Prior to 1886, there was no universally recognized title of World Champion, though there were individual players acclaimed as the greatest of their time.
François-André Danican Philidor (1726–95), a French operatic composer, was regarded as the world’s leading player in the mid-18th century. His L’analyze des échecs (1748) was an enormously influential book, introducing many concepts that have become part of the modern understanding of chess. His was the famous aphorism, “the pawn is the soul of chess”.
Louis-Charles Mahé de la Bourdonnais (1795–1840) developed his chess at the Café de la Régence in Paris, and quickly became recognized as the leading player. He defended his status in a series of marathon matches against the Englishman, McDonnell, in 1834. These matches were the precursor of world championship matches, not only due to their gladiatorial aspect, but because the games were widely published and analysed.
Howard Staunton (1810–74) was the leading English player of the 19th century, and the top player in the 1840s, beating the Frenchman, Saint-Amant in a match in Paris in 1843. He organized the first ever chess tournament, in London in 1851, and wrote extensively on the game. He also prepared an annotated edition of the complete works of Shakespeare, work on which prevented him from meeting Morphy in a match.
Paul Charles Morphy (1837–84) was the first great American player. He burst onto the chess scene in 1850, like Fischer a century later, as already one of the best players in America at the age of thirteen. He visited Europe in 1858, and decisively beat the leading European players. However, after returning to America he hardly played at all, but such had been his superiority that no other player dared to claim to be World Champion while Morphy was still alive. His dashing attacks were based on firm logic, and demonstrated that chess was far from properly understood at the time.
Wilhelm Steinitz (1836–1900; 1st World Champion, 1886–94) set about developing a “theory” of chess, and bequeathed to the world the basis for the modern understanding of the game. He won a series of matches in the 1860s, and remained the strongest player into the 1890s. In 1886 he met Zukertort in the first match at which the title of World Champion was at stake.
Emanuel Lasker (1868–1941; 2nd World Champion, 1894–1921) beat the ageing Steinitz and brushed aside several challenges in subsequent years. He was a superb all-round player who developed and, in his profound writings, popularized Steinitz’s theories.
José Ra�l Capablanca (1888–1942; 3rd World Champion, 1921–7) is widely regarded as the greatest natural talent in chess history. At the age of twelve he won a match against the champion of his native Cuba, and later, despite hardly reading anything about the game, established himself as the natural successor to Lasker, whom he eventually met in a title match after the First World War. There was general astonishment when he lost his title six years later. Those who met Capablanca were impressed by his personal charm, and his ability to assess chess positions accurately at a glance.
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine (1892–1946; 4th World Champion, 1927–35; 1937–46) was the antithesis of Capablanca in many ways: industrious, devious and a heavy drinker. He carefully scrutinized the “invincible” Capablanca’s style, and successfully played against weaknesses that few thought existed. His chess was often spectacular, and he wrote well to describe his chessboard battles. He avoided a rematch against Capablanca – an understandable reluctance perhaps, but a great shame for the chess world.
Machgielis (Max) Euwe (1901–81; 5th World Champion, 1935–7) seized the title briefly from Alekhine, who undoubtedly underestimated him at first. Euwe was a fine tactician and an erudite theoretician, who later put these talents to great use in his writings. He did much to popularize chess both in his native Holland and, as FIDE President, around the world.
Mikhail Moiseevich Botvinnik (1911–95; 6th World Champion, 1948–57; 1958–60; 1961–3) was the first of the Soviet World Champions. He was probably already the strongest player in the late 1930s, but it was not until the match-tournament in 1948 that he could claim the title left vacant by Alekhine’s death. He quickly became a hero of Soviet society. A tremendously serious man, he never played for fun, and gave up playing in 1970 in order to concentrate on computer chess.
Vasily Vasilievich Smyslov (1921–2010; 7th World Champion, 1957–8) played three tense matches with Botvinnik in the 1950s, emerging victorious in one. An opera singer away from the board, he stressed the importance of harmony in chess. He enjoyed a long career, reaching the Candidates final in 1983.
Mikhail Nekhemievich Tal (1936–1992; 8th World Champion, 1960–1), was one of the greatest attacking geniuses in chess history. His attacks seemed like pure magic, and his contemporaries were baffled as he swept aside the opposition on his way to becoming the youngest worldchampion up to that time. This led to a reappraisal of defensive technique, and a better understanding of chess generally. Tal was plagued by ill-health for the whole of his life; otherwise he might have been champion for longer.
Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (1929–84; 9th World Champion, 1963–9), was a champion whose play was far from accessible to the public. His games featured a great deal of manoeuvring, yet his handling of messy positions and his understanding of exchange sacrifices was unequalled.
Boris Vasilievich Spassky (1937–; 10th World Champion, 1969–72) is best known to the general public as “the man who lost to Fischer”, which is a shame since he is a great player. His direct, classical style led to two fascinating matches against Petrosian.
Robert James (Bobby) Fischer (1943–2008; 11th World Champion, 1972–5) did more than anyone else to popularize chess in the western world. He brought a new professionalism to chess, both in his preparation for games, and his insistence on good playing conditions and decent pay for the top players. Most of all, he inspired a generation of players by showing that one man could take on the Soviet chess establishment, and win.
Anatoly Evgenievich Karpov (1951–; 12th World Champion, 1975–85; FIDE Champion 1993–9) became World Champion when Fischer did not agree terms with FIDE (World Chess Federation) under which he would defend his title. A small, unassuming man from the Ural mountains, Karpov immediately set about proving to the world that he was a worthy champion by completely dominating tournament chess in the subsequent years. For a decade he stood head and shoulders above all others, and he continued to be a top player into the late 1990s. In 1993 he regained the FIDE World Championship, following the PCA break-away, and successfully defended it in 1996 against Kamsky, and against Anand in a very short match in 1998, following FIDE’s new knockout system. He did not compete in FIDE’s 1999 Championship, which was won by Alexander Khalifman.
Garry Kimovich Kasparov (1963–; 13th World Champion, 1985–2000) is widely regarded as the greatest chess player the world has ever seen. His chess was a synthesis of raw talent, scientific research and grim determination. Opponents found his physical presence at the board intimidating, and his powerful personality is ideally suited to television. He was not content just to dominate the chessboard; he was also heavily involved in the rough-and-tumble of chess politics. In 1993, he helped to establish the PCA (the Professional Chess Association), under whose auspices title matches against Short and Anand were played. This organization since ceased to exist, and Kasparov’s subsequent attempts to organize a new title defence were plagued by difficulties. Eventually, he arranged a match with Kramnik in 2000, which he lost to the surprise of many. However, he remained clearly World No. 1 up until his retirement from professional chess in 2005. He has since turned to Russian politics, in which he is seen internationally as the main opposition figure. He is still involved in chess, occasionally playing exhibition events and kibitzing online. He has also coached Magnus Carlsen and the top American talent, Hikaru Nakamura.
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik (1975-; 14th World Champion, 2000–7) is from Tuapse, in the south of Russia. He has an all-round style, with a particular emphasis on solidity and a feel for positional nuances, which has become increasingly pronounced as his career has progressed. He was tipped by Kasparov for stardom from an early age, and indeed he assisted Kasparov in his 1995 match against Anand. Kramnik was already one of the leading players from his late teens, and he was the only player who consistently managed to score fairly well against Kasparov, from whom he won the title in 2000, without a single loss. After two successful defences (Leko 2004, Topalov 2006), he lost the world championship in the 2007 Mexico City tournament, and subsequently failed to win the “return match” against Anand the following year.
Viswanathan (Vishy) Anand (1969–; 15th World Champion, 2007–; FIDE Champion 2000–2) is a chess sensation from Chennai (Madras), India. One of the world’s top players since the early 1990s, he plays lively attacking chess and sees variations and tactics at an astonishing speed – in his early years, he would complete tournament games with barely minutes used on his clock. However, he was always in the shadow of Garry Kasparov, the one player against whom he failed to score well. Anand seized his chance at the 2007 World Championship tournament, a format that suited his style perfectly. His imperious victory over Kramnik in the 2008 title defence confirmed his place in history as a great champion.
Looking to the future, the heir apparent is Magnus Carlsen (born 1990) from Norway. A very strong player from a tender age, Magnus appears to find chess very easy. His games feature both highly creative preparation and inventive play at the board, and he seems to be at home in all types of positions and in playing a very broad repertoire of openings. Since late 2009 he has been Number 1 in the FIDE rating list, and currently (February 2013) tops it by more than 60 points – a level of dominance not seen since the best days of Kasparov or Fischer. Even scarier for his top-level opponents is the fact that his victories have not been achieved primarily through devastating opening preparation; Magnus appears content just to get an unbalanced middlegame, confident he can outplay any opponent in a complex struggle, or press home a tiny edge in an endgame.
FIDE’s alternate lineage in the period 1993–2006 was as follows:
1993–9 Anatoly Karpov
1999–00 Alexander Khalifman
2000–2 Viswanathan Anand
2002–4 Ruslan Ponomariov
2004–5 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
2005–6 Veselin Topalov