A galaxy of great champions

THERE is only a month left before the new World chess champion is crowned, and the battles for the crown begin in New Delhi tomorrow. Though the last 14 months produced two new champions, there have still been only 15 World chess champions, since the first World title match was held in the United States in 1886.

Some of the past champions (Top Row from left): Emanuel Lasker (1894-1921), Jose Raul Capablanca (1921-27), Max Euwe (1935-37), Mikhail Botvinnik (1948-57, 1958-60, 1961-63) Second Row: Vassily Smyslov (1957-58), Mikhail Tal (1960-61), Tigran Petroslan (1963- 69) and Boris Spassky (1969-72).

Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) defeated Johannes Zukerkot in that 20-game match held in the cities of New York, St. Louis and New Orleans to become the first official World champion. The Austrian won ten games, after trailing 1-4, and lost five. He was the World champion from 1886 to 1894.

After failing to make a living as a journalist he became a professional chess player and made London his home. He successfully defended his World title in 1889 and 1892 against Mikhail Tchigorin and against Isidor Gunsburg in 1890. A brilliant match player, he remained undefeated in matches for 30 years.

Steinitz, who died a pauper, was the first great systematic thinker of chess, and is called the `father of modern chess'. Swimming against the romantic tides of the time he matured into a positional player. He had a deep understanding of defensive play, and accumulation of small advantages was one of his key principles.

Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941), the second World champion, was accused of hypnotising his opponents. He did nothing of the sort, but he was the first to apply psychology to the chess board. It worked well for him, for he became the champion at 26, defeating an ageing Steinitz in 1894 with ten wins, five losses and four draws, and held the title for 27 years, a record that is surely not going to be broken.

As a child, he showed talent both in chess and mathematics. He was awarded a doctorate for his abstract algebraic system. On the board, he was a great fighter and did not hesitate to take risks. He thrived in creating brilliant complications in the middle game and was strong in the end game too. He enjoyed working on the weakness of his rivals. Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942) was the first modern superstar in chess. He was handsome, charming and famous. He was also almost unbeatable. Many consider him to be the greatest natural talent chess has ever seen.

Capablanca became the third World champion without losing even a single game in the title match of 1921 against Lasker in his home city, Havana. He won four games and drew 10 before the champion, citing poor health, conceded. He is the only man in history to win the World title without losing a single game. He was the champion till 1927.

Debonair, intelligent and courteous, the Cuban was known even to people who did not play chess. In 1913 he was appointed by the Cuban government in its foreign office, which enabled him to travel widely and play chess. Called `the chess machine' because of his clear, logical style, Capablanca had a great influence of the game. He was an excellent writer on the game, and made his own contributions to opening theory.

Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) had only two passions in life, chess and himself. He was a selfish and ambitious man, but he was also a brilliant chess player, said to be the most stylish of all World champions.

Alekhine was born in a rich and aristocratic family of Moscow but the 1917 Revolution ruined his family fortune and he was forced to work as a magistrate and chess player. He became a member of the Communist party, but later he emigrated to Switzerland, because his wife was a Swiss nurse. Once he was safe, he abandoned her.

Then he became a French citizen, and from France he attacked the Soviet regime. During the second World War he was a French patriot when France was doing well, but when Germany triumphed, he shifted allegiance to the Nazis.

But, for all his weaknesses in character, Alekhine played wonderful chess. In 1927, he defeated Capablanca 18.5-15.5 to become the champion. After losing the title in 1935 to Euwe, he regained it in 1937, destroying his tormentor 15.5-9.5. He is the only man to die with a World title. He was a truly extraordinary player, and could play both tactical and positional chess at a very high level.

Machgielis (Max) Euwe (1901-1981) authored one of the biggest upsets in the history of World championship, but he was an amateur throughout his life. The Dutchman was called the schoolmaster who also played chess.

Dr. Euwe, who had a doctorate in mathematics, became the World champion by shocking Alexander Alekhine 15.5-14.5, in the title match held over 15 cities across the Netherlands in 1935, though the odds were heavily against him. A cultured gentleman, Euwe gave Alekhine a revenge match on his own will and graciously accepted his 1937 defeat. He became the FIDE president in 1970 and held the post till 1978. A master technician on the board, he was a prolific writer on the game.

Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) started the great Russian revolution in chess. He became the next World champion in 1948 when FIDE staged a five-way World title tournament following the death of Alekhine. He finished a clear winner, three points ahead of his nearest rival Vassily Smyslov. Paul Keres, Samuel Reshevsky and Euwe were the others in the fray.

He was the World champion during three separate periods - 1948- 57, 1958-60 and 1961-63. He also lost the final on three occasions: in 1957 to Smyslov, but he regained it from him the following year, in 1960 to Mikhail Tal, but again he had his revenge a year later, and in 1963 to Tigran Petrosian, though this time there was no comeback.

Botvinnik, the patriarch of the Soviet School of Chess, was a qualified electrical engineer, in which he had a doctorate. He used his scientific mind to analyse chess and was the first to give importance to study and preparations for tournaments and matches. He founded a special programme for talented youngsters and his pupils include Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, all future World champions.

Vassily Smyslov (1921) tried hard to become an opera singer, but failed after nearly realising his dream. His attempts at winning the World chess championship were far more successful. The Russian defeated Botvinnik 12.5-8.5 to become the champion in 1958, after holding him to a draw in the 1954 title clash. But he was the World champion only for one year, though he continued to play highly competitive chess well into old age.

Smyslov was an excellent positional player who displayed considerable originality in openings, used strategies well in the middle- game and handled the end-game masterfully. His love of music never deserted him. Once during the interval of a match he entertained the audience singing in his rich baritone voice.

Mikhail Tal (1936-92) was the best loved of all World champions. Probably there are more chess clubs named after him than any other champion. It was his stunning sacrifices on the board that endeared him to chess enthusiasts throughout the world. The eighth World champion was arguably the greatest attacking genius of modern chess.

But like his fellow-countryman Smyslov, he was the champion only for a year after beating Botvinnik 12.5-8.5 in 1960. But at 23, he was the youngest World champion until Kasparov broke his record in 1985. Tal, who was called the `Magician of Riga', lacked the stability that is normally associated with great champions.

The Soviet domination of world chess continued with Tigran Petrosian (1929-84), who became champion in 1963 beating Mikhail Botvinnik 12.5-9.5. He was the champion till 1969. His style was prophylactic, preventing whatever plans his opponents came up with. `The Python' demolished his opponents without allowing them any counterplay.

His cautious game also earned him the nickname `the goalkeeper from Armenia'. He had an outstanding record at the chess Olympiad, losing only one game in ten Olympiads between 1958 and 1978, as he won 79 games and drew 51. It is said that Petrosian, one of the greatest players ever, was not ambitious or determined enough to fulfill his true potential.

Boris Spassky (1937), the tenth champion, would also be remembered as the man who lost that epic 1972 battle to Bobby Fischer in Iceland. He won the World title in 1969, beating Petrosian 12.5-10.5, after narrowly losing to him three years before. An all-time great, he was one of the most popular champions.

The most handsome World champion since Capablanca, Spassky was polite, cultured and elegant. He was a universal player and had great insight and a fine grasp of technique. He could handle any type of position. He now lives in France.

Chess owes its world wide popularity to Robert James (Bobby) Fischer (1943), the maverick American who revolutionised the game. He became the 11th World champion, winning the historic match against Spassky in 1972 12.5-8.5, despite conceding the second game. He was voted the greatest player of the last century, but he sadly quit the game after winning the World championship.

`The Brooklyn kid' was a child prodigy who was so confident of his abilities that he said ``There is no one alive I can't beat'' when he was 18. He had a phenomenal success rate. From 1962 till the premature end of his career in 1972 he won every tournament in which he played except the Capablanca memorial in 1965 (he was second, half-a-point behind the champion) and the Piatigorsky Cup in 1966 (second, by half-a-point). In the 1964 U.S. championship he scored a sensational triumph, with a perfect score in a strong Grandmaster field, beating everyone.

Fischer wanted to win every game he played and did exhaustive analysis in opening theories. He also brought money to the game. He demanded huge sums and got them.Anatoly Karpov (1951) became the 12th World champion without making a single move, when Fischer refused to play the 1975 title match. Ironically, he lost his title by default too, when he boycotted the FIDE knock-out World championship in Las Vegas in 1999. The Russian defended his title in 1978 and 1981, beating Victor Korchnoi, and was the champion till 1985, when he lost to Kasparov.

He has the finest tournament record in history and at his best was a player hard to beat. His style is solid rather than flashy, and gives his rival little room for a fightback. He possesses one of the world's biggest collections of stamps on chess.

Garry Kasparov (1963) is the strongest player the game has seen. The youngest World champion ever, he was beaten by Vladimir Kramnik in London earlier this month. He looked simply invincible in matches.

No man had to work hard in the chess history to become a champion as Kasparov did in 1984-85, when it took him 280 days, and 72 games to defeat Karpov. He staged the greatest comeback in sporting history to become the 13th World champion, at the age of 22. He was 0-5 behind, and Karpov needed just one more win to retain the title. After the first match was controversially stopped with the score at 5-5, Kasparov won the game for a 13-11 victory.

He defended his title against Karpov in 1986, 1987 and 1990 before breaking away from FIDE. Since then he contested unofficial World title matches against Nigel Short in 1993 and Viswanathan Anand in 1995. He won on both occasions. But for that New York match, he took Kramnik as a member of his team, a decision he has lived to regret. Though his purpose - beating Anand - was served, the young Russian benefited a lot from that stint.

For 15 long years, Kasparov never lost to a human being in a match (upto Nov.2000). He is still the World No. 1, the highest rated player ever. His strength lies in his unparalleled opening preparations, determination, fighting spirit, hard work and a rare feel for the initiative and attack.

Alexander Khalifman (1966) surprised everyone when he won the FIDE knock-out championship in 1999. The Russian became the 14th World champion when he defeated Vladimir Akopian in the final, after beginning his campaign with a loss to India's Dibyendu Barua in the first game of the opening round.

He did not have to play top players like Kramnik, Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams or Nigel Short. Kasparov, Karpov and Anand had stayed away from the event.

Khalifman, who does not count among the elite players in World chess, is referred to as FIDE World champion, but he showed great mental strength to come out successful in the knock-out system. After his triumph (``A dream coming true,'' he said), he has had mixed results in some of the major tournaments.

Vladimir Kramnik (1975) will always be remembered not just as the 15th World chess champion, but as the man who defeated a legend who simply did not know how to lose. The Russian did the impossible with an 8.5-6.5 win in the Braingames World chess championship in London.

Though it was an unofficial match, Kramnik's claim to be the 15th World champion is unlikely to be contested by many, because he beat Kasparov and is the World No. 2.

Kramnik, the only top player with an even personal score against Kasparov, does not lead an ascetic life, contrary to the popular image of a chess champion. He is a player most difficult to beat, can attack powerfully and is remarkably strong positionally. He has nerves of steel. And we have a fourth successive World champion whose name begins with the letter `K', after Karpov, Kasparov and Khalifman. The letter seems to denote more than `king' in the chess jargon.

But India will be hoping for the 16th World champion with a name beginning with another letter, preferably the first alphabet.

P. K. AJITH KUMAR

Kozhikode

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Nisipeanu exudes confidence
Next     : Judit Polgar reigns without a crown