Biggest chess tournament prize pools
The biggest prize fund in chess is $2 500 000 at 2024 FIDE World Championship, won by Gukesh Dommaraju ($1 300 000 for first place). Below: the 25 richest chess tournaments ever, this year's biggest purses, the record of every year and the best-paying online events.
Top 25 by prize fund
| # | Tournament | Winner | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2024 FIDE World Championship 25.11.2024 – 12.12.2024 · 🏆 Gukesh Dommaraju |  Gukesh Dommaraju $1 300 000 | $2 500 000 |
| 2 | FIDE World Championship 2021 26.11.2021 – 10.12.2021 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen |  Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $1 358 011 | $2 259 000 |
| 3 | FIDE World Championship 2023 09.04.2023 – 01.05.2023 · 🏆 Ding Liren |  Ding Liren $1 224 025 | $2 225 500 |
| 4 | FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 09.04.2023 – 30.04.2023 · 🏆 Ding Liren | Ding Liren $1 211 160 | $2 202 110 |
| 5 | FIDE World Chess Cup 2025 01.11.2025 – 26.11.2025 · 🏆 Javokhir Sindarov |  Javokhir Sindarov $120 000 | $2 000 000 |
| 6 | FIDE World Cup 2021 12.07.2021 – 05.08.2021 · 🏆 Jan-Krzysztof Duda |  Jan-Krzysztof Duda $110 000 | $1 890 000 |
| 7 | FIDE World Cup 2023 30.07.2023 – 24.08.2023 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $110 000 | $1 834 000 |
| 8 | Esports World Cup 2026 11.08.2026 – 15.08.2026 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $250 000 | $1 500 000 |
| 9 | Esports World Cup 2025 29.07.2025 – 01.08.2025 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $250 000 | $1 500 000 |
| 10 | 2016 World Chess Championship 11.11.2016 – 30.11.2016 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $585 639 | $1 100 000 |
| 11 | Global Chess League 2026 05.09.2026 – 13.09.2026 | — | $1 000 000 |
| 12 | Global Chess League 2025 14.12.2025 – 23.12.2025 | — | $1 000 000 |
| 13 | Tech Mahindra Global Chess League 2024 03.10.2024 – 12.10.2024 | — | $1 000 000 |
| 14 | World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2022 26.12.2022 – 30.12.2022 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $60 000 | $1 000 000 |
| 15 | 2022 Chess.com Global Championship 11.07.2022 – 07.11.2022 · 🏆 Wesley Barbasa So |  Wesley Barbasa So $200 000 | $1 000 000 |
| 16 | World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2021 26.12.2021 – 30.12.2021 · 🏆 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave |  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave $50 000 | $1 000 000 |
| 17 | King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2019 25.12.2019 – 30.12.2019 | — | $1 000 000 |
| 18 | FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 29.03.2026 – 15.04.2026 · 🏆 Javokhir Sindarov | Javokhir Sindarov $200 436 | $807 932 |
| 19 | FIDE World Rapid Championship 2024 26.12.2024 – 29.12.2024 · 🏆 Volodar Arturovich Murzin |  Volodar Arturovich Murzin $90 000 | $778 500 |
| 20 | Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 - Las Vegas 16.07.2025 – 20.07.2025 · 🏆 Levon Grigori Aronian | Levon Grigori Aronian $200 000 | $750 000 |
| 21 | Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 - Las Vegas Qualifier 18.06.2025 – 20.06.2025 · 🏆 Levon Grigori Aronian | Levon Grigori Aronian $200 000 | $750 000 |
| 22 | Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 - Paris 07.04.2025 – 14.04.2025 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $200 000 | $750 000 |
| 23 | FIDE Womens World Chess Cup 2025 06.07.2025 – 28.07.2025 · 🏆 Divya Deshmukh | Divya Deshmukh $50 000 | $691 250 |
| 24 | FIDE Women's World Cup 2021 12.07.2021 – 03.08.2021 · 🏆 Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk |  Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk $50 000 | $676 000 |
| 25 | Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour 2025 - Weissenhaus 07.02.2025 – 14.02.2025 · 🏆 Vincent Keymer |  Vincent Keymer $200 000 | $660 000 |
Biggest chess prize pools in 2026
| # | Tournament | Winner | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esports World Cup 2026 11.08.2026 – 15.08.2026 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $250 000 | $1 500 000 |
| 2 | Global Chess League 2026 05.09.2026 – 13.09.2026 | — | $1 000 000 |
| 3 | FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 29.03.2026 – 15.04.2026 · 🏆 Javokhir Sindarov | Javokhir Sindarov $200 436 | $807 932 |
| 4 | Sinquefield Cup 2026 10.08.2026 – 19.08.2026 · 🏆 Wesley Barbasa So | Wesley Barbasa So $103 125 | $475 000 |
| 5 | Grand Chess Tour Finals 2026 22.08.2026 – 27.08.2026 · 🏆 Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa | Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa $200 000 | $450 000 |
Upcoming tournaments by prize fund
Full calendar| # | Tournament | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerusalem Masters 2026 23.11.2026 – 26.11.2026 | $250 000 |
| 2 | European Rapid Championship 2026 05.12.2026 – 06.12.2026 | $22 378 |
| 3 | WR Women's Chess Tour 2026 - Grand Final - Blitz 23.11.2026 | $20 000 |
| 4 | WR Women's Chess Tour 2026 - Grand Final - Rapid 22.11.2026 | $20 000 |
| 5 | European Blitz Championship 2026 07.12.2026 | $13 986 |
Biggest prize fund each year
| Year | Tournaments | Biggest prize fund | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 85 | Esports World Cup 2026 | $1 500 000 |
| 2025 | 131 | FIDE World Chess Cup 2025 | $2 000 000 |
| 2024 | 75 | 2024 FIDE World Championship | $2 500 000 |
| 2023 | 40 | FIDE World Championship 2023 | $2 225 500 |
| 2022 | 52 | World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2022 | $1 000 000 |
| 2021 | 51 | FIDE World Championship 2021 | $2 259 000 |
| 2020 | 57 | Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals | $300 000 |
| 2019 | 41 | King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2019 | $1 000 000 |
| 2018 | 10 | Candidates Chess Tournament 2018 | $517 000 |
Online chess tournaments with the biggest cash prizes
| # | Tournament | Winner | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chess.com Rapid Chess Championship 2022 12.02.2022 – 28.08.2022 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $60 000 | $650 000 |
| 2 | Grand Chess Tour: Superbet Romania Chess Classic 2024 26.06.2024 – 05.07.2024 · 🏆 Fabiano Luigi Caruana | Fabiano Luigi Caruana $68 750 | $350 000 |
| 3 | FTX Crypto Cup 2022 15.08.2022 – 21.08.2022 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $40 000 | $310 000 |
| 4 | Champions Chess Tour Julius Baer Generation Cup 2024 25.09.2024 – 01.10.2024 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | $300 000 |
| 5 | Champions Chess Tour CrunchLabs Masters 2024 17.07.2024 – 24.07.2024 | — | $300 000 |
| 6 | Champions Chess Tour Chess.com Classic 2024 08.05.2024 – 15.05.2024 · 🏆 Alireza Firouzja | Alireza Firouzja $30 000 | $300 000 |
| 7 | Chessable Masters 2024 31.01.2024 – 07.02.2024 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen $30 000 | $300 000 |
| 8 | FTX Crypto Cup 23.05.2021 – 31.05.2021 | — | $300 000 |
| 9 | Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals 09.08.2020 – 20.08.2020 · 🏆 Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen | $300 000 |
| 10 | Clutch Chess International Tournament 06.06.2020 – 14.06.2020 | — | $265 000 |
For organizers, sponsors and media
Put your tournament on this list — and prove it
Records here are the headline. A Chess Watch report shows sponsors exactly how the audience was built:
- Every channel and co-stream, with hours watched and airtime
- Viewers by hour, day and stage
- Languages × platforms, with peaks per day
- Sponsor and brand exposure on stream
- Comparison with previous editions and the year's events
- Live dashboard while the tournament runs
from $1,500 per tournament report, or every chess event for $12,000 a year
Book a callChess prize money FAQ
Which chess tournament has the biggest prize pool?
The five biggest chess prize funds ever:- 2024 FIDE World Championship — $2 500 000, winner Gukesh Dommaraju
- FIDE World Championship 2021 — $2 259 000, winner Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen
- FIDE World Championship 2023 — $2 225 500, winner Ding Liren
- FIDE World Chess Championship 2023 — $2 202 110, winner Ding Liren
- FIDE World Chess Cup 2025 — $2 000 000, winner Javokhir Sindarov
What is the biggest chess tournament prize in 2026?
Esports World Cup 2026 (11.08.2026 – 15.08.2026) with a $1 500 000 prize fund, won by Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen.How much does the winner of a major chess tournament earn?
At 2024 FIDE World Championship the winner, Gukesh Dommaraju, took $1 300 000 of the $2 500 000 fund. First prize is typically 20–40% of the total purse; the rest is split down the standings.
Are there online chess tournaments with cash prizes?
Yes. The best-paying online chess events tracked by Chess Watch:Which year had the most chess prize money?
2025, with $18 138 005 awarded across 131 tracked tournaments.Where do the prize fund figures come from?
From the organizers' official regulations and announcements, recorded in USD at the time of the event. Winners and their prizes come from the published final standings; when an organizer has not published them, the winner column stays empty.