Victory Series: Bobby Fischer

In the qualifying cycle, which ended with a brilliant win against Boris Spassky, the eleventh world chess champion Bobby Fischer won 20 games in a row, and all his opponents were incredibly powerful. The series began in 1970, when at the finish of the qualifying tournament in Palma de Mallorca the American had beaten his rivals in seven games in a row.

In the final game Oscar Panno conceded defeat without holding a game, so some experts do not take it into account in the record, recording not 20, but 19 victories. In 1971 in a candidates’ match for the world crown Fischer soundly defeated (6-0) Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen. A victorious game against Tigran Petrosian followed, but Fischer was defeated in his second meeting with this Grandmaster, ending his unique winning streak. After that, Bobby Fischer convincingly won the match against Tigran Petrosian, then took on Spassky and won the world chess crown.

Worth mentioning:

• Fischer’s 11 consecutive victories at the U.S. championships from 1963-1964.
• The achievement of grandmaster Fabiano Caruano, who won 7 times in a row during the 2014 Sinkfield Cup tournament.

A winless streak: Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Tal became world-famous for his aggressive creative style, which allowed him to win a match in the 1960 World Championship over Mikhail Botvinnik. The triumph then made Grandmaster the youngest world champion – he was 23 years old. This record had stood for a long time, and only Garry Kasparov, who defeated Anatoly Karpov at the age of 22 in 1985, managed to break it.

The development of Mikhail Tal’s chess career was hindered by constant health problems, which affected the Grandmaster’s form. Because of this, many people do not know that he owns a unique record – 95 games without losses, which no other player has managed to beat.

Worth mentioning:

• Once again Mikhail Tal, who was able to go without losses in a row for as many as 85 games.
• World Champion Jose Raoul Capablanca, 63 games without a loss from 1916 to 1924.

World Championships: Emanuel Lasker

Emanuel Lasker won the title of second world champion in 1894, defeating Wilhelm Steinitz. Lasker managed to hold the chess crown until 1921, when he faced Jose-Raul Capablanca and eventually lost the match. After that, Lasker still participated in chess tournaments at various levels with varying success until 1935.

Some believe that the Grandmaster held the chess crown for a long time, due to the outbreak of World War I, which prevented him from competing against a number of dangerous opponents. But even leaving aside those years when there were no tournaments, Lasker was a chess king longer than any other grandmaster.

Worth mentioning:

• Garry Kasparov – 15 years of championships from 1985 to 2000.
• Mikhail Botvinnik – 13 years of championship with intervals.

Highest ranking: Magnus Carlsen

The grandmaster achieved this figure on the FIDE ranking list in May 2014. If we take unofficial statistics, Magnus Carlsen had a dynamic rating of 2889 points. Many experts keep saying that rating inflation has rendered this achievement meaningless, but analysis shows that the level of grandmasters grows year after year. In the whole world history only 12 people could cross the mark of 2800 points, and Magnus is the only chess player who could get close to the 2900 mark.

Worth mentioning:

• Garry Kasparov – 2,851 points in June 1999.
• Fabiano Caruana – 2,844 points in October 2014.

Young Grandmaster: Sergey Karjakin

Karjakin is the only chess player who was able to become a Grandmaster at such a young age. At that time he was only 12 years and 7 months old. Sergey gained his early experience of high-level chess tournaments during the FIDE World Chess Crown match between Ponomariov and Ivanchuk. At that time Karjakin was the second of the first grandmaster.

In 2016 Sergey himself took part in the duel for the world crown against Magnus Carlsen. Twelve games were played, in which each of the grandmasters won six victories. The winner was determined in quick games (tie-break), in which Magnus Carlsen was better.

Worth mentioning:

• Bobby Fischer – became grandmaster at 15 years and 6 months.
• Judit Polgar – became grandmaster at 15 years and 4 months.

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The older the chess player, the stronger he is

A common misconception based on the assumption that older players have significant experience. A few decades ago such statements were logical. But now, in the age of digital technology, the title of Grandmaster goes to thirteen-year-old boys and girls. Age has ceased to determine the strength of chess players.

The modern reality is that even a ten-year-old child can get an Elo rating of 2200. A young player with such a potential will be stronger than 99% of other chess players in the world. It should not be forgotten that there are seventy-year-old grandmasters. At a certain age, men and women lose the ability to think quickly, and the quality of play gradually decreases. But the fading of the chess skills of established masters becomes noticeable only against the background of their younger colleagues.

For this reason the number of years played should not be regarded as an indicator of strength or weakness of a chess player. The average age of top ten on the FIDE rating list is 30 years, and the world champion title is won by Grandmasters at the age of 24-25.

Grandmaster can calculate everything

Many novice players and chess fans believe that Grandmasters can “see” a game 25-30 moves ahead. This statement is true for simple positions with a limited number of pieces on the board, usually in the endgame. But it should be understood that even the world’s strongest players cannot predict the course of the game in such a distant perspective.

Magnus Carlsen claims that he can see the position 15-20 moves ahead. This can probably be considered the maximum for the depth of human thinking during a chess game. The problem with predicting more moves is the considerable variability of the opponent’s actions. Each move opens up several alternatives for players, but only one of them is implemented in the game.

Chess is only a mental exercise

Most people believe that chess players do not need intensive physical training. The public is surprised that the world’s leading players regularly visit the hall and work on a personal program designed by a certified trainer. The strongest Grandmasters practice strength training, swimming, running and cycling.

Why? The answer to this question was given half a century ago by Bobby Fischer: “A chess player’s body should be in excellent shape. The work of the mind is inseparable from the work of the body. Loss of physical form leads to poorer playing results…”.

Fischer is right: it is impossible to maintain concentration during a long game of chess without proper physical preparation. Lack of concentration will lead to mistakes and loss.

World champions play harder than machines

More than two decades ago, man was no longer the strongest chess player in the world. In 1997, the computer program Deep Blue defeated the reigning world champion Garry Kasparov in a match of several games. Since then, neural networks have only gotten stronger. The best programs can play at the level of 3350 Elo points.

The rating of the world’s best chess player Magnus Carlsen exceeds 2,850 points. A difference of 500 Elo points means that the artificial intelligence can win 95% of the time.

Winning at chess depends on luck

People who have never played chess are convinced that the lucky chess player wins the game. Such statements diminish the role of Grandmasters’ skill, turning them into amateurs of dominoes or “Monopoly”. Luck can play some role only in the games of beginners who are learning the rules of moving pieces and the basics of openings. At a higher level, the influence of chance on the outcome of the game is zero. It is not for nothing they say that only the strongest are lucky.

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