Anatoly Karpov Highest-Paid Chess grandmaster in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Moscow
  • Last updated on

Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid chess grandmasters” released on Sunday.

It's been a rough year for the chess grandmaster, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 75-year-old Anatoly Karpov has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid chess grandmasters for 2026 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 12/10/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Anatoly Karpov tops annual list of highest-paid chess grandmasters

In 2024 it looked like the chess grandmaster’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Sunday (October 11) that Karpov is the highest-paid chess grandmaster in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between September 2025 and September 2026, a nearly $20 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Russian chess grandmaster has an estimated net worth of $145 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Karpov Burger” chain) in Moscow, a Football Team (the “Zlatoust Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderkarpov - Russia), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Anatoly) and a fashion line called “Anatoly Karpov Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Anatoly fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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