Born 1892 in Moscow, he became one of the first official chess grandmasters in 1914. After winning the world championship in 1927 from the Cuban chess player José Rául Capablanca he lost it to the Dutch chess player Max Euwe in 1935. Alekhine rewon the championship from Euwe in 1937 and maintained it until his death in 1946. One of the strongest Word Champions, Alekhine was renowned for his deep calculations and uncompromising attacking style.

Born in 1911, Botvinnik was a scientific technician of chess, seeking to play in the most positionally solid manner. He worked very hard in his chess studies and thus was proficient in all areas of the game, including the psychology of creating positions that his opponents were uncomfortable in. Accusations have been made that players were instructed to lose against him - that he was "pre-selected" as champion by the Soviets. This was supposedly done because he was less controversial than other players, notably rival Paul Keres, sometimes called "the best player who never became World Champion." He died in 1995. He played one of the most famous winning combinations in chess history against Capablanca, and for decades he let people believe he had calculated it to its conclusion during the game. But, later in life he admitted that he had been unsure during the game whether the combination was good for better than a draw.

Widely believed to be the strongest player ever, in 1985 at age 22 Kasparov became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion. However, like Bobby Fischer, controversy seems to follow him. He broke away from the long-standing "official" chess organization body, FIDE, to create several of his own organizations to run his own world championships. Beyond his interests in chess, Kasparov is an accomplished mathematician and computer expert who speaks 15 different languages. He has authored four books and has gained international recognition as a prominent spokesperson for political, educational and social reforms in Eastern Europe.

Born in 1868, Dr. Emanuel Lasker won the world championship from Steinitz when he was 27 years old and he kept the title for 27 years. However, he didn't want to be as poor as Steinitz, so Lasker demanded more in prize money than anyone had before. He died in 1941.

Born in 1837, in 1858 he travelled through Europe and beat all the best players in the world, sometimes playing several simultaneously. Not long afterwards, he quit chess, and died at age 47 in 1884. His dominance, clear style and sudden disappearance from the game are reminiscent of Fischer. Morphy was the first player in history to play according to the key principles of modern Grandmaster chess: play in stages, develop before attacking and control the center with pieces and pawns.

Stubborn, scientific, and the first official world champion (1836-1900).