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Who is the greatest world chess champion of all time?

By YPB Team

Seventeen men have held the title since 1886, and almost none of them held it the same way. Some crushed the field, some squeaked through, one never played a game for it.

  1. Garry Kasparov — ranked #11
    Garry Kasparov
    Champion from 1985 to 2000 and world number one for 255 months.
    1000pts
  2. Ding Liren — ranked #22
    Ding Liren
    Champion from 2023 to 2024 and the first Chinese player to hold the title.
    724pts
  3. Mikhail Tal — ranked #33
    Mikhail Tal
    The Magician from Riga, champion in 1960 at the age of 23.
    724pts
  4. José Raúl Capablanca — ranked #44
    José Raúl Capablanca
    Champion from 1921 to 1927, famous for winning without visible effort.
    689pts
  5. Wilhelm Steinitz — ranked #55
    Wilhelm Steinitz
    The first official world champion, crowned in 1886.
    665pts
  6. Mikhail Botvinnik — ranked #66
    Mikhail Botvinnik
    Champion across three separate reigns and the architect of the Soviet chess school.
    665pts
  7. Alexander Alekhine — ranked #77
    Alexander Alekhine
    Champion from 1927 to 1935 and 1937 to 1946, and the only one to die holding the title.
    517pts
  8. Tigran Petrosian — ranked #88
    Tigran Petrosian
    Champion from 1963 to 1969 and close to impossible to attack.
    517pts
  9. Gukesh Dommaraju — ranked #99
    Gukesh Dommaraju
    The youngest undisputed world champion, crowned in 2024 at 18.
    517pts
  10. Bobby Fischer — ranked #1010
    Bobby Fischer
    Champion in 1972 after the most watched match the game has ever staged.
    423pts
  11. Viswanathan Anand — ranked #1111
    Viswanathan Anand
    Champion from 2007 to 2013 and the first Indian to hold the title.
    423pts
  12. Anatoly Karpov — ranked #1212
    Anatoly Karpov
    Champion from 1975 to 1985, then FIDE champion again through the 1990s.
    310pts
  13. Vladimir Kramnik — ranked #1313
    Vladimir Kramnik
    Took the title from Kasparov in 2000 without losing a single game.
    310pts
  14. Max Euwe — ranked #1414
    Max Euwe
    Champion from 1935 to 1937 and later the president of FIDE.
    310pts
  15. Vasily Smyslov — ranked #1515
    Vasily Smyslov
    Champion in 1957 and a title contender across three decades.
    310pts
  16. Magnus Carlsen — ranked #1616
    Magnus Carlsen
    Champion from 2013 to 2023 and holder of the highest rating ever recorded.
    0pts
  17. Emanuel Lasker — ranked #1717
    Emanuel Lasker
    Held the title for 27 years, longer than anyone before or since.
    0pts
  18. Boris Spassky — ranked #1818
    Boris Spassky
    Champion from 1969 to 1972 and the other half of the Reykjavik match.
    0pts

#sports648#chess8#players574#legends375#all-time318

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