Football has the Ballon d'Or. And chess? It has the Chess Oscar: the international award for the best player of the year.
How it worked
It was created in 1967 by Spanish journalist Jorge Puig together with the International Association of Chess Press (AIPE). The winner was voted by chess journalists from around the world, who each sent in their list of the ten best players of the year. The trophy is a bronze statuette of a man in a boat.
It was awarded from 1967 to 1988 and resumed in 1995, organised by the Russian magazine 64 until 2014. A separate Oscar for the best woman player has existed since 1982.
The big winners
- Garry Kasparov: 11 Oscars.
- Anatoly Karpov: 9 Oscars.
- Viswanathan Anand: 6 Oscars.
- Magnus Carlsen: 5 in a row, from 2009 to 2013.
- Bobby Fischer: 3 in a row, from 1970 to 1972. The first winner, in 1967, was Bent Larsen.
In the women's category, Judit Polgár dominated with 6 Oscars, followed by Maia Chiburdanidze with 4.
Want to play like them?
They all started by moving pawns as small children. The first class at the club's Chess School is free, and if you already play, see how to get a licence.
You can also watch our video on the club's YouTube channel.
