The Top Chess Players in the World (2024)

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GM Magnus Carlsen 2832 | #1

Norway

To many, GM Magnus Carlsen is the best to ever play the game, although GMs Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fischer remain in the conversation. At any rate, the clear and remarkable point is that before turning 30 years old, Carlsen had already earned a spot at the top, and he has continued to dominate into...

GM Hikaru Nakamura 2802 | #2

United States

Hikaru Nakamura was born December 9, 1987 in Hirakata, Japan. His family moved to the United States when he was just two years old, and the Stars and Stripes are the only national banner he has known as a chess player.Nakamura has been one of the world’s top players for well over a decade....

GM Fabiano Caruana 2796 | #3

United States

The prodigy who broke the record held by GM Hikaru Nakamura for America's youngest chess grandmaster, Fabiano Caruana, has climbed the mountain of chess and reached the summit. This grandmaster has had a ranking as high as number-two in the world and has won numerous tournaments in his career. In 2018...

GM Ian Nepomniachtchi 2770 | #4

Russia

GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (“Nepo” for short) is a Russian super grandmaster who has twice won the Candidates Tournament to play for the world championship. After winning the 2020-21 Candidates Tournament, he challenged GM Magnus Carlsen for the 2021 World Championship and lost in 11 games.Nepomniachtchi...

GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2770 | #4

Uzbekistan

Nodirbek Abdusattorov is an Uzbek grandmaster who won the 2021 World Rapid Championship and played on the first board for team Uzbekistan that won the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad. He did both when 17 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. In March 2024, he climbed all the way to fourth...

GM Gukesh Dommaraju 2763 | #6

India

The player's full name is Gukesh Dommaraju and they confirmed to Chess.com that they prefer to be called by their first name, Gukesh.Indian GM Gukesh Dommaraju is a chess prodigy, the second-youngest grandmaster in history, and became the challenger to the 2024 FIDE World Championship on April 21,...

GM Ding Liren 2762 | #7

China

Ding Liren is the reigning FIDE World Chess Champion after defeating GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 World Championship. Like most world champions, a combination of dominance and close calls have defined Ding's career leading up to winning the title.Ding won his first Chinese Chess Championship at...

GM Arjun Erigaisi 2761 | #8

India

Arjun Erigaisi is an Indiangrandmaster, one of a quartet of star Indian players born between 2003 and 2006—the others being GMs Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, and Nihal Sarin—who all made major leaps into the world elite in the 2022-23 time period.The player's full name is Arjun Erigaisi...

GM Wesley So 2757 | #9

United States

Wesley So is a Filipino-American super grandmaster who is among the world’s best chess players. He began as a chess prodigy who entered tournaments at nine years old. At 14, he became the ninth youngest GM in history. The next year, he became the youngest player to pass the 2600 rating threshold,...

GM Wei Yi 2755 | #10

China

Chinese GM Wei Yi is an elite player and one of the greatest chess prodigies in history. At the age of 15, he broke GM Magnus Carlsen’s record for the youngest player to reach a rating of 2700, which Wei still holds. Two years prior, he became the fourth-youngest GM in history at the time (now...

GM Viswanathan Anand 2751 | #11

India

The name Viswanathan is a patronymic, and the player should be referred to by his name, Anand.Viswanathan Anand, the 15th undisputed chess champion and surely the greatest Indian chess player of all time, was born on December 11, 1969, in Mayiladuthurai in Tamil Nadu, the southeasternmost state in...

GM Leinier Dominguez Perez 2748 | #12

United States

Leinier Dominguez Perez is a Cuban-American grandmaster who has been a top-10 player in the world and usually sits in the top 15. Born in Havana in 1983, he earned his GM title in 2001, won his first of five Cuban Chess Championships in 2002, and reached a 2700 rating in 2008. Dominguez was also Cuban...

GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 2747 | #13

India

GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is an Indian grandmaster who had one of the greatest youth careers in chess history. Praggnanandhaa, who only turned 18 years old in 2023, is one of the youngest grandmasters and world championship candidates ever. He is the first of a historic quartet of contemporary young...

GM Anish Giri 2745 | #14

Netherlands

GM Anish Giri is a four-time Dutch champion and a world-class player. He has been ranked as high as number three in the world and reached his peak rating of 2802 on February 15, 2015. Giri has represented the Netherlands at the Olympiads since 2010. He won the 2012 Reggio Emilia tournament and the 2017...

GM Alireza Firouzja 2744 | #15

France

Alireza Firouzja is an Iranian-born grandmaster who now plays for France. He is a two-time world championship candidate and two-time Iranian champion.In late 2019 and early 2020, Firouzja electrified the chess world with his second place finish in the World Rapid Championship (one point behind World...

GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2733 | #16

Poland

GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda is one of the youngest members of the 2700 club of super grandmasters (reached in 2017), having turned 22 years old in April 2020. The latest in a history of strong GMs from Poland, he plays on Chess.com as Polish_fighter3000.Duda won the 2021 FIDE World Cup, earning himself a...

GM Le Quang Liem 2731 | #17

Vietnam

Le Quang Liem is a Vietnamese grandmaster well known for his speed chess skills. He is best known for winning the World Blitz Chess Championship in 2013 ahead of several elite players.Liem is known to have an extremely sharp tactical eye and many notable games in that area. He has also won several...

GM Parham Maghsoodloo 2730 | #18

Iran

Iranian GM Parham Maghsoodloo has achieved an impressive chess career in a short amount of time. He’s a two-time Iranian national champion and the highest-rated player in the country. In 2018, he won the World Junior Chess Championship.Now no longer a junior, Maghsoodloo seems poised to make...

GM Levon Aronian 2729 | #19

United States

Levon Aronian is an Armenian-American super grandmaster who has long been among the world’s best players. He first entered the top 20 in 2005 and still hasn’t lost that distinction. Most of those 15 years or so have been spent in the top 10. In 2021, he switched federations from Armenia...

GM Veselin Topalov 2727 | #20

Bulgaria

GM Veselin Topalov is a Bulgarian super-grandmaster and was the FIDE world champion in 2005. He was the world number-one player from April 2006 through January 2007 and again from October 2008 until January 2010. According to 2700chess.com, he reached his peak rating of 2826 on August 24, 2015—the...

GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2726 | #21

Azerbaijan

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is a super-grandmaster from Azerbaijan. He was the number-two ranked player in the world in the FIDE ratings list of February 2018. According to 2700chess.com, Mamedyarov reached his peak rating of 2826 on September 30, 2018—the sixth-highest rating of all time.Mamedyarov...

GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2723 | #22

France

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (also known as “MVL”) is a French super grandmaster who, since 2016, has spent plenty of time rated among the top five chess players in the world. His rating peaked at 2819 in August 2016, making him the seventh-highest rated player in history.Vachier-Lagrave is a...

GM Vincent Keymer 2721 | #23

Germany

Vincent Keymer is a German grandmaster, the youngest player from Germany to earn the title, and one of the best players in the world. By 2015, when not yet even a teenager, he was already being hailed as Germany's greatest chess talent since Emanuel Lasker.At the 2018 Grenke Open, the 13-year-old...

GM Yu Yangyi 2721 | #23

China

Yu Yangyi is a Chinese super-grandmaster and world-class player. He was the World U-10 Champion (2004), the World Junior Champion (2013), the Chinese Champion (2013), as well as the Asian Continental Champion (2014).He has won multiple international events and is a particularly strong rapid and...

GM Alexey Sarana 2719 | #25

Serbia

Alexey Sarana is a Russian grandmaster who has represented Serbia since April 2023. In 2018, the 18-year-old won the Russian Championship Higher League after sharing first place with GM Grigoriy Oparin and beating him on tiebreaks. Sarana shared first place at the same tournament yet again in 2019,...

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The Top Chess Players in the World (2024)

FAQs

Who is #1 chess player in the world? ›

GM Magnus Carlsen

What is Magnus Carlsen's IQ? ›

It is unclear whether he has ever taken a standard test to determine his IQ or if he has chosen to keep the information private. However, estimates place Magnus Carlsen's IQ around 190, which would place him among the top echelons of intellectual capabilities.

Is a 700 Elo rating good? ›

A Good Chess Player Is Anyone Rated Over 700

If you've broken 700, congratulations! You're in the top half of all online chess players in the world! You are better at chess than many millions of possible opponents!

Is it possible to reach 3000 elo? ›

Grandmasters at a level of 3000 might be still a tiny minority, and there are worldwide only 4-5 players with a real rating of 2900-3000 ELO points.

Who is world No 2 in chess? ›

GM Hikaru Nakamura 2802 | #2.

Who is considered the greatest chess player of all time? ›

Here are the top 10 best chess players:
  • #8 Emanuel Lasker.
  • #7 Vladimir Kramnik.
  • #6 Mikhail Botvinnik.
  • #5 Anatoly Karpov.
  • #4 Jose Raul Capablanca.
  • #3 Bobby Fischer.
  • #2 Magnus Carlsen.
  • #1 Garry Kasparov.
Mar 30, 2023

Who has 400 IQ? ›

Today, De Mello is recognized for possessing one of the highest IQ scores ever recorded in human history—an extraordinary IQ score of 400. So this was the list of people with the highest IQ scores.

What is Bill Gates' IQ? ›

Bill Gates's IQ is 157 ± 6, according to our mathematical analysis based on SAT score averages. With a correlation coefficient of 0.8 between SAT scores and IQ, this approach provides a trustworthy approximation.

Who has a 200 IQ? ›

William James Sidis

William James Sidis was an American child prodigy with an estimated IQ of 200-300, making him one of the most intelligent people ever recorded.

Is 1200 Elo ok? ›

A rating between 800 and 1200 is generally considered a good starting point for novice players. This range indicates that they have a grasp of the fundamental principles and can play competently against other beginners.

Is 1100 Elo ok? ›

Below 1200 is a pretty broad term. Someone rated 1100-1200 is already at least an average to above average player, but still has a lot to learn. Yes. People that are very highly rated (like you, no offense) tend to lose sight of what normal people playing chess looks like.

Is 1500 Elo high in chess? ›

1500 on chess.com is indeed a good rating. Your USCF rating would be in the range of 1300 -1700 depends on how you play in the tournaments. I had a blitz rating of 1300 and when I played my first USCF tournament ended up the USCF tournament with a rating of 1380 so yes the chess.com is fairly accurate.

What is the highest Elo ever recorded? ›

Talking about Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, the chess superstar has recorded the highest Elo chess rating ever achieved by a human being – 2882. He reached this peak rating in May 2014. On the other end of the spectrum, the highest a woman chess player has been able to score on Elo rating is 2735.

What Elo can an average person get? ›

There's no such thing as an "average" chess rating, but a solid club-level chess player might be rate somewhere around 1500-1700. In general, a person's rating will increase as that person becomes more experienced. Although, on chess.com, 1500-1700 is around 1800-2000 on lichess.

Has anyone reached 4000 Elo? ›

It's possible that there could be some sort of computational or AI chess player with a 4,000 Elo rating but not a human player. The highest Elo rating ever recorded is 2882, held by Magnus Carlsen, the current World Chess Champion.

Who is the 1st chess player? ›

Book overview. The first official world champion, Wilhelm Steinitz was a towering figure in the chess world in the last quarter of the 19th century. For nearly three decades, he never lost a serious match.

Who are the 2 best chess players in the world? ›

List
CountryPlayer
1NorwayMagnus Carlsen
2Soviet Union RussiaGarry Kasparov
3Italy United StatesFabiano Caruana
4Armenia Germany United StatesLevon Aronian
66 more rows

Is 1200 a good chess rating? ›

That being said, it isn't a low ELO, it's the "I play Chess seriously" ELO. At a 1200 you are better than beginners and you will regularly beat up on sub1000 players. The vast majority of people that play chess don't stick around for very long, don't study any theory or openings or tactics.

How much does a chess grandmaster make? ›

How much does a Chess Grandmaster make? As of Jun 25, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Chess Grandmaster in the United States is $61.27 an hour.

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