The Best, Biggest & Most In Chess Records

Chess records are a collection of interesting facts that are sure to capture the imagination of every chess fan. This astonishing feat reveals to us what is possible in the field of competitive chess. Humans have been able to push the boundaries of the game over time and set higher standards as time goes by.

So, let’s sit back and enjoy the sensation chess notes which has been around since chess was recorded in the annals of history.

For the convenience of our readers, we have divided them chess notes cut into 10 pieces. Each section will contain significant achievements achieved in the field of competitive chess over the centuries. So, without further delay, let’s dive into the record charts!

‘The Best’ in Chess Records

The chess player with the best record of success is William Steinitz. He played a total of 27 competitive matches from 1862 to 1896 and recorded a 25-game winning streak. Overall, Steinitz achieved victory in 160 chess matches, with 70 losses and 57 draws.

The best-selling book of all time about chess is none other than the work of legendary world chess champion Bobby Fischer ‘Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess’. This extraordinary book has sold over one million copies since its release worldwide and continues to sell significantly.

The award for the best world championship record of all time goes to Vera Menchik-Stevenson. She was the first officially recognized female world chess champion and retained her title from 1927 until her death in 1944. During her long reign as world champion, Ms. Menchik-Stevenson successfully defended his title 6 times.

In her professional chess career, Ms. Merchik-Stevenson won 78 games, drew 4 games, and lost once.

‘Highest’ in Chess Records

The highest chess rating ever recorded is 3358. This computer rating, recorded on 5 April 2016, was given to the ‘Komodo 9’ chess engine. In contrast, undisputed world chess champion Magnus Carlsen scored 2851.

Talking about Magnus Carlsen from Norway, this chess superstar has recorded the highest Elo rating ever achieved by a human – 2882. He achieved this peak rating in May 2014. On the other hand, the highest ever achieved by a female chess player in terms of Elo rating is 2735. This extraordinary feat was achieved by former women’s chess world champion Judit Polgar in July 2005.

Former chess champion Bobby Fischer has the highest chess performance rating at 3080, and he confirmed this achievement after beating Bent Larsen with a score of 6 nil. In 2007, another incident occurred that came close to Fischer’s feat.

This time Gata Kamsky received a performance rating of 3047 when competing in the Candidates match against Etienne Bacrot with an Elo rating of 2709. Their contest ended at the age of 30, with Kamsky achieving three wins and a draw in the fourth match.

Among the female chess masters, it is former Hungarian world champion Judit Polgar’s sister, Sofia Polgar, who is attempting to get a performance rating of over 2900 after scoring 8.5 out of a possible 9 at an elite-level tournament in Rome in 1989.

‘Greatest’ in Chess Records

The largest public library in the world is the JW White Collection, which is part of the Cleveland Public Library in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The collection offers more than 32,000 chess books and more than 6,000 periodicals. When it comes to the largest private library, that crown is worn by grandmaster (GM) Lothar Schmid. In his personal collection, GM Schmid has at least 20,000 books about chess.

The greatest chess tournament of all time took place in 1935-36 in the Soviet Union. It was then that the USSR Trade Union Chess Championship was held. This competition was attended by 700,000 candidates, a very large number. Then in England, the 2004 edition of the UK Chess Challenge for school children saw 71,000 children from around 2000 schools take part in the competition.

This tournament is currently the largest active chess competition in the world. Two other chess meets worth mentioning here are the 1985 US Scholastic Championship and the 1973 New York Chess Congress, which hosted 1,572 and 1,487 chess players, respectively.

It is common knowledge that avid chess players have a habit of collecting all kinds of chess sets. Keeping this in mind, it is appropriate to talk about the largest collection of chess sets that anyone has managed to gather under one roof.

This victory goes to a man named Floyd Sarisohn, who proudly owns around 670 chess sets. Mr. Sarisohn has been an avid chess set collector for the past forty years and continues to grow his empire every year.

‘Most’ in Chess Records

The record for most chess matches played simultaneously goes to Hungarian chess legend Susan Polgar. In July 2005, Ms Polgar broke the previous record of 321 held by International Master (IM) Andrew Martin, and competed against 326 contestants simultaneously. He emerged victorious in 309 fights, drawing 14, and losing only three. He does all this with a surprising winning percentage of 96.93%.

The most complex world chess championship chess match ever played was a match between former champion Anatoly Karpov and challenger Viktor Korchnoi. The former is considered one of the most dominant chess champions of all time.

At the same time, the latter is widely accepted as one of the strongest chess players who could not reach the absolute pinnacle of professional chess and become world champion. This memorable encounter occurred at the 1978 championship meet in Baguio City, Philippines. In the fifth game, both participants played a total of 124 moves until they reached a stalemate.

The last participant on our list chess notes is the tag for the most number of titles won by one person. There are many players we would like to mention here. First, American chess player Arkadijs Strazdinis captured the New Britain, Connecticut Chess Club Championship on 30 different occasions, winning the first in 1952 and the final in 1994.

Second, another American chess player, named John Kalish, was an International Master who won the national championship in Okinawa, Japan, consecutively for 25 years – from 1959 to 1984. The closest anyone has ever come to this extraordinary feat was Ortvin Sarapu, an Estonian-born New Zealand chess player. He was crowned New Zealand chess champion 20 times between 1952 and 1990.

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After you’ve read our compilation of chess world records, move on to the more interesting blogs available on the Square Off website. While you’re at it, remember to browse our excellent range of AI-powered chessboards. One of the most sought after auto boards that we bring to you – Square Off Pro, is a chess board that records your moves and helps you develop your game according to your wishes.