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Magnus Carlsen didn’t need the crown to rule 2025. And Gukesh’s quiet year served as a reminder of the climate of modern chess.
D Gukesh (PTI Photo)
Magnus Carlsen may no longer be world champion. But in 2025, he was still the undisputed king of chess earnings.
The Norwegian topped the prize-money list with nearly $1.5 million, standing alone as the only player to crack seven figures.
But the most striking name on the list wasn’t at the top, it was the one missing: D Gukesh.
World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju failed to make the top earners list in 2025, a rare and telling anomaly in modern chess. While the crown sits on his head, the biggest prize cheques went elsewhere.
Carlsen didn’t need the crown to rule 2025. And Gukesh’s quiet year serves as a reminder: in today’s chess economy, being world champion is no longer enough.
| Rank | Player | Total Prizes | Events Played | Best Prize |
| 1 | GM Magnus Carlsen | $1,455,276 | 16 | $250,000 |
| 2 | GM Fabiano Caruana | $889,598 | 19 | $150,000 |
| 3 | GM Levon Aronian | $751,881 | 15 | $200,000 |
| 4 | GM Hikaru Nakamura | $588,911 | 11 | $145,000 |
| 5 | GM Alireza Firouzja | $455,047 | 14 | $190,000 |
| 6 | GM Vincent Keymer | $452,439 | 10 | $200,000 |
| 7 | GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | $439,567 | 14 | $100,000 |
| 8 | GM Arjun Erigaisi | $431,214 | 16 | $115,000 |
| 9 | GM Nodirbek Abdusattarov | $361,811 | 16 | $85,000 |
| 10 | GM Javokhir Sindarov | $349,955 | 11 | $120,000 |
Carlsen’s financial dominance was followed by a strong American trio: Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura.
Caruana earned almost $900,000, Aronian crossed $750,000, and Nakamura pocketed close to $600,000, fueled by success across classical events, Freestyle tournaments, and the Esports World Cup.
Just behind them, Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer hovered around $450,000, while the rest of the top ten featured familiar elite names — Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Arjun Erigaisi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and World Cup winner Javokhir Sindarov.
In total, 26 players cleared $100,000 in prize money this year — a sharp rise from 17 in 2024 — driven by the return of major knockout events like the FIDE World Cup and Grand Swiss, the expansion of the Freestyle Grand Slam, and chess’s debut at the Esports World Cup.
The year also marked progress in women’s chess, with five women reaching six figures, a new record.
The five women were: Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun and her challenger, GM Tan Zhongyi, as well as GMs Humpy Koneru (for the second straight year), Zhu Jiner, and Anna Muzychuk.
January 07, 2026, 9:33 PM IST
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