Top money earners in chess

[Hans Jung]

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=8822 Fascinating and also first time release (best guesstimate).

[Andrei Botez]

Re: Top money earners in chess

Maybe someone can research a similar Canadian players standings.

My guess is on top 2 we have the top 2 rated professionals:
1. GM Spraggett
2. GM Sambuev

[Felix Dumont]

Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

Maybe someone can research a similar Canadian players standings.

My guess is on top 2 we have the top 2 rated professionals:
1. GM Spraggett
2. GM Sambuev

The problem is that the prizes they win represent only a small percentage of their total earning. For some strong players, the actual appearance fee is very often higher than the prizes they actually win...

In the case of Canadian chess players, the most money is to be made with lessons (or contracts). Giving about 10 lessons a week would represent nearly $40 000/year, much more than one can expect to win in tournaments...

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

I would think that virtually all of the top money-earners in chess are located in the GTA, and make the vast majority of their chess-related income via teaching rather than playing.

My guesstimate for the chess-related earnings of:

Number one in Canada: c. $60K
Number ten in Canada: c. $30K

Chess-related in this context means playing (tournament prizes, simuls, appearance fees), organizing, directing, and teaching. It doesn't include (for example) working in one of CMA's shops.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Top money earners in chess

There are others.

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

I would think that virtually all of the top money-earners in chess are located in the GTA, and make the vast majority of their chess-related income via teaching rather than playing.

My guesstimate for the chess-related earnings of:

Number one in Canada: c. $60K
Number ten in Canada: c. $30K

Chess-related in this context means playing (tournament prizes, simuls, appearance fees), organizing, directing, and teaching. It doesn't include (for example) working in one of CMA's shops.

Not including freebies like free entry for IMs and GMs, it could also include:

(tournament prizes include brilliancy prize, lottery draws)
(tournament prizes include hustling at outdoor tables)
(appearance fee includes appearing a a chess expert on a news TV show)
(appearance fee includes offering post-game analysis to players at the site and live analysis in lecture hall on site)
- writing tournament bulletins, newspaper columns, magazine articles (such as for CFC), books (including proofreading and research for another author's book)
- publishing and/or editing newsletters
- live analysis and videos on websites/TV shows
- chess consultant on film/TV show with a chess scene
- income from advertising/sponsors/donors on one's own blog/website
- income from name on a product or in ad for a product
- income from regional organizations (such as ACA) to be sent to an event
- being a second, training opponent, and/or team coach
- doing bar tricks for $ like piling all the pieces in a tower on one square
- selling one's secret opening analysis
- providing opening tree/tester of chess-playing computer program
- guinea pig in psychology of the brain experiments
- at home tournament follower illegally transmitting analysis to player
- selling your homemade scoresheets, boards or equipment bags.
- renting out your sets and clocks. But maybe not renting out your space for a chessclub or visiting players to sleep.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Top money earners in chess

Heh,heh Erik, Brainstorming again.:) Good list. Keep going.

[Andy Shaw]

Re: Top money earners in chess

Modelling as well

[Louis Morin]

Re : Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

I would think that virtually all of the top money-earners in chess are located in the GTA, and make the vast majority of their chess-related income via teaching rather than playing.

If one is strong enough, it should be possible to make a fair income by playing only. As recently wrote GM Spraggett on his blog: "Speaking for myself, though I do train/teach from time to time, (...) I consider myself a player first".

[Roger Patterson]

Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

I would think that virtually all of the top money-earners in chess are located in the GTA, and make the vast majority of their chess-related income via teaching rather than playing.

My guesstimate for the chess-related earnings of:

Number one in Canada: c. $60K
Number ten in Canada: c. $30K

Chess-related in this context means playing (tournament prizes, simuls, appearance fees), organizing, directing, and teaching. It doesn't include (for example) working in one of CMA's shops.

That works out to roughly $450,000 total for the top ten or about $300 per CFC member. Of course chess is more than CFC members but your numbers seem optimistic.

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

That works out to roughly $450,000 total for the top ten or about $300 per CFC member. Of course chess is more than CFC members but your numbers seem optimistic.

I thought my numbers were mildly pessimistic. Speaking for myself, most of my students are in the US. Okay, I only teach online now but even when I lived in Ottawa, fewer than half of my students played in CFC tournaments. About 10% didn't play in tournaments at all!

Consider that experienced CMA teachers get roughly $50/lesson when they go to schools. It wouldn't take a great deal of work to make $10K on just that in a year. And one can easily pick up new students if you do a good job in the classes and chat with the parents. I don't know what the average Toronto teacher charges but I would be surprised if it were less than $40/hr for private lessons. If some experienced CMA teacher from the GTA would like to correct me, I am open to changing my estimate.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: Re : Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

If one is strong enough, it should be possible to make a fair income by playing only. As recently wrote GM Spraggett on his blog: "Speaking for myself, though I do train/teach from time to time, (...) I consider myself a player first".

If one lives in an inexpensive country like Portugal (which I know of firsthand) and one is supported by one's spouse then one can afford to consider oneself whatever one likes. Writer, painter, astronaut, cowboy or chess player...

[Louis Morin]

Re : Re: Re : Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

If one lives in an inexpensive country like Portugal (which I know of firsthand) and one is supported by one's spouse then one can afford to consider oneself whatever one likes. Writer, painter, astronaut, cowboy or chess player...

So moving to an inexpensive country like Portugal and finding a supportive spouse is the way to go!

[Felix Dumont]

Re : Re: Re : Re: Top money earners in chess

That works out to roughly $450,000 total for the top ten or about $300 per CFC member. Of course chess is more than CFC members but your numbers seem optimistic.

I didn't his numbers as optimistic. They seem to be quite close to the reality (although I believe he was wrong when he said that most of the professors where in GTA, since there are also some in Montreal).


What you seem to underestimate his CMA. In Montreal alone, there must be at least a dozen teachers living only on the lessons they give in classes. Only a few of them are in the "top 10", but it surely shows how big the market is.

In my experience, strong experts (2100+) usually charge about $40 for two hours, NMs about $50, FMs $65, IMs $75 and GMs $100... Obviously, we cannot cut that amount in half for one hour, as it is usually much cheaper to take two hours. For group lessons, you can easily double that amount. It might be more if the professor has to move to get to the student's house, or less if he can do it via Skype or ICC.
Also, some might charge more (or less) than that. An experienced (and popular) FM could charge nearly as much as an IM or a GM, while an inexperienced GM could charge as much as a NM.

Some teachers will also convince parents to take three hours instead of two. But this is ridiculous IMHO, as it is way too much for a kid.

I believe the best is to have a day job (anything from playing poker to teaching maths) and then give lessons in the evening. While $20k is not much to live with, it's a great second source of revenue.

[Andy Shaw]

Re: Top money earners in chess

You don't live in Ottawa anymore Tom? Where do you live now?