Russia no Longer has More Top Chess Grandmasters than the U.S.

    Russia's war effort to take over Ukraine has resulted in the country no longer having as many top chess grandmasters as the United States. Out of the 100 highest-ranked chess players, just a dozen are from Russia, while the United States has nudged ahead with 13. Some of Russia's best players have declined to compete under the Russian flag since Ukraine was invaded. 

   We do not know if chess is as important to Russia's leaders as it once was, but it remains a favorite pastime in that counry. It would follow that the leaders still want to do well in international chess.

   The amount of chess playing in Russia is reflected by the fact Russia remains ahead of the U.S. in the total number of grandmasters. Russia has 246 grandmasters, compared to only 101 in the United States. Forty-three percent of all Russians play chess.