| 1970 | #1-ranked player | #2-ranked player | #3-ranked player | #4-ranked player | #5-ranked player |
| January 1970 rating list | 2788: Bobby Fischer | 2775: Viktor Korchnoi | 2767: Boris Spassky | 2748: Lev Polugaevsky | 2747: Tigran Petrosian |
| February 1970 rating list | 2783: Bobby Fischer | 2775: Viktor Korchnoi | 2767: Boris Spassky | 2753: Tigran Petrosian | 2744: Vassily Smyslov |
| March 1970 rating list | 2778: Bobby Fischer | 2776: Viktor Korchnoi | 2767: Boris Spassky | 2753: Tigran Petrosian | 2743: Vassily Smyslov |
| April 1970 rating list | 2797: Bobby Fischer | 2776: Viktor Korchnoi | 2770: Boris Spassky | 2746: Vassily Smyslov | 2746: Tigran Petrosian |
| May 1970 rating list | 2819: Bobby Fischer | 2775: Viktor Korchnoi | 2766: Boris Spassky | 2744: Bent Larsen | 2743: Vassily Smyslov |
| June 1970 rating list | 2810: Bobby Fischer | 2770: Viktor Korchnoi | 2764: Boris Spassky | 2749: Vassily Smyslov | 2742: Bent Larsen |
| July 1970 rating list | 2808: Bobby Fischer | 2769: Viktor Korchnoi | 2763: Boris Spassky | 2748: Vassily Smyslov | 2743: Bent Larsen |
| August 1970 rating list | 2827: Bobby Fischer | 2766: Boris Spassky | 2755: Viktor Korchnoi | 2741: Bent Larsen | 2741: Lev Polugaevsky |
| September 1970 rating list | 2826: Bobby Fischer | 2766: Boris Spassky | 2754: Viktor Korchnoi | 2742: Lev Polugaevsky | 2741: Bent Larsen |
| October 1970 rating list | 2825: Bobby Fischer | 2769: Boris Spassky | 2753: Viktor Korchnoi | 2745: Bent Larsen | 2740: Tigran Petrosian |
| November 1970 rating list | 2827: Bobby Fischer | 2768: Boris Spassky | 2747: Bent Larsen | 2742: Viktor Korchnoi | 2737: Lev Polugaevsky |
| December 1970 rating list | 2834: Bobby Fischer | 2769: Boris Spassky | 2752: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Bent Larsen | 2736: Lajos Portisch |
| 1971 | #1-ranked player | #2-ranked player | #3-ranked player | #4-ranked player | #5-ranked player |
| January 1971 rating list | 2850: Bobby Fischer | 2769: Boris Spassky | 2754: Bent Larsen | 2750: Viktor Korchnoi | 2736: Lajos Portisch |
| February 1971 rating list | 2850: Bobby Fischer | 2770: Boris Spassky | 2755: Bent Larsen | 2752: Viktor Korchnoi | 2738: Lajos Portisch |
| March 1971 rating list | 2848: Bobby Fischer | 2769: Boris Spassky | 2753: Bent Larsen | 2751: Viktor Korchnoi | 2736: Lajos Portisch |
| April 1971 rating list | 2847: Bobby Fischer | 2767: Boris Spassky | 2751: Bent Larsen | 2749: Viktor Korchnoi | 2740: Paul Keres |
| May 1971 rating list | 2846: Bobby Fischer | 2766: Boris Spassky | 2750: Bent Larsen | 2748: Viktor Korchnoi | 2742: Lev Polugaevsky |
| June 1971 rating list | 2867: Bobby Fischer | 2766: Boris Spassky | 2752: Bent Larsen | 2749: Viktor Korchnoi | 2742: Lev Polugaevsky |
| July 1971 rating list | 2869: Bobby Fischer | 2765: Boris Spassky | 2752: Bent Larsen | 2748: Viktor Korchnoi | 2745: Paul Keres |
| August 1971 rating list | 2895: Bobby Fischer | 2764: Boris Spassky | 2749: Viktor Korchnoi | 2743: Lev Polugaevsky | 2742: Bent Larsen |
| September 1971 rating list | 2894: Bobby Fischer | 2758: Boris Spassky | 2750: Viktor Korchnoi | 2745: Lev Polugaevsky | 2742: Bent Larsen |
| October 1971 rating list | 2895: Bobby Fischer | 2756: Boris Spassky | 2751: Viktor Korchnoi | 2738: Bent Larsen | 2735: Tigran Petrosian |
| November 1971 rating list | 2894: Bobby Fischer | 2755: Boris Spassky | 2749: Viktor Korchnoi | 2736: Bent Larsen | 2735: Tigran Petrosian |
| December 1971 rating list | 2895: Bobby Fischer | 2749: Boris Spassky | 2743: Lev Polugaevsky | 2740: Tigran Petrosian | 2738: Viktor Korchnoi |
| 1972 | #1-ranked player | #2-ranked player | #3-ranked player | #4-ranked player | #5-ranked player |
| January 1972 rating list | 2893: Bobby Fischer | 2747: Boris Spassky | 2747: Viktor Korchnoi | 2741: Lev Polugaevsky | 2740: Leonid Stein |
| February 1972 rating list | 2894: Bobby Fischer | 2750: Boris Spassky | 2746: Viktor Korchnoi | 2743: Lev Polugaevsky | 2740: Leonid Stein |
| March 1972 rating list | 2892: Bobby Fischer | 2747: Boris Spassky | 2746: Viktor Korchnoi | 2744: Lev Polugaevsky | 2741: Leonid Stein |
| April 1972 rating list | 2891: Bobby Fischer | 2747: Viktor Korchnoi | 2747: Boris Spassky | 2744: Leonid Stein | 2743: Lev Polugaevsky |
| May 1972 rating list | 2886: Bobby Fischer | 2747: Viktor Korchnoi | 2745: Boris Spassky | 2744: Leonid Stein | 2744: Lev Polugaevsky |
| June 1972 rating list | 2884: Bobby Fischer | 2745: Lev Polugaevsky | 2744: Viktor Korchnoi | 2744: Leonid Stein | 2743: Boris Spassky |
| July 1972 rating list | 2882: Bobby Fischer | 2744: Lev Polugaevsky | 2744: Anatoly Karpov | 2743: Viktor Korchnoi | 2743: Leonid Stein |
| August 1972 rating list | 2880: Bobby Fischer | 2745: Lev Polugaevsky | 2744: Tigran Petrosian | 2743: Boris Spassky | 2743: Viktor Korchnoi |
| September 1972 rating list | 2872: Bobby Fischer | 2754: Boris Spassky | 2747: Lev Polugaevsky | 2745: Leonid Stein | 2743: Tigran Petrosian |
| October 1972 rating list | 2870: Bobby Fischer | 2752: Boris Spassky | 2746: Lev Polugaevsky | 2746: Mikhail Tal | 2743: Anatoly Karpov |
| November 1972 rating list | 2866: Bobby Fischer | 2752: Anatoly Karpov | 2750: Mikhail Tal | 2748: Boris Spassky | 2746: Lev Polugaevsky |
| December 1972 rating list | 2865: Bobby Fischer | 2754: Anatoly Karpov | 2751: Mikhail Tal | 2748: Lev Polugaevsky | 2745: Boris Spassky |
| 1973 | #1-ranked player | #2-ranked player | #3-ranked player | #4-ranked player | #5-ranked player |
| January 1973 rating list | 2865: Bobby Fischer | 2762: Mikhail Tal | 2754: Anatoly Karpov | 2749: Lev Polugaevsky | 2748: Boris Spassky |
| February 1973 rating list | 2863: Bobby Fischer | 2766: Mikhail Tal | 2755: Anatoly Karpov | 2747: Lev Polugaevsky | 2745: Boris Spassky |
| March 1973 rating list | 2858: Bobby Fischer | 2777: Mikhail Tal | 2751: Lev Polugaevsky | 2750: Anatoly Karpov | 2742: Tigran Petrosian |
| April 1973 rating list | 2856: Bobby Fischer | 2777: Mikhail Tal | 2751: Anatoly Karpov | 2750: Lev Polugaevsky | 2741: Viktor Korchnoi |
| May 1973 rating list | 2852: Bobby Fischer | 2773: Mikhail Tal | 2757: Anatoly Karpov | 2750: Lev Polugaevsky | 2742: Lajos Portisch |
| June 1973 rating list | 2849: Bobby Fischer | 2773: Mikhail Tal | 2757: Anatoly Karpov | 2749: Lev Polugaevsky | 2744: Lajos Portisch |
| July 1973 rating list | 2843: Bobby Fischer | 2778: Anatoly Karpov | 2756: Mikhail Tal | 2754: Viktor Korchnoi | 2745: Lev Polugaevsky |
| August 1973 rating list | 2842: Bobby Fischer | 2780: Anatoly Karpov | 2753: Viktor Korchnoi | 2751: Mikhail Tal | 2748: Lajos Portisch |
| September 1973 rating list | 2838: Bobby Fischer | 2779: Anatoly Karpov | 2753: Viktor Korchnoi | 2751: Lajos Portisch | 2750: Mikhail Tal |
| October 1973 rating list | 2835: Bobby Fischer | 2778: Anatoly Karpov | 2755: Mikhail Tal | 2752: Viktor Korchnoi | 2751: Lajos Portisch |
| November 1973 rating list | 2837: Bobby Fischer | 2777: Anatoly Karpov | 2755: Viktor Korchnoi | 2750: Lajos Portisch | 2745: Lev Polugaevsky |
| December 1973 rating list | 2833: Bobby Fischer | 2779: Anatoly Karpov | 2755: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Lajos Portisch | 2744: Mikhail Tal |
| 1974 | #1-ranked player | #2-ranked player | #3-ranked player | #4-ranked player | #5-ranked player |
| January 1974 rating list | 2829: Bobby Fischer | 2782: Anatoly Karpov | 2755: Viktor Korchnoi | 2749: Lajos Portisch | 2744: Mikhail Tal |
| February 1974 rating list | 2825: Bobby Fischer | 2784: Anatoly Karpov | 2756: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Lajos Portisch | 2744: Mikhail Tal |
| March 1974 rating list | 2821: Bobby Fischer | 2785: Anatoly Karpov | 2757: Viktor Korchnoi | 2747: Lajos Portisch | 2746: Mikhail Tal |
| April 1974 rating list | 2816: Bobby Fischer | 2787: Anatoly Karpov | 2758: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Mikhail Tal | 2746: Lajos Portisch |
| May 1974 rating list | 2811: Bobby Fischer | 2787: Anatoly Karpov | 2759: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Mikhail Tal | 2744: Lajos Portisch |
| June 1974 rating list | 2805: Bobby Fischer | 2788: Anatoly Karpov | 2760: Viktor Korchnoi | 2748: Mikhail Tal | 2743: Lajos Portisch |
| July 1974 rating list | 2800: Bobby Fischer | 2799: Anatoly Karpov | 2764: Viktor Korchnoi | 2744: Mikhail Tal | 2743: Tigran Petrosian |
| August 1974 rating list | 2800: Anatoly Karpov | 2793: Bobby Fischer | 2764: Viktor Korchnoi | 2751: Mikhail Tal | 2744: Tigran Petrosian |
| September 1974 rating list | 2800: Anatoly Karpov | 2765: Viktor Korchnoi | 2750: Mikhail Tal | 2743: Tigran Petrosian | 2739: Lev Polugaevsky |
| October 1974 rating list | 2801: Anatoly Karpov | 2770: Viktor Korchnoi | 2753: Mikhail Tal | 2743: Tigran Petrosian | 2738: Lev Polugaevsky |
| November 1974 rating list | 2803: Anatoly Karpov | 2771: Viktor Korchnoi | 2752: Mikhail Tal | 2742: Tigran Petrosian | 2739: Lev Polugaevsky |
| December 1974 rating list | 2803: Anatoly Karpov | 2770: Viktor Korchnoi | 2751: Mikhail Tal | 2741: Tigran Petrosian | 2736: Lev Polugaevsky |