FIDE rating review 2025: The year’s biggest gains and breakthroughs
From 1971 to 1980, FIDE issued just one rating list per year. This gradually increased to the current standard of monthly updates—a change driven by obvious practical needs. Yet frequent rating lists can sometimes obscure the broader picture of yearly progress. In this piece, we highlight players who achieved significant rating gains over the past year. Biggest rating gains in the top 100 Open in 2025 All these players had an excellent 2025, but Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri stand out. Keymer started the year on the wrong foot, losing 12 points at both the Tata Steel Masters and in the Bundesliga. He then regained momentum with strong performances at the German Championship (+10), the Chennai Grandmasters (+21), the European Team Championship (+9), and the European Club Cup (+9). These results propelled him to fourth place on the January 2026 rating list—his highest ever. Anish Giri, meanwhile, strung together a series of strong results: he won the 8th Sharjah Masters (+10) and the FIDE Grand Swiss (+13), and overperformed at the European Club Cup (+7). Unsurprisingly, the Dutchman returned to the top 10 after a 15-month absence and finished the year ranked sixth. Matthias Bluebaum shone in the European Team Championship (+18), becoming the first-ever player to win double crown in this competition, and the FIDE Grand Swiss (+23). The winner of the FIDE Circuit 2025 Praggnanandhaa R took the Tata Steel Masters and Stepan Avagyan Memorial and tied for first place in the Sinquefield Cup. The other players listed above steadily increased their ratings through consistent performances throughout the year. Several players began 2025 outside the top 100 Open but earned their way into this elite group through strong results. In absolute terms, their rating gains appear even more impressive – but we must remember the “low base effect”: the lower a player’s starting rating, the easier it is to achieve large point gains. 48. Martinez Alcantara, Jose – 2667 (+61)49. Donchenko, Alexander – 2665 (+33)57. Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan – 2658 (+59)71. Theodorou, Nikolas – 2648 (+37)76. Gurel, Ediz – 2645 – (+21)78. Safarli, Eltaj – 2644 (+35)80. Lu Shanglei – 2643 (+27)82. Pranav V – 2641 (+26)83. Ivic Velimir – 2638 (+18)91. L’Ami Erwin – 2633 (+20)96. Mishra, Abhimanyu – 2629 (+29)98. Pranesh M – 2628 (+42) Among these newcomers, two stand out. José Martínez Alcántara launched his surge in May, gaining 61 points over seven months to break into the top 50. Yağız Kaan Erdogmuş followed a different path: the Turkish prodigy accumulated rating points steadily throughout the year, reaching a career-high 57th place on the January 2026 list. Most overperformers on this list are very young, so their progress seems natural. One exception is Eltaj Safarli, who remarkably returned to the top 100 after a six-year hiatus. His strong showings in tournaments in Indonesia and Germany, plus the European Club Cup, earned him 35 rating points Now, let’s turn to the women’s list. Biggest rating gains in top 100 Women in 2025 Several female players had outstanding years in 2025. Zhu Jiner, winner of the 2024–2025 Women’s Grand Prix, gained an impressive 65 points, soaring to second place. Given the strength of her opposition throughout the year, this achievement is nothing short of remarkable. Carissa Yip shone in two summer tournaments – the Spring Classic and the Cairns Cup – adding 58 points to debut in the top 20. Song Yuxin (+73) and Anna Shukhman (+66) made the largest gains among players who began the year inside the top 100. Both entered 2025 as leading juniors and finished it in the top 30 Women. As on the Open list, several women started 2025 outside the top 100 but fought their way onto it: 56. Abrahamian, Tatev – 2389 (+79)70. Balabayeva, Xeniya – 2371 (+121)71. Mkrtchyan, Mariam – 2368 (+43)78. Nurman, Alua – 2363 (+27)80. Rakhmangulova, Anastasiya – 2358 (+35)82. Bodnaruk, Anastasia – 2357 (+23)83. Savitha Shri B – 2356 (+25)85. Tang, Zoey – 2356 (+58)96. Mungunzul, Bat-Erdene – 2347 (+79) Tatev Abrahamian triumphantly returned to the top 100 after a five-year absence, fueled by excellent results – particularly at the Budapest One Week in August (+62). Xeniya Balabayeva broke into the top 100 after her strong showing at the Grenke Open (+39), then backed it up with standout performances at the Asian Women’s Championship (+41) and the Oskemen Open Masters (+39), climbing to 70th place with a staggering 121(!) rating points gained over the year. Bat-Erdene Mungunzul delivered impressive performances in the girls section of FIDE World Junior Championship (+34 points), Asian Women’s Chamionship (+43) and emerged as the winner of the Mongolian Women’s Championship (+23) to make her debut in the top 100 Women. Maintaining momentum after a breakout year is notoriously difficult, as players then face a much stronger opposition. Whether the overperformers of 2025 can sustain their success remains to be seen. Photos: Michal Walusza and Lennart Ootes
FIDE Chess in Education Commission (EDU) courses & events January–March 2026
Dear Chess Friends, FIDE’s Chess in Education Commission continues to accelerate its provision of training for Lecturers and Teachers of Educational Chess, offering a series of high-level online and in-person opportunities in winter 2026. The Preparation of Lecturers (PoL) course leads to the FIDE titles of Lead School Instructor (LSI) and Senior Lead Instructor (SLI). It is intended primarily for those who will train teachers, helping to expand the global community of educators capable of teaching chess in an educational way. The Preparation of Teachers (PoT) course leads to the FIDE title of School Instructor (SI). This 3-day (15-hour) training equips participants with pedagogical methods, digital tools, and practical strategies for teaching chess as an educational tool. The schedule of the FIDE EDU upcoming courses and events is below: To join, please register via the following links: First Russian PoT online course – Jan 16-18Register: https://cloud.fide.com/s/NdsRj6BrJRLQjJkSecond Arabic PoT online course – Jan 16-18Register: https://cloud.fide.com/s/RPWQXpYoC5FxypP33rd PoT online course – Jan 23-25Register: https://cloud.fide.com/s/5yGF43ymNACkrkc7th French POT online course – Mar 6-8Register: https://cloud.fide.com/s/jcwxzpM4y6orHY7Our dedicated Chess in Education website has further details: edu.fide.com/