"15 Greatest Positional Players of All Time"
Discover the legends who crushed opponents with their slow-squeeze precision, patience and positional brilliance. From Capablanca’s effortless elegance to Karpov’s boa-constrictor control, this issue breaks down the greatest strategic minds of all time.
Masters of positional play and their “quiet but deadly” style have always been highly appreciated by true chess fans. In close collaboration with our readers and contributors, the ACM editorial team has compiled a list of the 15 greatest positional players of all time – highlighting their legacy and impact on the game. Each player is represented with at least two victories showcasing their positional mastery.
The unanimous choice to top this prestigious list is the 12th World Champion, Anatoly Karpov. Greek GM Spiridon Kapnisis provides deep annotations of Karpov’s famous “boa-constrictor” style through several illustrative examples from his rich chess career.
GM Illia Nyzhnyk continues his regular column on middlegames and evaluation of the position, focusing on this issue’s main topic: positional lockdown. His curated selection of notable games adds further depth to our list of the 15 greatest positional players.
In exclusive interviews, GMs Peter Leko and Wesley So generously share their views on various aspects of positional play – including their personal approaches and the players they most admire. They also offer invaluable advice to young and aspiring talents, suggesting study materials and key concepts to focus on.
ACM Senior Editor Pete Tamburro offers a special selection of books for the positional chess library – titles that influenced him as a young player, alongside more recent works he considers essential for anyone looking to improve their understanding of chess strategy and positional play.
Multiple award-winning ACM author, GM Sarunas Sulskis, contributes to the main theme with an in-depth analysis of Capablanca’s legendary win against Janowsky. To complete his “Magnificent 3”, Sulskis dissects two brilliant games from the 2025 Wijk Aan Zee supertournament, in which Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa defeated Giri and Caruana, respectively.
ACM endgame expert GM Alex Fishbein pays tribute to the recently deceased 10th World Champion, Boris Spassky, by highlighting the instructive quality of his endgame play. One clear takeaway from this piece: a player becomes truly strong only when their endgame knowledge is solid.
FM Dylan McClain turns to the social dimensions of chess, highlighting the game’s positive impact on individuals and communities. In a related piece, Carl Portman, an Englishman who has dedicated years to bringing chess to inmates, shares how the game has brought hope and structure to those who have lost their freedom. His message is clear: Play chess for a better life!
Dr. Corey Butler addresses one of the most challenging psychological aspects of chess: coping with losses. He explains the emotional toll of defeat and offers practical advice for achieving emotional balance.
On the national scene, we feature GM Vasif Durarbayli, winner of the 2024 National Open. He reflects on one of the best performances of his career, having convincingly triumphed over a strong field in Las Vegas with a score of +6=3-0.
From his unique database of forgotten American chess heroes, Andy Ansel spotlights Curt Brasket – a 16-time Minnesota State Champion and FIDE Master who maintained a rating over 2300 for more than four decades. As usual, FM Grayson Rorrer recaps recent standout performances by U.S. players in both domestic and international events.
This issue’s special 5x5 guest is GM Victor Bologan – a former world top-50 player, author of numerous opening repertoire books and courses, and currently FIDE Executive Director.
