The Israeli city of Be’er Sheva holds a world record of number of chess grandmasters per capita, with one in 20,000. Former chess champion Eliyahu Levant left the Soviet Union in the 1970s and came to Be’er Sheva. His teaching made Be’er Sheva into a dominant force in Israeli chess.

http://unitedwithisrael.org/fact-beer-sheva-has-more-chess-grandmasters-per-capita-than-any-other-city-in-the-world/