30 Greatest Chess Players of All Time, Ranked

While chess is considered the game of kings, not all professional chess players live like royalty. Top-ranked players, such as Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana, earn about $1 million per year, and the top 50 players can earn anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000. Anyone playing below that level makes far less. 

Some, such as Hikaru Nakamura who holds lucrative sports contracts, or Garry Kasparov, who created a post-chess career in cybersecurity and consulting, have made large personal fortunes outside their direct chess earnings. Other players on our list are still in their teens and 20s, and as they get older and more experienced, we can expect to see their names move up the rankings and their winnings and net worth increase. 

With past champions coaching many of today’s younger players, the overall skill level of chess has improved, so most of the best players are playing professionally today, making them — you guessed it — the ones who earned the most playing the game. With all this in mind, here are the 30 greatest chess players, dating back to when the International Chess Federation (FIDE) rating system started. 

30. Vasily Smyslov

Peak rating: 2620

Years played: 1935-2000

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: World Chess Champion in 1957 and held the most Chess Olympiad medals ever               

* Note: A player’s peak rating is determined by the FIDE rating system, which uses an algorithm that analyzes all play in FIDE tournaments. All top-ranked chess players hold the rank of Grandmaster, which they’re given by FIDE when they cross a certain threshold of experience and cumulative match scores. 

Bottom Line: Vasily Smyslov

Vasily Smyslov was born in Moscow in 1921 and started playing chess at the age of six. He was a trained singer and almost had a career with the Bolshoi Opera. 

Smyslov became a chess Grandmaster at the age of 20. He held the title of World Chess Champion in 1957 and had a professional chess career spanning 40 years. He still holds the record for the most Chess Olympiad medals ever won, with a total of 17. He played his final match in 2000 at the age of 79. 

29. Tigran Petrosian

Peak rating: 2660

Years played: 1942-1983

Net worth: $1.7 million

Noteworthy achievements: Held World Chess Champion title from 1963 to 1969                    

Bottom Line: Tigran Petrosian

Tigran Petrosian was born in Georgia (USSR) to Armenian parents. He started playing chess at age eight, but didn’t start formal training until he was 12. 

Petrosian was orphaned during World War II, but continued playing chess and became a Grandmaster at 23. He was known for his nearly impenetrable defense strategies, earning him the name “Iron Tigran.” Petrosian also suffered from hearing loss — he wore a hearing aid and sometimes couldn’t hear his opponents. 

Petrosian was the World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969 when he lost the title to Boris Spassky.

28. Boris Spassky

Peak rating: 2690

Years played: 1948-2009

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: World Chess Champion from 1969 to 1972   

Bottom Line: Boris Spassky

Boris Spassky was born in Russia in 1937. He learned to play chess on a train while being evacuated from Leningrad as a child during World War II. 

Spassky became a Grandmaster at the age of 18. He was known for his polite and friendly manner during matches. One of Spassky’s most famous games was recreated in the James Bond film, “From Russia With Love.” 

He was the World Chess Champion from 1969 to 1972, but he lost his title to American Bobby Fischer in 1972 in a match dubbed the “Cold War Confrontation.”

27. Viktor Korchnoi

Peak rating: 2695

Years played: 1945-2015

Net worth: $500,000-$1 million

Noteworthy achievements: Was the Soviet chess champion five times

Bottom Line: Viktor Korchnoi

Viktor Korchnoi was born in Leningrad in 1931 and started playing chess when he was six. He won the Soviet chess championships five times. 

Although Korchnoi came close to winning the overall World Chess Champion title many times, he never gained it. He is considered one of the best players in history to have never made it to the No. 1 position. 

Korchnoi had a lengthy 70-year career, first playing for the Soviets and then, after he defected to Switzerland in 1976, for the Swiss.

26. Mikhail Tal

Peak rating: 2705

Years played: 1949-1992

Net worth: $1.7 million

Noteworthy achievements: Held the World Chess Champion title in 1960 and was a noted chess journalist and author 

Bottom Line: Mikhail Tal

Mikhail Tal was born in 1936 in Latvia and started playing chess at the age of six. He became a Grandmaster at 19. 

Tal was also a noted chess journalist and author and held the World Chess Champion title in 1960. Tal was considered one of the best “attacking” players in the history of chess, and nicknamed “Tal the Terrible” for his tactical style and sudden, unexpected chess moves. 

He suffered from poor health much of his life, which contributed to his inconsistent winning career, and he died at 55 of renal failure. 

25. Alireza Firouzja

Peak rating: 2728

Years played: 2015-present

Net worth: $1.5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest player in the world rated over 2700 and the youngest ever Iranian chess champion 

Bottom Line: Alireza Firouzja

Alireza Firouzja was born in Iran in 2003 and started playing chess at the age of eight. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 14 and was the youngest ever Iranian chess champion. 

Firouzja is currently the youngest player in the world to be rated over 2700 and the only teenager in among the top 15 players. He is just 19 and currently rated as the No. 2 player in the world. 

Firouzja no longer plays for Iran, following changes to his home country’s competition rules, and now plays under the French flag.

He's also been working in fashion design. "Yes, I was in this industry for two years now. It's kind of a serious thing. It's improving every day and, yes, it's kind of a real profession. It's taking time from my chess, but I like to have both things together."

24. Judit Polgar

Peak rating: 2735

Years played: 1984-2014

Net worth:$5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Ranked as the No. 1 women’s chess player in the world for 26 years             

Bottom Line: Judit Polgar

Judit Polgar was born in Hungary and started playing chess as a child. She became a Grandmaster at 15. 

Polgar held the title of the No. 1 ranked women’s chess player for her entire 26-year career. She won games playing against Magnus Carlsen and Garry Kasparov, during their respective tenures as the world’s No. 1 chess player. 

Polgar retired from the sport in 2014 and was still the top-ranked female player that year. She is considered the greatest women’s chess player of all time.

23. Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Peak rating: 2758

Years played: 2008-present

Net worth: $1-$5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Was the 2018 Polish chess champion and has risen to No. 12 in the world               

Bottom Line: Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Jan-Krzysztof Duda was born in Krakow, Poland, and learned to play chess when he was 5 years old. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 15. 

Duda is currently ranked as the No. 19 player in the world, but he’s risen as high as No. 12. He was the 2018 Polish national chess champion. 

 

22. Richard Rapport

Peak rating: 2760

Years played: 2008-2020

Net worth: $500,000-$1 million

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest-ever Hungarian Grandmaster and consistently ranks in the world’s top 15 chess players

Bottom Line: Richard Rapport

Richard Rapport was born in Hungary in 1996 and learned chess from his father at the age of four. He started playing in world chess competitions when he was 10 and became a Grandmaster at the age of 13. 

Rapport was the Hungarian national chess champion in 2017. He is known for using an unorthodox and aggressive style of play. 

Rapport ended 2020 by beating higher ranked players and is expected to rise in chess standings, as he is still only in his 20s. He’s currently ranked as the No. 12 player in the world.

21. Pentala Harikrishna

Peak rating: 2766

Years played: 1996-present

Net worth: $1 million (estimated)

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest Grandmaster in Indian history (at the time) and youngest chess player to compete on India’s Olympiad team            

Bottom Line: Pentala Harikrishna

Pentala Harikrishna was born in India in 1986. He became a Grandmaster at 15 and won most of India’s youth chess titles when he was younger. 

Harikrishna was the youngest Grandmaster in Indian history (at the time) and the youngest chess player to compete on India’s Olympiad team. He is currently India’s second ranked player after Viswanathan Anda. 

Harikrishna is currently ranked as the world’s No. 34 player, although he has risen as high as No. 13.

20. Leinier Dominiguez Perez

Peak rating: 2768 

Years played: 1997-present

Net worth: $6 million (estimated)

Noteworthy achievements: Five-time Cuban national chess champion and consistently ranks among the top 20 players in the world                  

Bottom Line: Leinier Dominiguez Perez

Leinier Dominiguez Perez was born in 1983 in Havana, Cuba. He learned chess from his father when he was six and started playing in competitions when he was nine.  

Perez became a Grandmaster when he was 17 and was the Cuban national chess champion five times. While he’s currently the top player from Cuba, he now plays for the USA. 

Perez has been picked as one of the top five sportsmen in both Cuba and Latin America and is currently the No. 16 chess player in the world.

19. Anatoly Karpov

Peak rating: 2780

Years played: 1961-2019

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Reigned as the World Chess Champion for 10 years and owns more than 9,000 books on chess    

Bottom Line: Anatoly Karpov

Anatoly Karpov learned to play chess at four and became a Grandmaster at 19. He reigned as the world champion from 1975-1985. 

Karpov was known for his playing style, which focused on backing opponents into a corner and blocking their strategies so they had only losing moves remaining. 

He had a famous rivalry with fellow Russian, Garry Kasparov, to whom he eventually lost the World Chess Champion title. He only regained the title after Kasparov retired from the sport. After leaving competitive chess in 2010, Karpov became involved in Russian politics.

18. Ian Nepomniachtchi

Peak rating: 2784

Years played: 2001-present

Net worth: $1-$5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Won European chess youth championships three years in a row and currently ranked as the No. 4 player in the world 

Bottom Line: Ian Nepomniachtchi

Ian Nepomniachtchi ( “Nepo” for short) was born in Bryansk, Russia, in 1990, and began playing chess at the age of four. 

He won three European youth chess championships in a row (2000-2002) from the ages of 10 to 12. Nepo became a Grandmaster at the age of 16. 

He won the Russian national chess championships at 20 but has not won them again since then. He’s currently ranked as the No. 4 player in the world.

17. Bobby Fischer

Peak rating: 2785

Years played: 1953-1992

Net worth: $2 million

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest player to win the U.S. chess championship and the first American to win the World Chess Championship             

Bottom Line: Bobby Fischer

Fischer started playing chess at six and was a Grandmaster by 15. He was a brilliant and highly competitive player. 

Fischer took part in “The Match of the Century” in which he defeated the Soviet World Chess Champion Boris Spassky, becoming the first American to win the title. This event turned chess into a popular game in the U.S. 

However, Fischer began to behave erratically and accused Russian players of cheating. He refused to play Anatoly Karpov in the mid-1970s and lost his world champion title. Fischer eventually left the U.S. to escape legal problems and moved to Iceland. He died there in 2008.

16. Sergey Karjakin

Peak rating:2788

Years played: 2000-present

Net worth: $3 million

Noteworthy achievements: Became the world’s youngest International Master at 11 and a Grandmaster at 12

Bottom Line: Sergey Karjakin

Sergey Karjakin was born in the Ukraine in 1990. He started playing chess at the age of five and went on to become the world’s youngest International Master and then Grandmaster. He still holds the title of the youngest Grandmaster ever. 

Karjakin has a reputation for strong defensive moves and his nickname is “The Minister of Defence.” 

Karjakin has beaten the world’s top player, Magnus Carlsen, on a number of occasions, and is a favorite to one day take the top spot. He is currently ranked as the world’s No. 10 player.

15. Anish Giri

Peak rating: 2793

Years played: 2005-present

Net worth: $1 million

Noteworthy achievements: Four-time Dutch chess champion and currently ranked as the No. 7 player in the world   

Bottom Line: Anish Giri

Anish Giri was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1994 and started playing chess when he was six. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 14. 

His family moved to the Netherlands when he was young, and he now plays for that country. Giri is a four-time Dutch national chess champion. 

He is known for his witty comments on social media and in interviews, and for his verbal matches on Twitter with the world’s No. 1 ranked chess player, Magnus Carlsen.

14. Teimour Radjabov

Peak rating: 2793

Years played: 1996-present

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Currently ranked No. 11 in the world

Bottom Line: Teimour Radjabov

Teimour Radjabov was born in Azerbaijan, in the same city as Garry Kasparov, and started playing chess at the age of three. He earned his Grandmaster status at 14. 

At 16, Radjabov rose to international attention after he defeated the then-world No. 1 chess player, Garry Kasparov, in a tournament. He is currently ranked No. 11 in the world. 

Radjakov is also a UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador who helps to promote salt iodization to prevent disease in his home country.

13. Alexander Grischuk

Peak rating: 2797

Years played: 1992-present

Net worth: $1 million

Noteworthy achievements: Considered the best living blitz (speed) chess player and currently ranked as the No. 18 chess player overall

Bottom Line: Alexander Grischuk

Alexander Grischuk was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1983. His father taught him to play chess when he was four and he became a Grandmaster at 17. 

Grischuk is known as one of the best living blitz (or speed) chess players in the world and has been a three-time world champion in this specialty. He was the Russian national chess champion in 2009. 

Grischuk has consistently ranked in the top ten of competitive chess players during his career and even reached a top ranking of No. 3. He is currently ranked No. 18.

12. Ding Liren

Peak rating:2801

Years played: 2001-present

Net worth: $3.7 million

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest player to win the Chinese chess championship and currently ranked as the No. 3 player in the world                 

Bottom Line: Ding Liren

Ding Liren was born in Wenzhou, China, a city known for producing chess champions, and began playing the game at the age of four. 

He won the national China chess championship at 16, the youngest player to ever hold the title, and became a Grandmaster that same year. 

Liren has been the Chinese champion three times so far. He is currently the world No. 3 ranked player and is considered a favorite to beat Norwegian Magnus Carlsen for the top spot.

11. Hikaru Nakamura

Peak rating: 2814

Years played: 1995-present

Net worth: $50 million

Noteworthy achievements: Five-time U.S. chess champion and the top-rated blitz (speed chess) champion in the world                 

Bottom Line: Hikaru Nakamuru

Born in Japan, Nakamuru’s family moved to the U.S. when he was two, so he is an American citizen and player. He started playing chess when he was seven and became a Grandmaster at 16. 

Nakamura has been the U.S. chess champion five times and is the highest rated chess blitz (or speed chess) player in the world. He signed with TSM, the U.S.-based esports company, making him the first professional chess player to sign with an esports company. 

Nakamura wrote a book about speed chess, called “Bullet Chess: One Minute to Mate.”

10.  Veselin Topalov

Peak rating: 2816

Years played: 1986-2020

Net worth: $1-$5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Won a match against Garry Kasparov, considered the single greatest game ever played     

Bottom Line: Veselin Topalov

Veselin Topalov was born in Bulgaria and learned to play chess at the age of eight from his father. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 16. 

Topalov is known for his dynamic and aggressive style of play, more than most other top chess players, and for his technique of deliberately sacrificing his own pieces to win. He was the World Chess Champion in 2005. 

Topalov’s winning match against Garry Kasparov in 1999 is considered the greatest single chess game ever played. 

9. Viswanathan Anand

Peak rating: 2817

Years played: 1984-2020

Net worth: $3 million

Noteworthy achievements: The first Grandmaster in India’s history and a three-time World Chess Champion

Bottom Line: Viswanathan Anand

Viswanathan Anand was born in India and began playing chess at the age of six. He reached the status of Grandmaster at the age of 19. 

Anand was the first Grandmaster in India’s history and renewed interest in chess playing in his home country. He was famous for his speed chess playing and earned the nickname “The Lightning Kid.” 

Anand held the World Chess Champion title in 2007, 2010 and 2012. He continues to have an active chess career long past the age when other top champions have retired.

8. Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik

Peak rating: 2817

Years played: 1984-2020

Net worth: $2 million

Noteworthy achievements: The World Chess Champion in 2006

Bottom Line: Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik

Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik was born in Russia. He started playing chess at the age of six and attended a special chess school as a child. 

He was the national Soviet Youth Champion at 13 and became a Grandmaster at the age of 17. Kramnik held the title of World Chess Champion in 2006. 

He suffers from arthritis, which forced him to miss championship matches in order to seek treatment. Kramnik retired from the sport in 2019. 

7. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Peak rating: 2819

Years played: 1998-present

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Currently the world’s No. 13 ranked player and considered the No. 7 highest rated player of all time.      

Bottom Line: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, known as MVL, is a French super Grandmaster. He began playing chess at the age of four and became a Grandmaster at 14. 

Throughout his teens, MVL was only a part-time player while he pursued a mathematics degree. After graduating at 19, he began to play professional chess full time. MVL has been the French national chess champion three times in his career. 

He is also known as a philanthropist, holding chess fundraisers for The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. 

6. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Peak rating: 2820

Years played: 1999-present

Net worth: $1-$5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Azerbaijan’s greatest chess player since Garry Kasparov

Bottom Line: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was born in Azerbaijan in 1985 and learned to play chess when he was eight. That same year, he enrolled in a special chess school and has gone on to become his country’s greatest player since Garry Kasparov. 

Mamedyarov became a Grandmaster at the age of 18. He comes from a chess-playing family, and both his sisters are also Grandmasters. 

He is known for using unusual and offbeat moves in a match to throw off opponents. He’s been Azerbaijan's national champion twice and is currently the No. 15 ranked player in the world.

5. Wesley So

Peak rating: 2822

Years played: 2003-present

Net worth: $10 million

Noteworthy achievements: Youngest ever national champion and Grandmaster in Filipino history and the youngest player to pass a 2600 rating

Bottom Line: Wesley So

 \Wesley So was born in the Philippines in 1993. He learned to play chess when he was six and started entering youth competitions at nine. So became a Grandmaster at the age of 14. 

In 2012, he immigrated to the United States to advance his career and have more educational opportunities. He now plays for the American federation. 

He was previously ranked as the No. 2 player in the world, behind Magnus Carlsen, and is now the No. 8 ranked player.

4. Levon Aronian

Peak rating: 2830

Years played: 1993-present

Net worth: $3 million

Noteworthy achievements: A national hero and Master of Sports in Armenia

Bottom Line: Levon Aronian

Levon Aronian is a dual-national, Armenian and American, who learned to play chess when he was nine. He became a Grandmaster at 18. 

Aronian has been ranked in the top 20 players in the world since 2005. He is a national hero and Master of Sports in his home country of Armenia. 

Aronian is known for this steady, consistent style of play. He is currently the No. 14 chess player in the world.

3. Fabiano Caruana

Peak rating: 2844

Years played: 1999-present

Net worth: $13 million

Noteworthy achievements: Currently ranked as the No. 6 player in the world

Bottom Line: Fabiano Caruana

Fabiano Caruana started playing chess at the age of five. He became a Grandmaster at the age of 14, the youngest American ever to reach this status. 

Caruana is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Italy, and holds the Grandmaster title in both countries. He was the first American challenger to play for the World Chess Champion title since Bobby Fischer, but he lost to Norwegian Magnus Carlsen. 

Caruana is currently ranked as the No. 6 top player in the world.

2. Gary Kasparov

Peak rating: 2851

Years played: 1985-2005

Net worth: $5 million

Noteworthy achievements: Soviet youth champion at 13 and youngest world champion at 22     

Bottom Line: Garry Kasparov

Garry Kasparov is a Russian chess Grandmaster who was born in Azerbaijan in 1963. He started playing the game at six and was the Soviet national youth champion by 13. 

Known by his nickname, “The Boss,” Kasparov became a World Chess Champion at 22 — the youngest in history to do so. 

Kasparov retired from the sport in 2005 and now devotes his time to consulting, writing and political activism. He’s an expert on Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity, recently launched a chess website and created the games on the Netflix series, “Queen's Gambit.”

1. Magnus Carlsen

Peak rating: 2886

Years played: 1999-present

Net worth: $8 million

Noteworthy achievements: Held a 2800 rating by 18 and top world ranking by 19, the youngest ever to achieve these standings   

Bottom Line: Magnus Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen is Norwegian and the current World Chess Champion. Born in 1990,  he started playing chess at eight and reached GrandMaster status by the age of 13. 

He went on to achieve a professional rating of 2800 and was the world’s top ranked chess player by 19, the youngest person to ever achieve these standings. 

Carlsen’s been the top ranked chess player in the world since 2011. He’s been called the greatest chess player ever, surpassing better-known ones such as Bobby Fischer or Garry Kasparov.