The record inspires us all to strive for greatness. The long legacy of chess has produced records that have stood for decades and some for hundreds of years.
Here are 7 of the most interesting chess records in history.
Longest winning streak: World champion Bobby Fischer – 20 or 19 games
Bobby Fischer, World Chess Champion
Bobby Fischer won a remarkable 20 games against the competition’s best in the final match with Boris Spassky in the race for the title. He began his run in the 1970 Palma de Mallorca Interzonal, winning seven games in a row to end the tournament. Because Oscar Pino left his game voluntarily, some chess historians prefer not to bring this game up.
Fisher defeated Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen in the 1971 participants’ match by a perfect score of 6–0.
An early win against Tigran Petrosyan ended the winning streak with a loss in the next match.
Fischer defeated Petrosyan and Boris Spassky to become the World Chess Champion.
Honorable Mention:
World Champion Bobby Fischer – 11/11 at the 1963/4 US Championships
GM Fabian Caruana – Seven wins in the 2014 Sinquefield Cup
Longest unbeaten chess player: World champion Mikhail Tal – 95 games
Mikhail Tal, World Chess Champion
Mikhail Tal holds the world record for most consecutive master games without defeat.
Mikhail Tal was famous for his creative attacking style, which was on full display in the 1960 World Championship match against Mikhail Botvinnik. He became the youngest world champion at the age of 23 to win this match: another record that stood until Garry Kasparov defeated Anatoly Karopov in 1985 at the age of 22.
Health issues and his inconsistent form marred Tal’s career may have led many to overlook his incredible later years. Between October 23, 1973 and October 16, 1974, he went 95 consecutive games without a loss, a feat that no other player has come close to matching.
Honorable Mention:
Mikhail Tal (again!) – 85 games from July 1972 to April 1973
World Champion José Raul Capablanca – 63 games from February 10, 1916 to March 21, 1924
Longest-reigning world champion: Emmanuel Lasker – 27 years
Emanuel Lasker, World Chess Champion
Emmanuel Lasker, the longest-reigning world champion.
Emanuel Lasker became the second world champion by defeating Wilhelm Steinitz in 1894. He held the title until defeated by José Raúl Capablanca in 1921. He played in elite tournaments in the 1930s and continued. It is often noted that Lascar’s reign was extended because scheduled matches with Rubinstein and Capablanca were postponed due to the intervention of World War I. Even without factoring in those consecutive years, Lasker’s reign would last longer than any other champion.
Honorable Mention:
World Champion Garry Kasparov – 15 years from 1985 to 2000
World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik – 13 years from 1948 to 1963
Highest Elo Record: World Champion Magnus Carlsen – 2882
Magnus Carlsen, World Chess Champion
World champion Magnus Carlsen is the greatest player of all time.
Magnus Carlsen reached this mark in May 2014 on the FIDE list. Unofficially, he reached a high mark of 2889 on the live rating list. Some argue that rating inflation makes these records meaningless, but Chess.com’s analysis shows that chess skills are improving over time.
Honorable Mention:
World Champion Garry Kasparov’s Highest Rating was 2851 on July 1999
GM Fabiano Caruana – October 2014 at 2844
Youngest player to become Grandmaster:
GM Sergey Karjakin – 12 years, seven months
Sergey Karjakin, Chess Prodigy
GM Sergey Karjakin, the youngest ever Grandmaster.
At the time of publication, Karjakin is the only player to have achieved the Grandmaster title at the age of 12. Karjakin experienced his first championship match at the age of 12, playing second to Ruslan Ponomariov in his fide world championship match with Vasily Ivanchuk.
In 2012, Karjakin got his chance at the World Championship by challenging Magnus Carlsen. The match was eventually decided in favour of Carlsen via a quick tiebreak after a 6–6 draw in 12 classical games, with each player winning a game.
Honorable Mention:
World Champion Bobby Fischer – 15 years, 6 months, 1 day in 1958
GM Judith Paulger – 15 years, 4 months, 28 days in 1991
Most Concurrent Games: GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami – 604 games
GM Ehsan Ghayem Maghami holds the world record for simultaneous chess.
A simultaneous exhibition is a set of games against multiple competitors at the same time. Usually, the opponents sit in a row or circle and the master rotates the players, making moves against each opponent before moving on to the next.
Ehsan Ghaem Maghami, a nine-time Iranian champion, claims the world record for playing multiple opponents simultaneously by playing more than 604 opponents simultaneously. In a simultaneous exhibition in Tehran, Iran, he won 580 games, drew only 16 games and lost eight. The exhibition was held on February 8-9, 2011 at Shaheed Behesti University Sports Stadium.
Honorable Mention:
Susan Paulger – 326 opponents in 2005, 309 wins, 14 draws, 3 losses
Jose Raul Capablanca – 103 opponents in 1922, 102 wins, 1 draw
Most simultaneous blindfolded games: GM Timur Gariev – 48 games
Timur Gariev, the world record holder for blindfolded chess.
One of the notable features of chess is that it is played blindfolded. During blindfolded matches, the blindfolded chess player is not allowed to look at the board. The entire situation has to be kept in mind by the players when the moves are guided by chess signals. In a simultaneous blindfold display, the displayer has to remember all the positions simultaneously, which is a great attribute of chess skill and concentration.
Timur Gariev set a new world record for this format on 3–4 December 2013, when he played 48 opponents at the same time. He won 35, drew seven and lost six.
Honorable Mention:
FM Mark Lang – 46 opponents in 2011
GM Miguel Najdorf – 1947 game with 45 opponents
