Sven Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian chess grandmaster, and the current World Chess Champion. Carlsen was a chess prodigy. He became a chess grandmaster in 2004 at the age of 13 years, 148 days, which made him the third-youngest grandmaste...

Ruslan Olegovich Ponomariov is a Ukrainian chess player and FIDE World Chess Champion between 2002 and 2004. He was runner-up in the Chess World Cup 2005 and Chess World Cup 2009, while reaching the semi-finals in 2011 and the quarterfin...

Rustam Kasimdzhanov is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster and former FIDE World Champion (2004-05). He was Asian Individual Champion in 1998. Long-time second to Viswanathan Anand - helping him in the 2008, 2010 and 2012 World Champions...

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov is a Bulgarian chess grandmaster and former FIDE World Chess Champion. Topalov became FIDE World Chess Champion by winning the FIDE World Chess Championship 2005. He lost his title in the World Chess Champions...

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess Grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007. He has won three team gold medals and three individual medal...

Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand is an Indian chess Grandmaster and a former World Chess Champion. Anand became India's first grandmaster in 1988. He held the FIDE World Chess Championship from 2000 to 2002. He became the undisputed World Champ...

Alexander Valeryevich Khalifman is a Russian chess Grandmaster. He was FIDE World Chess Champion in 1999. Khalifman gained the Grandmaster title in 1990 with one particularly good early result being his first place in the 1990 New York C...

Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, and political activist, whom many consider to be the greatest chess player of all time. From 1986 until his retirement in 2005, Kasparov was ranked...

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1...

Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. Many consider him to be the greatest chess player of all time. In 1972, he captured the World Chess Championship from Boris Spassky of the...

Boris Vasilievich Spassky is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. He is the oldest surviving former world champion. Spassky won the Soviet Chess Championship twice outri...

Mikhail Tal was a Soviet Latvian chess Grandmaster and the eighth World Chess Champion (from 1960 to 1961). Widely regarded as a creative genius and the best attacking player of all time, Tal played in a daring, combinatorial style. His...

Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasised safety above all else. Pe...

Vasily Vasilyevich Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian chess grandmaster, and was World Chess Champion from 1957 to 1958. He was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on eight occasions (1948, 1950, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1983, and 198...

Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and World Chess Champion for most of 1948 to 1963. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few profes...