The Truth About the GOAT Debate

The discussion surrounding the "greatest of all time" (GOAT) in chess has been ongoing for many years, with various players being considered for the title. Some commonly mentioned names include Garry Kasparov, Bobby Fischer, and Magnus Carlsen. The debate is often based on factors such as tournament results, consistency, and impact on the game. However, the decision of who is the GOAT is a matter of personal opinion, but it is a topic that continues to divide the chess community. In this blog, I will break down the GOAT discussion with statistics, accolades, and a bit of bias. 

The GOAT Debate

Currently, there are four categories where the majority of chess enthusiast lie. According to a chess.com survey, 37% of players believe that Magnus Carlsen is the GOAT, 21% of players believe that Bobby Fischer is the GOAT, and 21% of players believe Garry Kasparov is the GOAT. The rest of the 21% believe that players like Morphy, Anand, and Capablanca are the GOAT. However, it's clear that there are three key candidates for the GOAT title. Most players believe that Magnus Carlsen is the GOAT, although, using pure facts or statistics, we should be able to find the true chess GOAT with little subjectiveness.

Bobby Fischer's GOAT Case

According to chess.com's Top 10 Best Chess Players of All Time article, Fischer was listed as the 3rd best player of all time. This was likely due to his short career, however, there is still a case to be argued. According to a data study by @Schachmasteo, Fischer's 1970-72 run was the most accurate a human has played according to centipawn loss. Though, Fischer's main case is that he was the most dominant player of all time and was miles ahead of the competition. 

Not a single player has been more dominant than Bobby Fischer, he won the U.S. Championship on 8 occasions, a record that will likely never be broken. Although, there is one main weakness in Fischer's GOAT case. He's only won 1 world championship. Compared to Kasparov's six and Magnus's five,  Fischer's accolades fall short compared to them. This is obviously because of Fischer's craze and action off the board. To find out more about Bobby Fischer's craze, feel free to read my blog about The Genius & Craze of Bobby Fischer.

Garry Kasparov's GOAT Case

Garry Kimovich Kasparov was ranked first in chess.com's Top 10 Best Chess Players of All Time article with good reason. Kasparov won the World Championship six times and was ranked world No. 1 for 255 months. Kasparov's longevity and accolades are a strong argument in his GOAT case. He was the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion at age 22 and held the official FIDE world title from 1985-1993. 

"Kasparov's Immortal" is one of Kasparov's best games, and illustrates his aggressive and dynamic play style. He is known to take risks and create unorthodox positions on the board. Unlike Fischer, Kasparov continues to stay in touch with chess and now pursues a career as a political activist. 

Magnus Carlsen's GOAT Case

Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is widely considered to be the GOAT of chess. Although it is difficult to call a current player the GOAT, Magnus has already proven that he deserves to be in the conversation. He's been the highest-rated player in the world for more than a decade and has consistently been ranked World No. 1 since he was just 19. He is the current world champion as of 2013 and holds the highest all-time rating.

Magnus Carlsen's ability to squeeze water out of a stone has got him to where he is at. He is particularly skilled in creating imbalances in the position and exploiting them after his opponent's inaccuracies. Magnus has the accolades and longevity that Fischer lacked. Despite Magnus's choice to not defend his title, he is without a doubt the strongest chess player of all time. 

My Thoughts

There is no doubt in my mind that Magnus Carlsen is the GOAT of chess. He has the accolades, he has the longevity, and most importantly he has the dominance. In a world where engines are so prominent, to be so consistent is unheard of. One can argue that Kasparov was best for the longest time, but Magnus is the current World No 1. and I don't see anybody surpassing him anytime soon. 

There is nothing that Kasparov has over Magnus, the GOAT debate isn't about championships, otherwise, Lasker would be the GOAT. Magnus has done everything that Kasparov has done, in the most challenging era. 

The Harsh Truth

"The reason there is no such thing as the GOAT is because every player plays under unique circumstances.

- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 6x NBA Champion.

There is no consensus on who the GOAT is. It is a subjective measure and opinions can vary based on factors such as personal bias, the era of competition, and statistics. Additionally, as fields evolve and progress over time, it becomes difficult to compare players from different eras. I think @Schachmasteo sums up to entire GOAT debate pretty well.

You can't really compare people across generations since they never played against each other and chess is a very dependent game, the more information out there the better people are. Every generation, by the nature of chess, is going to be stronger than the previous one. In 20 years or so there's probably going to be some new guy who's World Champion for a decade in a generation of players studying with Stockfish 370 or whatever.

We shouldn't be asking who is the greatest of all time, but who is the greatest of each generation. We can't compare players like Magnus and Fischer since one has access to a modern database/engine, and the other relies on books and themselves. Instead, we should categorize each of these players as the greatest of their generation.

Anyone can be the GOAT of chess, it just depends on who you ask. This blog was inspired by JxmyHighroller's video on the GOAT of basketball. Thanks for reading, share your thoughts on the GOAT debate in the comments below, and as always, see you next time.