How Many Chess Grandmasters Are There? (2026)

So if you came here to know how many chess grandmasters are there, then you are exactly in the right place. Since I was quite interested in this topic I did research in the best way I could and now I’m going to share with you everything I learned.

Table of Contents

How many chess grandmasters are there?

As per the FIDE database search done on 28 November 2021, there are 1742 chess grandmasters and the number of active chess grandmasters is 1315. The grandmaster title is awarded to the chess players by the International Chess Federation FIDE.

Number of GMs	1742
Number of Active GMs	1315
Number of Female GMs	39
Number of Active Female GMs	30
Number of WGMs	317
Number of Active WGMs	186

Based on the data from the FIDE Database collected on 28 November 2021

How Many Female Grandmasters Are There?

As per the FIDE database search done on 28 November 2021, there are 39 female grandmasters. However, the number of active female chess grandmasters is 30. Note that these data only reflect the number of female chess players with the Grandmaster Title and not the Women Chess Grandmaster Title.

Yes, I know you might be confused. Don’t worry, I’m going to explain the difference between the grandmaster title (GM) and the Woman Grandmaster Title (WGM).

So here’s the thing.

Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster (GM) is the highest title a player can achieve in chess.

Whereas, Women Chess Grandmaster is a title that is only restricted to women. As per Wikipedia, the requirements for achieving the Woman Grandmaster Title (WGM) is less than those International Master (IM) but higher than those for FIDE Master (FM).

So, how many WGMs are there? As per the FIDE database search done on 28 November 2021, there are 317 chess players with the Women Chess Grandmaster Title which is different from the Grandmaster Title. The number of active chess players with the Women Chess Grandmaster Title is 186.

Who is The Youngest Chess Grandmaster?

Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest chess grandmaster in the world. He achieved this title at 12 years 4 months and 25 days on June 30, 2021, beating Sergey Karjakin’s record which had stood since 2002.

So until now, I talked with you about the Grandmaster. But do you know about Supergrandmasters!

What is Super Grandmaster?

As the name itself suggests super grandmasters refer to the world’s top-level chess players. Although this is an informal term, it refers to the chess players with an Elo rating of over 2700.

Super grandmasters are serious contenders for the World Championship.

Is Magnus Carlsen A Super Grandmaster? Yes, Magnus Carlsen is a super chess grandmaster. He has a FIDE rating of 2855 (November 2021) which is over 2700 rating, which is criteria generally used to determine whether a player is a super grandmaster or not.

How many Super Grandmasters are there?

As per the Top 100 Players November 2021 FIDE Rating list, there is a total of 37 chess players with ratings of over 2700. So as of November 2021, there is a total of 37 Super Grandmasters.

One thing to note is that the number of super grandmasters may change as it depends on how many chess players have over 2700 ratings. So make sure you keep an eye on the latestFIDE Ratings here.

Can you lose Grandmaster Title?

Yes, a player can lose the Grandmaster title if found using the FIDE Title and rating to subvert the ethical principles of the Title and the rating system. Also, if the player is found violating the anti-cheating regulations in a tournament on which the title application was based.

Generally, the Grandmaster title is valid for life but in the above cases, FIDE regulations allow a title to be revoked.

Here are some of the examples of chess players whose titles have been revoked.

Chess players whose grandmaster title has been revoked:

Gaioz Nigalidze

Gaioz Nigalidze is a chess player from Georgia. In 2009, he was awarded the International Master Title by the FIDE. And in 2014, he was also awarded the Grandmaster title.

However, in 2015 his Grandmaster title was revoked for cheating using the electronic devices hidden in a bathroom.

Igors Rausis

Igors Rausis is another chess player whose Grandmaster title is revoked. He was awarded the GM title in 1992 by the FIDE.

However, in July 2019, in a Strasbourg tournament, he was caught cheating. The FIDE Ethics Commission stripped him of his GM Title and also gave him a 6-year ban.

Conclusion

So I hope now you know how many chess grandmasters are there. Please do share this article if you found it helpful. Thanks!

References:

Pritam Ganguly