Which Chess Player Has the Highest IQ?

Chess is often seen as a 'brainiacs' activity, and for good reason. It's one of those mentally challenging activities that are believed to be good for your brain. Not surprisingly, many of the world's top chess players have incredibly high IQs.

One of the most brilliant chess players is Magnus Carlsen. This Norwegian grandmaster, born in 1990, has an amazing IQ of 190. He became the World Chess Champion in 2013 and has successfully defended his title multiple times. He even won the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in 2024.

Another chess legend is Garry Kasparov, with an estimated IQ of 155. Born in Azerbaijan in 1963, he became the youngest undisputed World Chess Champion at the age of 22. Kasparov’s peak FIDE rating of 2851 was the highest until Carlsen surpassed it in 2013. His 1997 match against IBM's Deep Blue showed the evolving relationship between humans and machines.

Judit Polgar, a Hungarian grandmaster, is known for breaking gender barriers in chess. Born in 1976, she defeated many world champions, including Kasparov and Karpov, proving herself as the strongest female chess player ever. With an IQ of 170, Polgar is definitely one of the smartest chess players in the world.

Lastly, let's mention Bobby Fischer, an American grandmaster with an IQ of 180. Fischer dropped out of school at the age of 16 to focus on chess. His parents probably didn't blame him, as he became the 11th World Chess Champion by defeating Boris Spassky in 1972, a match that became a symbol of the Cold War.

You can find more chess players in the table below which we'll update periodically.

IQ score of the top chess players

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