Top 5 Players of All Time

Kasparov, Fischer, Karpov, Botvinnik, Tal.

Kasparov G.

Anand V.

Anatoly Karpov

Capablanca

Bobby F.

Rolf Harris

Tommy Cooper

Benny Hill

Spike Milligan

and of course Oliver Hardy.

Another worthless quest.

Not famous people you jerk

Fischer

Capablanca

Kasparov

Karpov

Tal

Where's Fischer?

Now I'm thinking about Spassky because Fischer a tough time beating Spassky.

Who agree's?

If Fischer is good, shouldn't Spassky be in the Top 5 Players of All Time?

By the way, Fischer only beat Spassky once in his life and that was when he

earned the World Champion Title.

1.Capablanca

2.Fischer

3.Kasparov

4.Alekhine

5. Morhpy

Karpov and Lasker would make a top 7 in my book.

Fischer did have it tough against spassky,but that does not make spassky better.

Some of the greats have had players they did not do well against.

But it is how you do against everyone that counts.

Anand don't belong on the list..... neither does Kramnik or Chigorin!!!!!!!

Hmm... difficult... In terms of absolute playing strength (developments in theory over time not taken into account), I'd probably say:

1. Kasparov

2. Capablanca

3. Fischer

4. Karpov

5. Alekhine

6. Botvinnik

7. Tal

8. Keres

9. Korchnoi

10. Nimzowitsch

Though when compared to their contemporaries, it'd probably be different:

1. Morphy

2. Capablanca

3. Fischer

4. Kasparov

5. Steinitz

Or consider the influence they've had on the game as a whole rather than their own playing strength:

1. Steinitz for founding modern chess

2. Nimzowitsch for pioneering positional chess, especially in his book My System (still being read today)

3. Tarrasch for stipulating the classic opening principles

4. Réti for founding the hypermodern school of chess and proving its viability

5. Kasparov for popularising dynamic positional play (such as pawn sacs in the middlegame)

6. Fischer for his groundbreaking opening novelties

One could include Philidor in the above list for noting that "pawns are the soul of chess" in a time when chess was all about crazy tactics and sacrificing material, but his influence on modern chess is negligible.

If chess is played in 200 years time as we play it now, the games of Fischer,Capablanca,Morhpy,Alekhine and Kasparov will  be played over and over and people will still learn from them.

That will be a sign of greatness.