Chess Grandmaster Salary: How Much Do Top Players Earn?

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Last updated: Dec 04, 2025

A confident chess player in a suit making a strategic move during a tournament, representing the career and salary potential of a chess grandmaster.

A lot of individuals have been intrigued by the amount of money professional chess players actually make. When the vast majority thinks about the salary of a chess grandmaster, they think about prize pools and glorious tournaments in millions of dollars.

The reality is more complex. The earnings of chess players are drastically different depending on the rankings, popularity, performance in the tournament, and the success of the grandmaster in developing his brand.

FAQs

  • Grandmasters earn between 30,000 and 150,000 a year, with the best-paid ones earning much more, well over half a million dollars from tournaments, sponsorship, and web money.

  • Magnus Carlsen is considered by many as the most successful chess grandmaster, and with a yearly income of more than $ 1 million, he is a solitary person who has earned his money in tournaments, endorsements, and the Play Magnus Group.

  • A grandmaster can win in tournaments, coach, author, sponsor, and write books. Payments start at a conservative level of income and increase to high six- and seven-figure salaries for top performers.

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