The Top Chess Players in the World - Page 2

GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
2717 | #23

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 Amin Tabatabaei
2714 | #25

Iran

Amin Tabatabaei is an Iranian grandmaster and the winner of the 2019 Biel Master Open tournament. His win came by half a point over a group of seven players in second place, including GMs Jeffery Xiong and Gata Kamsky. Earlier in his career, Tabatabaei won silver at the 2014 World U14 Championship....

GM Yu Yangyi
2714 | #25

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 Dmitry Andreikin
2710 | #27

FIDE

Dmitry Andreikin is a Russian super GM and a two-time Russian champion. He had a highly successful early career and became a GM at age 17. Andreikin’s top success, as of 2020, came at the 2013 World Cup where he was a finalist and qualified as a candidate for the world championship. A top-30 player...

GM Parham Maghsoodloo
2710 | #27

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 Vidit Gujrathi
2708 | #29

India

The player's full name is Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and they confirmed to Chess.com that they preferred to be called by their first name, Vidit. Vidit Gujrathi is an Indian super GM who has won the under-14 world championship, 2018 Tata Steel Challengers, and the 2019 Biel tournament. In 2023 he became...

GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus
2708 | #29

Türkiye

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is a Turkish chess grandmaster, one of the youngest grandmasters ever, and the youngest player ever to reach a 2600 FIDE rating. Erdogmus won the U-8 European Chess Championship in 2019, a year before he had to stop playing over-the-board chess due to the COVID-19 pandemic....

GM Awonder Liang
2704 | #31

United States

Awonder Liang is an American grandmaster and the 2011 World U8 Champion. He’s well-known for being the youngest player ever to defeat a grandmaster in a standard tournament game when at the age of 9 years, three months, and 20 days, he beat GM Larry Kaufman. Liang is also the second-youngest grandmaster...

GM Vladimir Fedoseev
2700 | #32

Slovenia

Vladimir Fedoseev is a Russian chess grandmaster and one of the world’s 100 highest-rated players by FIDE. In 2022, he stopped representing Russia as part of the fallout of the invasion of Ukraine. He transferred federations to Slovenia in July 2023. Early Life And Career Grandmaster Greatest...

GM Sam Sevian
2696 | #33

United States

Samuel Sevian is an American grandmaster who gained notoriety as a chess prodigy. In 2014, he became the youngest ever-American to earn his GM title at 13 years, 10 months, and 27 days—and still retains a top spot on the list of the youngest chess grandmasters overall. He’s also the youngest...

GM Veselin Topalov
2695 | #34

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 Matthias Bluebaum
2694 | #35

Germany

Matthias Bluebaum is a German grandmaster, two-time European Champion, and the 2020 German Chess Champion. Earlier in his career, he had several top-10 finishes in major tournaments, including the 2011 German U18 Chess Championship, 2011 World U14 Chess Championship, 2014 World U18 Chess Championship,...

GM Aravindh Chithambaram

India

The player's full name is Aravindh Chithambaram V R and they confirmed to Chess.com that they preferred to be called by their first name, Aravindh.Aravindh Chithambaram is an Indian grandmaster. He won the national championship in consecutive years, 2018 and 2019. In August 2023, he entered the top...

GM Teimour Radjabov
2689 | #36

Azerbaijan

Teimur Radjabov was born in Baku, Azerbaijan—the same city as former world champion Garry Kasparov—on March 12, 1987. Radjabov’s promising youth career translated into runs at the FIDE world championship in his teens and the reunified championship in the 2010’s. Radjabov’s...

GM Nodirbek Yakubboev
2689 | #36

Uzbekistan

Nodirbek Yakubboev is an Uzbek grandmaster and three-time national champion. His Uzbekistani Chess Championships came in 2016, 2018, and 2020. At the 2018 World Youth Chess Olympiad, Yakubboev won gold with Uzbekistan and took individual gold as well for his performance on the second board. In...

GM Wang Hao
2684 | #38

China

GM Wang Hao is a super grandmaster who was a candidate for the world championship in 2020, which he achieved by winning the 2019 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss. He had a fantastic youth career that culminated in winning the seventh Dubai Open at the age of 16, when he topped several dozen GMs and IMs as...

GM Andrey Esipenko
2684 | #38

Russia

Andrey Esipenko is a Russian grandmaster. He won the European U10 Chess Championship in 2012. In 2017, he won the European U16 Chess Championship and the World U16 Chess Championship. At the 2021 Tata Steel Chess Tournament, the 18-year-old beat World Champion Magnus Carlsen in their first encounter,...

GM Peter Svidler
2682 | #40

FIDE

Peter Svidler is an eight-time chess champion of Russia and a three-time candidate for the world championship. He came closest to becoming world champion with a second-place finish in FIDE’s 2005 championship tournament. Early Life And Career The Next Decade (2000-09) The 2010s Legacy Early...

GM Peter Leko

Hungary

GM Peter Leko is a Hungarian super grandmaster who played for the classical world championship in 2004, losing to GM Vladimir Kramnik (under the terms of the match, despite drawing it by score). Born in 1979, he was already an IM by 1992. GM came two years later, making him the youngest ever. Early...

GM Harikrishna Pentala
2676 | #41

India

The player's full name is Harikrishna Pentala and they confirmed to Chess.com that they preferred to be called by their first name, Harikrishna. Harikrishna Pentala is an Indian grandmaster and one of the best chess players in that nation’s history. Early Life And Career Grandmaster 2700 Club Recent...

GM Pavel Eljanov
2674 | #42

Ukraine

Pavel Eljanov is a Ukrainian grandmaster who has served as a second (assistant) for many elite players, including GMs Magnus Carlsen, Boris Gelfand, and Mariya Muzychuk. Early in his career, Eljanov was on the team that won the U16 Chess Olympiad in 1999. Years later, he won two team...

GM Igor Kovalenko

Ukraine

Igor Kovalenko is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. He earned his title in 2011 and from 2013-21 represented Latvia, where he won the national championship in 2013 and 2014. Kovalenko has been volunteering in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2022.

GM Nikita Vitiugov
2666 | #43

England

Nikita Vitiugov is a Russian-born grandmaster who plays under the English flag. He was the Russian chess champion in 2021 and coach of GM Ian Nepomniachtchi at two FIDE World Championship matches. He is a two-time winner of World Team Chess Championships and a three-time European Club Cup winner. He...

GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov
2665 | #44

Uzbekistan

Uzbek GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov is perhaps best known as the 2004 FIDE world champion, earning the title in a knockout tournament. Despite being seeded 28th, Kasimdzhanov defeated number-five seed GM Vassily Ivanchuk in round three, number-four GM Alexander Grischuk in the quarterfinal, number-one GM Veselin...

GM David Howell
2665 | #44

England

David Howell is an English grandmaster and three-time British chess champion. He set several records as a chess prodigy, including being the youngest Briton to earn the GM title. Howell remains active as a player, columnist, and commentator. Early Chess Career (1996 To 2008) Multiple-Time British Champion...