INTRODUCTION
This page looks at chess grandmasters and their geographic distribution. The country for each grandmaster is the most recent federation they belonged to and not the federation they were members of when they became grandmasters. So a player who was awarded grandmaster status in the 1950s while a member of the Soviet chess federation but was still alive after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and joined the Russian federation would be listed as Russia on the 1950s chart. That’s why both Russia and the Soviet Union are listed on the same chart.
Charts
1. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 1950s
2. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 1960s
3. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 1970s
4. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 1980s
5. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 1990s
6. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 2000s
7. Countries with Most Players Awarded Grandmaster Status in 2010s
8. Top 100 Chess Players by Region of World
Data Tables
9. Players with Highest Peak FIDE Rating in the 1970s
10. Players with Highest Peak FIDE Rating in the 1980s
11. 1st 100 Chess Grandmasters by Year Status Obtained and Most Recent National Chess Federation
Chess has been dominated by players from the Soviet Union and Russia from the 1950s to the present. The Soviet dominance of chess is considered to have begun when Mikhail Botvinnik won the World Championship in 1948. From 1948 till the dissolution of the Soviet Union all World Champions were Soviet players with the notable exception of the American Bobby Fischer who won the World Championship in 1972 when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in the famous match in Reykjavik which was publicized as a cold war confrontation. The Soviet dominance of the world championship is reflected in the number of Soviet and Russian grandmasters. Other regions of eastern Europe such as Yugoslavia have also had a lot of grandmasters for their size. Svetozar Gligorić is considered to be the greatest Yugoslavian chess player ever.
As show on the 1950s chart, the early chess grandmasters were overwhelmingly from eastern Europe, especially the Soviet Union. This changed somewhat in the 1960s when western chess players became prominent. It’s worth noting that several of the American grandmasters on the 1960s chart were eastern Europeans who later joined the American chess federation after emigrating. The 1980s can be said to mark a peak in western chess where 3 of the top 4 countries were western countries. Despite this, all World Championships in the 80s were won by 2 Soviet players, Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov.
Russia and the former Soviet Union in general has remained dominant part of the world to the present day, re-asserting their dominance in the 1990s as American chess has declined. In the 2010s, India has become 2nd to Russia with the former Soviet country, Ukraine, in 3rd place.
Magnus Carlsen of Norway is currently the undisputed world’s best player, winning the last 4 world championships. He is considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, achieving the highest ever peak FIDE rating of 2882.
The pie chart shows the regional distribution of the world’s top 100 chess players. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet region dominate with 41%, reflecting a long-standing chess tradition supported by state-sponsored training systems during the Soviet era. Countries such as Russia have historically produced elite players, including Garry Kasparov, one of the greatest world champions in chess history.
Western Europe accounts for 18%, while North America holds 13%, boosted in recent years by top players such as Fabiano Caruana. East Asia represents 10%, highlighting the growing strength of China in global chess competition. South Asia, largely driven by India’s rise in the sport, contributes 8%, following the influence of pioneers such as Viswanathan Anand.
The Middle East and Central Asia hold smaller shares, and Latin America contributes only a minimal percentage. Overall, the chart reflects the enduring dominance of Eastern Europe alongside the gradual globalisation of elite chess talent.
9. Players with Highest Peak FIDE Rating in the 1970s
10. Players with Highest Peak FIDE Rating in the 1980s
11. 1st 100 Chess Grandmasters by Year Status Obtained and Most Recent National Chess Federation
Sources:
Charts created using OpenOffice Calc.