Best chess players in history

Comparison of the best chess players throughout the years

Several methods have been suggested for comparing the greatest chess players in history.

There is agreement on a statistical system to rate the strengths of current players, called the Elo system, but disagreement about methods used to compare players from different generations who never competed against each other

Statistical methods

Elo system

Main articles: Elo rating system and List of chess players by peak FIDE rating

The most well known statistical method was devised by Arpad Elo in 1960 and elaborated on in his 1978 book The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present.^[1] He gave ratings to players corresponding to their performance over the best five-year span of their career.

According to this system the highest ratings achieved were:

Though published in 1978, Elo's list did not include five-year averages for later players Bobby Fischer and A