1. Paul Morphy
2. Adolf Anderssen
3. Akiva Rubinstein
4. Samuel Reshevsky
5. David Bronstein

Paul Morphy

Paul Morphy’s (1837 – 1884) chess career was brief, but his legacy will last a lifetime. As a chess prodigy, he showed exceptional skill from a young age. Eventually, he cemented his position as one of the greatest players by winning tournaments in the US and internationally. In 1957, at the age of 20, he won the First American Chess Congress in 1857, beating his opponents by large margins. Following this, he took his talent to Europe and played matches against some of the world’s strongest players, and once again, he proved his brilliance by winning all of his matches (despite even falling ill with intestinal influenza). One of these matches was played in Paris against the great Adolf Anderssen, who Morphy beat 8-3 in their 11-match game. Anderssen would go on to say that Morphy was the strongest player ever to play the game. Here is the brilliant game 9 from their match:

Here is another little gem (a casual game) between these two greats:

Morphy’s style was aggressive and dynamic, and with his strong tactical abilities, he was able to launch powerful attacks and exploit weaknesses in his opponents’ positions. Undeniably talented, he understood chess on an intuitive level, and he could arguably have become World Champion. However, at the mere age of 21, Morphy retired from competitive chess and instead pursued a career in law which attributed him the nickname “The Pride and Sorrow of Chess”. Furthermore, the formal World Championship title was only created in 1886, two years after Morphy’s death. Many argue that this timing was intentional, as the World Champion’s dominance would always be questioned as long as Morphy was alive.

Morphy’s legacy in the chess world is profound. His contributions to opening theory, positional play, and attacking chess remain influential to this day. He was an early pioneer of the modern chess style – emphasizing the importance of piece development, central control, and king safety. His last gift to chess was a concept well-known today, but quite extraordinary for its time; the rook lift. In a casual game (played with odds) against his friend, Charles Maurian, Morphy played 9.Ra3! here to transfer the rook to the kingside:

To end off our look at one of the greatest players of all time, here is a puzzle created by Morphy at the age of 10! White to play and checkmate in two moves:

Puzzle Solution

Check out: Morphy: Move by Move

Adolf Anderssen

Adolf Anderssen (1818-1879) was a German chess player and one of the leading figures in 19th-century chess. He was long considered to be the world’s best player, owing to his domination in German tournaments and international ones – such as in 1851 when he won the London International Chess Tournament, the first tournament meeting of Europe’s best players at the time. However, his match loss to Morphy in 1958 challenged his title of being the best, but this was short-lived due to Morphy’s retirement.

It was Anderssen’s 1851 “Immortal Game” against Lionel Kieseritzky that really placed him as one of the chess greats. With a queen sacrifice and picturesque checkmate, he showcased his aggressive style and tactical genius:

Anderssen’s style can be characterized as creative, imaginative, and aggressive, which resulted in sacrifices and beautiful combinations in his games. He understood harmonious coordination – how pieces worked together, which along with his tactical maneuvers, earned him the nickname “The Chess Romantic.” Even though the Elo system did not exist yet during his time, he was thought to be rated above 2600 by Arpad Elo, the creator of the Elo system.

While his performance declined in later years, Anderssen’s contributions to chess remain influential. Such as his contribution to chess theory, with the “Anderssen Opening” where White starts with 1.a3, and “Anderssen Attack” in the King’s Gambit. Ultimately, Anderssen is considered to be one of the best players of his era, and his games and analyses continue to be studied and admired today.

Check out: Chess Secrets: Great Chess Romantics

Akiva Rubinstein

Akiva Rubinstein (1880 – 1961) was a Polish Chess Player, whose chess career took off in the early 1900s when he achieved notable successes in international tournaments. One of Rubinstein’s most incredible successes was his performance in the 1912 St. Petersburg tournament, which he won by defeating several world-class players, including World Champion Emanuel Lasker. This triumph solidified his status as one of the top contenders for the world championship title, and he even went on to qualify for a 1914 match against Lasker.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of World War I resulted in the match being canceled, and more detrimentally, halted Rubinstein’s tournament participation and career. Whether Rubinstein could have successfully claimed the throne at the height of his career is something we will never know, as he was never able to return to his same form after the war. Nevertheless, he also received the International Grandmaster title from FIDE at its 1950 inauguration.

Rubinstein’s contributions to chess and his tournament successes are widely recognized. He made significant contributions to opening theory, particularly in the French Defense and Nimzo-Indian Defense. Funnily enough, he inadvertently has a line in the Queen’s Gambit Declined named after him – the “Rubinstein Trap,” as he fell into it a couple of times against Euwe and Alekhine.

Can you find the move for White?

Puzzle Solution

Rubinstein had a methodical playing style, characterized by solid openings, strategic maneuvering, and precise calculation. He was particularly gifted in the endgame and had a deep understanding of pawn structures. Take a look at his 1909 game against Lasker:

Notes by Emanual Lasker. Credit: chessgames.com

A perfect example of Rubinstein’s endgame skills – Black is left in a zugzwang!

Check out: The Life and Games of Akiva Rubinstein: Volume 1

Samuel Reshevsky

Samuel Reshevsky (1911 – 1992) was a Polish-American chess player whose career began when he was just five years old, and many consider him to be one of the strongest chess prodigies. By the age of eight, he was already competing against strong adult players. At the age of ten, he embarked on a series of simultaneous exhibitions, winning against experienced opponents and astonishing the chess world.

His career kept on flourishing as he grew older as he; participated in multiple Olympiads representing the US, won the US Championship 8 times (a record he shares with Bobby Fischer), placed third in the 1948 World Chess Championship tournament, placed second in the 1953 Candidates tournament, and was awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE at its inaugural inception.

Reshevsky remained a top player for a long time, although never become a world champion, missing several opportunities to compete for the title due to various circumstances, including World War II. Nevertheless, he consistently proved himself to be a great player, even beating the likes of Alekhine, Capablanca, and Euwe (to name a few).

Reshevsky was known for his exceptional positional understanding and defensive skills. His style can be regarded as solid and methodical where he often focused on strategic maneuvering and patiently exploited his opponents’ weaknesses.

In this position, from a game between Reshevsky and Emanuel Lasker (1936), Black gives a final blow which caused White (Lasker) to resign. Can you find the continuation?

Puzzle Solution

Check out: The Great Reshevsky

David Bronstein

Out of all the chess greats we have looked at, David Bronstein (1924 – 2006) was the closest to becoming World Champion. His career was colored by multiple Soviet and International successes, which included attaining the inaugural 1950 International Grandmaster title, winning the 1950 Candidates Tournament, and subsequently earning the right to challenge Botvinnik for the throne.

The 1951 World Championship Match between Bronstein and Botvinnik ended in a draw after 24 games – where each player won five games, and twelve games were drawn. After game 22, Bronstein was actually leading by a point and had to simply not lose either of the remaining two games in order to attain the title. Sadly, he lost the 23rd game and they drew the 24th, resulting in a tie. In today’s format, after such a result, the title would be decided through shorter time control playoffs, but in 1951 the title remained with the reigning champion – Botvinnik. Interestingly, Bronstein won four out of his five victories before adjournment whereas four out of five of Botvinnik’s victories were achieved after adjournment!

Here is Bronstein’s unfortunate game 23 loss:

Bronstein’s playing style was characterized by his desire for originality and his willingness to take risks. He excelled tactically, which is prevalent in his sacrificial combinations in his games. He also contributed greatly to chess theory, particularly the King’s Indian Defense (which he wrote a book on), and the Caro-Kann and Scandinavian, which have variations named after him:

Caro-Kann Bronstein–Larsen Variation

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ gxf6

Scandinavian Defence, the Bronstein Variation

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qd8

But it doesn’t end there! Bronstein made a few more significant contributions to chess. He famously wrote “Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953“, which is widely considered to be one of the best chess books written as it gives key insights into how top players think. He also introduced the idea of adding a time increment to every move – which we use in high-level chess today. And finally, Bronstein made notable contributions as a coach and a second for other top players such as Anatoly Karpov, who he helped prepare for his World Chess Championship matches against Garry Kasparov.

To end off our look at the top players who were never World champions, let’s take a look at one of Bronstein’s most creative games:

Check out: Bronstein: Move by Move

Who do you think should be added to the list? Let us know in the comments below!

Want to learn more about these great players, and a few others? Don’t miss out on our “Chess Greats” sale with a limited-time 20% discount on selected books.

Puzzle Solutions

Morphy: 1.Ra6 bxa6 2.b7#

Reshevsky: 1…Qg5+ 2.Kh1 Qh5!

Rubinstein: 1.Nxd5! Threatening Bc7.

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4

The primitive Center Game. A few top players have experimented with it, but not for long. The queen capture starts a clearance of the queenside so that White can castle there. The downside is that Black develops a knight with tempo. The next few moves have been seen on many occasions.

3…Nc6 4. Qe3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Bd2 O-O 7. O-O-O Re8 8. Bc4 (This is the second favorite behind 8. Qg3) 8… d6 9. Nf3 Be6 10. Bxe6 Exchanging bishops is not compulsory.

10. Bd3 Bc5 11. Qe2 with near-equality.

10… Rxe6 11. Ng5 Re8 12. f4

12. f3 Ne5! (rather than 12… d5 13. Qf2 d4 14. Ne2 Bc5 (14… d3 15. Be3!) 15. Qf1.)

12… h6 13. h4

13…Qc8! The queen quits the d-file (in case that file gets opened), guards the h3-square from the white queen (in case the h-file gets opened), and — crucially — the black queen can come to g4.

The knight is untouchable: 13… hxg5?? 14. hxg5 Nxe4 15. Qh3 Kf8 16. Nd5+-.

14.Qf3 Kf8?! The unconvincing idea is to clear g8 for a retreat, and thus threaten to actually take the g5-knight, i.e. 15…hxg5 16.hxg5 Ng8.

But there is no need for that when the simple 14… Nd4! gives the white queen a headache over where to go.

15.Nd5?

Black’s wasteful king move gives White the time to consolidate with 15.a3 or 15.Kb1 before re-focusing on the kingside.

15… Nxd5 16. exd5 Nd4 17. Qd3 Ne2+ Now we see why the “consolidation” of the last note would have been useful. White is clearly worse. 18. Kb1 Bxd2

19.Rxd2

Alternatively 19. Qxd2 (from where the queen cannot reach the kingside) 19…Ng3 20. Rh3 Qg4!-+.

A possibly better try for White is 19. Ne6+!? fxe6 20. Rxd2 Nxf4 21. Rf2 (or 21. Rf1) 21… e5 22. g3 Qg4 and though Black will have to give the knight back he will be a safe pawn or two up. However, he could go wrong in the heavy piece ending.

19…Nxf4 20.Nxh7+ Best (but still not good enough). There now comes a semi-forcing sequence:

20…Kg8 21. Nf6+ gxf6 22. Qg3+ Ng6 23. h5 Qf5 24. hxg6 fxg6 Black is two pawns up and should win. 25. Rf2 Qg5 26. Qc3 Qe5

27.Rxf6 Qxc3 28. bxc3 Black returns a pawn in order to eliminate queens and ruin the white pawn structure. The game is as he wants it.

28…Kg7 29. Rf2 Rf8 30. Re2 Rae8 31. Rhe1 Rxe2 32. Rxe2 Rf1+ 33. Kb2 Kf7 34. c4 h5

35. Kc3 g5 36. c5 dxc5 37. Kc4 g4 38. Kxc5 g3 39. Kd4 h4 40. c4

40…b6 41. a4 Rf2 42. Re4 Rxg2 43. Rxh4 Ra2 44. Rg4 g2 45. a5 bxa5 46. Kc3 a4 47. c5

47…Kf6 Now the game gets interesting again.

47… Re2! has the idea of pushing the leading a-pawn. And note that 48. Kb4 fails to Re4+! 49. Rxe4 g1=Q-+.

47… Rf2 is inferior because if Black (stupidly) delivers a check on the 4th rank, White captures the rook with check.

48.Rg8 Ke5 49. Rg5+ Kf6

49… Kf4!, e.g. 50. d6 (or 50. Rg8 a3 51. Kb3 Re2 52. Kxa3 Re3+ 53. Kb4 Rg3-+) 50… Kxg5 51. d7 Ra3+! winning because the rook is now safe from a fork once both sides queen. On the third rank, the rook might also help to block a queen check later on. There’s a crucial rook check on a3 in a later comment too.

50.Rg8 White, who is losing, is happy to repeat the position (50.Rg8 equals 48.Rg8). 50…Kf7?? Black, in time trouble, is anxious not to continue the repetition (with 50…Ke5).

In which case he must play either 50… a5 or 50… Ke5. Even 50… a6?? is wrong (draws) because in some lines it allows the white king to go to b5.

51.Rg4 White misses his last, and unexpected, chance to draw.

51.d6!! and now 51…Kxg8 52. dxc7!

Avoiding 52. d7 Ra3+!! 53. Kc4 (53. Kb4 Rd3-+) 53… g1=Q 54. d8=Q+ Now, with the rook on the third rank, the black king can escape perpetual check by wandering down the board. Because, when the black king gets to g2 the rook can join in by blocking a queen check. That’s why 52…Ra3+ is so important and the only winning move.

52… g1=Q 53. c8=Q+ Kh7 54. Qh3+ Kg7

54… Kg6 55. Qe6+ picks up the rook.

54… Kg8 55. Qc8+ repeats.

55. Qd7+ and in the end, Black cannot avoid perpetual check or the equalizing loss of the rook.

51…a5

51…Re2 transposes to 47…Re2! in a note above. Black is back on a victorious path anyway.

52.c6 Ke7 53.Rg6

One source incorrectly gives “53.Rg3 Kf7 54.Rg4” (transposing) and so on. But of course 53.Rg3 would be answered by 53…Ra3+.

53… Kf7 54. Rg4 Rf2 55. d6 a3! This pawn will queen with check, unlike White’s pawn. It makes all the difference to the result. If White’s king was on b3 he would win easily as his queen, and not Black’s, would get to deliver the first check.

56.dxc7 a2 57. c8=Q a1=Q+ 58. Kc4 Rc2+ 59. Kb5 Qf1+ 60. Ka4 Ra2+ 61. Kb3 Qb1+ 62. Kc3 Rc2+ 63. Kd4 g1=Q+

63… g1=Q+ 64. Rxg1 Qxg1+ and Black will quickly deliver mate with a succession of checks.

0-1

Play through the full game here:

Marek Soszynski

Samuel Reshevsky had a colorful chess career – starting as a young prodigy who, at the age of 4 would play simultaneous games against adults, to becoming a Grandmaster and top player. Author Marek Soszynski explores his life and games in “The Great Reshevsky” with articles and newspapers from this time and a collection of annotated games.

Marek Soszynski is a master twice over: a Master of Philosophy and a Correspondence Chess Master.

He is the author or co-author of several chess books, including “The Great Reshevsky”, “The Polish Defense”, and “Sabotaging the Sicilian French & Caro-Kann with 2.b3” which you can find on Forward Chess.

He lives in the city where he was born, Birmingham, England.

1. Anatoly Karpov
2. Garry Kasparov
3. Vladimir Kramnik
4. Viswanathan Anand
5. Magnus Carlsen
6. Ding Liren

Anatoly Karpov

1975-1985

The young Karpov made early waves in the chess scene, with many tournament wins under his belt including the 1969 World Junior Championship title. Throughout his career, he would attain over 160 first-place finishes, a peak rating of 2780, and over 100 months at the number-one rating spot. Interestingly, Karpov attained the Grandmaster title in 1970 at 19 years old and would go on to become World Champion only 5 years later.

He placed first at the 1974 Candidates matches which placed him as a (dangerous) challenger for the World Championship title against Bobby Fischer. However this largely anticipated match never happened as Fischer abdicated the title, therefore making Karpov the 12th World Chess Champion by default.

Karpov’s style is quite technical and he is considered to be one of the best endgame players of all time. His games were very much “slow burns” where he would suffocate his opponents gradually. In the book Endgame Virtuoso Anatoly Karpov, Karpov’s endgame technique is showcased. Including this example from when he was only 10 years old:

He would go on to defend his title for a decade, but not without problems as a new Soviet rival, Garry Kasparov emerged. In 1984 the two faced off in a seemingly never-ending match that went on for 5 months. The reason for this was that the title was decided by the first player to win 6 games, a score that neither player could reach. Karpov had quickly taken the lead with a 4-0 winning score after 9 games, and it seemed like he would be the clear winner. However, Kasparov taught the world a lesson in persistence and would fight back to a score of 5-3 for Karpov with 40 draws. After the 48th game, and two consecutive wins by Kasparov, the FIDE president halted the match leaving the result as “undecided” with Karpov retaining his title, and Kasparov earning a re-match right for the following year.

Karpov’s endgame skills were brilliantly showcased in game 9 of their match:

Garry Kasparov

1985-2000

The Karpov-Kasparov rivalry was very big for the chess world and chess history. After their halted 1984 match, the two greats met again in 1985 with regulation changes, as the title would then be decided by the best of 24 games. Kasparov emerged as the victor after 5 wins, 3 losses, and 16 draws. He started the match off with a bang by winning the first game in style:

Looking back at Kasparov’s roots, it was perhaps always clear that he would become one of the greatest players of all time. As a child, he had fully devoted himself to chess and stood out in the Soviet Chess School under Botvinnik’s mentorship. Kasparov learned a somewhat scientific approach to chess thanks to Botvinnik’s tutelage, learning how to study chess and moreover, rigorously prepare for tournaments. He dominated the international chess scene, along with Karpov, with a universal style and deep opening knowledge.

His reign as World Champion was not one without problems, as in 1993 Kasparov and his challenger at the time, Nigel Short, split from FIDE for their match to be hosted by the Professional Chess Association. FIDE however, did not approve, and a mess ensued as there would be two World Championship cycles – a PCA Classical World Chess Championship one, and a FIDE World Chess Championships one. We will not delve into the politics of this time, but the separation would continue for 13 years until 2006 when the titles were unified and administered by FIDE.

Furthermore, Kasparov also became a prominent author, writing books such as the “My Great Predecessors” series, which takes a look at all the greats who came before him, and the “Modern Chess” series which details the evolution and developments of chess. Furthermore, the chess legend also details his own life and career in his “Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov” series. Perhaps then it can be argued that Kasparov may be the greatest player of all time not only because of his playing strength, but how much he contributed to chess.

Vladimir Kramnik

2000-2007

The 1990s and early 2000s were chaotic years for chess. With two rival titles and two different formats – where FIDE hosted World Championship knockout tournaments for the title, and the PCA along with Kasparov remained true to the old match style, there is a lot of debate around which constituted the true championship, and therefore World Champion. For the sake of this article series, we will follow the old match format.

Vladimir Kramnik was an elite player throughout the 90s, having joined Kasparov at the top of the world rankings. Kasparov had even deemed Kramnik to be his likely successor and invited him to challenge for the title in a 2000 match. For many reasons, it can be argued that Kramnik was better situated for victory in this match, owing to Kasparov’s 5-year match break, his large role in politics and securing sponsors, and Kramnik’s novel eagerness for the title. With a format of best out of 16, Kramnik did not suffer a single loss and comfortably won 2-0 with 13 draws, making him the first challenger since Capablanca to not lose a game in a World Championship match. The ratio disparity of wins to draws was contributed by Kramnik’s weapon of choice against the Spanish; the Berlin Defense characterized by 3…Nf6, leading to an eventual queenless “Berlin Endgame”.

Unlike the long, difficult Berlin draws, game 10 took only 25 moves:

Kramnik retained his title against Peter Leko in 2004, and finally, after years of controversy and disagreement, the Classical and FIDE titles were combined for a 2006 match between Kramnik and Veselin Topalov (the FIDE World Champion at the time). Kramnik triumphed and therefore became the first new age World Champion, in a cycle that we still use today.

Viswanathan Anand

2007-2013

Vishy Anand had an interesting World Championship career, having played (and lost) against Kasparov in their classical PCA match in 1995, to winning the FIDE World Chess Championships (knockout format) in 2000. Therefore, by the time he attained his undisputed World Champion title in 2007, Anand already had a wealth of experience.

The format for the title in 2007, was somewhat of a different one. As a means to correct and combine the PCA and FIDE paths to the title, a world championship tournament was held in New Mexico in 2007 as the first phase of what would be a two-stage process to declare an undisputed world champion. The participants comprised 8 of the top players in the world; Kramnik, Anand, Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich, Peter Leko, Boris Gelfand, Levon Aronian, and Alexander Grischuk. An agreement was made that the winner would be declared World Champion, where Kramnik would be assured a right to challenge the winner the following year in a classical match format. Anand won the 2007 Mexico City world championship tournament and also defeated Kramnik in their 2008 match in Bonn to retain the title. He held the title for 6 more years, until his 2013 match against Magnus Carlsen.

In the era of technology and strong chess engines, Anand’s play is considered to be almost mechanical – evident in his ability to do so well in faster time controls. His style is universal, both tactical and strategic, as well as deep opening knowledge. Game 6 in his match against Kramnik perfectly displays this:

Anand’s greatness cannot be argued – he inspired a whole generation of Indian players as the first Indian Grandmaster and the first Indian World Champion. Furthermore, he has displayed his brilliance in chess within multiple formats and time controls – from winning the World Rapid Championships (2003,2007) to winning the World Blitz Cup (2000).

Magnus Carlsen

2013-2023

As we have displayed, there have been many greats in chess, but there is no name more synonymous with chess than Magnus Carlsen. A genius of our time, Magnus has set a standard so high that we can only wonder if it could ever be transcended. Before winning the 2013 World Championship match against Anand, Carlsen was already a superstar – rated 2870 which was by far the highest achieved at the time. The young and ambitious Norwegian won the match without conceding any losses and winning 3 games. One of which was a 28-move masterpiece that displays his defense and attack mastery, and ability to switch between them:

Carlsen’s natural gift for chess was evident from a young age. At the age of 13, in 2004 he attained the Grandmaster title, and five years later in 2009, he passed the 2800 rating barrier. In Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century the author aptly describes Carlsen as “hav[ing] just a little bit extra in every skill in the game: calmly confident, self-possessed, boundlessly creative, thoroughly prepared, razor-sharp in calculation, and utterly accurate in judgment.” Compared to Capablanca, Carlsen’s chess style is intuitive and natural, paired with the ability to succeed in all time controls as in 2014 and 2019 he held all three World Rapid, Blitz, and Classical titles.

He retained his Classical title a few more times – against Sergey Karjakin in 2016, Fabiano Caruana in 2018, and Ian Nepomniachtchi in 2021. The chess world can only wonder whether he could have broken Lasker’s 27-year World Championship record or not as he relinquished his title in 2023, much like his predecessor Bobby Fischer. Even though he does not hold the title anymore, Magnus is still considered to be the best chess player of all time and we most definitely have not seen the end of his career yet.

Ding Liren

2023 – present

Carlsen’s abdication of the title came as quite a shock to the chess world, as the throne was now open for the taking again. The winner and runner-up from the Candidates, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Ding Liren respectively, were decided as next in line to challenge for the title. Nepo had World Championship experience from his match against Carlsen in 2021 and was considered a favorite by many. Ding, on the other hand, lacked the experience and activity but ultimately held the better nerves to win their match in the tiebreaks.

With many decisive results, unlike the surplus of draws we have seen in World Championship matches before, the Nepo-Ding match was an exciting one. Ultimately, their final rapid game decided the match:

Ding’s career has been a very colorful one, with multiple Olympiad medals under his belt, and other accolades such as winning the Chinese Championship at the mere age of 16, to holding a 100-game winning streak from 2017-2018. His ability to calculate deeply and his endgame play stand out in his style, along with his skills in faster time controls which even earned him the blitz rating of 2875, the highest in the world at the time. His influence will most likely also be remarkable, as he paves the way for a new generation of Chinese players by being the first Chinese World Champion.

We have embarked on a new era in chess, with a new World Champion, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Chess World Championship.

Featured Books

Endgame Virtuoso Anatoly Karpov

Tibor Karolyi and Nick Aplin

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Garry Kasparov on Garry Kasparov, Part 1: 1973-1985

Garry Kasparov

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My Great Predecessors Series

Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov on Modern Chess Series

Garry Kasparov

Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century

Craig Pritchett

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Have any thoughts or questions? Let us know in the comments below!

1. Mikhail Botvinnik
2. Vasily Smyslov
3. Mikhail Tal
4. Tigran V. Petrosian
5. Boris Spassky
6. Bobby Fischer

Mikhail Botvinnik

1948-1957

1958-1960

1961-1963

Botvinnik is considered to be one of the best players and influencers in chess, not only due to his long reign as World Champion, but also his mentorship and training of top players including the likes of Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, and Vladimir Kramnik. It is for this reason, and the fact that he paved the way for Soviet dominance in chess, that he was (and still is) known as the father of the Soviet Chess School.

His style can be categorized as scientific and meticulous, with a big emphasis on theoretical research which gave him an edge in the opening phase. Most probably his own harshest critic, Botvinnik would deeply study his own games and therefore understood the weaknesses and strengths in his play. Interestingly, he considered himself to be a universal player who could fine-tune his style according to who he was playing against.

By the late 1930s, it was clear that Botvinnik was ready to challenge Alekhine (the then World Champion) for the throne. However, due to multiple factors such as Alekhine’s refusal to play, and the outbreak of World War II, it would take many more years for this challenge to be realized. Finally, after the war, an agreement was made and an Alekhine-Botvinnik match was scheduled to take place. However, matters were only further complicated due to Alekhine’s unexpected death in 1946. As chaos and uncertainty unraveled, the chess world needed a champion.

Then, in 1948, a World Championship Match Tournament was set up between 5 of the top players at the time – Botvinnik, Euwe, Keres, Reshevsky, and Smyslov. Botvinnik triumphed in the tournament, winning all four matches against his esteemed opponents. He would go on to keep the title until 1963, losing it only briefly to Smyslov and Tal.

Here is a game annotated in Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century between Botvinnik and the former World Champion, Max Euwe:

Vasily Smyslov

1957-1958

Smyslov had a long and illustrious career – from becoming the youngest Soviet Grandmaster, to setting a record for winning 17 Olympiad medals, to still playing world-class chess well into his 60s! Moreover, he dedicated 10 long years (1948-1958) to his quest to become the World Champion. His success as a player and eventual World Champion can be traced back to his upbringing in the Soviet era, under the Party’s regime, when chess had become widespread and integral in education. By the time of the 1948 World Championship Match Tournament, Smyslov was considered only second behind Botvinnik.

Often compared to Capablanca, Smyslov also had an intuitive feeling for chess. His approach was artistic in nature, which, along with solid endgame technique, saw him beat Botvinnik in their 1957 Match, therefore becoming the 7th World Champion.

In his book, The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov, Andrey Terekhov presents this position from the Botvinnik-Smyslov World Championship match:

Can you find the key defensive idea here for Black?

Mikhail Tal

1960-1961

Now enters the “Magician from Riga”! Previous World Champions have so far been classified as “natural” “systematic” and “attacking”. However, the latter description took on a whole new meaning by Mikhail Tal, who pushed the boundaries of attacking chess so much so that arguably his name is considered synonymous with sacrificing in chess.

Although his time as World Champion was short-lived, he cemented his place as one of the greatest players of all time by winning multiple Soviet Championships, and Olympiad medals, and competing in multiple Candidates tournaments. At only 23 years old, Tal became the youngest World Champion (at the time), by beating the more strategic and sound Botvinnik 12.5-8.5. In Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century, author Craig Pritchett writes that Tal “generally headed for highly complex positions that played to his rapid-fire calculating strengths”. Riddled with attack and sacrifices, many of which were not always sound, Tal’s play most definitely had a psychological impact on his opponents.

Tal wrote arguably one of the best accounts of a World Championship match in his book Tal Botvinnik 1960, which shares a detailed analysis of not only the games but the psychology of the match and everything in between.

Here is game 6 from the Tal-Botvinnik Match, considered to be one of the most exciting:

After 46…Kd4 Tal writes, “In this position, the game was adjourned and White sealed his move. Arriving home, my trainer and I set up the position and were quickly convinced that Black’s passed pawn was irresistible. Therefore (I am telling you secretly) on the next day we didn’t even eat breakfast, and we waited for the sound of the referee’s bell with information about White’s resignation. At noon, the long awaited bell sounded…White’s sealed move had been 47.Rd7+. But it made no difference – White had resigned.”

Tigran V. Petrosian

1963-1969

Tigran Petrosian, the “Iron Tigran”, was the ninth World Champion and brought a whole new element to World Championship chess – defense. If Tal is considered an attacking genius, then Petrosian can be considered a defensive one. His play was incredibly solid, guided by logic, and he would not allow his opponents to attack. Instead, his own attack would slowly but surely creep up on his opponents often including some kind of exchange sacrifice. His defensive prowess is evident in the fact that in 1962, he did not lose a single tournament game. It can be critiqued that this was only the result of many (short) draws, but it still remains that in the time of the dominating Botvinnik, Spassky, and aggressive Tal, Petrosian was able to bring a new style of playing to the table.

Even after losing the first game in the match, Petrosian handled his nerves and settled back on his feet. With positional openings and solid, defensive structures, he eventually beat Botvinnik in their 1963 match to become World Champion. Petrosian retained his title against Spassky in 1966 and held the throne until 1969.

Boris Spassky

1969-1972

Boris Spassky was a player who was universally grounded – he understood sound strategy but also had a flair for the attack which made him dangerous (and comfortable) in almost any position. He played with risk, but when the time was right.

Chess was no longer an old gentleman’s game at this point, evident in the up-and-coming youth of the time, including Spassky who at the mere age of 18 years old played his first Candidates tournament in 1956 which would be the first of many. He would go on to triumph on the international chess field, eventually winning the 1965 Candidates tournament. Although he lost the 1966 title match to Petrosian, this did not dissuade his title hopes as he won the (somewhat controversial) 1968 Candidates match series, earning the right to challenge Petrosian once again which he did victoriously in 1969.

Here is a memorable win from Spassky over Fischer in their game at the Second Piatigorsky Cup in 1966:

Bobby Fischer

1972-1975

One cannot contest that the USSR dominated chess and the World title from Botvinnik in 1948 to Spassky in 1972 – a reign that was broken by the talented American Bobby Fischer. We could discuss the cultural and political significance of this in great detail, but that would require a whole new blog post.

As was becoming popular at the time, his talent was prevalent at a young age as he won multiple US chess championships – even attaining a perfect score in the 1963 edition. His rise to the top was a monumental one, as he crashed onto the international chess scene and dominated World Championship qualifying events. This is all the more impressive considering that Fischer lacked the resources and training that was readily available to the best Soviet players at the time.

His skills were apparent in all phases of the game – from opening preparation (influencing ideas still used today), brilliant middlegame combinations, to endgame technique. Fischer, who remains the best player in history to some, is known for many things. One of which is the game of the century:

Annotations from chessgames.com

His victory over Spassky in 1972 is considered to be one of the most famous World Championship matches, even referenced in popular culture through films and plays. It was not a straightforward organized event as problems persisted before and throughout for the young American. However, there was evidently mutual respect between the two greats, and after a rollercoaster event, against all odds, Fischer became the first (and only) World Champion from the US breaking a seemingly impenetrable Soviet dominance.

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Craig Pritchett

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Andrey Terekhov

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The Exchange Sacrifice according to Tigran Petrosian

Vassilios Kotronias

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Tal Botvinnik 1960

Mikhail Tal

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Fischer – Spassky 1972

Tibor Karolyi

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Part 1 Solutions:

Lasker

After 12…Rd8, White cannot play 13.Bxh7 because of 13…Kh8 14.Qe4 and Black has 14…Qh5! trapping the Bishop.

Capablanca

The stunning combination that results in a Capablanca mate: 22.Rh8+ Ke7 23.Re8+! Rxe8 24.Rxd7+ Kf8 25.Rxf7#

1. Wilhelm Steinitz
2. Emanuel Lasker
3. José Raúl Capablanca
4. Alexander Alekhine
5. Max Euwe

The Beginning: Wilhelm Steinitz

1886 to 1894

By the time Steinitz entered the chess scene, professional play and international tournaments were already popular, dominated by chess giants such as Adolf Anderssen and Paul Morphy. The chess style at this time can be characterized as aggressive and attacking, where plans were formulated along the lines of a kingside attack (this is very prevalent in Morphy’s games). Steinitz committed his life fully to chess, unlike Morphy who stopped playing at the mere age of 21 to pursue law. This meant that these two greats never got to face off at the chess board.

Steinitz’s approach was somewhat more technical, scientific, and strategic, which, paired with a strong work ethic, paved the way for a new style of chess. He believed that play should be directed to the Queenside and Center rather than just Morphy-style Kingside assaults, and developed the theory that players should collect small strategic advantages to prepare a winning attack. Furthermore, and what players are still influenced by today, was Steinitz’s belief that the King is a powerful piece and should be used for attack and defense.

A lesser-known fact is that Steinitz actually took a break from international tournament play for 6 years in 1876! During this time, still devoted to the game, he was a chess writer and analyst, providing in-depth analysis for world-class chess columns. He returned to international top-level play in 1882, a time when J Zuketort had been dominating tournaments. With the assistance of financial backers and an eagerness to settle who holds the seat to the throne, the first formal World Chess Championship match was held in the US in 1886 between these two chess giants.

With his superior understanding of openings, creativity, and strategic play, Steinitz won the match (decided by the first player to get 10 wins) and became the first official World Chess Champion. He went on to defend his title three more times against the Russian Mikhail Chigorin (1889 & 1892) and Hungarian Isidor Gunsberg (1890-1891) until he was dethroned in 1894 by the German Emanuel Lasker.

Here is an exemplary game between Steinitz and his challenger, Chigorin during their 1982 World Championship match as shown in Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century:

Emanuel Lasker

1894–1921

Only 25 years old when he first won the title against the much older Steinitz in 1894, Lasker acknowledged and respected Steinitz’s scientific approach and rules to chess, and went on to build on them by theorizing new principles in a much less stringent way. Steinitz believed that players should strive to find the best move in any position, whereas Lasker understood that humans are not always capable of such perfection and that mistakes are inevitable. He saw chess as a battle between two minds, both of which are capable of making mistakes. The better player, according to him, is the one who understands and can comfortably play the position which can be attributed to understanding basic chess principles guided by logic and common sense.

Still today, Lasker is widely considered as one of the best players of all time mostly due to his record of having the longest reign of any World Champion in history – 27 years!

Let’s take a look at a game between Lasker and Steinitz at their 1894 World Championship match:

Lasker was also one of the best tacticians and calculators in chess. Step inside his shoes: here is a tactic taken from a game played in 1890 against Jacques Mieses:

Black to play. Can he play 12…Rd8 or does he have to defend the h7-pawn?

José Raúl Capablanca

1921–1927

The Cuban World Champion Capablanca is known for many aspects of his chess style, but arguably most of all for his positional understanding and endgame play. He did not necessarily adhere to any previously established rules, but rather followed his own and would find the correct way to play in most positions, adopting the nickname the “Human Chess Machine”. Capablanca was considered to be an intuitive genius – he understood chess so naturally and in ways that cannot be defined. This machine-like depiction can also be attributed to his incredible speed of accurately assessing positions and subsequently playing the most accurate moves.

His gift for chess was already prevalent at the mere age of 16, and interestingly enough, it was his predecessor Emanuel Lasker who had talent-spotted the young prodigy at the Manhatten Chess Club in 1905. Soon enough the young Cuban was ready to take the throne himself.

Unfortunately, the war years 1914-1918 halted the World Championship cycle, but Capablanca continued to live up to his greatness by playing and winning multiple strong tournaments. After being previously denied to challenge Lasker, eventually in 1921 a match was set up between the two players and Capablanca triumphed as Champion when Lasker resigned from the match after 14 games (which was supposed to be 24 games).

Capablanca was also a notable author, writing one of the best chess books, Chess Fundamentals – a timeless work that covers strategic fundamental principles that every chess player should know. Have a look at the free e-book version here on Forward Chess!

Have a look at his game victorious game 11 against Lasker in their 1921 World Championship match: (annotated by Capablanca himself)

Play like Capablanca! In his book “Capablanca: A Primer of Checkmate“, author Frisco Del Rosario shines light on checkmates inspired, played, and created by Capablanca. Take a look at this mate coined after him, Capablanca Mate where “the Rook gives check and covers the seventh rank, while the Knight covers the potential flight squares on the eighth. After that, it is a matter of guarding the checking piece from capture”

Can you find this 4-move mate tactic played by Capablanca in a game against A. Souza Campos in 1927?

Alexander Alekhine

1927–1935 and 1937–1946

Alekhine’s life is an interesting one to reflect on. Born into a wealthy Russian family, he was fortunate to have many opportunities to play chess competitively on an international level and very soon placed himself on the podium with other great players. However, his life was not only one of comfort as he would go on to spend a brief period of time in a German prison, and even ended up in a hospital as a result of serving in the Russian ranks. Eventually, he won the first Soviet Chess Championship in 1921.

Imaginative and attacking play would be the best way to describe Alekhine’s chess style. This, along with his determination to be the best, saw him successfully battle for the title against Capablanca in 1927. His style of playing directly opposed the intuitive Capablanca’s as his success was attributed to hard work, study, and theoretical research. He wrote many chess books and contributed immensely to opening theory, still played today.

Alekhine successfully defended his title twice against Efim Bogoljubow, but in a shock to the chess world, lost against the weaker Max Euwe in 1935. However, not long after in 1937, a rematch saw Alekhine regain the title. Impressively, Alekhine was the only World Champion to die a champion. Of course, his final years were full of controversy and speculation, but the fact still remains that he holds this feat!

In his book, Alekhine: Move by Move, author Steve Giddens showcases Alekhine’s competitive nature and tactical ability by studying Alekhine’s games, enabling the reader to learn from the masterpieces. Here is an example of a simul game shown in the book:

Max Euwe

1935-1937

Max Euwe is by no means the greatest chess player of all time, but he was talented and so much so that he was able to briefly dethrone Alexander Alekhine as World Champion, even though he was considered to be an amateur. His success can largely be attributed to his research skills (unsurprising as he was a math teacher with a doctorate), which he used to prepare opening blows to the unprepared Alekhine.

Furthermore, Euwe cemented his role in chess as the FIDE president from 1970-1978, as well as an author with multiple books, most notably “Judgement and Planning in Chess”.

Take a look at game 26 (out of 30!) illustrated in the book Modern Chess: From Steinitz to the 21st Century:

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Craig Pritchett

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Capablanca: A Primer of Checkmate

Frisco Del Rosario

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José Raúl Capablanca

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Alekhine: Move by Move

Steve Giddins

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Vasily Smyslov, the 7^th World Chess Champion, was born on this day, 102 years ago. He played in four chess World Championships from 1948 to 1958 and became the 7th World Champion by defeating Mikhail Botvinnik in 1957. He would lose the title in the return match in 1958, but a quarter of the century later, he made a stunning comeback, making it all the way to the Candidates Final match. Only the unlimited energy of the young Garry Kasparov could stop Smyslov from qualifying for another world championship match at the ripe-old age of 63. 

Yet, of all the world champions that the chess world has had to this date, Smyslov remains one of the least known. His style was not as flashy as Alekhine or Tal, and the more recent champions, such as Karpov or Carlsen, are better known today when it comes to strategic play. 

I was first introduced to Smyslov’s games when I was a small kid. My coach at the time was big on chess fundamentals and thus I saw a lot of games by Capablanca, Botvinnik, Karpov – and yes, Smyslov. His play was magnificent and had that Mozart-like lightness about it, which is why Vladimir Kramnik once described Smyslov as “the truth in chess”.

A few years after Smyslov passed away I bought a collection of his best games. It was Smyslov’s “magnum opus”, a book that contained 326 of his games played from 1935 and almost all the way to the end of his career as a player (well, not quite, as the book was published in 1995, while Smyslov continued to play until his eyesight failed, and that was already in the 21^st century!) All games were annotated by Smyslov himself and replaying them felt like a reunion with a long-lost friend. I was once again in awe of the beauty of the games and the clarity of the annotations. 

I started looking for other books on Smyslov… but could not find anything! There were literally no biographies of Smyslov – only the books that the 7^th World Champion wrote himself. I kept on waiting, hoping that one day a renowned grandmaster or a famous chess historian would cover this gap in the chess literature, but then I realized that this day may never come, and so I decided to write it myself.

Fast-forwarding a few years, I spent analyzing Smyslov’s games, studying in the libraries, and reading old newspapers, chess journals, and tournament bulletins. Finally, I was able to get in touch with Smyslov’s heirs and spent a week sorting out his personal archives in the house where the world champion spent the last years of his life. 

At the end of 2020, this work culminated in the publication of the first volume of what is hopefully going to be a long series on Smyslov, “The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov. The Early Years: 1921-1948”, which is available on ForwardChess. This book describes Smyslov’s ascent from an unknown and unranked chess amateur to the youngest participant in the World Championship match tournament that was organized in 1948 after the death of Alexander Alekhine.

The world that we live in today is vastly different from the one that Smyslov grew up in the late 1930s. Suffice it to say that Smyslov played his first tournament game only a few months after turning 14; today there are over dozen players who managed to achieve a grandmaster title by that age! (curiously enough, Smyslov even played a match against one of these prodigies, losing 1:5 to 13-years-old Etienne Bacrot in 1996)

However, in his time Smyslov was a prodigy in his own right, and in this book, I am tracing his meteoric rise in the late 1930s-early 1940s. After a relatively late start to his “official” chess career, he progressed at a breakneck pace, winning almost every tournament that he played in (some of them with 100% scores!), becoming a junior champion of the Soviet Union in 1938, then scoring a newly introduced Candidate Master title by winning an all-Soviet adult competition of First Category players in August 1938, before finally scoring a Master title by winning the Moscow championship in October. At the age of 17, Smyslov became the youngest master in the Soviet Union (which should probably tell you how difficult that title was to achieve).

This string of successes was followed by a breakthrough performance in Smyslov’s first Soviet Union championship in 1940, where he finished with a bronze medal – but ahead of Keres, Botvinnik, and Boleslavsky! (Bondarevsky and Lilienthal were the surprise winners)

In 1941, after another bronze in the Absolute championship of the Soviet Union (this time behind Botvinnik and Keres) Smyslov became the youngest grandmaster in the Soviet Union and, arguably, in the world. 

Yes, there were times when a 20-year-old grandmaster was considered very young. For the next half a century teenage grandmasters would continue to be an exception, rather than a rule (the next youngest grandmaster would be Spassky, who became a GM at 18, then Fischer would famously push the record to 15½).

Let’s take a look at a game that was typical for the energetic style of the young Smyslov:

By 1940-41 Smyslov became one of the strongest chess players in the world. According to Chessmetrics, Smyslov broke into the Top 10 by October 1940 and would remain there for 30 years straight, until 1970! 

However, in the 1940s Smyslov still struggled in head-to-head encounters with the best of the best. Smyslov’s score at the time against Botvinnik, Keres, and Reshevsky was negative – although it should be pointed out that all of these challengers for the throne were 5-10 years older than Smyslov and thus much more experienced. In the 1930s all of them had the opportunities to cross swords with the likes of Lasker and Capablanca – the demi-gods that Smyslov saw only as a spectator at the 1935-36 Moscow International Tournaments, but never got to face at the board. 

It took 10-15 years before Smyslov managed to overtake Keres and Reshevsky. In the end, he did it in the most convincing fashion – by winning two Candidates’ tournaments in a row. It took longer still – two decades and two more World Championship matches! – before Smyslov finally managed to defeat Botvinnik. 

However, it was in the 1940s that Smyslov managed to score his first victories against his chief competitors. One of the last games that I analyze in detail in my book is Smyslov’s victory over Reshevsky in the 1948 World Championship match tournament. It is one of the best-known games by Smyslov and provides a great illustration of the refined and logical style that he developed and that would become his trademark until the last days of his long and illustrious career. 

Here it is with abridged notes (in the book I dive deeper into the theoretical debate that raged at the match tournament, and compare the annotations of this game by Smyslov, Keres, Kasparov, and other famous commentators):

If you would like to learn more about Smyslov’s incredible rise to the top, you can check “The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov. The Early Years: 1921-1948” on ForwardChess. The book contains 48 deeply annotated games, as well as his detailed biography, including previously unpublished photos and letters from Smyslov’s personal archive.

Andrey Terekhov

Andrey Terekhov is a FIDE Master and an ICCF International Master (correspondence chess). He is the author of “The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov. Volume 1: The Early Years. 1921-1948” and currently resides in France.

It’s only the exercises in tactic books that will all have explosive solutions, and those exercises will have been carefully pre-selected from certain games. Such as the one that follows. The lesson from this game is that the winner did not play perfectly throughout, nor did the loser do the opposite. What the winner did was probe and pressurize, as best as he could, and then take the tactical opportunity if it came, which it certainly did.

Samuel Reshevsky versus H. Traube, Simultaneous display (one of 20 games by White) in Hannover, Germany, early 1920

A word about one of the players; White was an unusually small boy, only eight years old (it was claimed). He grew up to be Sammy Reshevsky, in chess terms a giant, who was to defeat the likes of Alekhine, Benko (six times), Botvinnik (twice), Capablanca, and Fischer (four times).

1.f4

Bird’s Opening. A kind of reverse Dutch Defense (which is 1.d4 f5, also 1…f5 against most things). Unusual but okay.

1…e6 2.Nf3 d5 3.g3!?

Historically the “wrong” fianchetto. The pawn on f4 suggests that the c1-bishop should seek a dark diagonal other than c1-h6, so the standard line is 3.b3 (or 3.e3 first) intending Bc1-b2. Instead, 3.g3 introduces a reverse Leningrad Dutch Defense (in which Black has pawns on f5 and g6). Nowadays when played by White, f4 with g3 is sometimes called the Polar Bear System.

Note when this antique game was played — 1920! Incredible, because the Leningrad Dutch was practically unknown till much later, let alone its reverse white version. Where on earth did the child get 3.g3 from?

3…Nf6 4.Bg2 Bd6 5.d4

This stops …e6-e5 (with which Black could hope to free his position) but creates a hole on e4. Also, with pawns on d4 and f4, the c1-bishop will have limited mobility.

5…Nc6

It looks odd to block the c-pawn but the knight is going on a journey. All the same, castling is preferable. In the game, Black wastes several opportunities to get castled.

6.Ne5 Ne7 7.Be3

To stop …c7-c5. However, on e3 the bishop is possibly prone to an attack by either black knight. This isn’t a great example of the 3.g3 system so far, though, of course, it’s up to Black to exploit any drawbacks.

7…c6

There’s no particular need for this since castling is the obvious move. It seems Black trusts the look of a barricaded center and compares it to a secure wall of sandbags. However, in chess, such a clump means that the pieces and pawns simply get in each other’s way.

8.a3

Castling is the obvious move. However, White is planning an early queenside expansion as he can see that his own king is quite safe where it is for now.

8…h6?!

A waste because nothing was threatening to come to g5.

9.Nd2 Nd7

Compare the two sides’ ninth moves. White developed his knight in front of his queen, freeing the a1-rook; Black undeveloped his knight in front of his queen, causing congestion. Yes, Black intends to use his now freed f-pawn to kick away the white knight on e5. However, instead of being clever like that, Black should just act simple and castle.

10.c4!

White, after a strange start, has achieved a better, more threatening position.

10…b6 11.b4 f6?

Black has played several weakening pawn moves at the cost of development, and this is the worst of them. Note how …h7-h6 and now …f7-f6 have created white holes in the black kingside.

12.Nxc6!!

Even in a multi-board exhibition of twenty opponents, the boy spots this. Having said that, it is fairly easy to see that initially, White gets 2 pawns for the knight after 12…Nxc6 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Bxd5, so already that should make 12.Nxc6 into a move for consideration. (In addition, 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 lures a black knight away from the kingside.)

However, are 2 pawns sufficient compensation? White must see deeper than 14.Bxd5 in order to play 12.Nxc6 in a real game that matters. Many chess players reading a puzzle book would accept 12.Nxc6 as “tactically promising” and move on to the next puzzle. That’s the problem with puzzle books. Sacrifices that look like they might work, will work — unlike in real life (IRL) where most “sacrifices” are actually blunders.

White has only a small plus after 12.Nd3. However, if during a game you really can’t see why 12.Nxc6 is so good, then 12.Nd3 is the right choice even if strictly speaking it’s a badly missed opportunity.

12…Nxc6

You must always calculate what happens if your sacrifice isn’t accepted. There’s more than one story about a game between strong grandmasters in which one of them, after a long think, offers a piece sacrifice only for it to be turned down almost immediately. In the post-mortem, the question is asked, “How could you reject my complicated sacrifice so quickly?” Answer, “Because you’re such a strong player I knew the sacrifice had to be pretty good! — so I avoided taking it.” Never assume that your opponent will just play along and conform to your hostile plans.

In this case, if not 12…Nxc6, White goes a pawn up and completely dominates positionally: 12…Qc7 13.Nxe7 Bxe7 (13…Kxe7 14.c5!) 14.f5 undermines the black center, puncturing the remaining sandbags, so to speak.

13.cxd5 exd5 14.Bxd5

14…Bb7

14…Ndb8 is also met by 15.Qc2. Bear in mind that if White regains the piece, he still gets to keep the 2 pawns.

15.Qc2!

It’s these kinds of dual-purpose “double threat” moves — forks are the simplest example — that so often win games. It’s very hard to defend against simultaneous attacks. In this case the queen on c2 eyes both the vulnerable knight on c6 and the g6-square from which to give a deadly check.

Note that 15.Rc1 is not a double attack and can be answered by 15…Na5!

15…Rc8??

Black saves his knight only to get checkmated. If he saves his king he goes material down anyway. For example, 15…Qc8 16.Qe4+ Kd8 17.Rc1 threatening b4-b5; or 15…Qe7 16.Bxc6 Bxc6 (16…Rc8 17.Qg6+ Kd8 18.Bxb7+-) 17.Qxc6 Rd8 18.Bf2 intending e2-e4.

16.Qg6+ Kf8 17.Qf7# 1–0

A weird game wonderfully won.

Marek Soszynski

Play through the whole game here:

For more on Sammy Reshevsky, particularly his earlier years, including proof of his real age, see The Great Reshevsky: Chess Prodigy & Old Warrior, exclusive to Forward Chess.

Marek Soszynski is a master twice over: a Master of Philosophy and a Correspondence Chess Master.

He is the author or co-author of several chess books, including “The Great Reshevsky”, “
The Polish Defense”, and “Sabotaging the Sicilian French & Caro-Kann with 2.b3” which you can find on Forward Chess.

He lives in the city where he was born, Birmingham, England.