On June 30, Magnus Carlsen reached 15 unbroken years as World’s No. 1 in Classical chess. Magnus’s streak started in July 2011.

Magnus first reached the top 1 ranking in October 2008. In November 2009, Carlsen reached 2800 points and has never dropped below that mark since. In 2019, Magnus reached a historic record rating of 2882 points.

Viswanathan Anand broke Carlsen’s streak twice. Vishy was last World’s No. 1 in May 2011. In total, Magnus Carlsen has been No. 1 for exactly 16 years. Carlsen surpassed Anatoly Karpov’s streak length, with 8 years and 6 months. Garry Kasparov is the only player with a longer time as top 1 in history, with 21 years and 3 months.

Magnus Carlsen’s Classical, Rapid, and Blitz Live ratings are 2823.2, 2803.2, and 2859.6 respectively. Recently, Magnus finished 4th at Norway Chess 2026, losing 4 games and winning 3. At the FIDE World Rapid Team Chess Championship 2026, Carlsen lost 4 games in a row and lost 28.8 points. In June, Carlsen dropped to his lowest Rapid rating since its introduction by FIDE in 2012.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE