There are lots of great chess players in the world and they are at an extremely high level. The best players in the world play each other at tournaments like the Tata Steel and the Reykjavik Rapid. They are usually grandmasters, with FIDE ratings of 2500 and up. Here are some of my favorites:

Magnus Carlsen

Age: 22

Rating 2861 as of 1/2/2013

Magnus Carlsen is from Norway. He started playing chess because his sister was learning from their dad. He quickly became very good and beat them both. Then he started playing in shopping malls and he could play 10 games of chess simultaneously with his eyes closed, keeping track of 320 pieces at the same time and winning all the games! He is currently the world #1 player.

magnuscarlsen.com

Bobby Fischer

Age: Passed away in 2008

Rating: Highest - 2895 as of 1971

Bobby Fischer was from Moscow and moved to Brooklyn, New York. He became a grandmaster at the age of fifteen and a half, one of the youngest ever. He is also the highest rated player ever. He beat Boris Spassky and won the world title, the first American to win the title in a long time. He is considered to be one of the best chess players ever.