A post to help the newcomers

I often fantasize about the interactions I will have with my students when I open up my chess academy. I am already sick of one question that I will get asked on a regular basis. "Hey GM VladimirHerceg91, who's the best player of them all?".

It's such a tough question. To help my future students, and all newcomers to chess.com I've decided to compile a list of the top 5 best players during the computer age, and a top 3 list of the best players before the computer age as I think it's important to study chess history as well.  Hope this helps!

Top 5 Players during the computer age

1. Emmanuel Lasker

2. Gary Kasparov 

3. Boris Spassky 

4. Magnus Carlsen

5. Joseph Casablanca

Top 3 players before the computer age

1. Gioachino Greco 

2. Ruy Lopez de Segura

3. Viktor Korchnoi 

That list doesn't help because it's based on opinion and unknown attributes. It's easier to respond to anyone asking that question by simply saying: "Define 'best.'"

That's not the focal point of the discussion at all... 

https://www.google.com/webhp?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=Jose+Capablanca+chess Jose Capablanca died 1942, well before the computer age? Is Joseph Casablanca somebody else?

I find it inexplicable that you failed to include the great Mikhail Tal in your top 5 players during the computer age. He was arguably the greatest internet blitz player of all time - as I lay out the case in the thread below - making him an icon of the internet age.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-players/is-mikhail-tal-the-greatest-internet-blitz-player-of-all-time

He should be top 3 easily, and possibly even #1!

 and Lasker died 1941 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emanuel_Lasker, computer age really began about 1965 when my step grandfather Steve Coons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Anson_Coons, pioneered computer graphics, until you can see it on screen what good is it? He also had a cover story on Scientific American, I think it was that year

Didn't archaeologists find something from ancient Babylon which was described as the first known 'computer'? It followed the movement of the stars or some such.

It's a tough list to make. There is so many great players. The ones I mentioned are objectively the best.

But what do you mean?

This is an objective list actually. 

Joseph Capablanca was a really great player, but I think you should have included Roberto Fisherman, Vishy Anal and Pablo Morphine. 

You have a bright future GM (Gran maricón) VladimirHerceg91, you are already a living legend!!!

If you're going to make a mockery of this please do it in the off-topic section. Roberto Fisherman is not an actual player, and neither are Vishy Anal and Pablo Morphine as far as I know. 

Sometimes I hate making threads like this because I know its going to attract trolls, who are gonna give their "opinion". I wish ModestAndPolite was still around to straighten you all out. 

Why are you so mad champ? Those players are as real as Joseph Capablanca.

It's Joseph Casablanca, not Capablanca. Have some respect for the great players of our game. I encourage you to apologize for your ignorance. 

I am really sorry oh all mighty Lord!

Just one more question, I have heard about that Lasker dude but he actually died in the 40s. Is it the same Lasker you are saying played during the computers era? 

I am really sorry, I know I am a big ignorant. I need your wisdom to enlighten me please. 

I don't see Fischer in your list OP. Why?

I could explain this to you, but I think it would be a waste of time. I don't think you're here to learn. I think you're just here to troll with your sarcastic comments. For us connoisseurs of chess it can be quite frustrating when somebody is so disrespectful towards our game. Therefore, I don't wish to share my superior knowledge of the game with the likes of you. Have a nice day. 

The others were objectively superior.  

Tal was an exceptional internet blitz player, granted. But I'm talking specifically about OTB.