Chees player
Meet the extraordinary individuals who have captivated the world with their exceptional skills in chees playing. From world champions to Hollywood icons, explore the list of famous celebrities who have left an indelible mark in this beloved game of chance and strategy.
Miquel Illescas
Spain
SpainSpanish chess player, grandmaster.
Gerardo Barbero
Argentina
ArgentinaArgentine chess player, grandmaster
Elena Ahmylovskaya
USA
USAAmerican chess player, grandmaster
Vugar Gashimov
Azerbaijan
AzerbaijanAzerbaijani chess player, grandmaster.
Alexander Graf
Germany
GermanyGerman, formerly Soviet, Uzbek, chess player, grandmaster.
Bachar Kouatly
France
FranceFrench chess player, grandmaster.
Peter Svidler
Russia
RussiaRussian chess player, grandmaster
Carl Ahues
Germany
GermanyGerman chess player
Atanas Kolarov
Bulgaria
BulgariaBulgarian chess player, International Master
Alla Kushnir
Israel
IsraelIsraeli, formerly Soviet, chess player, grandmaster
Galina Satonina
Kazakhstan
KazakhstanMultiple champion of Kazan and Tatarstan in women's chess
Roza Maria Hermanova
Poland
PolandPolish chess player, International Master (1950).
Ye Jiangchuan
China
ChinaChinese chess player, grandmaster
Larissa Volpert
Estonia
EstoniaSoviet and Estonian chess player and literary scholar.
Yuriy Drozdovskiy
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, grandmaster
Viktor Goncharov
Azerbaijan
AzerbaijanChess player
Viktor Goglidze
Georgia
GeorgiaGeorgian chess player.
Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov
Azerbaijan
AzerbaijanAzerbaijani chess player, international grandmaster, European champion 2009
Michael Pinchukov
Russia
RussiaA ten-year-old chess candidate master with cerebral palsy
Rustam Qosimjonov
Uzbekistan
UzbekistanWorld Chess Champion
Rihard Reti
A Czech grandmaster who was distinguished by the originality of his ideas
Frederick Yates
One of the strongest English chess players in the 1910s–1930s.
George Koltanowski
USA
USAAmerican, formerly Belgian, chess player, grandmaster
Martyn Kravtsiv
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, grandmaster
Efim Bogolubov
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player.
Keith Arkell
Great Britain
Great BritainBritish chess player, grandmaster
Wilhelm Cohn
Germany
GermanyGerman chess player
Alexander Zubarev
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, grandmaster
Andrey Vovk
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, grandmaster.
Lev Polugaevsky
Russia
RussiaChess player, international grandmaster
Sergey Galdunts
Armenia
ArmeniaArmenian chess player, international grandmaster.
Tatyana Zatulovskaya
Israel
IsraelIsraeli chess player, grandmaster
Henry Bird
Great Britain
Great BritainEnglish chess player of the second half of the 19th century
Joseph Kriheli
Georgia
GeorgiaSoviet chess composer
Janis Clovan
Latvia
LatviaLatvian, formerly Soviet chess player
Alexander Kozlov
Chess composer and figure in the Soviet chess movement.
Simen Agdestein
Norway
NorwayChess player, international grandmaster since 1985.
Veselin Topalov
Bulgaria
BulgariaBulgarian chess player, grandmaster
Fedor Bogatirchuk
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, physician, active participant in Ukrainian collaboration.
Dick Van Geet
Netherlands
NetherlandsDutch chess player.
Yaroslav Zinchenko
Ukraine
UkraineUkrainian chess player, grandmaster
Boris Kostic
Yugoslavian chess player
Eugene Delmar
USA
USAAmerican chess player of the late 19th century
Adolf Anderssen
Germany
GermanyGerman chess player
Jean Dufresne
Germany
GermanyGerman chess player and chess writer.
Eduard Gufeld
USA
USAAmerican, formerly Soviet, chess player, grandmaster
Boris Kogan
USA
USAAmerican, formerly Soviet chess player
Leonid Gofshtein
Israel
IsraelIsraeli chess player, grandmaster
Akiba Rubinstein
Poland
PolandPolish chess player.
David Navara
Czech
CzechCzech chess player