Top 10 Chess Players by FIDE rating

Chess is a centuries-old game that established the competitive industry all the way back in the 1800s. And after hundreds of years, the competitive scene of chess remains vigorous and healthy. But who are the masters of this ancient game in the modern era? Let's take a look at the top 10 chess players in the world according to FIDE's classical ranking (April 2024).

Magnus Carlsen is the world's best chess player and his achievements are unprecedented. The 33-year-old Norwegian became a chess Grandmaster at only 13 years old and earned the world champion title in 2013 at 22 years old. He holds astounding achievements including reaching the highest classical rating of all time at 2882. He is the five-time World Chess Champion, four-time World Rapid Chess Champion, and six-time World Blitz Champion. Recently, Carlsen abdicated the world champion throne but still actively competes in chess tournaments worldwide.

The 31-year-old Italian-American, Fabiano Caruana, played his first chess tournament at five years old. He then achieved the Grandmaster title at 14 years old, surpassing Nakamura's previous record. In the same year, he won the Italian Chess Championship. Caruana delivered a notable performance at the 2016 Sinquefield Cup which saw the highest-ever performance rating in history. He is also a two-time and the current U.S Chess Champion.

Caruana's biggest achievement is a victory at the Candidates Tour 2018 which allowed him to challenge Magnus Carlsen in that year. He became the first American citizen since Bobby Fischer to participate in the World Chess Championship and he brawled in a close contest, barely losing to Carlsen.

Despite rocking a successful full-time streaming career, Hikaru Nakamura comfortably sits among the top 3 chess players in the world. The Japanese-American was introduced to chess at seven years old and trained to reach the Grandmaster title at fifteen years old. This made him the youngest American GM at that time, surpassing Bobby Fischer's record by three months. The 36-year-old is a five-time U.S Chess Champion and he recently became the 2022 Fischer Random World Champion. In the 2022 Candidates Tour, Nakamura achieved an impressive third-place finish.

Young Uzbekistan player, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, achieved his highest ever rating in early April, successfully breaking into the top 5 of FIDE classical rating. This follows his victory in the Prague International Chess event where he scored 6.5/9. He also breaks records as he becomes the youngest ever chess Grandmaster to break into the 2400 rating at only 19 years old. But prior to this achievement, he already has a prominent reputation in the world of Grandmasters. Abdusattorov is the youngest World Rapid Chess Championship winner, claiming the trophy at only 17 years old in 2021.

The 31-year-old Ding Liren came from a Chinese town that is known to have a vigorous chess community. He started training early but gained traction after a brilliant performance at the 2009 Chinese Chess Championship. At only 16 years old, he became a national champion and simultaneously earned the Grandmaster title. Liren also became the first player from China to qualify for the Candidates Tour in 2018, which he finished in fourth place without a single defeat. But his biggest achievement so far is qualifying for the World Chess Championship in 2023, an ongoing event that sees him clashing against Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Alireza Firouzja is among the youngest players in the world's top 10 at only 20 years old. The Iranian-born player, who is currently playing for France, first won the Iranian Chess Championship at 12 years old and claimed the Grandmaster title at only 14. Two years later, the chess prodigy became the youngest person in history to reach a 2800 rating in chess. He won the 2021 FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament and recently triumphed in the 2022 Grand Chess Tour. He is also currently rank #1 in Blitz, surpassing Nakamura. Firouzja recently opened up to pursuing fashion design while still committing to chess as a career.

Ian Nepomniachtchi has been training in chess since he was four years old and developed early to grab multiple European championships at a young age. In 2002, he also defeated Carlsen in the World Junior Championship. Nepomniachtchi earned the Grandmaster title at 17 years old and would actively participate in championships worldwide. The 32-year-old won consecutive Candidates Tour both in 2021 and in 2022 - allowing him to challenge the world champion twice. In 2021, he lost against Carlsen but his fate has yet to be determined for 2022.

Wesley So is a 30-year-old Filipino who is now playing for the United States. He started competing at ten years old and became a Grandmaster four years later. He was the youngest GM in the Philippines and became a three-time Philippine Chess Champion. But following his transfer to the US in 2014, he began competing in the U.S Chess Championships and has won three iterations so far. He has tremendous international victories including in the 2015 Bilbao Chess Masters, 2016 Grand Chess Tour, and the 2017 Tata Steel Masters.

Another youngster on the list, Arjun Erigaisi, successfully climbed into the top 10 of the best chess players by FIDE ratings. The 20-year-old is the highest-rated Indian at the time of writing, having recently won the Menorca Open A tournament. He was the first Indian to qualify for the Goldmoney Asian Rapid, which is a part of the Chess Champions Tour, and he had also won the Tata Steel Chess 2022 Challengers.

Wei Yi is the second Chinese in the top 10 chess players according to classical ratings. The 24-year-old is the 9th youngest person to obtain the Grandmaster title at only 13 years old and 8 months old. In 2015, he made a remarkable record by winning the Chinese Chess Championship, becoming the youngest Chinese champion in history. Wei Yi did not stop there and continued his path to claim the 2022 Asian Games chess victory. He managed to break through into the top 10 after crucial wins against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Gukesh D at the 2024 Tata Steel Chess Tournament.

And that's it for the top 10 chess players in the world! Stick around esports.gg for more chess news and updates!