 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4: Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker remained World Champion for 27 years.
14 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3: Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer.
13 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2: Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen was the reigning World Champion when this series was recorded.
15 min
 2 Challenges
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1: Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov was the world number 1 for 225 months.
14 min
 2 Challenges