This list of chess players is ordered by their peak FIDE rating, an implementation of the Elo rating introduced by FIDE in 1971. The cut-off value is 2700 for men (players with a rating at or above this value are colloquially known as super grandmasters) and 2500 for women.
Only six players achieved their over-2700 peak before the year 2000 and twenty-one players achieved their respective peak between 2000 and 2009 (inclusive).
This section lists the top 20 active players by peak FIDE rating achieved in every decade since 1971, when FIDE started officially publishing rating lists.