The current world chess champion is. Russian world chess champions

The average chess player sees 5-10 moves ahead; the elite calculates not only their own, but also the actions of the opponent, has tactical and strategic thinking. But even among them there are unique personalities, for example, Magnus Carlsen, the 2017 Men's World Chess Champion.

World Chess Champion 2017 - Magnus Carlsen

His play is amazing, but even more surprising is the speed at which the young grandmaster's talent develops. Magnus has gone through an interesting path to the pinnacle of fame.

The best chess player on the planet was born in Norway in 1990. His family lived for a long time in the provincial town of Tensberg. In addition to him, the family has three daughters.

Magnus got acquainted with chess at the age of five, at the same time he learned to play. At first it was nothing more than pampering and was not taken seriously. However, the father, a strong first-class player, laid a good foundation for future achievements.

As a result, childish fun gave Carlsen a start in life. Today he is not only the strongest chess player, but also, perhaps, the most media one of them. Almost 100 thousand people have subscribed to his Instagram account.

Atypical appearance for a chess player and wild popularity in his homeland allowed Magnus to conclude a million-dollar contract with the G-Star clothing brand. His face can be seen on advertising posters and covers of fashion magazines. Carlsen worked in the same frame with Liv Tyler, Lee Cole and Gemma Arterton. Once he was even invited to Hollywood, but the US Immigration Service refused to issue a visa to the champion.

Magnus is happy to give interviews and often visits various TV shows. On the air of the British program Skavlan in 2014, he beat the founder of Microsoft. It took Carlsen 11 seconds and 9 moves to checkmate the far from stupid Bill Gates!

In the professional field, many note the unsurpassed style of Magnus. He is strong at all stages of the game. Although there is an opinion that Magnus is not good enough at mobilizing forces at the beginning of the game.

After Magnus' defeat in the 2011 competition, chess star and youngest grandmaster in history, Sergei Karjakin, said that his opponent was almost correct and played almost perfectly.

The famous chess player Viktor Korchnoi believed that Magnus Carlsen's success was due not only to tactics and strategy.

“He gets into the head of the opponent, hypnotizes and practically makes you make a mistake. His confidence in victory is disarming and makes him nervous.”- said the professional.

Experts also admire the phenomenal memory of the champion. Where the majority would agree to a draw, Carlsen pulls the game in his favor. It is difficult to suppress it: one gets the impression that Magnus has a steel nervous system.

Note: In 2014, a postage stamp with the image of Carlsen was issued in Norway in honor of the tenth anniversary of the Chess Union.

Interestingly, until the age of eight, Magnus did not have a particular craving for chess games. He preferred:

• basketball;
• tennis
• football
• mountain skiing.

In his youth, Carlsen won prizes in ski jumping competitions. Physical form and skills allowed him to become a good football player, but he chose chess.

Magnus is an avid fan. In 2013–2014 his favorite team Real Madrid invited Carlsen at the beginning of the match to symbolically put the ball into play.

What is his path to the professional league? Despite his passion for football, Magnus did not leave the game of chess. Already at the age of eight, he easily beat all family members. The guy got bored, and under the auspices of his parents, he began to develop his talent by participating in competitions of local and national importance.

It soon went international. Seeing the boy's progress, the school administration released him from classes for a year so that he could participate in the maximum number of tournaments.

After two years, he needed a mentor. First, it was International Master Thorbjorn Hansen. However, pretty soon the coach could no longer teach him anything. Further, Simen Agdestein, a grandmaster and multiple champion of Norway, took up the young talent. By the way, he was a professional football player, which may have brought the coach and student closer.

This cooperation allowed Magnus to show a worthy result at the junior tournament in Spain. For this, he received the title of "Master" according to the International Chess Federation. At that time, the guy was barely 12 years old. Among chess players, he began to be called Baby Viking.

In 2003, the management of Microsoft, seeing the talent of the guy, fully paid for the world tour of Magnus and his family. At this time, they had to rent a house and sell a car.

In general, the first season for Magnus was successful:

• At the tournament in Denmark, he completed the prestigious IM standard for the third time, gaining 8 out of 10 points during the competition.
• He won bronze at the junior competition in Montenegro.
• In Greece, his game against Jon Hammer impressed expert Fred Wilson so much that he included it in his book Simple Plans of Attack.
• Carlsen finished the tournament in Budapest in fourth place.

Interesting: at one of the championships, Magnus met at the same board with his teacher Simen Agdestein. However, Magnus lost to him on additional indicators.

Men's World Chess Champion: Magnus Carlsen's Sporting Achievements

The 2004 season marked a turning point in Magnus' career. A brilliant game brought him to the elite of the world of chess. The very first tournament in the Netherlands ended in victory for Magnus. With a total of 10.5 points out of 13 possible, he added 218 points to his personal Elo rating.

In March, he competed with the best grandmasters at a tournament in Iceland. The guy managed to beat the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov and ended the game in a draw against the legendary Garry Kasparov.

A month later, at a competition in Dubai, the chess prodigy became the second (after Sergey Karyakin) the youngest grandmaster of all time. Then Magnus was a full thirteen years and four months old. After such a triumph, Carlsen's career began to develop even faster.

At the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk in 2005, the fifteen-year-old chess player took an honorable tenth place. An excellent result, given the total number of participants - 128 people. It is also noteworthy that Magnus was inferior in rating to 60% of the players.

For the next three years, Carlsen's career did not develop in the best way. His game strength did not allow him to consistently defeat experienced opponents.

The best results of Magnus Carlsen in 2006–2008 the following:

• Winning the Glitnir Blitz tournament.
• Second place at the tournament in Oslo.
• Silver in tournaments in Spain and the Netherlands.

Significant improvements in the strength of Carlsen's play were noticed by professionals in 2009. At the tournament in China, he won an early victory. The young man repeated the same thing at the London Chess Classic. At the end of the year, he became the first number in the world ranking.

Many experts say that Magnus owes such a significant growth to Garry Kasparov. It is very likely that they were secretly training. So, in the game of the Kid Viking, moves characteristic of the legendary champion were noticed. In addition, Carlsen used for the first time the "Scottish game", which was often played by Kasparov.

A year later, Magnus confirmed the title of the best, again taking gold at the London tournament, although this time the victory was not so easy for him. He made up for a frankly weak start with a bright finish. The opponents complained that the new scoring system played into Carlsen's hands. If the scores were calculated the old way, Magnus would not have risen above the third position.

2014 was especially successful for Carlsen. After winning in Switzerland, he increased his maximum Elo by nine points. Then the power of Magnus' game surpassed that of the legendary Garry Kasparov in his best years.

At the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, the young grandmaster won two champion titles at once - in rapid chess and blitz. In less than three months, Magnus confirmed the title of the best, having won an early victory over Viswanathan Anand.

Today, Magnus Carlsen is the undisputed leader in chess. As professionals say, he is not just the best among equals, but he is head and shoulders ahead of his rivals. Since 2009, he has received the Chess Oscar five times in a row.

However, competitors do not allow Magnus to relax and rest on his laurels. Every year the level of rivals is growing, and they strive to take away the title. Now there is at least one person in the world who can do it - Armenian chess player Levon Aronian.

The guys have already met at the same board more than once, and it cannot be said that Magnus dominated. Of course, there were also victories, but Levon never gave up without a fight. So, Aronian won for the first time against the Norwegian in 2007, beating him in the qualifying match.

Carlsen was also inferior to him in 2009-2012. At the end of 2017, Levon Aronian, having defeated Carlsen in a personal meeting this summer, as well as winning the World Cup, got the right to compete for the title of absolute champion.

He will have such an opportunity if he wins the Candidates Qualifier, which will be held in March 2018 in Berlin. If this happens, the outcome of his meeting with the champion is difficult to predict. On the one hand, Levon is stronger than Magnus in blitz, but on the other hand, the Norwegian is much more stable psychologically. It has already happened more than once that Aronian “broke down” under the pressure of competition.

Most likely, their meeting will still take place. Many chess fans expect an unprecedented spectacle from this duel. It is not known how it will pass, but one thing is for sure: it will be very difficult for Magnus to defend the title of the best chess player in the world. May the strongest win!

The first official match for the World Chess Championship took place in 1886. It is from this moment that it is customary to count the official title of “world chess champion”.

The 1990s saw a split in the chess movement. In 1993, the current world champion Garry Kasparov and challenger Nigel Short (England) accused FIDE of corruption, left FIDE and founded the Professional Chess Association (PCHA).

For some time there were two world chess champions at the same time: according to FIDE and according to PCA. In 1996, the PCHA ceased to exist as a result of the loss of a sponsor, after which the champions of the PCHA began to be called "world champion in classical chess", and the title was transferred according to the system when the champion himself accepted the challenge of the challenger and played a match with him.

In 2006, the FIDE monopoly on holding the world championship and awarding the title of world chess champion was restored.

Vasily Smyslov (1921-2010) - Soviet chess player, Grandmaster of the USSR (1941), Honored Master of Sports (1948), International Grandmaster (1950), seventh world chess champion in 1957-1958 (he met Mikhail three times in world championship matches Botvinnik: in 1954 - a draw, in 1957 - a victory, in 1958 - a defeat). Champion of the USSR (1949). Participant of the match-tournament for the world championship in 1948 (2nd place after Botvinnik). He played as part of the USSR national team at nine Chess Olympiads in 1952-1972 and at the European Championships in 1957-1973. Smyslov is the author of several books on chess, including the theory of openings and endgames: A Beginner's Guide to Chess (1951), In Search of Harmony (1979), The Theory of Rook Endgames (1985), Chronicle of Chess Creativity (1993) and "My Etudes" (2001). He became the first laureate of the "Life for Chess" award named after the outstanding chess player of the 17th century, Gioachino Greco (established by the Italian Chess Association in 1988).

Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) - Soviet chess player, eighth world chess champion (1960-1961), international grandmaster (1957), Honored Master of Sports (1960), six-time champion of the USSR (1957, 1958, 1967, 1972, 1974, 1978 ), winner of tournaments: interzonal (1958), applicants (1959), international - in Zurich (Switzerland, 1959), Bled (Slovenia, 1961), Hastings, (Great Britain, 1964, 1974), Sarajevo and Palma (Mallorca Island, 1966) Tallinn (Estonia (1971, 1973), in memory of Mikhail Chigorin in Sochi (1973), etc. In 1960-1970 he was the editor of the Chess magazine (Riga). He won the first unofficial world blitz championship in 1988, beating current world champion Kasparov and ex-champion Karpov.

Tigran Petrosyan (1929-1984) - international grandmaster (1952), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1960), ninth world chess champion (1963‑1969), candidate of philosophical sciences. Champion of the USSR (1959, 1961, 1969, 1975). Editor of the monthly "Chess Moscow" (1963-1966), editor-in-chief of the weekly "64" (1968-1977).

Since 1987, youth team tournaments in memory of Petrosyan have been held in Moscow. In 1987, the chess club "Spartak" and public organizations of Armenia established a medal in memory of Tigran Petrosyan.

Boris Spassky (born 1937) - Soviet and French chess player, international grandmaster (1955), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1965), champion of the USSR (1961, 1973), world champion among youths (1955), tenth world chess champion (1969) -1972). Winner of over 20 major international tournaments. His championship match in 1972 with the American Robert Fischer caused an unprecedented stir and was seen as a confrontation between the Soviet and Western worlds. It was marked by a number of scandals and was on the verge of collapse, but nevertheless it was completed - with the victory of Fischer.

Robert James (Bobby) Fischer (1943-2008) - American chess player, international grandmaster (1958), eleventh world chess champion (1972-1975). Multiple US champion (1957-1970), winner of international tournaments in Argentina (1960), Monaco and Yugoslavia (1967), Israel and Yugoslavia (1968), Yugoslavia and Argentina (1970), interzonal tournaments in Sweden (1962) and Spain (1970). Led the US team at the 1960, 1962, 1966, and 1970 World Olympiads. At the same time, Fischer was known for his difficult nature. In 1975, after the organizers did not fulfill one of the conditions put forward by Fischer, he refused to take part in the match for the championship title with Anatoly Karpov and stopped participating in international tournaments. FIDE stripped Fischer of his world title in 1975. In 1992, he played a commercial match with Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia despite a US government ban. Fisher won over $3.3 million and was declared persona non grata in his country. He later moved permanently to Japan. In July 2004, he was arrested at Tokyo International Airport while trying to leave the country on a US passport that had been canceled by the US authorities. The Japanese authorities agreed to release Fischer after he renounced his American citizenship and became a citizen of Iceland, where chess is hugely popular. The international chess magazine "Chess Informant" recognized Fischer as "the best chess player of the 20th century", placing him above Garry Kasparov and Alexander Alekhine.

Anatoly Karpov (born 1951) - Soviet and Russian chess player, international grandmaster (1970), Honored Master of Sports (1974), twelfth world chess champion (1975-1985), three-time FIDE world champion (1993, 1996, 1998), two-time world champion in the USSR team (1985, 1989), six-time winner of chess Olympiads in the USSR team (1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1988), three-time champion of the USSR (1976, 1983, 1988). In 1975, FIDE declared Anatoly Karpov the world chess champion after the current world champion Robert Fischer withdrew from the match. Karpov turned out to be the only world champion in history who not only received the title without playing in a match or tournament for the world championship, but also did not play a single game with the previous champion at all.

In 1994, he set a record, the first in history to win in a hundred chess competitions (the previous record belonged to Alexander Alekhine - 78 tournaments won). Anatoly Karpov is a member of the Union of Journalists of the Russian Federation, he is the author of 59 (of which 56 are on chess) books, collections and textbooks, published and translated into many languages ​​of the world. He was the chief editor of the magazine "64 - Chess Review" (1980-1992) and the encyclopedic dictionary "Chess" (1990).

Garry Kasparov (born 1963) - Soviet and Russian chess player, international grandmaster (1980), Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1985), world champion among youths (1980), champion of the USSR (1981, 1988), champion of Russia (2004). The thirteenth world champion in the history of chess (1985-1993). He was the initiator and founder of several chess organizations: the International Association of Grandmasters (1988), the Professional Chess Association (PCHA, 1993). Disagreeing with the policy pursued by FIDE, on February 27, 1993, Kasparov and Nigel Short, who won the Candidates cycle, announced that they would play their match without the participation of FIDE and under the auspices of a new body - the Professional Chess Association (PCHA). FIDE as a result excluded Kasparov from their rating lists and annulled his title of world champion. Under the auspices of the PCA, Garry Kasparov won the title of world chess champion in a match against Short in 1993 and defended it in 1995 against Viswanathan Anand. In 2000, Kasparov lost a match to Vladimir Kramnik and lost the title of world chess champion. In 2005, Kasparov announced that he was leaving professional chess in order to engage in social and political activities.

Vladimir Kramnik (1975) - Russian chess player, international grandmaster (1991) PCA World Chess Champion (2000-2006), Absolute World Chess Champion (2006-2007). As part of the Russian team, the winner of the World Chess Olympiads (1992, 1994, 1996). Winner of the European Team Championship (1992) and World Championship (2013). Winner of a number of major international tournaments and matches.

Alexander Khalifman (1966) - Russian chess player, international grandmaster (1990), FIDE world champion (1999-2000). Winner of the World Chess Olympiad (1992, 2000, 2002) as a member of the Russian team, winner of the World Team Championship (1997), champion of Russia (1996), European champion among juniors (1986). He is the author of several dozen articles and comments on various games, and is the chess editor of a series of books about world champions.

Ruslan Ponomarev (1983) - Ukrainian chess player, grandmaster (1998), Honored Master of Sports of Ukraine, FIDE World Chess Champion 2002-2004. Two-time winner of the Chess Olympiads as part of the Ukrainian team, winner of the Tournaments of Nations and World Team Championships. Vice-European champion in the individual competition and winner of the super tournament in Dortmund (2010).

Rustam Kasimdzhanov (1979) - chess player from Uzbekistan, grandmaster (1997), FIDE world champion (2004-2005). Winner of international tournaments in Essen, Germany (2001) and Pamplona, ​​Spain (2002).

Veselin Topalov (1975) - Bulgarian chess player, grandmaster (1992), FIDE World Chess Champion (2005-2006). Winner of the Chess Oscar in 2005. In 2008, Topalov won the super tournament in Bilbao (Spain) and topped the FIDE rating list.

In February 2009, Topalov won the 2009 World Chess Championship Candidates match against Gata Kamsky and won the right to compete for the chess crown with the reigning world champion Viswanathan Anand. Topalov lost with a minimal score, having been defeated in the last game. Participated in the 2014 and 2016 Candidates Tournament. He stated in an interview that the 2016 Candidates Tournament was the last competition of this series in his career.

Viswanathan (Vishy) Anand (1969) - Indian chess player, grandmaster (1988), FIDE world champion (2000-2002), 15th world champion (2007-2013). From April 2007 to July 2008, Anand topped the FIDE rating list. In 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008 he won the Chess Oscar. Anand successfully defended his title three times, defeating in turn Vladimir Kramnik (2008), Veselin Topalov (2010) and Israeli Boris Gelfand (2012), whom he met in Moscow. In 2013, in Chennai, he lost to Magnus Carlsen, a year later he could win back the title, but lost again.

Magnus Carlsen (1990) - Norwegian chess player, one of the youngest grandmasters in the world (2004), became the first absolute world champion in history (in three categories). In 2009, he became the youngest chess player to top the official FIDE rankings at the age of 19. Since February 2013 - the owner of the highest Elo rating in the history of its existence - 2872 points.

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The strongest is always in sight. Everyone wants to know about him, to imitate his manners, style of behavior, methods of preparation. World Chess Champions not an exception. In today's article, we will remember who has held this title over the past 130 years.

Why there are 16 champions

At the end of 2016 Magnus Carlsen defended the title of chess champion in a difficult match against Sergey Karjakin. Carlsen is considered the 16th world champion in the chess world.

And now about those fifteen outstanding chess players who were his predecessors.

It should be noted that the period 1993 to 2006. in the chess world it is customary to call it "time of troubles". At that time, the title existed in two versions - FIDE and PSHA. In addition, the title of the champion during this period was not played in matches, but in a tournament format. The winner of the tournament with the participation of contenders received the title of world champion.

No one detracts from the importance of victory in the fight for the championship.However, the value of the championship during this period of time is somewhat lower than the title won match . This is not an author's opinion, but an assessment of the chess world.

It is believed that there are 16 recognized champions in classical chess. These are the champions who won the title in a full official match. Let's talk about them in more detail. Who was champion in the 19th and 20th century, and who became champion literally today, at the end 2016.

All champions

The following is a list of men's champions in chronological order in classical chess. If you prefer detailed by year and in a more compact form, you are welcome here: history table.

1 world champion - Wilhelm STEINitz

Championship period 1886 - 1894. Represented Austria.

Steinitz - the very first official champion. The title was won as a result of winning the match with Zuckertort. Steinitz then defended his title twice. In 1889 in the first match M Chigorin and in 1892. - in the second. Between these two matches with the great Russian chess player, Steinitz beat I. Gunsberg.

Lost the title in 1894 in a match with Lasker.

Steinitz, like most chess players of the 19th century, was an adherent of the combination game. However, his approach already clearly showed a strategic approach to the game and the match as a whole. In particular, Steinitz knew how to save his strength for the final rush and often outplayed his opponent at the very end of the match.

Last game of the match for the title against Zukertort

Steinitz,W - Zukertort,J

World Championship 1st USA (20) 3/29/1886

2 world champion - Emmanuil LASKER

Championship period 1894 - 1921. Represented Austria.

Second world champion. He is the champion in the duration of the championship - 27 years.

After the victory over Steinitz in 1894. he sat on the throne until 1921, when he lost the match to Capablanca.

Lasker is a universal style chess player. He had an excellent positional instinct and was especially strong in the endgame. Perhaps the first of the great chess players, he attached great importance to the psychological aspects of the game. In addition to chess, he achieved fame as a mathematician.

"Championship" game of the match for the title against Steinitz

Lasker,E-Steinitz,W

World Championship 5th USA/CAN (19) 05/26/1894

3 world champion - Jose Raul CAPABLANCA

Championship period 1921 - 1927. Country - Cuba

Capablanca was a chess prodigy. Already in childhood, he began to show quite masterful results. In 1911 “thrown down the gauntlet to Lasker” in order to take the title from him. The match, however, took place only in 1921. In Havana. As expected, Capablanca confidently defeated the fading champion.

Capablanca had the fame of a "chess machine". His playing style was distinguished by filigree technique, precise calculation of variations. Capablanca was a proponent of the "draw death" theory of chess, believing that if played correctly, games should end in a draw.

In this he was mistaken, which was shown by the subsequent history of the development of chess. In chess, more and more new layers were opened up. Truly there is no limit to fantasy, creativity, psychology of influence.

In 1927 a historic match with Alexander Alekhine took place. Contrary to the expectations of Capablanca's victory, Alekhine won the match.

The confrontation between the great chess players lasted another twenty years. But they did not manage to meet in the match for the world championship.

Winning game of the title match against Lasker:

Lasker,E - Capablanca,J

World Championship 12th Havana (14) 04/20/1921

4 world champion - Alexander ALEKHIN

The period of "reign" 1927 - 1935, then 1937 - 1946. Represented Russia and France.

The first Russian world champion.

Alekhin was born in Russia. After various dramatic upheavals of the First World War, the proletarian revolution, in 1921, already being one of the leading chess players in the world, he finally left his homeland and settled in France.

In 1927 in the match for the world championship, he defeated J.R. Capablanca. In 1935 briefly lost the title to Max Euwe. Then he took revenge. The only champion who passed away with the title of world champion.

Alekhine is a versatile chess player. Analyst, researcher, writer. And of course a player of exceptional practical strength. Considered one of the strongest world champions of all time.

Final game of the championship match against Capablanca

Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J

World Championship 13th Buenos-Aires (34) 11/26/1927

5th world champion - Max EYWE

Championship period 1935 - 1937. Represented Holland.

The victory in the match over Alekhine was seen as a sensation. Even Euwe's compatriots did not expect this, not to mention Alekhine himself, who easily agreed to play on the “opponent's field”. Whatever they say, Euwe's victory was deserved and won in a fair fight.

Max Euwe in life was an intelligent and versatile person. He taught mathematics and had the title of professor. In the future, he served as the head of FIDE.

A turning point in the match with Alekhine for the championship title:

Alekhine, A - Euwe, M

World Championship 16th NLD U25 12/01/1935

6 world champion - Mikhail BOTVINNIK

Championship periods: 1948 - 1957, then from 1958 to 1960, then from 1961 to 1963. Country - USSR.

The very first world champion from the USSR.

Mikhail Botvinnik learned chess at the age of twelve. Nevertheless, perseverance, perseverance and a "scientific" approach to chess did their job - by the age of 30, Botvinnik had moved to a leading position in Soviet and world chess.

Everyone was looking forward to the match for the title of champion with Alexander Alekhin. But the war got in the way. After the death of Alekhine in 1948, a match-tournament for the world championship took place, which brought a landslide victory for Botvinnik.

The only champion who twice regained the title of champion, defeating Mikhail Tal and Vasily Smyslov in rematches.

Botvinnik was distinguished by thoroughness of preparation, taking into account the psychological characteristics of his opponent, and a true champion's character.

The game in the match against Bronstein, in which Botvinnik equalized the score and retained the “crown”

Botvinnik,M - Bronstein,D

World Championship 19th Moscow (23) 05/08/1951

7th world champion - Vasily SMYSLOV

World Champion in 1957 - 1958. Country: USSR

Vasily Smyslov is a brilliant chess theorist and outstanding practitioner. As part of the USSR team, he won chess Olympiads ten times.

In 1957 won the qualifying round and got the opportunity to play a match with the world champion. The match with M. Botvinnik ended with the victory of Smyslov. Approximately a year later, Mikhail Botvinnik convincingly took revenge.

Decisive winning game in the match against Botvinnik

Smyslov,V - Botvinnik,M

World Championship 21th Moscow U20 04/23/1957

8 world champion - Mikhail TAL

World champion in 1960 - 1961. USSR

Tal defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in a championship match at the age of 23. This is a record for that time.

Tal professed an attacking combinational style of play. Did not take into account the victims on the altar of the attack. This manner impressed the audience very much. Mikhail Tal, without exaggeration, was everyone's favorite.

The Almighty generously endowed Tal with talent. But did not give health at all. Diseases became a common companion of Mikhail Nekhemievich in everyday life. And the sports mode for him was not something sacred.

Nevertheless, the huge talent and accumulated experience allowed Tal to be one of the leading chess players in the world until the last days.

Decisive game in the match for the title against Botvinnik

Tal,M - Botvinnik,M

World Championship 23th Moscow U19 05/03/1960

9th world champion - Tigran PETROSYAN

Championship period 1963 - 1969. USSR

Tigran Vartanovich Petrosyan won the right to contest the title in 1962 when he won the Candidates Tournament. The duel with M. Botvinnik took place in 1963. brought victory to Petrosian. Three years later he defended the title in a match with Boris Spassky. And yet three years later, in 1969. ceded the title to the latter.

Tigran Petrosyan was an outstanding "defender" and a master of positional play. With incredible ingenuity, he led the defense of difficult positions, at the first opportunity turning into a counterattack. Petrosyan's tactical vigilance was also at its best.

Petrosyan is an outstanding theoretician who generously shared his skills with young chess players. Conducted public work, was the editor-in-chief of the magazine "64". PhD in Philosophy.

Winning game in the title match against Botvinnik:

Petrosian,T-Botvinnik,M

World Championship 25th Moscow U19 05/11/1963

10 world champion - Boris SPASSKY

World champion in the period 1969 - 1972. Country: USSR, France

Boris Spassky back in 1955. won the junior world championship. It took another long fourteen years to get to adult triumph. That day came in 1969. the field of victory in the match over Petrosyan The second match in a row.

In 1972, a notorious match with Robert Fischer took place in which Boris Vasilyevich lost the crown to an outstanding American grandmaster.

Spassky is one of the most versatile chess players In his best years, he had no weaknesses and it was incredibly difficult to defeat him.

In the early eighties he moved to France. But he does not lose touch with his homeland, he visits Russia and helps young chess players. There are several chess schools under Spassky's patronage.

Winning game in the match against Petrosyan

Spassky,B-Petrosian,T

World Championship 27th Moscow U21 11.06.1969

11 world champion - Robert FISHER

Championship period 1972 - 1975. US citizenship

Robert Fischer devoted himself entirely to chess. Even dropped out of school. At fifteen, he is already a grandmaster. The youngest in history at that time.

In America, there was no state program for the development of chess, and in this regard, Fischer had a hard time. This is a man who made himself a world champion exclusively by himself. Talent, hard work, exceptional devotion to chess are the hallmarks of Robert Fischer.

Fischer has achieved exceptional game strength and is one of the strongest champions.

He won the title of champion in 1972, defeating all the contenders in the qualifying matches: Larsen, Taimanov (both dry -6: 0!), Petrosyan. In the match for the title, he defeated Boris Spassky without visible effort.

Oddly enough, the final game of the match against Spassky turned out to be the last in Fischer's official career. He refused the match with Karpov, despite lengthy negotiations. Fischer never played more than one game in official tournaments. This is one of the biggest mysteries in chess history that remains unsolved to this day.

The final game of the match with Spassky:

Spassky,B—Fischer,R

World Championship 28th Reykjavik U21 08/31/1972

12 world champion - Anatoly KARPOV

The period of "reign" 1975 - 1985. Country: USSR / Russia

Anatoly Karpov returned the championship title to our country. And although the match with Fischer did not take place, Karpov's championship is not questioned in objectivity. At that time, he was the strongest grandmaster (not counting Fischer), who confidently won the qualifying round.

In the early 80s, the era of confrontation between Karpov and Kasparov began, who played several protracted matches between themselves. The last of them, in 1985, ended with the victory of Garry Kasparov.

Karpov is notable for his outstanding mastery of positional maneuvering and his pragmatic attitude to the game. In terms of the number of tournaments won, Anatoly Karpov is far superior to everyone else.

Anatoly Evgenievich is still in the ranks, periodically successfully participating in major tournaments.

The famous winning game against Viktor Korchnoi at 5:5

Karpov,A - Kortschnoj,V

World Championship 29th Baguio City (32) 10/17/1978

13th world champion - Garry Kasparov

World champion in the period 1985 - 2000. USSR / Russia

The star Garry Kasparov quickly rose on the chess horizon by the beginning of the 80s.

In 1981 he became the youngest champion of the country. Then the era of confrontation with Karpov began. In 1985 Harry finally tried on the crown of the champion.

For about 20 years, Kasparov had the highest rating among chess players, reaching a value of 2850 points. An astronomical figure for those times.

The independence of Kasparov's views also played a role in the emergence of disagreements with FIDE. As a result of which Kasparov organized an alternative organization - the PCA.

In recent years, Garry Kimovich has moved away from active chess.

Kasparov is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding chess players. He is distinguished by an active, even aggressive style of play, excellent opening preparation, accurate calculation of variations

Winning game in a match against Karpov in 1985.

Karpov, A - Kasparov, G

World Championship 32th-KK2 Moscow U24 09.11.1985

14th world champion - Vladimir KRAMNIK

World champion in the period 2000 - 2007. Represents Russia.

In 2006 Vladimir Kramnik won the match against Veselin Topalov and became the 14th world champion. It wasn't a surprise. Before fighting for the top title, Kramnik won the World Youth Championships twice and became the PCA World Champion. Thus both titles were merged.

About a year later, Kramnik lost the championship title to Anand.

Vladimir Kramnik's playing style is reminiscent of Karpov's. A chess player of exceptional strength, Kramnik is still among the elite of world chess, consistently occupying a place in the top five.

Decisive game against Kasparov for the title of champion according to the PSHA

Kramnik,V — Kasparov,G

BGN World Chess Championship London (10) 10/24/2000

15th world champion - Viswanathan ANAND

Championship period 2007 - 2013. Country: India

First International Grandmaster in India.

Vishy Anand became world champion by winning the championship tournament in Mexico City in 2007.

Then he successfully defended his title three times. The 15th world champion is exceptionally fast-thinking and a recognized master of rapid and blitz chess.

Known in chess as a true gentleman. Anand's attractive image combines the charm of José Rul Capablanca, Botvinnik's will to win, and Kasparov's energy and talent.

Resigned as World Champion in 2013 after losing a match to Carlsen.

Decisive game of the match against Kramnik:

Anand,V - Kramnik,V

WCh Bonn GER (6) 10/21/2008

16 world champion - Magnus CARLSEN

World Champion from 2013 to present. Norway

Magnus Carlsen is, without exaggeration, a chess prodigy. He became a grandmaster at the age of 13, breaking all conceivable records.

Magnus became the world champion in 2013, defeating Anand in a match. Has the highest rating in the history of chess.

More recently, at the end 2016defended his title in a match against Sergey Karjakin. Contrary to expectations, the match was difficult for the champion. Karjakin was at his best. According to other estimates, Carlsen was not in the best shape. One way or another, Magnus won only in a tie-break.

Magnus Carlsen is a public person. He travels a lot, goes in for sports, starred in commercials. I think we will hear his name for a long time. Both in connection with chess and outside of it.

Last winning game against Anand in the 2013 title match

Anand-Carlsen World Championship (9)

And a couple more words about champions

In conclusion, I will say that the titles of world chess champions exist, of course, not only among men and in classical chess. I consider it unnecessary to overload the article too much, I will simply list:

Women's World Champion: Hou Yifan, China

Blitz world champion 2017: Sergey Karyakin, Russia

World champions "tournament" in the period of "troubles" 1993-2006. - in this table at the end.

We will discuss these topics in more detail in future articles.

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