Who are the leading chess players worldwide?
At the pinnacle of the chess world stand the revered grandmasters, the most elite of which consistently feature at the top of the chess rankings. One of the most well-respected ranking systems is published by the International Chess Federation, or La Fédération Internationale des Echecs (FIDE) - employing a variation of the Elo rating system to rank chess players worldwide.Magnus Carlsen stands out as one of the leading classical chess players globally, boasting the highest FIDE rating as of April 2024. Meanwhile, in the female category, Hou Yifan, a four-time World Chess Champion, held the highest FIDE rating as of the same date, establishing herself as the leading global female classical chess player. Beyond the pursuit of glory, the prospect of earning prize funds also incentivizes elite chess players to win matches. In 2023, reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren emerged as the chess player with the highest winnings globally, earning over one million U.S. dollars.
