Uzbek grandmasters Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov ranked among the top ten chess players in the world by prize money in 2025, according to data compiled by Chess.com.
Abdusattorov secured 9th place globally, earning $361,800 across 16 tournaments. This represents a notable increase compared to his 2024 earnings of approximately $133,000, nearly tripling his previous year’s prize money. His largest single prize of the season was $85,000, and his most notable achievement was winning the London Classic.
Sindarov finished 10th in the rankings, earning $349,900 from 11 tournaments. His key achievement of the year was winning the FIDE World Cup, which earned him $120,000 and marked one of the most significant individual successes of his career.
Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen topped the prize money rankings, earning nearly $1.46mn and becoming the only player in 2025 to surpass the million-dollar mark. Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian ranked second and third, with prize money earnings of approximately $890,000 and over $750,000, respectively.
A total of 26 chess players earned more than $100,000 in prize money during 2025, a record high in recent years. Experts attribute the increase in earnings to the return of major tournaments with large participant pools, the FIDE World Cup, and the inclusion of chess in the Esports World Cup program.
The report specifies that the rankings were based solely on prize money from major individual international tournaments offering a first prize of $10,000 or more. Income from sponsorship deals, streaming, coaching, national championships, or team competitions was not included.
According to the International Chess Federation (FIDE) classical rating list for January 2026, five Uzbek chess players are ranked among the world’s top 100. Abdusattorov is 12th with a rating of 2751, Sindarov is 21st with 2726, Nodirbek Yakubboev is 36th with 2691, Rustam Kasimdzhanov is 51st with 2664, and Shamsiddin Vohidov is 77th with 2644.
The inclusion of Abdusattorov and Sindarov among the top ten by prize money reflects the growing international presence of Uzbek chess players in major global competitions.
