what percentage of professional chess players are poor?

95%?

You are poor when you have a low standard of living, low in quality; or do you mean having very little money ?

Professional chess players will look for better jobs, when income is low.

My answer : between zero and five percent.

There are many chess players that are poor, I mean chess is the game of the poor. It cost virtually nothing to play, only a board and a set of pieces.

That said, I doubt much professional chess players are poor, without any money, because professionals get commercial sponsorships. Usually, people able to compete and perform at a high level have decent jobs too.

Are you poor polebuster?

im poor

Well at least you found a hobby in chess and based on your online ratings you seem to be not bad at it too.

Good luck! (even if there is no luck in chess)

It looks like Gm"s in Europe rated below 2600 usually must have income from another job or from coahing/ teaching.

Does being poor at chess count?

Stienitz died broke.

So did the inventor of Coke.

Add to this the fact that all the studying you do to become good at chess is not applicable to anything else in the world that could lead to money making potential.

Hard to say. But the good money comes on top levels...

Wilhelm Steinitz not only died a pauper but he was interned in the New York mental asylum. The early 20th century was a harsh time.

A lot of very good club players around the world if not poor, live modestly on low-income. Look in the Third World in various Chess café. Few individuals, with regards to all club players out there, makes it to the the rank of IM or GM and get interesting income out of it.

At least he gave God pawn odds and won.

TO OP: If you play chess for the money, it's definetly not worth it.

There are many definitions of poor. 

Socrates would disagree. There are many wrong definitions of who is poor. But there must be one golden truth. Which has yet to be found I think.

I think its possible to become quite rich as a chessplayer if you are best in the world, and does some fashionwork too.

I'd say most professional chess players don't live on tournament income.  If forced to live on it, 90% would be poor if not higher.

I guess it depends on who the professional chess players are.  If you're only including people whose primary income is from chess, none of them are poor.

Since this isnt philosophy class, im assuming the OP means monetarily.  But like i said, there are many form of "rich"