Sports

Chess Players

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Source:Editorial
Updated:3/4/2026
#chess#players#grandmaster#sports#strategy
20/20
Player↕
Country↕
Era↕
Peak Rating↕
Title↕
Magnus Carlsen
Norway2004–present2882World Champion 2013–2023
Garry Kasparov
Russia1975–20052851World Champion 1985–2000
Bobby Fischer
USA1958–19722785World Champion 1972–1975
Anatoly Karpov
Russia1969–20052780World Champion 1975–1985
Viswanathan Anand
India1988–present2817World Champion 2007–2013
José Raúl Capablanca
Cuba1902–1942~2725World Champion 1921–1927
Mikhail Tal
Latvia/USSR1953–19922705World Champion 1960–1961
Alexander Alekhine
Russia/France1909–1946~2690World Champion 1927–1946
Hikaru Nakamura
USA2001–present28165× US Champion, Twitch star
Ding Liren
China2009–present2816World Champion 2023–2025
Fabiano Caruana
USA2005–present2844World #2, Challenger 2018
Mikhail Botvinnik
USSR1927–1970~2690World Champion 1948–1963
Emanuel Lasker
Germany1889–1941~2720World Champion 1894–1921
Vladimir Kramnik
Russia1991–20192817World Champion 2000–2007
Levon Aronian
Armenia2002–present2830World #2, elite GM
Boris Spassky
Russia1955–19922690World Champion 1969–1972
Judit Polgár
Hungary1991–20142735Strongest female player ever
D. Gukesh
India2018–present2794World Champion 2025, youngest ever
Alireza Firouzja
France/Iran2016–present2804Youngest 2800+ ever
Praggnanandhaa
India2018–present2747World Cup finalist at 18

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Frequently asked questions

How is the Best Chess Players list ranked?

The Chess Players list is ranked by community votes. Every visitor can pick one option over another in head-to-head matchups, and the running totals determine the order you see. No editors or algorithms — just real people voting.

How many entries are in this Best Chess Players dataset?

This dataset contains 20 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.

Can I download the Best Chess Players data?

Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 20-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.

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