| 100% | ANAND | 5 | Vishy __, World Chess Champion before Carlsen |
| 66% | TAL | 3 | Youngest world chess champion before Kasparov |
| 51% | KARPOV | 6 | World Chess champion, 1975-85 |
| 50% | BORIS | 5 | World chess champion from 1969-72 |
| 49% | MAGNUSCARLSEN | 13 | World Chess Champion from 2013 to 2023 |
| 49% | TAL | 3 | 1960-61 world chess champion |
| 49% | TAL | 3 | 1960s world chess champion Mikhail ___ |
| 49% | EUWE | 4 | 1930s world chess champion Max |
| 49% | TAL | 3 | Former world chess champion Mikhail |
| 49% | TAL | 3 | Former world chess champion Mikhail ___ |
| 48% | TAL | 3 | Former world chess champion from Russia |
| 48% | SPASSKY | 7 | Former Russian world chess champion: Boris __ |
| 48% | TAL | 3 | Mikhail —, 1960-61 world chess champion |
| 48% | DINGLIREN | 9 | Became World Chess Champion in 2023 |
| 47% | KARPOV | 6 | Anatoly —, 1993-99 FIDE world chess champion |
| 47% | TAL | 3 | Mikhail, world chess champion of the sixties |
| 47% | KARPOV | 6 | Anatoly —, world chess champion from 1975-85 |
| 47% | RUS | 3 | Home country of many world chess champions: Abbr. |
| 45% | ELO | 3 | Magnus Carlsen, current world chess champion reached 2882, the highest ever, on this rating scheme in May 2014 |
| 44% | GUKESHDOMMARAJU | 15 | Grandmaster who became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in December 2024 |
| 43% | ANATOLYKARPOV | 13 | Six-time World Chess Champion and frequent rival of 15-Across (2 wds.) |
| 41% | KARPOV | 6 | Chess's world champion from 1975 to 1985 |
| 41% | KASPAROV | 8 | Garry __, Russian politician, chess world champion |
| 41% | KARPOV | 6 | Two time world chess champion with a style described as that of a "boa constrictor" |
| 40% | IBM | 3 | Makers of Deep Blue, the first computer to beat a world chess champion under tournament conditions |
| 40% | CHESS | 5 | Game for world champion Magnus Carlsen |
| 40% | WEARE | 5 | Song words before "the World" and "the Champions" |
| 39% | MAGNUSCARLSEN | 13 | Five-time World Chess Champion who was defeated by teenage chess prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in February (2 wds.) |