The IQ of chess players, from Magnus Carlsen to the studies: myths and unverifiable figures
Magnus Carlsen’s IQ is not known: no official test result has been published, and the figures of 190 or more circulating online rest on no source. More broadly, studies find a real but modest link between intelligence and chess skill (a correlation of about 0.24), which largely fades among the best players, for whom training makes the difference.
IQ (intelligence quotient): a score obtained on a standardised test, calibrated so that the population average is 100 and two people in three fall between 85 and 115. Raven’s matrices: a widely used non-verbal test in which you complete a series of logical patterns; it mainly measures so-called “fluid” reasoning.
Magnus Carlsen’s IQ: why no figure is reliable
The search “Magnus Carlsen IQ” is one of the most frequent on chess. The answers displayed online put forward 190, sometimes more. After checking, here is what is established:
- no official test published: to our knowledge, Magnus Carlsen has never made an IQ test result public, and no primary source (a press article quoting a psychologist, a document, a statement by the player) provides a score;
- the figures in circulation are estimates copied from site to site, often on “celebrity IQ” pages, with no test or identifiable author;
- what can be verified concerns his chess results: world champion from 2013 to 2023 (five titles) and an Elo rating peaking at 2882 in May 2014, an all-time record.
The most likely thing is that Magnus Carlsen has an above-average IQ, like many top players. But assigning a precise figure to someone who has not been tested is worthless. We prefer to write “unknown” rather than repeat an invented number.
The IQs attributed to champions, checked one by one
| Player | Figure in circulation | Origin | Was a test actually taken? | Reliability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnus Carlsen | 190 or more | “Celebrity IQ” sites, with no source | Not published | none |
| Garry Kasparov | 190 (online lists); 135 and 123 (1987 report) | Report in the German magazine Der Spiegel (December 1987), according to the many repeats made of it | Yes, according to these repeats | medium: original not consulted |
| Bobby Fischer | 180 to 187 | A recollection reported about his school record at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn | No document published | low |
Kasparov’s test in 1987
This is the only documented case of a world champion subjected to intelligence tests by an identified team. According to the many repeats of this report, a team from Der Spiegel went to Baku with several tests, including a battery assembled by the psychologist Hans Eysenck and Raven’s matrices. Kasparov reportedly scored 135 on the first and 123 on the second: high scores, but very far from the 190 attributed to him. We could not consult the original article; these figures should therefore be taken as reported, not as verified. They mainly illustrate that a world champion can have an IQ that is “merely” very good.
Bobby Fischer
The figure of 187 keeps coming back. It goes back to remarks reported years later about his school record, with no document, no test name and no date. Le Palais des Échecs retraces his career in a full biography, but no biographer has been able to produce an official score.
Is IQ correlated with chess skill?
Yes, but modestly. The most comprehensive synthesis is a meta-analysis published in 2016 in the journal Intelligence.
Burgoyne et al., 2016 · Intelligence
The relationship between cognitive ability and chess skill: A comprehensive meta-analysis
- Who
- Meta-analysis of published studies
- Type
- Correlational meta-analysis · level of evidence: High (for a correlation)
- Result
- Average correlation between cognitive abilities and chess skill of about 0.24 (0.22 after the 2018 corrigendum). The link with fluid reasoning is clearer in young people (0.32) than in adults (0.11), and in unrated players (0.32) than in rated players (0.14).
- What the study does not say
- A correlation does not say whether intelligence helps people improve or whether chess develops it.
A correlation of 0.24 means that IQ “explains” about 6% of the differences in level between players. The rest depends on other factors, first among them the amount of practice and study. The link is clearer in children and beginners: at the start, understanding quickly helps you improve quickly. Among rated players, who have all practised a great deal, differences in intelligence matter less.
Bilalić, McLeod and Gobet, 2007 · Intelligence · DOI 10.1016/j.intell.2006.09.005
Does chess need intelligence? A study with young chess players
- Who
- 57 young players (including 23 in an elite subgroup)
- Type
- Cross-sectional study · level of evidence: Low to moderate (small sample)
- Result
- The amount of practice is the main factor in level; IQ (WISC-III) explains a small share. In the elite subgroup, IQ is no longer a significant factor, because the children with lower IQ trained more.
- What the study does not say
- Small sample, British children only.
This surprising result from Bilalić and colleagues does not mean that intelligence harms chess: in this elite group, children with a slightly lower IQ made up for it with more training. It is a reminder that chess rewards work first.
How training transforms the perception of the chessboard is explained on the page about the chess player’s brain, and the question of children on the page does chess make children more intelligent?
What is the average IQ of a chess player?
There is no reliable figure. Studies measure the IQ of small groups (a few dozen club players or children entered in tournaments), who do not represent all players. These groups often score above 100, which is partly explained by their profile: club players have on average had more education than the general population. But “the” average IQ of chess players cannot be drawn from them.
As for the idea that an IQ could predict an Elo rating, or the reverse, it is contradicted by the weakness of the correlation: two players with the same IQ can have very different levels, and vice versa.
Do you need a high IQ to play chess?
No. The rules can be learned in an hour, and you can get a great deal of pleasure and improve without being a genius. Studies show that intelligence helps mostly at the start; after that, regularity, studying games and managing emotions weigh more. Le Palais des Échecs develops this point in an article that answers the question do you need to be very intelligent to play chess?
And for the curious who want to test themselves against puzzles, the same site offers an online logic test: a game, not a validated IQ test, but a good way to exercise your reasoning.
What these studies do not say
- That being bad at chess is a sign of a low IQ: practice matters far more.
- That playing chess would raise IQ: a correlation does not say which way the influence runs.
- That a free online IQ test measures intelligence reliably.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average IQ of a chess player?
No reliable figure exists. The small published studies often find scores above 100 in club players, partly because they have on average had more education, but these samples do not represent all players.
Is IQ correlated with chess skill?
Yes, modestly: the meta-analysis by Burgoyne and colleagues (2016) finds an average correlation of about 0.24, stronger in children and inexperienced players than in rated players.
What IQ do you need to be good at chess?
There is no threshold. An average IQ does not prevent anyone from reaching a good level; the quantity and quality of training explain the differences between players far better.
Do chess masters have a high IQ?
Often above average, but not necessarily exceptional. The only world champion publicly tested, Garry Kasparov in 1987, reportedly scored 135 and 123 according to repeats of the Spiegel report, far from the figures attributed to him. No official test of Magnus Carlsen has been published.
Can someone with a low IQ play chess?
Yes. The rules are accessible to almost everyone, and the enjoyment of the game does not depend on IQ. Clubs welcome players of all kinds, and simplified forms exist for people with learning difficulties.