what kind of earnings do chess GrandMasters make

[Cardinal]

@Wendell Wagner

And do they have groupies waiting for them after the tournament?

I’ve read quotes even on this board from some of the women about the swooniness of seeing a man perform tasks well. If the guy’s relatively attractive anyway, watching him kill the tournament probably counts for quite a bit with some women.

[romansperson]

@elmwood

Do they get endorsement deals from makers of chess sets, timers, and the like?

Yes. Garry Kasparov in particular has made a tidy sum from endorsements.

[Monty]

I realize some of y’all were being facetious in response to my posting above. But, since this is a GQ thread, I’ll just laugh a bit and then pretend you’re interested in the topic of the thread.

Japanese Chess, Chinese Chess, and Korean Chess are all versions of Chess (go figure). And each of them has a network in which professional players are ranked (IIRC, professionals begin at 1 Dan and move up to 9 Dan). Those professionals receive income for playing, prize money for winning major events, appearance fees, and fees for newspaper articles, television commentaries, and income from publishing books on their version of Chess.

In Japan, for example, many daily newspapers have extensive coverage of Japanese Chess (see The Asahi Shimbun for example).

[glee]

@Cardinal

I’ve read quotes even on this board from some of the women about the swooniness of seeing a man perform tasks well. If the guy’s relatively attractive anyway, watching him kill the tournament probably counts for quite a bit with some women.

But chess events have few spectators (and most of those are men)…

[glee]

@Monty

I realize some of y’all were being facetious in response to my posting above. But, since this is a GQ thread, I’ll just laugh a bit and then pretend you’re interested in the topic of the thread.

Japanese Chess, Chinese Chess, and Korean Chess are all versions of Chess (go figure). And each of them has a network in which professional players are ranked (IIRC, professionals begin at 1 Dan and move up to 9 Dan). Those professionals receive income for playing, prize money for winning major events, appearance fees, and fees for newspaper articles, television commentaries, and income from publishing books on their version of Chess.

In Japan, for example, many daily newspapers have extensive coverage of Japanese Chess (see The Asahi Shimbun for example).

I knew these versions existed, but I’m confident they are pretty much confined to the areas they are named after. Of course any sport which is popular + well-funded in a region can attract professional players.
I posted the prize fund for the British Chess Championship above - have you got equivalents for the chess versions yuo mention?

[glee]

@romansperson

Yes. Garry Kasparov in particular has made a tidy sum from endorsements.

True, but Garry has also successfully worked hard at publishing books, giving lectures and displays, plus attracting sponsors.

[glee]

@Zeldar

Just to clarify what I had said earlier: the comparison with golf and tennis was less to do with the amounts and more to do with the way the pros can expect their remuneration. Chess players are less apt to be sponsored to some minimal level, but their rewards are in direct relation to their results. No win, no pay.

The entry fees to USCF events are the taxation on the weaker players that is used to pay the stronger ones. At least the USCF player can expect something back if he/she does well in the event. Short odds for sure, but not absent altogether. Trophies often are all that a $100 entry fee can be expected to return. They’re in much greater supply than money prizes.

Top rated chess professionals are paid appearance fees, travel + accomodation, before scoring any points. This is less likely in the US, but is certainly true all over Western Europe. (I managed this exactly once when I won a Dutch event and thus qualified for a GM tournament. Ah, the luxury of being picked up at the airport! )

I don’t see why an entry fee should be considered taxation. It’s true the stronger rated players are favourites, but the lower-rated players get to play against the top players as well as qualifiying for rating prizes.

[drhess]

Since there are supposed to be more books on chess than any other “sport”, I’d guess some money would be made off of that, too, and other kinds of writing.

[glee]

@drhess

Since there are supposed to be more books on chess than any other “sport”, I’d guess some money would be made off of that, too, and other kinds of writing.

It’s true that there is a huge market in chess books, especially about openings. However not every player is a good author!
Although the computer databases make it easier to collect games or positions for your book, I wouldn’t expect a typical GM to make more than £5-10,000 ($9 - 18,600) for several months work writing.