Chess is the most popular mind game and Indore game in the world.
No one can say that for sure, I give some approximate calculations of the number of chess players. Chess.com members, tournament players and grandmasters alike
Total Players: 60 Crores
In 2012, the Fédération Internationale des Écheux (FIDE) calculated this number of frequently mentioned chess figures from previous years. These numbers are revealed by FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) data from previous years obtained by YouGov from a survey.
Other oral estimates put the number at over a lakh crore, 20 to 30 crore more than the FIDE survey estimate. Although no one can say the exact number of correct chess players, there is no doubt that past or present, chess is one of the most popular games in the world.
Number of Tournament Players: 36 lakh+
FIDE has over 3.6 million active tournament player members in its member database. 4 Players register through FIDE when participating in an international standard event. Although these events are open to all interested members, only serious chess players can reach this stage.
185 states and countries are members of FIDE. 5 Many states list their own country’s registered tournament players. For example, in 2016 the United States Chess Federation announced that it had more than 85,000 registered tournament players.6 Of these, only a fraction are registered internationally through FIDE.
Number of Grandmasters: 2000 in 2024 and increasing day by day
The highest recognition in chess is GM (International Grandmaster), which is determined by FIDE. To receive Grandmaster recognition, a chess player must play regularly at a high level, and achieve three “Grandmaster Norms” and an Elo rating of over 2,500. Very few players can reach that level.
The great majority of grandmasters are men, but 42 women have been awarded the GM title as of 2024, out of a total of about 2000 grandmasters.
