Top 5 chess players in the world; guess who the No 1 is

By CNBCTV18.com | May 20, 2022, 08:51 PM IST (Published)

Top 5 chess players in the world; guess who the No 1 is

There is quite a lot happening in the world of chess currently as two big events -- the online Chessable Masters and the GCT Superbet Rapid & Blitz chess tournament -- will be taking place simultaneously. Here’s a refresher of the current top 5 chess players in the world, as per the International Chess Federation (FIDE)

- 1 / 5
Born in Tonsberg, Norway, Magnus Carlsen, at 13 years and 4 months, became the youngest Grandmaster at the time. In 2012, he surpassed Garry Kasparov’s historical record of 2851 rating as his rating increased from 2848 to 2861 after winning the London Chess Championship for the third time. Magnus won the Candidates Tournament and qualified for a World Championship Match in 2013. He flew to Chennai, to face the then world champion, Viswanathan Anand. He became the World Champion by beating Anand 6,5 – 3,5 and he sits at the top spot with a FIDE rating of 2864 currently. (Image: Reuters)
- 2 / 5
A Chinese super grandmaster, Ding Liren is the primary contender for Magnus Carlsen’s world title. He won his first Chinese Chess Championship at the age of 16 to become the youngest to ever do so. He is an official participant of the 2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament next month which will decide who will get a title shot against Magnus Carlsen. Ding sits at the second spot on the list with a FIDE rating of 2806. (Image: Reuters)
- 3 / 5
Alireza Firouzja, 18, is an Iranian-born Grandmaster and the youngest player in the world to be rated over 2700. He is the reigning European Fischer Random champion and he was the only teenager to be ranked in the top 15 chess players in the world. Firouzja got a second-place finish in the World Rapid Championship (one point behind World Champion Magnus Carlsen) in 2020. He is one of the participants of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022 as well. He occupies the third spot with a FIDE rating of 2804. (Image: Wiki Commons)
- 4 / 5
Caruana Fabiano broke the record of GM Hikaru Nakamura for America's youngest chess Grandmaster. He had been ranked number 2 and won numerous tournaments in his career. In 2018, he faced Magnus Carlsen at the World Chess Championship in London and lost in the tie-break playoffs. He is also a participant in the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022. He is currently ranked number 4 with a FIDE rating of 2786. (Image: Reuters)
- 5 / 5
Richard Rapport is a Hungarian grandmaster and an official participant of the FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament 2022. He is famous for his unique and creative opening approach combined with an exquisite positional style. Rapport led the Norway Chess 2021 tournament but finished third after losing to Carlsen and GM Alireza Firouzja. He is current number 5 in the world with a FIDE rating of 2776. (Image: Wiki Commons)