…history as a constantly moving process, with the historian moving within it…
E. G. Carr – What is history? p. 153
Within the chess world, to compare players of different generations and eras is treated with suspicion, thus deemed inadvisable and ill-judged. This is not the time nor the place to delve into the very great many reasons why. It is not my intention to do so here, however, I do wish to draw attention to the point that the tendency to evaluate players purely in terms of their rating and title can be broadened oh-so-slightly.
I have recently posted regarding the strongest players to have played chess within Bedfordshire, on a number of occasions, and thought that it may be of interest to readers who are more interested in their world rankings, with questions such as ‘Who across time achieved the highest world ranking ever?’. Generally, I am reluctant go down this path for a number of reasons, primarily because I believe narrative should remain synchronic, however, I have done it anyway. I have added sufficient information so that mistakes regarding interpretation cannot be made so easily.
Number 1 – William Ward
Recorded playing in Bedfordshire 1896.
Highest ever world ranking 56 *Classified as unofficial as FIDE did not exist then (historically estimated).
Year 19041
Rating 2418
Number 2 – GM Sergio Mariotti
Recorded playing in Bedfordshire 1970/71 (IM at the time not GM)
Highest ever world ranking 90
Year 19752
Rating 2495
Number 3 – GM James Plaskett
Recorded playing in Bedfordshire 73-80 (approx.) (untitled until 1981)
Highest ever world ranking 100
Year 1985
Rating 2495
So there you have it, if you want to know who played in Bedfordshire and gained the highest ever world ranking, now you know.
The craving for an interpretation of history is so deep-rooted that, unless we have a constructive outlook over the past, we are drawn either to mysticism or to cynicism.
F. Powicke, Modern Historians and the Study of History (1955) p. 174
Mark. J. McCready
Leave a comment