Has to be Anatoly Karpov, the 12th world chess champion, who dominated the chess world over 10 years during the 70s and 80s. Karpov is regarded by many as the second greatest chess player ever. He is also a billionaire.
Karpov entered the prestigious chess school established by Botvinnik, the 6th world chess champion, in Russia, when he was 12. Interestingly, Botvinnik commented that "The boy does not have a clue about chess, and there's no future at all for him in this profession." Now, most chess players consider Karpov greater than Botvinnik.
Unlike Garry Kasparov, his nemesis and the 13th champion, Karpov's play does not devote to complicated combinations and conflicts on the board. Instead, Karpov's play is natural and positional, singing harmony. It is just like what the great Chinese literaturer 蘇軾 said "行於所當行, 止於不可不止".
The link below shows one of Karpov's good games, playing as black the opening Queen's Gambit Declined. After 14... Qe4! White is already doomed, with the black queen threatening both flanks and the centre. What makes the game more outstanding are the sacrifices of two pieces, the knight and then the rook, by Karpov, in the later moves. There are indeed many more games by Karpov that are even better than this.
(for the sake of convenience and speed, this article was written in English.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKpE4knki8Y&feature=related
