List of chess players - Definition and Overview

This is a list of chess players.

Chess players by vocation

The people in this list are men and women who are primarily known as chess players.

A

• Michael Adams (England, 1971 - )
• Simen Agdestein (Norway, 1967 - )
• Vladimir Akopian (Armenia, 1971 - )
• Alexander Alekhine (Russia, 1892 - 1946)
• Friedrich Amelung (Latvia)
• Viswanathan Anand (India, 1969 - )
• Adolf Anderssen (Germany, 1818 - 1879)
• Ulf Andersson (Sweden, 1951 - )
• Konstantin Aseev (Russia, 1960 - 2004)
• As-Suli (Abbasid Caliphate, circa 880 - 946)
• Maurice Ashley (Jamaica, USA, 1966 - )

B

• Etienne Bacrot (France, 1983 - )
• Newell Banks (USA, 1887 - 1977)
• Curt von Bardeleben (Germany, 1861 - 1924)
• Leonard Barden (England, )
• Evgeny Bareev (Russia, )
• Alexander Beliavsky (Ukraine, Slovenia, 1953 - )
• Thomas Wilson Barnes (England, 1825 - 1874)
• Ossip Bernstein (Ukraine, 1882 - 1962)
• Istvan Bilek (Hungary, 1932 - )
• Henry Bird (England, 1830 - 1908)
• Arthur Bisguier (USA, 1929 - )
• Joseph Henry Blackburne (England, 1841 - 1924)
• Claude Bloodgood (1937 - )
• Samuel Boden, (England, 1826 - 1882)
• Efim Bogoljubov (Ukraine, 1889 - 1952)
• Paolo Boi (Italy, 1528 - 1598)
• Julio Bolbochan (Argentina, 1920 - 1996)
• Isaak Boleslavsky (Soviet Union, 1919 - 1977)
• Eero Böök (Finland, 1910 - 1990)
• Mikhail Botvinnik (Russia, 1911 - 1995)
• Louis Charles de la Bourdonnais (France, 1795-1840)
• David Bronstein (Russia, 1924 - )
• Walter Browne (Australia/USA, 1949 - )
• Elizaveta Ivanovna Bykova (Russia, 1913 - 1989)
• Amos Burn (England, 1848 - 1925)
• Donald Byrne (USA, 1930 - 1976)
• Robert Byrne (USA, 1928 - )

C

• Esteban Canal (Peru, Italy, 1896 - ?)
• José Raúl Capablanca (Cuba, 1888 - 1942)
• Pietro Carrera (Sicily, 1573 - 1647)
• Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 1990 - )
• Rudolf Charousek (Hungary, 1873 - ?)
• Zhu Chen (China, 1976 - )
• Irving Chernev (USA, 1900 - 1981)
• Maia Chiburdanidze (Georgia, USSR, 1961 - )
• Mikhail Chigorin (Russia, 1850 - 1908)
• Larry Christiansen (USA, 1956 - )
• John Cochrane (England, 1798 - 1878)
• Edgard Colle (Belgium, 1897 - 1932)
• Pia Cramling (Sweden, 1963 - )

D

• Nigel Davies (England, 1960 - )
• Nick De Firmian (US, 1957 - )
• Alexandre Deschapelles (France, 1780 - 1847)
• Serafino Dubois (Italy, 1817 - 1899)
• Jean Dufresne (Germany, 1829 - 1893)
• Oldrich Duras (Czechoslovakia, 1882 - 1957)

E

• Erich Eliskases (Germany, Argentina, 1913 - ?)
• Max Euwe (Netherlands, 1901 - 1981)
• Larry Evans (USA, 1932 - ?)

F

• Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia, 1908 - 1983)
• Reuben Fine (USA, 1914 - 1993)
• Bobby Fischer (USA, 1943 - )

G

• Joseph Gallagher (England, Switzerland, 1964 - )
• Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia, USSR, 1941 - )
• Boris Gelfand (Belarus, USSR, Israel 1968 - )
• Efim Geller (Ukraine, USSR, 1925 - 1998)
• Svetozar Gligoric (Yugoslavia, 1923 - )
• Gioacchino Greco (Italy, 1600-c.1634)
• Isidor Gunsberg (Hungary, 1854 - 1930)
• Boris Gulko (USSR, USA)

H

• Mac Harmonist (Germany, 1864-1907)
• Daniel Harrwitz (Germany, France 1823-1884)
• Vlastimil Hort (Czechoslovakia, Germany 1944- )
• Israel Horowitz (US, 1907-1973)
• Bernhard Horwitz (England, 1807-1885)

I

• Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 1969 - )
• Sergey Ivanov (Russia, 1960 - )
• Borislav Ivkov (Yugoslavia, 1933 - )

J

• Paul Johner (Switzerland, 1887 - ?)
• David Janowski (Poland, 1868 - 1927)

K

• Gata Kamsky (Russia, USA, 1974 - )
• Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine)
• Anatoly Karpov (Russia, 1951 - )
• Garry Kasparov (Russia, 1963 - )
• Lubomir Kavalek (Czechoslovakia, US, 1943 - )
• Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan, 1979 - )
• Raymond Keene (England, 1948 - )
• Paul Keres (Estonia, 1916 - 1975)
• Alexander Khalifman (Russia, 1966 - )
• Lionel Kieseritzky (Poland and Germany, 1806 - 1853)
• Janis Klovans (Latvia, 1935 - )
• Georges Koltanowski (Belgian and American, 1903 - 2000)
• Viktor Korchnoi (Russia, Switzerland, 1931 - )
• Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia, 1984 - )
• Alexander Kotov (USSR, 1913 - 1981)
• Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 1975 - )
• Irina Krush (Ukraine, USSR, USA, 1983 - )

L

• Kateryna Lahno (Ukraine, 1989 - )
• Bent Larsen (Denmark, 1935 - )
• Edward Lasker (1885 - 1981)
• Emanuel Lasker (Germany, USA, 1868 - 1941)
• Baron Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa (Prussia, 1818-1899)
• Legall de Kermeur (1702 - 1792)
• Péter Lékó (Hungary, 1979 - )
• Giovanni Leonardo (Italy, 1542 - 1587)
• Alexandre Lesiege (Canada, 1975 - )
• Andrei Lilienthal (Hungary, Russia, 1911 - )
• John Littlewood (England, 1931- )
• Ljubomir Ljubojevic (Yugoslavia, 1950 - )
• Ruy Lopez (Spain, c.1530 - c.1580)
• Johann Löwenthal (Hungary, 1810-1876)
• Luis Ramirez Lucena (Spain, c.1465 - c.1530)

M

• Geza Maroczy (Hungary, 1870 - 1951)
• Frank Marshall (USA, 1877 - 1944)
• Hermanis Matisons (Latvia, 1894 - 1932)
• Alexander McDonnell (Ireland, 1798-1835)
• Luke McShane (England, 1984 - )
• Henrique Mecking (Brazil, 1952 - )
• Susanto Megaranto (Indonesia, 1987 - )
• Vera Menchik-Stevenson (Czech Republic, England, 1906 - 1944)
• Jacques Mieses (Germany, England 1865 - 1954)
• Vladas Mikenas (Lithuania, 1910 - )
• Tony Miles (England, 1955 - 2001)
• Augustus Mongredien (England, 1807-1888)
• Iván Morovic (Chile, 1963 - )
• Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 1977 - )
• Paul Morphy (USA, 1837 - 1884)

N

• Miguel Najdorf (Argentina, 1910 - ?)
• Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 1987- )
• Rashid Nezhmetdinov (Russia, 1912- 1974)
• Aaron Nimzowitsch (Latvia, 1886 - 1935)
• John Nunn (England, 1955- )

O

• John Owen (England, 1827 - 1901)

P

• Oscar Panno (Argentina, 1935 - )
• Mark Paragua (Philippine, 1984 - )
• Bruno Parma (Slovenia, 1941 - )
• Louis Paulsen (Germany, 1833 - ?)
• Tigran Petrosian (Georgia, USSR, 1929 - 1984)
• François-André Danican Philidor (France, 1726 - 1795)
• Jeroen Piket (Netherlands, )
• Harry Nelson Pillsbury (USA, 1872 - 1906)
• Vasja Pirc (Slovenia, 1907 - 1980)
• Giulio Polerio (Italy, c.1550 - c.1610)
• Judit Polgar (Hungary, 1976 - )
• Zsuzsa Polgar (Hungary, USA, 1969 - )
• Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 1983 - )
• Lajos Portisch (Hungary, 1937 - )
• C.J.S.Purdy (Australia, 1906 - 1979)

R

• Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan, 1987 - )
• Fred Reinfeld
• Samuel Reshevsky (Poland, USA, 1911 - )
• Richard Réti (Czechoslovakia, 1889 - 1929)
• Jules Arnous de Rivière (France, 1830 - 1905)
• Michael Rohde (USA, 1959 - )
• Eugène Rousseau (France, c.1810 - c.1870)
• Nicolas Rossolimo (USA, 1910 - ?)
• Akiba Rubinstein (Poland, 1882 - 1961)
• Olga Rubtsova (Russia, 1909 - 1994)
• Lyudmila Rudenko (Russia, 1904 - 1986)

S

• Pierre St. Amant (France, 1800 - 1872)
• Valery Salov (Russia, 1964 - )
• Emmanuel Schiffers (Russia, 1850 - 1904)
• Carl Schlechter (Austria, 1874 - 1918)
• Yasser Seirawan (Syria, USA, 1960 - )
• Alexei Shirov (Latvia, Spain, 1972 - )
• Nigel Short (England, 1965 - )
• Alexander Shabalov (Latvia, USA, 1967 - )
• Jackson Showalter (USA, 1860-1935)
• Vasily Smyslov (Russia, 1921 - )
• Boris Spassky (Russia, France, 1937 - )
• Jon Speelman (England, 1956 - )
• Rudolf Spielmann (Austria, 1883 - 1942)
• Kevin Spraggett (Canada, 1954 - )
• Gideon Stahlberg (Sweden, 1908 - 1967)
• Charles Stanley (England,USA 1819 - 1901)
• Howard Staunton (England, 1810 - 1874)
• Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria, 1979 - )
• Wilhelm Steinitz (Bohemia, USA, 1836 - 1900)
• Daniel Stellwagen (Netherlands) 1987 - )
• Mir Sultan Khan (Pakistan, 1905 - 1966)

T

• Mark Taimanov (Russia, 1926 - )
• Mikhail Tal (Latvia, USSR, 1936 - 1992)
• Siegbert Tarrasch (Germany, 1862 - 1934)
• Ksawery Tartakower (Poland, France, 1887 - 1956)
• Richard Teichmann (Germany, 1868 - ?)
• Jan Timman (Netherlands, 1951 - )
• Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria, 1975 - )
• Theodore Tylor (England 1900 - 1968)

U

• Wolfgang Uhlmann (GDR, 1935 - )
• Wolfgang Unzicker (Germany, 1925 - ?)

V

• Loek Van Wely (Netherlands, )
• Milan Vidmar (Slovenia, 1885 - 1962)

W

• Szymon Winawer (Poland, 1838 - ?)
• Marmaduke Wyvill (England, 1814 - 1896)

X

• Jun Xie (China, 1970 - )
• Jun Xu (China, 1962 - )

Y

• Daniel Yanofsky (Poland, Canada, 1925 - ?)
• Frederick Yates (England, 1884 - 1932)
• Jiangchuan Ye (China, 1960 - )
• Artur Yusupov (Russia, Germany, 1960 - )

Z

• Alexander Zaitsev (USSR, 1935 - 1971)
• Zhong Zhang (China, 1978 - )
• Eugene Znosko-Borovsky (Russia, France 1884 - 1954)
• Johannes Zukertort (Poland, 1842 - 1888)

Famous people who were/are avid chess players

The people in this list are famous in other areas of activity, but are known to have played chess or maintain a current interest in chess.

• Woody Allen
• Atahualpa
• George Airy
• Humphrey Bogart
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• John Cage
• Lewis Carroll
• Catherine the Great
• Ray Charles
• Marcel Duchamp
• Albert Einstein
• Paul Erdös
• Richard Feynman
• Benjamin Franklin
• Thomas Jefferson
• Stanley Kubrick
• Lennox Lewis
• Abraham de Moivre
• Vladimir Nabokov (Russian writer)
• Alexander Pushkin (Russian writer)
• Sergei Prokofiev (Russian composer & pianist)
• Juan Maria Solare (Argentine composer & pianist)
• Will Smith
• Raymond Smullyan
• Sting
• Josip Broz Tito
• Leo Tolstoy
• Queen Victoria
• George Washington
• John Wayne

Computers

• Deep Blue, the IBM chess playing computer, was victorious in a 1997 match against then-world champion Garry Kasparov. (Deep Thought was an earlier, similar machine.)

• Deep Fritz achieved a draw in the 2002 match, "Brains in Bahrain", against Vladimir Kramnik. A variant, X3D Fritz, drew against Kasparov.

• Shredder is another strong program, having won the World Computer Chess Championship eight times.

See also

• World chess champions
• International Grandmasters
• World junior chess champions
• National chess champions

External links

• http://www.fide.com
• http://www.uschess.org
• http://www.muljadi.org