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Top 10 active players as of December 31, 1950


All active players as of December 31, 1950

  #  

Player Rating +/- Best? 75%? Age
1 Botvinnik, Mikhail M28216965.8% #239.37
2 Fine, Reuben27296911.4% #836.22
3 Reshevsky, Samuel H2724577.0% #839.10
4 Bronstein, David I2717534.8% #926.86
5 Keres, Paul2709523.5% #1034.98
6 Smyslov, Vassily V2695522.1% #1229.76
7 Boleslavsky, Isaak E2687521.5% #1331.55
8 Najdorf, Miguel2677510.9% #1440.70
9 Kotov, Alexander A2663540.6% #1737.38
10 Furman, Semen A2644630.6% #2330.08
11 Geller, Efim P2638550.2% #2325.82
12 Lipnitsky, Isaak O2634620.4% #2527.99
13 Stĺhlberg, Gideon2623520.1% #2642.92
14 Tolush, Alexander K2622590.2% #2840.66
15 Szabó, László2619520.1% #2733.78
16 Bogoljubow, Efim D2613630.1% #3161.71
17 Horowitz, Al2613700.4% #3343.13
18 Gligoric, Svetozar261052 #3027.91
19 Benko, Pal C2595630.1% #3722.46
20 Eliskases, Erich G258758 #3937.87
21 Flohr, Salo258753 #3842.13
22 Rossolimo, Nicolas257952 #4140.84
23 Taimanov, Mark E257758 #4324.89
24 Lisitsin, Georgy M2576680.1% #4641.22
25 Bondarevsky, Igor Z257555 #4337.63
26 Lilienthal, Andor257554 #4339.65
27 Pirc, Vasja257552 #4243.03
28 Unzicker, Wolfgang257460 #4425.51
29 Trifunovic, Petar257253 #4440.33
30 Konstantinopolsky, Alexander M257160 #4640.86
31 Euwe, Machgielis256954 #4549.61
32 Averbakh, Yury L256655 #4628.89
33 Bannik, Anatoly A2564760.1% #5329.07
34 Simagin, Vladimir P255460 #5331.52
35 Levenfish, Grigory Y254962 #5561.80
36 Böök, Eero254565 #5840.89
37 Petrosian, Tigran V254456 #5621.53
38 Pilnik, Herman254354 #5536.97
39 Barcza, Gedeon253957 #5839.36
40 Penrose, Jonathan252971 #6717.23
41 Schmidt, Paul F252675 #7034.36
42 Matanovic, Aleksandar252566 #6720.60
43 Foltys, Jan252055 #6642.22
44 O'Kelly de Galway, Albéric251854 #6739.62
45 Kholmov, Ratmir D251864 #7025.63
46 Aronin, Lev S251557 #7030.45
47 Kieninger, Georg251463 #7148.56
48 Yanofsky, Daniel A251170 #7625.76
49 Alatortsev, Vladimir A250960 #7341.62
50 Bolbochán, Julio250956 #7230.77
51 Ragozin, Viacheslav V250559 #7442.23
52 Mikenas, Vladas250159 #7740.70
53 Lundin, Erik250174 #8246.50
54 Panov, Vasily N249966 #8044.16
55 Tartakower, Saviely G249954 #7663.85
56 Zagoriansky, Evgeny A249764 #8040.37
57 Rabar, Braslav249568 #8331.26
58 Stoltz, Gösta249562 #8146.64
59 Vidmar, Milan Sr249365 #8365.52
60 Puc, Stojan249064 #8429.72
61 Czerniak, Moshe248858 #8340.90
62 Pachmann, Ludek248259 #8626.63
63 Schmid, Lothar M247865 #9122.63
64 Donner, Johannes H247556 #8923.48
65 Novotelnov, Nikolay A247174 #9839.06
66 Guimard, Carlos E246757 #9337.73
67 Ilivitsky, Georgy A246774 #9929.66
68 Ivkov, Borislav246667 #9717.13
69 Michel, Pablo246559 #9545.01
70 Kottnauer, Cenek246455 #9440.85
71 Milic, Borislav246365 #9925.20
72 Rossetto, Héctor D245956 #9728.31
73 Sokolsky, Alexey P245859 #9942.19
74 Lokvenc, Josef245775 #10651.66
75 Kopilov, Nikolay G245363 #10331.18
76 Canal, Esteban244968 #10754.69
77 Abramov, Lev Y244868 #10739.54
78 Denker, Arnold S244769 #10836.85
79 Steiner, Herman244664 #10745.70
80 Koblencs, Aleksandrs244274 #11234.33
81 Cortlever, Nicolaas244169 #11135.54
82 Prins, Lodewijk244161 #10937.92
83 Richter, Emil243569 #11456.96
84 Pfeiffer, Gerhard243462 #11227.54
85 Fridstein, German S243373 #11739.10
86 Fuderer, Andrija243165 #11519.63
87 Dubinin, Peter V243075 #11941.50
88 Flórián, Tibor242865 #11631.82
89 Soloviev, Vladimir A242573 #12122.85
90 Szily, József242361 #11837.25
91 Bolbochán, Jácobo242268 #12044.01
92 Niephaus, Walter242271 #12227.75
93 Kramer, George M242173 #12221.62
94 Tarnowski, Alfred242167 #12133.82
95 Goldberg, Grigory A241968 #12242.42
96 Troianescu, Octav241964 #12034.90
97 Tipary, Lajos241769 #12339.14
98 Tarasov, Vitaly G241773 #12427.94
99 Flores Alvarez, Rodrigo241670 #12437.36
100 Borisenko, Georgy K241562 #12228.59
101 Koberl, Ferenc241362
102 Kan, Ilia A241167 41.65
103 Chistiakov, Alexander N241171 36.94
104 de Freitas, Márcio E241161 25.10
105 Opocenský, Karel240973 58.89
106 Kostic, Boris240868 63.85
107 Steiner, Lajos240670 47.54
108 Letelier Martner, René240462 35.28
109 Kramer, Haije240159 33.10
110 Zíta, František240164 41.09
111 van Scheltinga, Tjeerd D239958 36.81
112 Vajda, Arpád239769 54.66
113 Zagorovsky, Vladimir P239772 25.50
114 Kluger, Guyla239276 36.95
115 Liublinsky, Victor A239159 32.73
116 Ufimtsev, Anatoly G239073 36.63
117 Tröger, Paul238975 37.50
118 Gereben, Ernö238863 43.53
119 Paoli, Enrico238860 42.96
120 Machate, Gottlieb238774
121 Castaldi, Vincenzo238768 34.62
122 Golombek, Harry238655 39.83
123 Marini, Luis238562 38.25
124 Estrin, Yacov B238462 27.69
125 Szabados, Eugenio238356 52.49
126 Kuzminykh, Evgeny237867
127 Ravinsky, Grigory Ionovich237763 41.20
128 Pytlakowski, Andrzej237166
129 Bisguier, Arthur B237175 21.23
130 Moiseev, Oleg L236876 25.65
131 Szilágyi, György236676 29.49
132 Luckis, Marcos236458 45.95
133 Sebestyen, B.236375
134 Maderna, Carlos H236258 40.41
135 Füster, Géza236068 40.86
136 Bonch-Osmolovsky, Mikhail A235772 31.99
137 Ojanen, Kaarle Sakari235668
138 Gudmundsson, Gudbjartur235562
139 Sefc, Jan235476 26.06
140 Rohácek, Ivan V235171 41.69
141 Grob, Henry235075 46.57
142 Martín, Pedro234660 19.99
143 Van den Berg, Carel Benjamin234261
144 Castillo, Manuel234256
145 Fletzer, Gino234069
146 Sandor, Bela233875 31.05
147 Müller, Hans233561 54.08
148 Platt, Josef233272
149 Staudte, Hans-Hilmar233076 39.95
150 Sanguinetti, Renato232959 34.69
151 Pomar Salamanca, Arturo232472 19.33
152 Iliesco, Juan T232269 52.70
153 Gawlikowski, Stanislaw230864
154 Johansson, Ingi Randver230473
155 Wade, Robert Graham229860
156 Cruz, Walter O229673 40.99
157 Galia, Karl229476
158 Neikirkh, Oleg N228976 36.81
159 Wood, Baruch Harold228870
160 Corte, César J228872 36.65
161 Lohmann, Heinrich228876
162 Beni, Alfred227967 27.57
163 Mastichiadis, Fotis227876
164 Benkö, Francisco227670 40.51
165 Nestler, Vincenzo226363
166 Barden, Leonhard William225872
167 Honfi, Karoly225476 20.18
168 Réthy, Pál225476 45.92
169 Enevoldsen, Harald225374
170 Primavera, Giuseppe225266
171 Grünfeld, Ernst224666 57.11
172 Ivanov, Dimitar224476
173 Suetin, Alexey S223764 24.12
174 Balogh, János222975 58.31
175 Pogats, Jozsef222662 22.47
176 Poulsen, Christian220373
177 Myhre, Erling218471
178 Molnar, Istvan218076
179 Monostori, Lajos218076 36.07
180 Bely, Miklos214376 37.39
181 Arlamowski, Edward213967

These ratings, calculated as of December 31, 1950, incorporate all games (against rated opponents) played in the time between January 1, 1950 and December 31, 1950, along with the ratings that were already calculated as of December 31, 1949. Players who have played an insufficient number of games in recent years will not appear on the list, even though you may see them on previous and/or subsequent lists. Any players who have been completely inactive for three years are removed from the list.

Definition of columns in the above list:

# refers to the player's world rank on this list.

Player is the full name of the player. Click on the player's name to see a career progression of the player's ratings.

Rating is the calculated rating for the player, as of December 31, 1950. This represents the player's estimated strength on January 1, 1951.

+/- is the standard deviation of the player's rating estimate. It is based on a geometric average of the number of rated games played in past years. Players who play very frequently will have a smaller +/- value, indicating a greater confidence in the accuracy of their rating. Players whose +/- value exceeds 76 are classified as "inactive" and removed from the ranking list due to their infrequent play against rated opponents. Mathematically, a player's rating is an estimate of their exact strength on January 1, 1951. The +/- value represents the standard deviation of that estimate; the player's true strength on January 1, 1951 should be within one standard deviation of their calculated rating approximately 68% of the time, and within two standard deviations of their calculated rating approximately 95% of the time.

Best? is the estimated likelihood that the player was actually the strongest player in the world on January 1, 1951. Since ratings are known to be inaccurate, it is possible that a lower-rated player is actually much stronger than their rating would indicate, and it is also possible that other players are weaker than their ratings would indicate. This number indicates the likelihood that the player is indeed the strongest player in the world. On a particular list, it will add up to 100% across the complete list of all players. This value is only calculated for the top 100 players on any rating list.

75%? gives a 75%-confidence world ranking for the player. Because ratings are known to be inaccurate, even if a particular player is rated third in the world, we cannot say with 100% certainty that they are truly one of the three strongest players in the world. This number indicates the world rank that we are 75% sure the player is "no worse than". Thus if a player has a value of #12 in this column, we are 75% sure that the player is one of the twelve strongest players in the world. This value is only calculated for the top 100 players on any rating list.

Age is the player's exact age in years, on December 31, 1950. If a player's age is displayed as a link, that means that this rating was active at the time of their next birthday. Click on the link to see the sorted list of all players' ratings on their birthdays when turning that same age.

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