Is Hans Niemann the second-best classical chess player of 2022?
Imagine a ranking system in which defeating the World Chess Champion trumps other considerations. In this system, Hans Niemann would be #2 for 2022. Niemann is the only player with a classical chess win over World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. This imaginary system is more like sports rankings than chess rankings and is loosely based on the Morphy number. More 🡢
Magnus Carlsen (1990-) is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and World Chess Champion, with a peak rating of 2882 – the highest in history at the time of writing. A chess prodigy, he earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 13. He uses a variety of openings to make it as difficult as possible for his opponents to prepare against him.