Jewish players and theoreticians have long been involved in the game of chess and have significantly contributed to the development of chess. Chess gained popularity amongst Jews in the 12th century.[1] The game was privileged by distinguished rabbis,[2] as well as by women.[3]
Of the first 13 undisputed world champions, four were Jewish or had some Jewish ancestry: Wilhelm Steinitz, Emanuel Lasker, Mikhail Botvinnik and Mikhail Tal. The Modern School of Chess espoused by Steinitz and Siegbert Tarrasch, the Hypermodernism influenced by Aron Nimzowitsch and Richard Réti, and the Soviet Chess School promoted by Botvinnik were all strongly influenced by Jewish players. Other influential Jewish chess theoreticians, writers and players include Johannes Zukertort, Savielly Tartakower, Akiba Rubinstein, Gyula Breyer, Rudolf Spielmann, Samuel Reshevsky, Reuben Fine, David Bronstein, and Miguel Najdorf.[4][5][6]
Arpad Elo, the inventor of the scientific rating system employed by FIDE, analysed some 476 major tournament players from the 19th century onward, and of the 51 highest ranked players, approximately one half were Jewish.[7] This includes one of the strongest ever players, Garry Kasparov, who was world No. 1 from 1985 until his retirement in 2005. Kasparov, however, is only of Jewish descent through his father and does not identify as such. Bobby Fischer, the highest rated player in history when he became world champion in 1972, had a Jewish mother despite antisemitic views and denial of Jewish identity. The list also includes perhaps the strongest female chess player ever Judit Polgár.[8]
Beer-sheba in Israel is the city with the most chess grandmasters per capita in the world.[9] Israel has also won one silver and one bronze medal at Chess Olympiads.[10]
The list refers to chess players who are Jewish and have attained outstanding achievements in chess.
