Answers.Body: <p><a href="http://www.chessclub.com">ICC</a> and <a href="http://playchess.com">playchess.com</a> are definitely the top two in terms of the number of registered titled players who play actively.</p>
  
  <p>I was able to find metrics on how many titled players are on ICC, seen <a href="http://www.chessclub.com/help/titles">here</a>; I couldn't find the numbers for playchess, however they are similar.  Many titled players play on both.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-02T13:17:37.610Z
Answers.Text: I wish ICC was better usability-wise, I Can't stand their UI.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Soufiane Hassou
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-02T13:18:20.587Z
Answers.Text: I love the Blitzin UI, don't like Dasher as much.  No problems using it, what don't you like?
Answers.UserDisplayName: Bort
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-02T16:27:39.250Z
Answers.Text: The million $ question is how to get them here!
Answers.UserDisplayName: Binoj Antony
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-22T21:13:39.803Z
Answers.Text: +1 for ICC. For non-programmer people, the command interface of blitzin is annoying. They keep trying to make it more GUI-based, but underneath it's always a command.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Eve Freeman
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-21T06:42:53.860Z
Answers.Text: Please note that a title player having an account and a titled player actually playing htere are two different things
Answers.UserDisplayName: David
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-05-02T13:09:49.600Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-05-02T13:09:49.600Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Bort
Answers.Body: <p>As of 2020 I believe by far the most popular sites to play online chess are lichess, chess.com and chess24.</p>
  
  <p>I am not aware of any publicly available statistics on the metrics you suggest. From what I see many of the top players are active on several sites. </p>
  
  <p>The commercial websites chess24 and chess.com are likely paying some of the titled players giving them an advantage. Still, even Magnus Carlsen is seen regularly on lichess as well.</p>
  
  <p>On the other hand, what should count most would be, how likely is it that you play a game against a titled player. If that is your aim, the total number of titled players is fairly irrelevant and you'd better look at what tournaments/shows/... the websites offer in this respect.</p>
  
  <p>Banter blitz sessions are one way, but there are also tournaments (particularly those with minimum rating requirements) that are a good way to find titled players.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-20T10:29:47.733Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-05-20T10:29:47.733Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Answers.Body: <p>chess.com is definitely one of the contenders. If you're a member, you'd know that GM Carlsen, GM Caruana, GM Nakamura; to name a few, are quite active there.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-23T21:30:29.507Z
Answers.Text: What? Carlsen isn’t active on chess.com
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nick Zuber
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-24T02:45:55.983Z
Answers.Text: @NickZuber When this was answered back in 2015, he was pretty active. But yes, you're correct about it now. The last game he had completed on chess.com was on March 7, 2018.
Answers.UserDisplayName: wrik003
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-24T18:54:41.987Z
Answers.Text: oh wow I completely missed the date on this — thanks for the clarification
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nick Zuber
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2015-12-14T23:54:00.597Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2015-12-14T23:54:00.597Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: wrik003
Answers.Body: <p>The question was which site has the strongest players. I presume this means rating to strength ratio. ICC is the leader there in my opinion, you really have to know your chess to get a good rating; it's a proper 'club'.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-10-11T22:12:43.740Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-10-12T06:38:47.960Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-10-12T06:38:47.960Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Paul Morphy
Body: <p>The debate on which is the <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/34/what-are-some-of-the-best-sites-to-play-chess">"best" chess website</a> tends to be subjective and thus is inconclusive. On the other hand, the site that has the strongest players should be objectively ascertainable provided metrics are available.</p>
  
  <p>So which is the strongest chess website in terms of:</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>Number of registered titled players (FM, WFM, IM, WIM, GM, WGM)</li>
  <li>Number of active (routinely visit) titled players </li>
  <li>Number of super-GMs (> 2800)</li>
  <li>Or other verifiable metrics.</li>
  </ul>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-02-27T09:36:23.033Z
Comments.Text: If your aim is to actually play against titled players you might have a higher chance at chess24 where they have (for members) regular "banter blitz" sessions with Peter Svidler, Jan Gustafsson, Pepe Cuenca and more.
Comments.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-05-20T10:30:19.550Z
Comments.Text: WFM, are you kidding me...?
Comments.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-05-20T11:16:21.397Z
Comments.Text: @user1583209 A WFM (around 2100 FIDE) would still be considerably stronger than the average player on a chess site.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Inertial Ignorance
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-05-20T11:18:27.987Z
Comments.Text: @InertialIgnorance Sure, but on the other hand there will be a lot more **untitled** players that are stronger than the couple of WFM out there. So, if we are talking about strongest players, I'd limit that to GM, IM, WGM.
Comments.UserDisplayName: user1583209
Tags: <online-chess><grandmaster>
Title: Which chess website has the strongest players?
ThreadText: # Which chess website has the strongest players?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-05-02)
  
  The debate on which is the ["best" chess website](https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/34/what-are-some-of-the-best-sites-to-play-chess) tends to be subjective and thus is inconclusive. On the other hand, the site that has the strongest players should be objectively ascertainable provided metrics are available.
  
  So which is the strongest chess website in terms of:
  
  * Number of registered titled players (FM, WFM, IM, WIM, GM, WGM)
  * Number of active (routinely visit) titled players
  * Number of super-GMs (> 2800)
  * Or other verifiable metrics.
  
  **Tags:** online-chess, grandmaster
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: If your aim is to actually play against titled players you might have a higher chance at chess24 where they have (for members) regular "banter blitz" sessions with Peter Svidler, Jan Gustafsson, Pepe Cuenca and more.  
  > **username_1**: WFM, are you kidding me...?  
  > **username_2**: @username_1 A WFM (around 2100 FIDE) would still be considerably stronger than the average player on a chess site.  
  > **username_1**: @InertialIgnorance Sure, but on the other hand there will be a lot more **untitled** players that are stronger than the couple of WFM out there. So, if we are talking about strongest players, I'd limit that to GM, IM, WGM.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2012-05-02. Score: 11
  
  [ICC](http://www.chessclub.com) and [playchess.com](http://playchess.com) are definitely the top two in terms of the number of registered titled players who play actively.
  
  I was able to find metrics on how many titled players are on ICC, seen [here](http://www.chessclub.com/help/titles); I couldn't find the numbers for playchess, however they are similar. Many titled players play on both.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: I wish ICC was better usability-wise, I Can't stand their UI.  
  > **username_3**: I love the Blitzin UI, don't like Dasher as much.  No problems using it, what don't you like?  
  > **username_5**: The million $ question is how to get them here!  
  > **username_6**: +1 for ICC. For non-programmer people, the command interface of blitzin is annoying. They keep trying to make it more GUI-based, but underneath it's always a command.  
  > **username_7**: Please note that a title player having an account and a titled player actually playing htere are two different things  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2020-05-20. Score: 8
  
  As of 2020 I believe by far the most popular sites to play online chess are lichess, chess.com and chess24.
  
  I am not aware of any publicly available statistics on the metrics you suggest. From what I see many of the top players are active on several sites.
  
  The commercial websites chess24 and chess.com are likely paying some of the titled players giving them an advantage. Still, even Magnus Carlsen is seen regularly on lichess as well.
  
  On the other hand, what should count most would be, how likely is it that you play a game against a titled player. If that is your aim, the total number of titled players is fairly irrelevant and you'd better look at what tournaments/shows/... the websites offer in this respect.
  
  Banter blitz sessions are one way, but there are also tournaments (particularly those with minimum rating requirements) that are a good way to find titled players.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2015-12-14. Score: 5
  
  chess.com is definitely one of the contenders. If you're a member, you'd know that GM Carlsen, GM Caruana, GM Nakamura; to name a few, are quite active there.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_9**: What? Carlsen isn’t active on chess.com  
  > **username_8**: @NickZuber When this was answered back in 2015, he was pretty active. But yes, you're correct about it now. The last game he had completed on chess.com was on March 7, 2018.  
  > **username_9**: oh wow I completely missed the date on this — thanks for the clarification  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_10 on 2020-10-11. Score: 0
  
  The question was which site has the strongest players. I presume this means rating to strength ratio. ICC is the leader there in my opinion, you really have to know your chess to get a good rating; it's a proper 'club'.
  
  
  ---
  
  