Chess Merit Badge History
Earned through 2020239,164
Best year201229,298 earned
All-time popularity#96official, as of 2020#87by 2025 (estimate)
Earned by Year
First earned in 2011. Peak year 2012 with 29,298. Hover over or tap a year for its numbers.
Known count No data available
"—" means merit badges were earned that year but the exact number is not currently known. "#19 of 141" means the badge was number 19 of the 141 merit badges earned that year. National counts have not been published since 2020, but the rankings have. The grand total comes from official reports and includes the years without a known count. The 2025 all-time place is an estimate, because the counts for 2021 to 2025 are worked out from each year's official ranking and the total number of merit badges earned that year.
20116,002#73 of 129
201229,298#19 of 132
201327,315#17 of 129
201425,266#24 of 136
201527,235#22 of 138
201627,416#22 of 138
201726,919#21 of 139
201828,260#21 of 139
201925,999#20 of 139
202015,454#15 of 137
2021—#21 of 137
2022—#21 of 138
2023—#16 of 138
2024—#19 of 138
2025—#19 of 141
Grand total through 2020:
This page keeps growing. More of this badge's history, including its patches and pamphlets, is being checked and will be added once it is confirmed.