Checkmate in a game of chess. Photo credit to Steve Buissine/Pixabay

It is International Women’s Day today, so today’s article has appropriately a female angle to it. Have a good one, all you women out there!

Chess has always been a popular game, but now more than ever after The Queen’s Gambit starting running in Netflix. After just four weeks it had become Netflix’s most-watched scripted miniseries. In many a home, the chess board has now become the center-piece on the living-room table instead of gathering dust in the attic.

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth Harmon, an orphaned chess prodigy. The title of this masterful series refers to “Queen’s Gambit” which is a chess opening - one of many that you can start a game of chess with. And the games in the series! They appear - and are - very realistic! Which makes the following of the series that much more interesting.

This article is not about chess though. That would a huge undertaking, perhaps resered to an altogether separate publication. Instead we present here a simple, chronological list of chess players and masters from around the world - prodigies or not. And this list is definitely to be updated.

1573-0712 Pietro Carrera* Italian chess player/historian/author – Militello in Val di Catania, Kingdom of Sicily (1647/74)

1702-0904 Legall de Kermeur* master chess player – Versailles, France (1792/c.90)
1726-0901 François-André Danican Philidor* composer/chess player – Dreux, France (1795/68)

1836-0514 Wilhelm Steinitz* chess master – Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (1900/64)
1837-0914 Nikolai Bugaev* mathematician/chess player – Georgia, Russian Empire (1903/65)
1843-0624 Andreas Ascharin* Baltic German-Russian journalist/ chess grandmaster - Pärnu, Russian Empire (1896/53)
1876-1026 Grace Alekhine* (b Wishaar) artist/chess master – Beverly, NJ USA (1956/79)

1906-0216 Vera Menchik* British-Czechoslovak chess player/the first women’s world chess champion – Moscow, Russian Empire (1944/38)

1911-0505 Andor Lilienthal* Russian-Hungarian chess grandmaster/to Hungary at age 2 – Moscow, Russian Empire (2010/99)
1916-0107 Paul Keres* Estonian chess grandmaster – Narva, Russian Empire (1975/59)

1926-0207 Mark Taimanov* chess Grandmaster/chess author – Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union (2016/90)
1929-0617 Tigran Petrosian* Armenian chess player/Grandmaster – Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union (1984/55)

1937-0130 Boris Spassky* chess grandmaster – Leningrad, Russia, Soviet Union

1943-0309 Bobby Fischer* chess grandmaster/World Chess Champion #11 – Chicago, IL USA (2008/64)
1947-1004 Elena Fatalibekova* chess player/Woman Grand Master – Moscow. Russia, Soviet Union

1963-0413 Garry Kasparov* (b Weinstein) chess grandmaster – Baku, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union
1964-0311 Joel Benjamin* chess grandmaster – Brooklyn, NY USA

1972-0718 Hannes Stefánsson* chess grandmaster – Reykjavik, Iceland
1972-0919 Ashot Nadanian* Armenian chess player/ theoretician/coach – Baku, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union (2022/50)
1976-1204 Joshua Waitzkin* chess player/martial arts competitor/ author  – New York City, NY USA

1982-1006 Levon Aronian* chess grandmaster – Yerevan, Armenia, Soviet Union
1982-1208 Stefán Kristjánsson* chess player/ poker player – Reykjavik, Iceland (2018/35)
1986-1222 Arianne Caoili* Filipino-Australian chess player/ financial consultant – Manila, Philippines (2020/33)

1990-1114 David Howell* chess player/Grandmaster/commentator – Eastbourne, England
1990-1130 Magnus Carlsen* chess player/WG – Husvik, Norway
1997-0418 Matthias Blübaum* chess grandmaster – Lemgo, Germany
1997-0701 Grigoriy Oparin* Russian chess player/Grandmaster – Munich, Germany
1998-0415 Dorsa Derakhshani* chess player/Woman Grandmaster – Tehran, Iran
1998-0426 Jan-Krzysztof Duda* chess grandmaster - Kraków, Poland
1998-0810 Diptayan Ghosh* chess grandmaster – Kolkata, India

2004-0918 Nodirbek Abdusattorov* chess grandmaster – Tashkent, Uzbekistan
2004-1115 Vincent Keymer* chess grandmaster – Mainz, Germany
2008-0818 Gordey Kolesov* child prodigy/chess player – Moscow, Russia

2010-0903 Tanitoluwa Adewumi* Nigerian-American chess player – Nigeria

Players monthwise

1916-0107 Paul Keres* Estonian chess grandmaster – Narva, Russian Empire (1975/59)
1937-0130 Boris Spassky* chess grandmaster – Leningrad, Russia, Soviet Union

1926-0207 Mark Taimanov* chess grandmaster/chess author – Kharkiv, Ukraine, Soviet Union (2016/90)
1906-0216 Vera Menchik* British-Czechoslovak chess player/the first women’s world chess champion – Moscow, Russian Empire (1944/38)

1943-0309 Bobby Fischer* chess grandmaster/World Chess Champion #11 – Chicago, IL USA (2008/64)
1964-0311 Joel Benjamin* chess grandmaster – Brooklyn, NY USA

1963-0413 Garry Kasparov* (b Weinstein) chess grandmaster – Baku, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union
1998-0415 Dorsa Derakhshani* chess player/Woman Grandmaster – Tehran, Iran
1997-0418 Matthias Blübaum* chess grandmaster – Lemgo, Germany
1998-0426 Jan-Krzysztof Duda* chess grandmaster - Kraków, Poland

1911-0505 Andor Lilienthal* Russian-Hungarian chess grandmaster – Moscow, Russian Empire (2010/99)
1836-0514 Wilhelm Steinitz* chess master – Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia (1900/64)

1929-0617 Tigran Petrosian* Armenian chess player/Grandmaster – Tbilisi, Georgia, Soviet Union (1984/55)
1843-0624 Andreas Ascharin* Baltic German-Russian journalist/ chess grandmaster - Pärnu, Russian Empire (1896/53)

1997-0701 Grigoriy Oparin* Russian chess player/Grandmaster – Munich, Germany
1972-0718 Hannes Stefánsson* chess grandmaster – Reykjavik, Iceland

1998-0810 Diptayan Ghosh* chess grandmaster – Kolkata, India
2008-0818 Gordey Kolesov* child prodigy/chess player – Moscow, Russia

1726-0901 François-André Danican Philidor* composer/chess player – Dreux, France (1795/68)
2010-0903 Tanitoluwa Adewumi* Nigerian-American chess player – Nigeria
1702-0904 Legall de Kermeur* master chess player – Versailles, France (1792/c.90)
1837-0914 Nikolai Bugaev* mathematician/chess player – Georgia, Russian Empire (1903/65)
2004-0918 Nodirbek Abdusattorov* chess grandmaster – Tashkent, Uzbekistan
1972-0919 Ashot Nadanian* Armenian chess player/ theoretician/coach – Baku, Azerbaijan, Soviet Union (2022/50)

1947-1004 Elena Fatalibekova* chess player/Woman Grand Master – Moscow. Russia, Soviet Union
1982-1006 Levon Aronian* chess grandmaster – Yerevan, Armenia, Soviet Union
1876-1026 Grace Alekhine* (b Wishaar) artist/chess master – Beverly, NJ USA (1956/79)

1990-1114 David Howell* chess player/Grandmaster/commentator – Eastbourne, England
2004-1115 Vincent Keymer* chess grandmaster – Mainz, Germany
1990-1130 Magnus Carlsen* chess player/WG – Husvik, Norway

1976-1204 Joshua Waitzkin* chess player/martial arts competitor/ author  – New York City, NY USA
1982-1208 Stefán Kristjánsson* chess player/ poker player – Reykjavik, Iceland (2018/35)
1986-1222 Arianne Caoili* Filipino-Australian chess player/ financial consultant – Manila, Philippines (2020/33)

LINKS

FIDE (Wiki) - What is a Gambit? (YouTube)

World Chess Championship (Wiki)

Updated 6.2.2023