The legendary Viktor Korchnoi turns 80 today. Where would you rank him among the greatest players never to have won the World Championship?
| Who is the greatest player never to have won the World Championship? | |
| Viktor Korchnoi | |
| Paul Keres | |
| David Bronstein | |
| Someone else | |
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Assuming that we are only speaking of those who have played since Steinitz became the first official Worlds Champion, I would choose either Rubinstein or Fine. However, the 3 listed are also good choices. Some very fantastic players have had great careers but not made it all the way to the top! We surely be adding more soon, as the current crop of challengers is very good also.
Each of these players could have been world champion. Perhaps you forget also Rubinstein.
They all are, unfortunately.
In the case of Keres and Bronstein, the then world champions weren’t really that much superior.
I give my “cup” to Korchnoi. It fascinates the heck out of me, that even at his age he is still an active player. While his ELO is obviously below the great ones, but still, tens of millions of chess players out there would give half of their lives to get to that level.
What about Rubinstein, Tarrasch, Reshevsky, Pillsbury, Schlechter?
And Ivanchuk!
Ivanchuk is also a very good one, a man whose best years unfortunately happened during Kasparov’s best years. One other name can be thrown in, I think: Maroczy.
there are many greats who have never won a World Championship – Korchnoi, Keres, Bronstein, Reshevsky, Najdorf, Fine, Bogoljubow, Rubinstein, Schlechter, Tarrasch, Nimzowitsch, Pillsbury, even modern players like Ivanchuk, Shirov, Kamsky, Gelfand, but the greatest of them all is without question – Magnus Carlsen !
Akiba Rubinstein was unquestionably the world’s top player in 1912, and in my opinion was the greatest player never to have won the World Championship.
Someone like Keres was threatened with execution.
Someone like Fine was convinced the Soviet Machine had the cheating scheme set.
Someone like Korchnoi was informed that his family would be tortured during his match.
The Stalin-Soviet-cheating machine changed the historic world champion list more than anything else.
And
Magnus Carlsen declined the hassle.
Real champions endure the hassle to became the champion.
Both Rubinstein and Maroczy deserve mention. Lasker went out of his way to avoid a match with either of them. waulti
Carlsen.
Schlechter.
Stef
In my opinion, unquestionably Rubinstein. Followed by Keres and maybe Fine.