We list down the most attractive grandmasters and players who make playing chess look like a sexy, alluring artform. From World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen to streamer Anna Cramling, here are some of the brainiest and most beautiful in the game.
Intelligence is attractive, and so are these 11 chess grandmasters and players, whose moves have us locked incheckmate. Want to know where good looks and brilliant streaks of strategy intersect? Right here.
From football and golf to formula one and tennis, every sport has its fair share of idols, whose existence inspires appreciation and admiration from fans the world over. In the realm of chess, these grandmasters and players have made names for themselves by leveraging wit, intelligence, adaptability, and the power of observation. But, beyond their natural talent for strategy, they are also known to inspire fluttering hearts with their striking good looks, unending composure, and aura.
And who doesn’t love a grandmaster with aura points to spare?
How are chess grandmasters appointed?
Just like golfers are ranked according to their wins and accomplishments, so too are chess players, who fight for the top spot in the FIDE International Chess Federation rankings. Chief among a chess player’s greatest accomplishments is the right to be called grandmaster, a title so prestigious it has only been attained by 2,087 players since FIDE first established it in 1950.
To become a grandmaster, a chess player must meet several strictly observed criteria. Notably, they must have attained an ELO rating of at least 2500; interestingly, they do not need to maintain this rating to keep their rank once it has been earned. Additionally, they must also attain favourable results (also known as norms) from at least 27 games in tournaments. But that’s not all.
In the context of these norms, aspiring grandmasters must also ensure that that their performance rating post-tournament is at least 2600. At least 33 percent of their opponents must be grandmasters, and at least 50 percent of their opponents must hold FIDE titles besides Candidate Master and Woman Candidate Master. Their opponents must average a rating of at least 2380 and must come from at least 3 different chess federations. Additionally, at least one of their norms must be secured at a Swiss tournament, where at least 40 participants must average a rating of 2000 and above.
Having battled their way through incredible odds, these chess grandmasters and players have demonstrated both tenacity and talent — add onto that their inherent allure, and you’ll have us in checkmate with no complaints.
The most attractive chess grandmasters and players in the history of the game
Magnus Carlsen
Having held a 13-year-long streak at the top, current world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen (Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen) has more than made a name for himself in the realm of chess. The Norwegian grandmaster recently made waves when he backed out of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after being approached and told he would be fined for his choice of attire — jeans. In fear of losing their biggest draw, the federation rescinded their ruling, thus leading to the five-timeClassical Worldchampion’s return to defend his titles.
The 34-year-old first attained grandmaster status in 2004, when he was just 13 years old. At age 19, he became the youngest ever world No. 1 when he reached a rating of 2810; in 2014, he peaked at a rating of 2882 and today boasts a rating of 2831. As the undeniable best in the world of chess, Carlson is also among the most attractive grandmasters in the game. Notably, on January 5 2025, the Norwegian tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Ella Victoria Malone in a private ceremony in Oslo.
Daniil Dubov
Russian chess grandmasterDaniil Dubovachieved grandmaster status in 2011, just a few weeks shy of his 15th birthday. At the peak of his career in 2021, Dubov boasted a FIDE rating of 2720 — today, aged 28, the chess prodigy’s FIDE rating sits at a respectable 2701. Additionally, the Moscow native currently ranks No. 29 on FIDE’s Top 100 Players list, having peaked at No. 24 in 2021.
His crowning glory came in 2018, when he won the World Rapid Chess Championship in Saint Petersburg by defeating a field of players including world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Hikaru Nakamura.That same year, Dubov also served as one of Carlsen’s seconds for the World Chess Championship.These stats are symbolic of Dubov’s prowess at the game, placing him amongst the world’s top chess players and grandmasters today.
Kirill Alekseenko
Born in Vyborg, Russia, 27-year-old Kirill Alekseenko attained grandmaster status in 2015, when he was 18 years old. Peaking in FIDE rankings at No. 29 in November of 2021, his highest held rating was 2715; today, he occupies No. 63 on the rankings, with a rating of 2661.
Alekseenko was among43 other Russian elite chess players who signed an open letter to President Vladimir Putin in 2022,protesting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.That same year, heswitched to playing under the neutral FIDE flag, before transferring to the Austrian Chess Federation in 2023. Notably, Alekseenko took third place in a field of 159 participants at the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019; the result later qualified him for the Wildcard at the Candidates Tournament 2020.
Max Warmerdam
Twenty-four-year-old Max Warmerdam of Tegelen, Netherlands, achieved grandmaster status in 2021, when he was 21 years old. With his charming smile, striking good looks, blonde locks, and chiseled jaw, Warmerdam bears himself with the poise and ease of European royals, making him one of the most attractive chess grandmasters and players to date. But, he’s more than just good looks — Warmerdam currently ranks No. 82 on the FIDE World rankings, peaking at No. 47 in September of 2024 with a rating of 2679. Today, his rating is a healthy 2646, placing him in the company of chess strongmen Kirill Alekseenko and Aryan Tari
Across his career, Warmerdam has won numerous tournaments, including the 2021 Ikaros Tournament in Greece, the 2021 Dutch Chess Championship, the 2023 Open Dutch Championship Rapid, the 2023 Open Dutch Championship, and the 2024 Teplice Open tournament, among others. Warmerdam also studied economics atTilburg University.
Aryan Tari
Twenty-five-year-old Aryan Tari, who was born in Stavanger, Norway, became a chess grandmaster aged 17 in 2016. His dark, striking features and aquiline nose lend themselves to his charm, but it’s his prowess and talent for chess and strategy that truly makes him one of the most attractive grandmasters today. Peaking at a rating of 2672, Tari currently holds No. 70 in the FIDE World Rankings with a rating of 2623.
Tari’s accomplishments in chess include winning the Junior section of the Norwegian Chess Championship in 2012. In 2015, he won the Norwegian Chess Championship aged 16, the third-youngest person to have accomplished the feat after Simen Agdestein and Magnus Carlsen.Tari went on to win the 2019 Norwegian Chess Championship, and in 2022, defeated Magnus Carlsen for the first time at Norway Chess 2022.
Luca Moroni
Quintessential Italian charms come to life in Luca Moroni, a 24-year-old grandmaster from Desio, Italy. Earning his grandmaster title aged 17 in 2017, Moroni is a three-time Italian Champion, securing wins in 2017, 2022, and 2023. In addition to that, Moroni also won the 2021 Mitropa Cup, and represented team Italy at the 2016, 2018, and 2022 Chess Olympiads, as well as the 2020 Online Chess Olympiads. Today, he boasts a FIDE rating of 2545, having peaked at a rating of 2601 in January of 2024.
Anna Cramling
Born Anna Yolanda Cramling Bellón in Fuengirola, Malaga, Spain, 22-year-old Anna Cramling has garnered an impressive fanbase for having both brains and beauty. Having played for Spain up until 2014, she now plays for Sweden, and currently streaming chess content as part of the Panda esports organisation.
Interestingly, Cramling’s prowess at strategy could be both the result of nature and nurture; both her parents are prolific figures in the world of chess. Her mother, Pia Cramling of Sweden, was world No. 1 among women in 1984, becoming the fifth woman to become a grandmaster in 1992. Her father, Juan Manuel Bellón López of Spain, is a five-time Spanish champion who became a grandmaster in 1978. Anna herself received her woman FIDE master title in 2018 at age 15; that same year, she reached her peak rating of 2175. Notably in 2018, Cramling defeated Spanish International Master Renier Castellanos Rodriguez, who boasted a FIDE rating of 2498 at the time.
Cécile Haussernot
Born in France, twenty-six-year-old Cécile Haussernot achieved her Woman International Master title in 2017, having garnered a peak FIDE rating of 2242 in December of 2015. The six-time French youth champion first learned how to move chess pieces aged five, and by the time she was six, had been invited to play on her club’s team. In the years that followed, the raven-haired beauty continued to prove her mettle in the battle of wits, finishing fourth in the U-10 Girls section of the 2008 World Youth Chess Championships.
InAugust 2017, she came in second at the French women’s championship, and won a silver medal as part of the French team in the Women’s Mitropa Cup the next month. Haussernot’s other achievements include a fourth place finish in the 2017 European ACP Women’s Blitz Chess Championship, a second place finish in the 2018 French Woman’s Rapid Championships, and first place at the 2020 French Woman’s Rapid Championship.
Alexandra Botez
Born in Dallas, Texas, Alexandra Botez is a well-known personality in women’s chess with a current FIDE rating of 2044, with a peak rating of 2092. The 29-year-old, who is currently based in Canada, earned her Women FIDE Master rank in 2013. And for good reason — as a one-time United States girls’ national champion and a five-time Canadian girls’ champion who represented Canada at the 2012, 2014, and 2016 Women’s Chess Olympiads, Botez is beauty and brains personified.
Botez’s chess career began at the ripe age of six, when she first began playing the game. By the time she was eight, she had won her first girls’ national championship in Canada; later on, she repeated her victory in the United States, winning her sole U.S. Girls Nationals aged 15. In 2016, while studying at Stanford University, Botez began streaming chess content online; she was later joined full time by her sister, Andrea, and the two were named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in the games category in 2023. Today, the BotezLive Twitch and YouTube channels both boast over a million followers apiece.
Nemo Zhou
Born Qiyu Zhou, 25-year-old Nemo Zhou is a native of Jingzhou, China, who now lives in, and plays for Canada. Having earned the title of FIDE master in 2016 and ascending to Women Grandmaster the very next year in 2017, Zhou has more than proven herself in the realm of chess. And, with a FIDE rating of 2172, (peaking at 2367 in September 2016) and a career high placement of No. 100 in the world among women, Zhou has cemented her place as one of the most attractive grandmasters and chess players to date.
Once an under-14 World Youth Champion, Zhou has also been Canadian women’s national champion, and has represented Canada at the Women’s Chess Olympiad since 2014. She has also won the right to call herself a Finnish women’s national champion, and is the first Canadian woman to have received the FIDE master and Woman Grandmaster titles. Beyond chess, Zhou, who was nicknamed Nemo by her parents for her interest in aquariums, is an accomplished young woman. She is multilingual, speaking English, Mandarin, Finnish, and French. Additionally, she also studied at the University of Toronto, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree with a double major in economics and statistics and a minor in mathematics. She was athletic while in school, having competed in pole vaulting, basketball, and badminton. Today, Zhou is a live streamer on Twitch with 184,000 followers and 61.1 million views, playing chess and League of Legends.
Ju Wenjun
Hailing from Shanghai, China, Ju Wenjun is currently reigning four-time Women’s World Champion, reigning World Blitz Chess Champion, and a two-time winner of the World Rapid Chess Championship. The 33-year-old first began playing chess at the age of seven, and eventually placed third at the Asian Women’s Chess Championships in 2004, qualifying her to play in the 2006 Women’s World Chess Championship. Juwonthe Women’s Chinese Chess Championship in 2010; one year later in 2011, she won the Hangzhou Women Grandmaster Chess Tournament, where she emerged undefeated with a score of 6½/9 points, ahead of Hou Yifan, the then women’s world champion. In 2014, she once again won the Women’s Chinese Chess competition.
Ju received her grandmaster title in 2014 with six grandmaster norms including three from the Women’s Grand Prix. She is both China’s 31st grandmaster, and the 31st woman upon which the title has been bestowed. Having secured a peak FIDE rating of 2604 in March 2017, her current rating of 2561 is nonetheless nothing to scoff at. In May 2018, she won the Women’s World Chess Championship, and successfully defended her title in 2018, 2020, and 2023.
(Main images: Magnus Carlsen/Instagram, Anna Cramling/Instagram, Alexandra Botez/Instagram, Max Warmerdam/Instagram; featured images: Alexandra Botez/Instagram, Max Warmerdam/Instagram)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.