Top five youngest male to become chess World No. 1

The youngest chess world champion is also the youngest to become world No. 1.

The FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs: World Chess Federation) ratings were officially introduced in 1971. Ever since, only seven players have occupied the position of World Number #1. While American Bobby Fischer stayed at the top for about four years, players from the erstwhile Soviet Union/present day Russia dominated the charts for more than 30 years. 

The only Indian to have ever moved to the pinnacle is Vishwanathan Anand, who occupied the position for different durations from 2007 to 2011, following which Norwegian Magnus Carlsen has been indomitable.

This set of data points to the fact that only a select few players- the greatest players of all time have been able to achieve the feat of becoming chess world number #1. While the sport has seen many youngsters, including children, excel (for context, American Abhimanyu Mishra became the youngest grandmaster at the age of 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days), moving to the top of the rankings has taken quite some time for those elite players to have achieved the feat. For context, Anand was 37 years old when he first became the best player in the world. ‘

Therefore, it is noteworthy that some players have peaked at the age of 20. On that note, let’s have a look at the top five youngest male players to become Chess World Number #1, as per the FIDE ratings:

Also Read: ⁠FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship: Full list of winners

5. Bobby Fischer (USA)

Bobby Fischer became the first World Number #1 player in the sport when the FIDE ratings were introduced in 1971. He was aged 28 at the time of the development. The player from Chicago achieved a peak rating of 2785 in July 1972.

Fischer’s greatest accomplishment is winning a record eighth US Championship title. The eleventh World Chess Champion, he has made many contributions to the game, including the introduction of the time increment system.

4. Anatoly Karpov (Soviet Union/Russia)

Anatoly Karpov displaced Fischer at the top in 1976, at age 24. He maintained his dominance till 1983, before again making a return for a brief duration in 1985. Interestingly, the Russian (after the division of the Soviet Union) again scaled the summit in 1994 and achieved the best rating of 2780 in this period. Karpov, the 12th World Chess Champion, is a three-time FIDE World Champion.

Also Read: Full list of chess Grandmasters from India

He also earned considerable fame with the USSR team, winning two World Championships and six Chess Olympiads.

3. Garry Kasparov (Soviet Union/Russia)

Garry Kasparov, arguably the greatest to have played the sport, took over from Karpov when he was just 20. From 1984 until his retirement in 2005, he was the highest-rated player for a record period of 255 months. His highest rating is 2851, achieved in July 1999. Kasparov holds the record for the most consecutive professional tournament triumphs: 15.

He has also won eleven chess Oscars. The USSR/Russian player also held the record of being the youngest undisputed World Champion for nearly 20 years before Gukesh Dommaraju eclipsed him last year. Kasparov set up the Professional Chess Association after a fallout with FIDE.

Also Read: ⁠FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship: Full list of winners

2. Vladimir Kramnik (Russia)

Amidst the dominance of fellow Russians Karpov and Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik rose to the top for a brief duration, in January 1996, at the age of 20. Interestingly, though, he achieved his peak rating (2817) as recently as October 2016. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006 and the 14th undisputed World Chess Champion in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, he became the first-ever chess player to hold both the FIDE and Classical titles since Kasparov’s rift.

1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway)

Magnus Carlsen achieved the feat in 2010 when he was just 19. Vishwanathan Anand had pushed him down for some time in 2010 and 2011. Since then, he has been the world No. 1 player. His best rating of 2882, in February 2014, has not been overhauled to date.

Also Read: Top five greatest Indian chess players of all-time

He has achieved five World Chess Championship and World Rapid Chess Championship titles each. He is also the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion, having clinched the title eight times overall. Carlsen also has the longest winning streak at the elite level, winning 125 consecutive games unanswered.

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