Braingames World Championship

Fascinating Facts
By Arvind Aaron
 

    V.Kramnik becomes the 30th player in the 116-year history of chess to play in a world championship match.

     Emanuel Lasker, world champion (1894-1921) for the longest period - 26 years and 337 days holds the highest percentage score among all those who have played in the elite championship.

    Steinitz, the first champion, was the oldest at 58 years and ten days. Kasparov became the youngest champion on November 9, 1985 at 22 years and 210 days. In the above fifty percent group, only two strong players, Sameul Reshevsky and Paul Keres did not become world champions. The percentages show Max. Euwe as the weakest of all champions. If the story of Yugoslav GM Ljubomir Ljubojevic is to be believed, then Alekhine agreed to play Euwe after the latter arranged the world championship match as well as the return-match. Ljubojevic meant that Alekhine was in need of money and there was no beeter way to earn than from two matches.

    And speaking of the strongest world champion, it is undoubtedly Garry Kasparov as he is yet to lose a match. He also surpassed the all-time high rating set by Fischer. Apart from Kasparov, Fischer is the only world champion to remain undefeated in a match, opting not to defend his title in 1975. Even Alekhine, the only player to die as world champion, lost to Euwe and recovered his stature through a return match.

    Kasparov has opined repeatedly in several interviews that champions from different generations shouldn't be compared since they were the best of their times.

    In the 37th world championship match, Anand made his debut and joined an elite historic group thereby making India proud.

    In the 39th world championship Kramnik becomes the latest Russian to join the elite list.

Historical Record Of Players In World Championships
 
Names
 Match 
 Game 
 Win 
 Draw 
 Loss 
    % 
Lasker 
7
102
45
 42
15
 64.7 
Fischer
1
  21
 7
 11
 3
 59.5 
Alekhine 
5
140
43
 73
24
56.8 
Kasparov
7
181
31
129
21
52.99
Reshevsky
1
  20
 6
   9
 5
52.5
Keres
1
  20
 8
  5
 7
52.5
Karpov
9
232
43
156
33
52.1
Smyslov
4
  89
24
 44
21
51.7
Petrosian
3
  69
13
 45
11
51.5
Botvinnik
8
177
46
 90
41
51.4
Capablanca
2
  48
 7
 35
 6
51.0
Bronstein
1
  24
 5
 14
 5
50.0
Schlechter
1
  10
 1
  8
 1
50.0
Steinitz
6
115
43
 29
43
50.0
Tal
2
  40
11
 17
12
48.8
Spassky
3
  68
12
 41
15
47.8
Korchnoi
2
  50
 7
 31
12
45.0
Gunsberg
1
  19
 4
  9
 6
44.7
Chigorin
2
  40
14
  6
20
42.5
Anand
1
  18
 1
 13
 4
41.7
Kamsky
1
  18
 3
  9
 6
41.6
Timman
1
  21
 2
 13
 6
40.5
Bogoljubov
2
  51
 8
  2
19
39.2
Euwe
3
  75
14
 30
31
38.7
Short
1
  20
 1
 13
 6
37.5
Zukertort
1
  20
 5
  5
10
37.5
Tarrasch
1
  16
 3
  5
 8
34.4
Marshall
1
  15
 0
  7
 8
23.3
Janowsky
1
  11
 0
  3
 8
13.6
Table concept: J.Saravana Kumar, www.chess-mate.com
 

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