chessoholicalien wrote:
I hear 3 names most commonly mentioned in this regard:
1. Keres
2. Bronstein
3. Kortschnoj
Anyone have any differing opinions?
Karl Schlecter is another that came very very close.
Best player never to win the chess World Championship
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Rueben Fine was number 2 in the world for years and had a plus score against
capablanca,alekhine,and smyslov
Aron Nimzowitsch, by the late 1920's to early 1930's was the Crown Prince of chess, second only to Alekhine.
In the prestigious Carlsbad 1929 super tournament he won - ahead of Capablanca, Spielmann, Rubinstein, Euwe to name a few. In the previous year he won the Berlin tournament ahead of Bugoljubow and Tartakower; he won Marienbad 1925 ahead of Alehhine; Copenhagen 1924, again ahead of Alekhine; and these are only the major tournaments - he won a string of minor tournaments. Nimzowitsch was essentially a teacher and applier of chess ideas. Someone who was indeed a great player who through fate and timing never won the World championship.
cyarstl-mteh wrote:
Rueben Fine was number 2 in the world for years and had a plus score against
capablanca,alekhine,and smyslov
Check your facts again.
Aug 10, 2009
0
#7
cyarstl-mteh wrote:
Rueben Fine was number 2 in the world for years and had a plus score against
capablanca,alekhine,and smyslov
I've just googled Reuben Fine - yes, what a great record. Wikipedia gives his score against Capablanca as even, +0 =5 -0, but a plus score against Alekhine, +3 =4 -2.
Of course, for anyone going for the pedantry prize, the strongest player who never won the WC must be Anatoly Karpov. He completely justified the title by his performances after he was awarded it though.
Khan
Aug 10, 2009
0
#9
crisy wrote:
Of course, for anyone going for the pedantry prize, the strongest player who never won the WC must be Anatoly Karpov. He completely justified the title by his performances after he was awarded it though.
Ha, good catch, I didn't think of him. I'm not a huge Karpov fan, but his contribution in that regard is often overlooked -- if he hadn't been so dominating in the 70s after the vacuum Fischer left, one could easily imagine top-level chess deteriorating into a boxing-like circus. As it is, it took another 20 years for FIDE to trash their reputation.
I will agree with madpawn and say Aron Nimzowitsch. I'm reading his book My System now and it's a wonder he didn't become world champion.
Bent Larson, just to stir the pot.
Yeah, Korchnoi, Nimzowitsch, Keres, Bronstein, Rubinstein... From the start there were several top-flight contenders: Zukertort, Tchigorin, Anderssen...
PS: Good one, the one on Karpov... He's actually one of the best players ever in my opinion... But he never actually "won" the title... :P
Chessmetrics has different all-time rankings depending on how many years of ratings are averaged.
1-year peak
- #10 Siegbert Tarrasch
- #11 Géza Maróczy
- #12 Harry Pillsbury
5-year peak
- #10 Harry Pillsbury
- #11 Vassily Ivanchuk
- #12 Viktor Korchnoi
20-year peak
- #5 Viktor Korchnoi
- #7 Paul Keres
- #13 Lev Polugaevsky
Reb wrote:
chessoholicalien wrote:
I hear 3 names most commonly mentioned in this regard:
1. Keres
2. Bronstein
3. Kortschnoj
Anyone have any differing opinions?
Karl Schlecter is another that came very very close.
100 % agree Carl Schlechter is probably the most underated player of all ages. He drew a match against Lasker in his peak.
Aug 10, 2009
0
#16
Nigel Short is as good as any - look at his statistics, and his rating is rising again to 2700 + , maintained a very very high level (2640 +) for over 25 years and still a world beater.
Also possibly Viktor Kortchnoi, Paul Keres and David Bronstein.
Aug 10, 2009
0
#17
AngeloM wrote:
PS: Good one, the one on Karpov... He's actually one of the best players ever in my opinion... But he never actually "won" the title... :P
He won the FIDE title against Timman in 1993 decisively. GM Miroslav Filip mentioned that Karpov - Timman FIDE WCh match had markedly higher level than concurrent Kasparov - Short PCA WCh match.
Aug 11, 2009
0
#18
Polar_Bear wrote:
AngeloM wrote:
PS: Good one, the one on Karpov... He's actually one of the best players ever in my opinion... But he never actually "won" the title... :P
He won the FIDE title against Timman in 1993 decisively. GM Miroslav Filip mentioned that Karpov - Timman FIDE WCh match had markedly higher level than concurrent Kasparov - Short PCA WCh match.
This is nonsense!
Karpov beat Korchnoi twice to keep hold of his crown, so if he hadn't 'won' it against Fischer, he definitely did against Korchnoi in 78 and 81 (or whichever the dates were).
I hear 4 names most commonly mentioned in this regard:
1. Keres
2. Bronstein
3. Kortschnoj
4. Rubinstein
Anyone have any differing opinions?