It's an unashamedly unscientific approach, but take a look at who's name appears more times than anyone else's in the quoted text that's returned on the first page of this google search:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=%22most+famous+chess+player%22&meta=
Now that I know the answer to the question - I would have to say Bobby Fischer!!! lol
However, because I am not familiar with Bobby Fischer's play (and I should be), I would have to go with Garry Kasparov!!!
well bing.com said that bobby is overwhelmingly more talked about on the web: 34,400,000 hits on bobby as opposed to 1,150,000 on garry. thats a significant difference! young magnus gets more hits than garry too! 13,300,000....so old garry getting outdated it seems...
Also, I think Fischer circa 1972-75 was more famous than Kasparov at his peak (peak popularity that is, which might actually have been after losing to Deep Blue), though there's no real way to prove it
If you look historically, not just today (google searches? ... lol) then I would say that #1. Bobby Fischer #2. Paul Morphy #3. Garry Kasparov #4. Jose Raul Capablanca (he made the cover of Time Magazine in 1925) #5. Boris Spassky (because he played Fischer) #6. Anatoly Karpov (he played Kasparov) #7. Deep Blue (beat Kasparov!)
Well, I'd say Paul Morphy or Robert Fisher in America, JR Capablanca in the Carribean (of course, who else?), Garry Kasparov in the Soviet, and Wlihlem Steinitz in Europe.
Hyannis. People have heard of Hyannis in the South Pole.
It's Kasparov and Fischer for sure.
Spassky is a well known name by association.
In the US, I'm pretty sure it would be Bobby Fischer. A lot of people who don't play chess and don't really know anything about it still seem to know who he was.
good one Ziryab
I am the most famous chess player.
lol me
NN
You didn't say he was good ;-)
Here in America, if you asked a person who had no clue about chess who is a famous chess player. THey would say Fisher. Heck most ppl after i tell them i play chess say something about Fisher. The second person if they know anybody is not directly Kasparov, but the guy who lost to Deep Blue. Have gotten that several times. Usually stated like. " O and that world champion guy who lost to the computer."
So second would be Kasparov. Third would be Walter Browne do to him playing poker.
... on chess.com ? I'd have to say: WGM Natalia_Pogonina
And of course she's about to fall in love with you for the flattery of this comment, you sly dog, you.
Fischer was more controversial and he gained a lot of attention in the World Champion dispute against Spassky, then again, he gained much more attention refusing to play Karpov...
Right now the most famous and my favorite player is Carlsen, a 19 year old kid nicknamed "The Mozart of Chess", he gained the eyes of every chess player (including Kasparov, rofl)