Skip to content
TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • iChess
    • ChessTeacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman`s Chess Lab
    • Foxy Series
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

Top 15 Most Influential People in Chess

WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
WGM Raluca Sgîrcea, IM Renier Castellanos
08.01.2017
Category: General Information
Tags: chess games, grandmaster chess, middlegames,
Top 15 Most Influential People in Chess

Chess has many personalities, from World Champions to famous writers and strong Grandmasters who never won the supreme title.

All of them have contributed to the chess world with their games and ideas put in practice, as well as with in depth analysis and material to help chess players improve.

It is difficult to say who had the greatest influence in chess, but if we had to decide, this would be our list.

 

1. Wilhelm Steinitz

Wilhelm Steinitz

See Best Games

Steinitz had an undeniable influence on the chess world, as he is the one who introduced what we now know as the basic positional elements (weak pawns, weak squares, bishop pair, etc).

Before him, everybody used an aggressive style of play; the games usually contained sacrifices and ended in a mate.

He gave chess the vision we have now and the principles he elaborated changed the understanding of chess.

2. Akiba Rubinstein

akiba rubinstein

Rubinstein was a very strong Polish Grandmaster who competed at the highest level but never became a World Champion. However, his games are a source of inspiration for many contemporary Grandmasters and aspiring players.

He had a very sharp positional sense and played the endgame very well. He also developed many opening systems and brought novelties in the lines he played. He is one of the first players who took into account the endgame when playing the opening.

3. Aron Nimzowitsch

aaron nimzowitsch

See Best Games

Nimzowitsch is a very famous chess writer. His works have influenced the play of very strong players over the time and are still felt nowadays. He wrote three books on strategy, with probably one the most influential of all times is “My System”.

4. Jose Raul Capablanca

Raul Capablanca

See Best Games

Capablanca had a great positional style, having served as an inspiration to strong players such as Fischer, Botvinnik and Karpov.

He had a very good technique in the endgame and has developed the idea of correct simplifications in order to enter a superior endgame.

5. Alexander Alekhine

Alexandre Alekhine

See Best Games

Alekhine was one of the greatest attacking players and showed a very rich imagination in his games.

He could find active ideas in almost any position and suddenly turn a seemingly harmless game into a sharp one.

6. Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Botvinnik

See Best Games

Botvinnik is the one who has set the foundations of the modern approach to preparing for tournament games. He believed that a proper preparation should include some amount of physical exercise, as well as chess studying – creating an opening repertoire, analyzing one’s own games and so on.

He founded the most famous chess school in the Soviet Union, with some of the most well-known graduates being Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik.

7. Tigran Petrosian 

petrosian

See Best Games

Petrosian introduced the positional exchange sacrifice, a theme you can learn more about from our previous articles.

He also had very good defensive skills and showed prophylactic play, focusing a lot on preventing his opponent’s active play.

8. David Bronstein

David Bronstein

Bronstein is also one of the strong players who never achieved the supreme title. He wrote many chess books and articles, with one of the most famous works being “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”, written together with Tom Fustenberg.

His teaching style was based more on explaining the ideas behind the moves rather than giving long analysis. He was also a great theoretician, has developed a lot the ideas we now know in the King’s Indian.

9. Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Tal

See Best Games

Tal is known as the best-attacking player of all times. He is known to have relied a lot on intuition and less on pure calculation. His games are a source of inspiration, as well as great material for practicing your own calculation skills.

10. Boris Spassky

Boris Spassky

See Best Games

Spassky was a player with a universal playing style. He succeeded with a great variety of openings and played very well different types of positions. He also had a great contribution to the opening theory, in the Ruy Lopez (the Marshall Attack), Nimzo-Indian and the Closed Sicilian.

11. Robert Fischer

Bobby Fischer

See Best Games

Fischer was a player who worked on chess more than anybody at that time. His openings were very well prepared, with in-depth analysis. Although he usually played the same, his knowledge of the variations was extensive, making it difficult for his rivals to use this disadvantage in their favor.

He also had an excellent endgame technique and has left many instructive games to be studied and learned from.

12. Anatoly Karpov

karpov

See Best Games

Karpov had a very famous positional style, showing maximum precision in punishing the opponent’s mistakes.

The “Karpovian” style is an inspiration for many players nowadays.

13. Garry Kasparov

garry kasparov

See Best Games

Kasparov was the total player, a fusion of every World Champion predecessor. He was aggressive by nature, showing fighting chess and never failing to entertain.

14. Viktor Korchnoi

Viktor Korchnoi

Korchnoi was a master of the endgame and counterattack. He could find resources even in the most difficult positions and felt comfortable playing without the initiative, something rare between the chess players.

He was a universal player; he could play aggressive when needed and show great positional understanding.

15. Magnus Carlsen

magnus carlsen

See Best Games

Carlsen is a universal player, capable of handling well any type of position. He revolutionized the present chess world by the relatively less amount of theory he employs in his games. Magnus is a great endgame player, capable of punishing even the slightest mistake of his opponent and turning it into a win.

Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • Defective Pawns Structures in the MiddlegameDefective Pawns Structures in the Middlegame
  • 4 things to know about sacrifice g64 Things to Know about the Sacrifice on g6/g3
  • Masterpiece Games You Must See9 Masterpiece Games You Must See
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Login
2 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
alex
01.21.2018 08:10

how about florencio campomanes?

0
Reply
Yury Markushin
Author
Reply to  alex
01.21.2018 21:40

He isn’t a professional chess player, more of a politician, isn’t he?

0
Reply
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz
wpDiscuz