José Raúl Capablanca

Capablanca beat Cuba's champion two days before turning 13, then dismantled Frank Marshall in 1909 to earn his place among Europe's elite. He won the storied San Sebastián tournament in 1911 ahead of the era's giants, and spent the next decade piling up results while chasing Emanuel Lasker for the world title. When the match finally came in 1921, Capablanca took the crown during an unbeaten run that had lasted more than five years. He held it until 1927, when Alexander Alekhine - who had no prior wins against him - took it away in a match that poisoned their relationship for good. Capablanca never got his rematch. He withdrew from serious play in 1931, returned in 1934 with flashes of the old brilliance, but his health was failing. He died of a brain hemorrhage in 1942, leaving behind a body of work - especially the endgame precision and the slim, perfect Chess Fundamentals - that shaped Fischer and Karpov decades later.