Re: Who are the Greats?

On Mar 10, 5:47 pm, Taylor Kingston <taylor.kings...@comcast.net>
wrote:

I guess that's why we don't see Alexhine's name on this list.

 Are you including only "classic champions," i.e. those who won the
title in match play, or also winners of those FIDE free-for-alls:
Khalifman, Ponomariov, Kasimdzhanov, Topalov?

 No argument there.

 A bit high for these three, perhaps.

 A good candidate. Certainly top 50 at least.

 Again too high, IMO.

 A highly debatable choice. Talented, no doubt, but undisciplined and
alcoholic.

 Can't agree, especially on Marshall. Certainly in the top 75 or 100,
but top 30?

 Eh? He didn't live long enough to accomplish much. He did co-win
(with Alekhine) one important tournament, Prague 1942, but died at age
21 in the closing weeks of WW II.

 Strongly second the motion.

 Arguably not in the top 30, but I won't belabor it.

 Some major omissions, IMO: Bronstein, Geller, Stein, Timman,
Polugaevsky, Boleslavsky, Portisch. Also perhaps Ivanchuk, Gelfand,
Hübner and Averbakh. Others perhaps not in the top 30 but still better
than many of the above: Fine, Kholmov, Gligoric, Taimanov, Kotov,
Yusupov, Ribli, Andersson, Vaganian, Hort, Najdorf, Nimzovich.

 Oh, and where is Morphy?

Who are the 30 best chess players of all time?
f.ck knows.
I would have the World Champions plus:
Reshevsky
Larsen
Rubinstein
Schlechter
Short
Chigorin
Zuckertort
Mason
Pillsbury
Marshall
Junge
Keres
Kortschnoi
Tarrasch
and
Bogoljuboff