The August 2025 FIDE rating list was primarily influenced by the Women’s World Cup in Batumi, the Biel International Chess Festival and several other tournaments across Europe.
The top 10 in the Open section remained unchanged from July, with the only exception being Wei Yi, who gained 5 rating points in his match against Levon Aronian.
In contrast, the women’s top 10 saw several notable shifts following the Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi. Lei Tingjie (+8) consolidated her third position in the list and closed in on her title match opponent the reigning Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun; Tan Zhongyi (+12) climbed to fourth place, while Zhu Jiner moved up one spot.
The tournament winner, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh (+15) reached her career-high 15th position and earned the Grandmaster title.
Biggest gains in the top 100 (Open and Women)
WIM Manon Schippke (pictured above) was the biggest rating gainer in July, earning a whopping 176 points in three competitions across France. The 18-year-old player from France broke into the top 100 Women and jumped straight to 9th position in the top female juniors list.
WFM Prishita Gupta (pictured below) also debuts in the top 100 Women following her standout performances in Championnat de Paris 2025 Masters (+75 points) and Open International d’Aix-en-Provence (+60 points). Remarkably, the Indian teenager has earned over 400 (!) rating points over just the past two months.
Another overperformer in the Open International d’Aix-en-Provence is Leya Garifullina who collected 27 rating points in this competition, breaking into the top 20 Women for the first time in her career.
WGM Xeniya Balabayeva made a triumphant return to the top 100 Women after a brief absence thanks to her excellent performance at the Oskemen Open 2025, where she gained 39 rating points, while Oliwia Kiolbasa added 32 points to her tally at the 11th Cesme International Open to reach 47th place in the women’s list – her best ranking since May 2023.
Meruert Kamalidenova had stong showings in both the Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial – Aktobe Open and the Women’s World Cup, boosting her rating by 25 points.
Nikolas Theodorou (pictured above) made a major breakthrough in July following his successful runs in the Greece National Team Championship and Biel Chess Festival – Challengers. The 24-year-old GM from Greece earned 21 rating points to debut in the top 100 Open.
Another newcomer to the top 100 Open is Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara who emerged as the winner of Lince Andujar Chess Open 2025, gaining 14 rating points along the way.
Amin Tabatabaei added another title to his collection, lifting the trophy at the XXII Karpov International Chess Tournament (+14 points), while Saleh Salem returned to the top 100 Open after one-year absence, following a strong performance in the Biel Chess Festival – Masters.