Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 19, became the youngest player ever to top the world rankings Friday.
The list of top players published by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) put Carlsen in the lead with 2,810 points, five points ahead of Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov.
Indian world champion Viswanathan Anand was third with 2,790 points.
Chess experts attribute Carlsen's spectacular rise to his coaching over the past year by former Russian world champion Gary Kasparov, who was ranked world number one a record 23 times during his career.
Copyright 2010 AFP Global Edition
