Based on a survey in 2012, 605 million adults play chess regularly. This makes it one of the largest communities in the world. It has also been found that, among the category of the population classified as ABC1 by Agon, 12% of people in Britain, 15% of people in America, 23% of people in Germany, 43% of people in Russia, and 70% of people in India play Chess at least once a year.
The numbers might be much higher today given the latest boom in the followership of the game, especially after the lockdowns due to the pandemic COVID-19. People were looking for an engagement that could be an additional skill. Chess, as a game, grabbed the attention of many as the productive utilization of time.

If you are a chess lover, this article is for you.

Article Subheads:

i) A Brief History

- Who invented Chess?

- Where did the name 'Chess' come from?

- How did the pieces get their name and characteristics?

- Growth of Chess: Regional growth, Evolution of Chess, Role of Computer

ii) The year-wise list of World Champions since 1886

iii) 10 Elite Tournaments

iv) Net Worth of the Top 10 Chess players currently

v) Most followed chess players on Twitter

vi) Most subscribed chess channel on YouTube

vii) Longest Game in the history of Chess

viii) Longest Tournament in Chess history

ix) Longest Running Tournament

x) 5 Highest downloaded chess apps

xi) Conclusion

A Brief History:

Who invented Chess?

It has been a frequently asked question and a curiosity of the entire chess community. The earliest origins of the game are still unknown, there have been several debates surrounding this subject, the known origins date back to 1500 years. But there is a certainty that a complex game like Chess being invented by one person is less likely. The game has gone through evolution from time to time to become what it is today.

The earliest known history of the predecessor of Chess called ‘Chaturanga’ dates back to the 6th Century AD. Chaturanga originated in India during the Gupta Empire. In the Sanskrit language (the oldest language of India), it suggests ‘four limbs’. In other words, the four divisions of the military. The studies on Indian texts and several other texts of Persia show that Chaturanga was used for military strategy. The four divisions in Chaturanga represent ‘Infantry, Cavalry, Elephantry, and Chariotry’ that evolved to become the pieces we know today namely ‘Rook, Knight, Bishop, and Pawn’.

So, if you feel that a game of Chess is akin to a war, well, it is! This is exciting, isn’t it? Have you heard about a legendary match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky in 1972? It is regarded as the ‘Match of the Century’, and it had taken place amidst the Cold War between the USA and the then Soviet Union. It was no less than a cold war in itself, and after knowing the history of Chaturanga, it must not come as a surprise.

Chaturanga was played on 8*8 checkerboard (much like the current Chess) and in two variants- Two-player format and Four-player format.

Where did the name ‘Chess’ come from?

It is an interesting aspect since the origin of the word ‘Chess’ is not quite known yet. Similar to the evolution of the game from Chaturanga to what we know today, even the name and the pieces have gone through an evolution with every region it traveled to.

From India, Chaturanga was introduced to Persia, and the name evolved to ‘Chatrang’, and then to ‘Shatranj’ as the Arabs lacked ‘ch’ and ‘ng’ sounds.

The conquest of Persia in 651 by the Islamic countries led to an adoption of Chess, and soon it was widespread in the Middle East. From the Middle East, Chess traveled to Europe and Russia.

With the regions, the name of the game changed. For example:

- In North Africa, it was called ‘shaterej’

- In Greece, it was called ‘zatrikion’

In Europe, they adopted the versions of Persian ‘Shah’, the name for the ‘King:

- In Latin, it was called ‘Scacchi’

- In Old French, it was called ‘eschecs’

- In Germany, it was called ‘Schach‘

- In Norway, it was called ‘sjakk’

- In Russia, it was known as ‘shakhmaty’

It is presumed that the word ‘Chess’ came into place because of the alteration in the pronunciation of the word ‘Shah’ by the British. The authentic details on the formation of the word ‘Chess’ are yet unknown.



How did the pieces get their name?

In Persia, the King, which was called ‘Raja’ in India, was named ‘Shah!’ (yes, the same we discussed earlier), and the checkmate was called ‘Shah Mat!’. Similarly, all the other pieces saw an evolution in not just their names, but also their characteristics. Here is the history of the evolution of the few pieces:


Piece: Queen



In India, it was called Mantri (Minister)- In Persia, it evolved to be called ‘Vazir’ leading to being called ‘Wazir’ by Arabs. In English, it came to be called ‘Queen’.


Piece: Bishop



In India, it was called ‘Gajha’ (Elephant)- In Persia, it was ‘Pil’- In Arabic, it was called ‘Al-Fazal’- In Britain, the characteristic and name evolved to become ‘Bishop’ as we know it today.


Piece: Rook



Similar to ‘Gajah (Elephant) becoming ‘Bishop’ at the end of the evolution cycle, the ‘Rook’ has gone through a similar journey.

In India, it was known as ‘Ratha’ (Chariot)- In Persia, it evolved to become ‘Rokh’- Arabs coined the word ‘Rukhkh’- and in English, it was named ‘Rook’.


Piece: Knight



In Sanskrit, it was called ‘Ashva’ (Horse)- Persians named it ‘Asp’- Arabs named it ‘Fars/Hisan’- and in English, it is named ‘Knight’.


Piece: Pawn



In India, it was named ‘Padati’ (Footsoldier)- Persians named it ‘Piadeh’- Arabs named it Baidaq/Jondi- In Britain, it was named what we now it as ‘Pawn’.

If you have reached till here, the next time you have a piece in your hand, you can have a smile on your face that you know its journey of evolution in its name and characteristics. If you want to show it off to your friends or other chess enthusiasts about this information on evolution, I see no reason that you shouldn’t. ;)

Growth of Chess:

Regional growth:

Chess was introduced to Persia by India. From Persia, it was quickly adopted by other Asian countries like China, Japan, Thailand, and Mongolia. It reached the Arabic countries with the invasion of Persia by Islamic countries. From the Arab Countries, Chess traveled to Russia and made its way to Europe.
It spread like wildfire in the various countries of Europe. Chess reached the USA because of the affection of Benjamin Franklin towards Chess, and his book ‘The Morals of Chess’ in 1750 laid the foundation for the growth of Chess in the USA as well.

Evolution of Chess:

Drastic changes in the names and characteristics of pieces, the rules of the game happened at the end of the 15th century. The changes in the characteristics of the pieces not only increased the pace of the game, but made it more interesting. The format of the game has experienced an evolution as well. The London Chess Tournament in 1851 raised concern over the amount of time taken by the players per move. It was found to being 2 hours and 20 minutes per move. The following year saw the variant of five-minutes as we know today. A player who played a specific number of moves in a particular amount of time (30 moves in 2 hours) was rewarded with an increment on time, while those who lapsed the time were penalized with fines and forfeitures. Several systems of play have been introduced as well. From the round-robin style that existed earlier, many of the tournaments are now conducted with the Swiss system, also called as Elimination style.

Time-control, Time Delay, and Time increment were introduced in the system of play. Time increment, the concept of giving an increment to the player after every move, was invented by Bobby Fischer.

The format of the game has evolved over the years. Apart from the existing Classical Chess and Rapid Games, the Blitz games have seen a meteoric rise. Blitz games are played with 5 minutes or 3 minutes per player, while Rapid games are played with 30 minutes, 60 minutes with or without the increment in time. Some of the new variants include:

- Bullet: 1 minute

- Hyper Bullet: 30 seconds

Recent times have seen soaring heights for Online Chess as well. With the advent of technology, people prefer to not only watch but learn and play Chess online. Several platforms like Chess.com, ChessBase, Chess24 have it possible for masses to get involved in the game through their devices.

Role of Computer:

The role of Computer and technology is a much-spoken about aspect in Chess. The last decade has seen the inclusion of technology in the Sport. It was 1967 when the first computer program (Chess engine), to beat a person in a tournament, named ‘Mac Hack Six’ was made. It is little known that the period post that saw the organization of competitions between the Chess Engines called World Computer Chess. The first North American Computer Chess Championship (NACCC) was held in 1970 in New York City. 1974 saw the first World Computer Chess Championship (WCCC).

The most publicized match in the history of Computer chess is the match between Deep Blue, a supercomputer of IBM, and the then World Champion Garry Kasparov. Garry Kasparov’s defeat against Deep Blue sent a shocking wave in the Chess community.

It is safe to say today that computer engines have far exceeded human abilities. Humans are no longer able to compete with them; rather, the Chess engines are used as an assistance and analysis tool. The World Computer Chess Championships are being conducted even to this date. The winner of the 2016 edition was a chess engine called ‘Komodo’.

The World Champions of Chess Year-wise:

The Official Championships have been recorded from the year 1886. Before 1886, the championship matches are termed as Unofficial Championships. Also, until 1948 the matches were privately organized. Post-1948, the challengers were chosen by a ‘Candidates Tournament’. The below are the World Champions in the history of Chess:

1886-1892: Wilhelm Steinitz




Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and later American Chess Master to become the first Official World Chess Champion in the history of the game of Chess. He held the title until 1894. He was an influential player as early as 1866. He was a Chess Writer and a Chess theoretician. He had introduced the positional style of play in 1873 that has become popular today. Until 1873, it was more of an all-out attacking style. Several Chess stalwarts including his successor Emmanuel Lasker have expressed their indebtedness to the positional-play style of Wilhelm Steinitz.

1892-1921: Emmanuel Lasker




Emmanuel Lasker was a German player who is considered one of the greatest Chess players of all time. He held the title of World Chess Champion for 27 years from 1894 until 1921 which has been the longest in the history of chess. He is still regarded among the strongest Chess players in history.

1921-1927: José Raúl Capablanca




José Raúl Capablanca, a Cuban and a Spanish chess player became the third World Chess Champion by defeating the reigning champion Emmanuel Lasker in 1921. He held the title until 1927. He was known for his exceptional end game skills and the speed of play.

1927-1935: Alexander Alekhine




Alexander Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion from 1927-1935, losing to Max Euwe in 1935 and regaining the title in 1937. He has been the only World Chess Champion who expired while holding the title in 1946 aged 53. He was a Russian player known for his fierce attacking style combined with positional play and end game skills. He was also a chess writer & a theoretician who had innovated many variations of chess openings including giving his name to a defense called ‘Alekhine’s Defence’.

1935-1937: Max Euwe




Max Euwe was a Dutch grandmaster who became the fifth World Chess Champion in 1935 after defeating Alexander Alekhine. He held the title for two years until 1937. He served in the position of President of FIDE from 1970-1978.

1937-1946: Alexander Alekhine

Alexander Alekhine regained the title from Max Euwe.

1948-1957: Mikhail Botvinnik




Mikhail Botvinnik was a Soviet and Russian Grandmaster who is regarded as one of the greatest in chess. Apart from Chess, he was also working as an electrical engineer & a computer scientist and the first person to have achieved distinction in other fields while playing top-class competitive chess. He became the sixth World Champion in Chess history and held the title until 1963 except 1957-58 when it was held by Vasily Smyslov, and 1960-61, when it was held by Mikhail Tal. He reclaimed the title on both occasions until being defeated by Tigran Petrosian in 1963. He is highly regarded for his contribution to the growth of Chess in the Soviet Union. He was a leading member of the coaching system in the Soviet Union, and his pupils included Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, and Vladimir Kramnik- the future World Champions.

1957-1958: Vasily Smyslov




Vasily Smyslov was a Soviet and Russian Grandmaster who became the seventh World Champion by defeating Mikhail Botvinnik in 1957 but held it for just a year before Mikhail Botvinnik reclaimed it in 1958.

1958-1960: Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Botvinnik reclaimed the title from Vasily Smyslov.

1960-1961: Mikhail Tal




Mikhail Tal was a Soviet Latvian Chess Grandmaster who became the eighth World Chess Champion in 1960. He has been regarded as one of the best-attacking players of all time. He was known for his unpredictability in his play, earning him the nickname ‘The magician from Riga’. According to Wikipedia, "Every game for him was as inimitable and invaluable as a poem". The sky-high number of chess videos and books to this date mentioning his moves is a testimony to the same.

1961-1963: Mikhail Botvinnik

Mikhail Botvinnik reclaimed the title from Mikhail Tal in 1960.

1963-1969: Tigran Petrosian




Tigran Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian Chess Grandmaster who defeated Mikhail Botvinnik to become the ninth World Chess Champion. He was known for his high-class defensive style of play that was impenetrable. He successfully defended his title in 1966 against Boris Spassky and held the title until 1969.

1969-1972: Boris Spassky




Boris Spassky was the Russian Grandmaster who became the tenth World Chess Champion when he defeated Tigran Petrosian in 1969. He held the title until 1972 before losing it to Bobby Fischer. It has been one of the most renowned matches in the history of Chess amidst the Cold War. At the age of 83, he is the oldest living World Champion to date.

1972-1975: Bobby Fischer




Bobby Fischer was an American Chess Grandmaster who defeated Boris Spassky in 1972 to become the eleventh World Chess Champion. He was a Chess prodigy who had become the youngest US Chess Champion and the youngest Grandmaster then at the age of 15. By 1971, he was the highest-rated FIDE player with an ELO rating of 2785 that was 125 ratings higher than the then Champion Boris Spassky. It has been considered as the highest rating gap in the history of Chess.

1975-1985: Anatoly Karpov




Anatoly Karpov was the Russian Grandmaster who became the twelfth World Chess Champion after Bobby Fischer refused to defend his title in 1975. He held the title until 1985 before being defeated by Garry Kasparov.

1985-1993: Garry Kasparov




Garry Kasparov, a Russian Chess Grandmaster became the thirteenth World Chess Champion. Garry held the title until 1993, after which, following a dispute with FIDE, he split from FIDE leading to his title getting stripped from him. He, along with his challenger Nigel Short started a parallel organization called Professional Chess Association that conducted the Championships under the name ‘Classical World Chess Championship’ until 2006 before merging with FIDE.

Garry Kasparov is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. From 1984, until his retirement in 2005, Garry Kasparov was ranked World No.1 player. His peak rating was 2851 in 1999 that remain unchallenged until Magnus Carlsen surpassed that in 2013.

Another famous match of Garry Kasparov was against Deep Blue, the supercomputer of IBM in 1997. It has been among the highly publicized match. Garry Kasparov became the first World Champion to lose against a computer under time controls.



1993-1999: Anatoly Karpov

In 1993, he was announced as an incumbent World Champion after Garry Kasparov split from FIDE after a dispute.

1999-2000: Alexander Khalifman




Alexander Khalifman was a Russian Chess Grandmaster who became the World Chess Champion after defeating Anatoly Karpov in 1999.

2000-2002: Vishwanathan Anand




Vishwanathan Anand, a Chess prodigy and Grandmaster from India, became the World Chess Champion in 2000 after beating Alexei Shirov. He had become the first Grandmaster from India in 1988. He held the World Champion title until 2002 before being defeated by Ruslan Ponomariov. In April 2006, he surpassed the ELO rating of 2800 becoming one of the very few players to achieve this feat. He had occupied the World No.1 position for 21 months that was the sixth-longest period on record. He has been a great influence on the growth of Chess in India. In the 1980s, he was known as the ‘Lightning Kid’ for his rapid speed playing style. He has been a recipient of the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna' Award, the highest sporting honor in India, and Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award in India becoming the first sportsperson to receive the award.

2002-2004: Ruslan Ponomariov




Ruslan Ponomariov was a Ukrainian Grandmaster to have won the title of ‘World Chess Champion’ in 2002 which he held until 2004.

2004-2005: Rustam Kasimdzhanov




Rustam Kasimdzhanov was a Uzbekistani Grandmaster to clinch the title in 2004. In his career, he was an Asian Champion in 1998 and remained a long-time second to Vishwanathan Anand helping him in the World Chess Championship matches.

2005-2006: Veselin Topalov




Veselin Topalov was a Bulgarian Grandmaster who won the title of World Chess Champion in 2005 from Rustam Kasimdzhanov. He has been among the few players to have crossed the ELO mark of 2800. He lost his title to Vladimir Kramnik in 2006.

2006-2007: Vladimir Kramnik




Vladimir Kramnik is a Russian Grandmaster who became the ‘Classical World Chess Champion’ organized by Professional Chess Association founded by Garry Kasparov. He defeated Garry Kasparov in 2000 in the Classical World Chess Championship and defended the title against Peter Leko in 2004. He held the title from 2004-2006. He became the ‘FIDE World Champion’ by defeating Veselin Topalov in the unification match between FIDE & PCA. He became the first player to hold both Classical & FIDE World Champion titles. In October 2016, he reached the ELO rating of 2816 that made him the joint-eighth highest-rated chess player of all time.

2007-2013: Vishwanathan Anand

In 2007, Vishwanathan Anand reclaimed the title after defeating Vladimir Kramnik and remained undisputed until losing his title to Magnus Carlsen in 2013. He had successfully defended the title against Vladimir Kramnik in 2008, against Veselin Topalov in 2010, and Boris Gelfand in 2012.

2013-2018: Magnus Carlsen




Magnus Carlsen is a Norwegian Grandmaster who is a current reigning World Champion. He won the title after defeating Vishwanathan Anand in 2013 and defended the title against him in 2014. He also defended the title against Sergey Karjakin in 2016 and Fabiano Caruana in 2018.

He is a chess prodigy who earned the title of a Grandmaster at the age of 13, won the Norwegian Chess Championship at the age of 15, and surpassed the ELO rating of 2800 at 18 becoming the youngest person ever to achieve those feats. As a teenager, he was known for his attacking style of play, but since then, he has developed a very unique style to himself since that includes using a variety of openings that makes it difficult for his opponents to study him and prepare against him. He is known as one of the best endgame players of all time because of his prowess in the end games. His positional play in the middlegame has been compared to the legends like Bobby Fischer, Capablanca, Anatoly Karpov among others.

He defended his World Champion title in 2014, and also won both ‘World Rapid Championship’ and ‘World Blitz Championship’ becoming the first player to hold all three titles simultaneously.

10 Elite Chess Tournaments:

World Chess Championship:

World Chess Championship is conducted to determine the World Champion in Chess. It is conducted in a two-year cycle. Currently, the title is being held by Magnus Carlsen from Norway.

Women’s Chess Championship:

Alike the World Chess Championship that determines World Champion Male, the Women’s Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in Women’s Chess. Currently, the title is held by Ju Wenjun from China.

Candidates Tournament:

Candidates Tournament is organized by FIDE to determine the challenger for the ‘World Chess Championship’. The winner of the Candidates Tournament earns the right for a match against the incumbent World Champion.

The Candidates tournament was scheduled to happen in 2020 but was postponed to 2021 due to COVID. The winner of Candidates Tournaments would face Magnus Carlsen as a challenger in the FIDE World Championship match.

Tata Steel Chess Tournament:


Tata Steel Chess Tournament is sometimes described as the “Wimbledon of Chess”. It is an annual chess tournament that takes place in the Netherlands. The best players of the world participate in this round-robin tournament.

Chess Olympiad:

Chess Olympiad is a chess tournament in which the national teams of different countries participate. This is a biennial tournament and hence takes place every two years.

World Junior Chess Championship:

It is an under-20 Chess tournament. It is an annual tournament in which the players below the age of 20 years on January 1st of the year it is played, can participate. It was started in 1951 by William Ritson-Morry. In 1983, a separate tournament for the girls was established. The winner of the World Junior Chess Championship receives either a Grandmaster or Woman’s Grandmaster title if he/she doesn’t have it already.

FIDE Grand Prix:

FIDE Grand Prix is a biennial chess tournament that takes place every two years. It is organized by FIDE, and its commercial partner Agon. The winner of the FIDE Grand Prix gets entry into the Candidates Tournament.

US Chess Championship:

The US Chess Championship is the oldest national chess tournament in the USA. Started in 1845, it is an invitational tournament held to determine the US Chess Champion. Grandmaster Wesley So is the current US Chess Champion.

Norway Chess:

The Norway Chess is an annual Chess tournament being held in Norway. The world’s top players compete for a win in this championship. The matches are conducted in Classical Format and Blitz format in this championship.

Shamkir Chess Tournament:

Shamkir Chess is a chess supertournament being conducted in Azerbaijan in the memory of Vugar Gashimov. Vugar Gashimo was an Azerbaijani Grandmaster who expired in 2014 due to a brain tumor.

Net worth of Top 10 Players as Available via Sources:

(The ratings of players are corresponding to Jan 2020 update of FIDE World Rankings)

Magnus Carlsen:




With the rating of 2872, the Norwegian Grandmaster and the reigning World Champion since 2013- Magnus Carlsen’s net worth is estimated to be $8mn. [Source]

Fabiano Caruana:




With a rating of 2822, Fabiano Caruana is the World No.2 and the first American to compete for the world title since Bobby Fischer in 1972. He is currently worth around $13mn. [Source]

Ding Liren:




Ding Liren is the highest-rated Chinese player and World No.3 with a rating of 2805. His net worth is $3.6mn. [Source]

Alexander Grischuk:




Russian Grandmaster and a three-time World Blitz Chess Champion- Alexander Grischuk is a World No.4 player with a rating of 2777. His net worth is estimated to be $5mn. [Source]

Ian Nepomniachtchi:




Ian is a Russian Grandmaster and World No.6 with a rating of 2774. His net worth is estimated to be in the range of $1 Million-$5 Million [Source]

Levon Aronian:




Called the ‘David Beckham of Chess’ by CNN, Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian is the World No.6 with a rating of 2773. His net worth is estimated to be $3mn. [Source]

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave:




Often known with the initials of his name MVL, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is a French Grandmaster and World No.7 with the ELO rating of 2770. His net worth is estimated to be in the range of $1 Million-$5 Million [Source]

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov:




Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is an Azerbaijani Grandmaster and World No.8 with a rating of 2770. His net worth is not known but is estimated to be in the range of $100K-$1M (Approx.) [Source]

Anish Giri:




Anish Giri is a Russian-born Dutch Chess Grandmaster. He is World No.9 with a ranking of 2768. His net worth is estimated to be $2 Million. [Sources]

Wesley So:




Wesley So is a Filipino-American Chess Grandmaster. He shifted to the USA in 2014. He also became the Fischer Random World Champion after defeating Magnus Carlsen. He is currently World No.10 with an ELO rating of 2765. His net worth is estimated to be anywhere in the range of $1 Million - $5 Million [Source]

Most Followed Chess Players on Twitter:

Garry Kasparov: 613.6K Followers

Vishwanathan Anand: 588.5K Followers

Magnus Carlsen: 404.2K Followers

Most subscribed chess channel on YouTube:

Agadmator's Chess Channel: With 925K subscribers

Longest Game in the history of Chess:

The longest game in the terms of moves in the history of chess was played in 1989 between Ivan Nikolic and Goran Arsovic in Belgrad. It took 20 hours and 269 moves for this game to complete in a draw.

Longest Tournament in Chess history:

It happened in New York in 1889. 20 players played with a double round-robin format. In total, 430 games were played from March 25th, 1889 to May 18th, 1889.

Longest Running Tournament:

Hastings International Chess Congress

Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual Chess tournament taking place in Hastings, England. It has been organized every year since its inception in 1920/21. With the 2019/20 edition, it has completed its 95th series.

5 Highest downloaded chess apps:

Chess Free:

It is an app built by AI Factory Limited for Chess training, and it has ranked on top amongst 600+ chess apps. It has been installed more than 50 Million+ times.

Chess - Play and Learn:

Built by Chess.com, the app is one of the top-ranked chess apps with 10 Million+ installs. It is a community of more than 30 million chess players.

Real Chess:

Built by a company called Alienforce, Real Chess has been installed more than 10 Million times.

lichess • Free Online Chess:

Built by lichess.org, Lichess is an app that allows you to play various variants from Blitz, Rapid, Bullet, and even Chess960. It has more than 150,000 daily users. It has been installed 5,000,000+ times.

Chess - play, train & watch:

Built by Chess24, this app allows you to play online chess, solve tactics & puzzles, and analyze your moves. It has been installed more than 500,000+ times.

Conclusion:

The above article has been compiled for all the Chess lovers with the information that you would love to know. Many a time, even though we might have been playing or get involved with a game for long, we might miss out on the glorious past the game carries. If you are like me, you would love to know how Chess originated, what evolutions it went through, the World Champions in history, and some facts about the game. We hope that this piece answers the questions you might have, triggers interest in the history, and/or gives you a sense of energy towards the game.

Did you find this article helpful? What do you feel regarding Chess? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you feel that we missed something, feel free to share it in the comments below.





Image Credits:

Image 2: Nicat49, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image 9: Loadmaster (David R. Tribble)CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Tata Steel): Vysotsky, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Magnus Carlsen): Lennart Ootes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Fabiano): Andreas Kontokanis from Piraeus, Greece, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Ding Liren): Vladimir Barskij, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Alexander Grischuk): Vladimir Barskij, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Ian Nepomniachtchi): Stefan64, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Levon Aronian): Vladimir Barskij, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Image (Maxime Vachier-Lagrave): https://www.mvlchess.com

Image (Anish Giri): Andreas Kontokanis from Piraeus, Greece, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsImage (Wesley So): Lennart Ootes, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons