The Top 20 Chess Players in the World (2025 Edition)
Chess in 2025 has never been more exciting. With legendary champions still dominating and young prodigies rising rapidly, the top 20 players in the world combine experience, innovation, and raw talent. In this blog, we’ll explore who these players are, their ratings, ages, countries, preferred openings, and some of their most famous games.
1. Magnus Carlsen
- Rating/Titles: 2839, Grandmaster
- Age: 34
- Country: Norway
Carlsen remains the gold standard of modern chess. He avoids razor-sharp theoretical duels, preferring solid openings such as the Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, and queen’s pawn openings. His approach is simple: reach equal positions and grind opponents down.
Famous Game: Carlsen vs Karjakin, World Championship 2016 (Game 10), where his endgame precision forced a win in a drawn-looking position.
2. Hikaru Nakamura
- Rating/Titles: 2807, Grandmaster
- Age: 37
- Country: USA
Known for his aggressive and creative play, Nakamura thrives in fast time controls but has also solidified his place among classical elites. The King’s Indian is well-known as a favorite and consistent weapon in his repertoire.
Famous Game: His victory over Carlsen in blitz 2023, where Hikaru showcased tactical fireworks in a Sicilian Defense.
3. Fabiano Caruana
- Rating/Titles: 2789, Grandmaster
- Age: 33
- Country: USA
Caruana is renowned for meticulous preparation and deep opening knowledge. He favors 1.e4 as White, often entering the Ruy Lopez or Italian Game. As Black, he relies on the Najdorf Sicilian and Grünfeld Defense.
Famous Game: Caruana vs Carlsen, 2018 World Championship, where his prep in the Petroff nearly toppled the reigning king.
4. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa
- Rating/Titles: 2785, Grandmaster
- Age: 19
- Country: India
“Pragg” has quickly become a household name. His style is flexible, mixing solid setups with aggressive middlegame attacks.
Famous Game: Praggnanandhaa vs Carlsen, 2022 online rapid, where the teenager defeated the world number one.
5. Arjun Erigaisi
- Rating/Titles: 2771, Grandmaster
- Age: 21
- Country: India
Arjun’s play is sharp and tactical. He enjoys Sicilian structures and dynamic queen’s pawn games, often aiming to unsettle even the best opponents.
6. Gukesh Dommaraju
- Rating/Titles: 2767, Grandmaster, Classical World Champion
- Age: 19
- Country: India
In 2024, Gukesh became the youngest ever World Champion. He relies on universal openings like the Ruy Lopez and Catalan, and thrives in complex endgames.
Famous Game: Gukesh vs Ding Liren, World Championship 2024, where his calm under pressure won him the crown.
7. Wesley So
- Rating/Titles: 2756, Grandmaster
- Age: 31
- Country: USA
So is a rock-solid player, known for avoiding risks while dismantling opponents with quiet accuracy. He often employs the Queen’s Gambit Declined and Berlin Defense.
8. Alireza Firouzja
- Rating/Titles: 2754, Grandmaster
- Age: 22
- Country: France (formerly Iran)
Firouzja is fearless and thrives in sharp positions. His opening choices include the Sicilian Najdorf and King’s Indian Defense.
Famous Game: Firouzja vs Caruana, Grand Swiss 2019, a tactical masterpiece that announced his arrival.
9. Wei Yi
- Rating/Titles: 2753, Grandmaster
- Age: 26
- Country: China
Wei Yi has long been admired for his attacking brilliance. His games often feature the King’s Indian Defense and Sicilian lines.
Famous Game: Wei Yi vs Bruzon, Danzhou 2015, where his queen sacrifice is remembered as one of the greatest modern brilliancies.
10. Vincent Keymer
- Rating/Titles: 2751, Grandmaster
- Age: 20
- Country: Germany
Disciplined and ambitious, Keymer mixes solid preparation with flashes of creativity. His games feature the Catalan and English Opening.
11. Nodirbek Abdusattorov
- Rating/Titles: 2748, Grandmaster
- Age: 21
- Country: Uzbekistan
Abdusattorov stunned the world by winning the 2021 World Rapid at just 17. His openings include sharp Sicilians and aggressive King’s Indian lines.
12. Anish Giri
- Rating/Titles: 2746, Grandmaster
- Age: 30
- Country: Netherlands
Giri is famed for encyclopedic opening knowledge. He thrives in the Slav Defense, Nimzo-Indian, and Berlin Wall.
13. Levon Aronian
- Rating/Titles: 2743, Grandmaster
- Age: 42
- Country: USA (formerly Armenia)
Aronian brings creativity and joy to the board. He is comfortable in sharp openings like the King’s Indian and dynamic Queen’s Gambits.
14. Viswanathan Anand
- Rating/Titles: 2743, Grandmaster, 15th World Champion
- Age: 55
- Country: India
Anand remains competitive at the top level. Known for quick calculation, he excels in the Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, and Catalan.
Famous Game: Anand vs Aronian, Wijk aan Zee 2013, where Anand unleashed a deep preparation in the Nimzo-Indian.
15. Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Rating/Titles: ~2739, Grandmaster
- Age: 35
- Country: Russia
“Nepo” combines blitz instincts with strong opening prep. His go-to defenses include the Sicilian and Grünfeld.
16. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
- Rating/Titles: ~2738, Grandmaster
- Age: 40
- Country: Azerbaijan
Mamedyarov is fearless, often opting for double-edged positions. He relishes the King’s Indian Defense and tactical 1.e4 openings.
17. Leinier Domínguez Pérez
- Rating/Titles: ~2737, Grandmaster
- Age: 41
- Country: USA (born in Cuba)
Domínguez is a balanced player, with deep understanding of the Sicilian and Catalan systems.
18. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
- Rating/Titles: ~2736, Grandmaster
- Age: 34
- Country: France
“MVL” is synonymous with the Sicilian Najdorf, one of the most complex openings in chess. His sharp tactical style makes him dangerous in any format.
19. Ding Liren
- Rating/Titles: ~2734, Grandmaster, 17th World Champion
- Age: 32
- Country: China
Ding is calm, positional, and resilient. He prefers the Catalan and Ruy Lopez, excelling in long endgames.
20. Vladimir Fedoseev
- Rating/Titles: ~2732, Grandmaster
- Age: 30
- Country: Russia
Fedoseev brings originality to his games, often choosing unconventional lines to surprise opponents.
Chess is Hard 