Top five players with longest unbeaten streak in Chess

Magnus Carlsen holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in professional classical chess.

In a sport where a single mistake can cost the crown, remaining undefeated becomes more than a statistic – it becomes a legend. Chess is not kind to the complacent. The pressure doesn’t build gradually; it crushes instantly.

Your opening prep falters? You lose. You drift in the middle game? You bleed. You miscalculate once in the endgame? Checkmate. So, when a player strings together game after game, tournament after tournament, without tasting defeat, it commands attention. It demands awe.

On that note, let’s take a look at the top five players with the longest unbeaten streak in Chess.

5. Milan Drasko – 84 Games

Milan Drasko’s 84-game unbeaten run is one of the least-known, but no less remarkable. From October 2006 to September 2007, the Montenegrin grandmaster didn’t suffer a defeat for a year in the classical games. While details of the exact tournaments and opponents are limited, his results are impressive.

Drasko’s game was about solid positional play and practical endgames. Despite not being a mainstay in super-GM circuits, he maintained consistency across open and regional events.

Also Read: Top five male players with longest chess World No. 1 reign

4. Wang Yue – 85 Games

Wang Yue’s 85-game streak was more than personal—it was China’s chess coming-out party. It started during his peak rise in 2008 and started in March and lasted through December, with Wang posting 30 wins and 55 draws.

His performances included appearances in events such as the FIDE Grand Prix, the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, and top-level invitationals.

His positional, risk-averse style made him incredibly difficult to beat; during this time, he broke into the top 10, reached a peak rating of 2752, and became the first Chinese player to achieve this level. His streak earned official recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records.

3. Mikhail Tal – 95 Games

Tal imposed chaos and walked away unscathed between October 1973 and October 1974; he avoided defeat in 95 straight classical games and posted 46 wins and 49 draws.

Despite battling health issues, Tal played an aggressive, sacrificial style while maintaining his tactical astuteness, which made “Magician from Riga” famous. He competed in elite international events, including strong Soviet tournaments, facing world-class opposition.

His streak also set the standard in the pre-computer era and held as the record for over four decades until Ding Liren surpassed it in 2018.

Also Read: Top five youngest male to become chess World No. 1

2. Ding Liren – 100 Games

Ding Liren went on an incredible run from August 2017 to November 2018 as he won 100 classical games without a single loss. He picked up 29 wins and 71 draws, going up against the best in the world at events like the Candidates, Tata Steel, and the Olympiads.

He didn’t lose a game and still ended up fourth. That streak showed just how solid his openings were, how sharp his calculation was, and how much work he’d put in.

Also, Ding crossed the 2800 rating barrier and became the first Chinese player to reach a 2800 rating. Ding’s streak ended in 2019, broken by Magnus Carlsen, but he had already made history with the longest streak of games without defeat at the elite level of chess at that time.

1. Magnus Carlsen – 125 Games

This was the gold standard, and who could it be? Well, it is Magnus Carlsen who holds the record for the longest undefeated streak in professional classical chess: 125 games.

His run started after a loss to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in July 2018 and ended in October 2020 with a defeat to Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Carlsen played 125 games across this period and won 42 and drew 83. The streak spanned events like Tata Steel, Norway Chess, and the Sinquefield Cup.

He faced almost every top-10 player during this time. Carlsen’s approach combined deep preparation, strong endgame conversion, and an ability to press in equal positions. The streak lasted over two years, two months, and ten days, setting a benchmark unlikely to be surpassed soon.

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