The Top Chess Players in the World

GM Magnus Carlsen 2840 | #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 2810 | #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 2795 | #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 Vincent Keymer 2776 | #4

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 Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2771 | #5

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 Alireza Firouzja 2759 | #6

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 Wei Yi 2754 | #7

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 Anish Giri 2753 | #8

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 Wesley So 2753 | #8

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 Gukesh Dommaraju 2748 | #10

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 the current world chess champion, defeating GM Ding Liren in the FIDE World Championship on December 12, 2024. He is the youngest undisputed...

GM Arjun Erigaisi 2745 | #11

India

Arjun Erigaisi is an Indian grandmaster, 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. In October 2024, Arjun reached a live...

GM Javokhir Sindarov

Uzbekistan

GM Javokhir Sindarov is a grandmaster and world championship candidate from Uzbekistan. One of the youngest grandmasters in history, in 2018 he earned his GM title at the age of 12 years, 10 months, and 5 days. He is one of just five players to earn the title before turning 13 years old (as of August...

GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu 2741 | #12

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 Jan-Krzysztof Duda 2739 | #13

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 Leinier Dominguez Perez 2738 | #14

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 Richard Rapport 2738 | #14

Hungary

Richard Rapport is a Hungarian-Romanian grandmaster and a runner-up in the FIDE Grand Prix 2022, which secured him a place at the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022. This former chess prodigy also possesses a uniquely creative opening approach combined with an exquisite positional style. Style Early...

GM Hans Niemann

United States

Hans Niemann is an American grandmaster and chess streamer. Niemann quickly rose through the ranks of chess, earning his FIDE master title in 2016, only four years after his first rated tournament where he had received a provisional US Chess rating of just 1122. He tied for first in the U-18 North American...

GM Le Quang Liem 2731 | #16

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 Jorden van Foreest 2729 | #17

Netherlands

Jorden van Foreest is a Dutch grandmaster and the Dutch Chess Champion of 2016. He is best known for winning the Tata Steel Masters in 2021. He’s the youngest Dutch GM in history and currently ranked second in the country (March 2021). Early Chess Career (2005 To 2015) Dutch Champion (2016 To...

GM Levon Aronian 2729 | #17

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 Ian Nepomniachtchi 2723 | #19

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 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2720 | #20

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 at the time. Vachier-Lagrave...

GM Yu Yangyi 2717 | #21

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 Nihal Sarin 2716 | #22

India

GM Nihal Sarin is an Indian chess prodigy who became a grandmaster at the age of 14. He won several youth championships on his way, including the the U-10 World Blitz Championship in 2013 and the U-10 World Youth Chess Championship in 2014, where he scored 9/11. He was also the world under-18 champion,...

GM Awonder Liang 2714 | #23

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...