Top 10 attacking players.

One could argue that the best attacks don’t risk defeat.

An attack that wins the game by winning material is still an attack.

     Too many here pooh-pooh Fischer's attacking prowess. He always started his games with the intention to build up a formidable attack or counter-attack. Many times this led him to win a pawn while maintaining an otherwise slightly superior position or create a fatal weakness in the enemy camp. He just had good enough endgame technique and confidence in his own ability to ease off on the attack and just cash in the sure win rather than push into unclear positions.

Nah, people just misunderstand. They think attacking is what strong players do, so when they list the "best attackers" they just list players they think are good.

Like one guy's list had Carlsen... lol.

I mean, obviously any 2800 is going to be a world class attacker, but certain players are known for attacking, and certain players aren't...

Fischer was a founding member of Pawnsnatchers Anonymous. He was far more likely to grab a loose b-pawn and convert it to an endgame win than he was to sacrifice a pawn for an attack. 

Of course he was good at attacking, but his main strength was his crystal clear positional sense. He was much closer to Capablanca stylistically than Alekhine.

Probably Rashid Nezhmetdinov TBH

I am slightly biased towards contemporary players because I know more of their games. 

#1 Paul Morphy (Morphy has to get my #1 spot. He attacked with everything and left nothing to doubt on the board. He could not be withheld and he is the most impressive attacker two centuries later for me.) 

#2 Alexander Morozevich (Morozevich is one of my favorite players. He simply goes in and fights with no hesitation until he either collapses or more typically crushes.) 

#3 Mikhail Tal (Tal is perhaps the most  beautiful attacker sacking pieces left and right to gain wacky and out of the ordinary advantages that most would simply not consider. He is the best example of how tactics can create forceful attacks.) 

#4 Garry Kasparov (Kasparov is the grand student of chess and his absolute will to dominate over the board has created some horrific results for even great opponents. He knows how to fight in every way imaginable and he will likely find any way to attack on any side of the board he needs to win. 

#5 Magnus Carlsen (Carlsen has a 'suffocating' kind of style where he produces results with nearly everything and chokes his opponent's counter-play.)

#6 Bobby Fischer (Fischer was the ultimate fighter using often boring looking ideas to create strong play and developments and constantly destroying his opponents desire to control the center. A deadly opponent who didn't play to make a draw.)

#7 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Mamedyarov is a beautiful example of attacking chess opting for tactics often over closed positions and he has been rewarded well for his efforts going all the way to world #2 at a point and achieving one of the highest ratings as of now.) 

#8 Alexander Alekhine (Perhaps the man that I would fear most to play. His presence is daunting and his onslaughts were very deadly to opponents.) 

#9 Hikaru Nakamura (Nakamura has become somewhat more solid as of recent but he was in the past and still is to much degree a fighter who will bring aggressive and often swift attacks to the table.)

#10 Judit Polgar (Possibly controversial choice but she did create strong attacks and her defeating all the living champions is quite impressive and happened from strong attacks and punishments for mistakes.)

REVIVE

Tal is the best

Hi. Idont think there are many attack players nowadays, but there were many like...

1. Morphy

2. Tal

3.Marshall

4. LaBourdonnais

5. Anderssen

6. Alekhine

I didnt order them by strength, but for attacking abilities. Many mention Steinitz but he was actually a calmer player. people called him the austrian morphy but their games are complete opposite. Also, as an italian game enthusiast, i love Greco, but Greco created most of his games for educational purposes, besides, theory practically didnt exist in 1620, so its normal to expect things like the Damiano defense

i get the ranking

Among the older players, I would consider Akiba Rubinstein and Rudolf Spielman to be great attacking players.

Velimirovic should also be in the list.

A world champion with "too unsound and erratic" chess ?

im not sure the average player would know who those are (I do)

carlsen, tal, fischer, morphy?

i mean yeah

Messi

Mikhail Tal

Was a tactical genius and a good attacking player too