The FIDE September 2026 rating list was primarily shaped by the Grand Chess Tour Sinquefield Cup, the GCT Finals, the Cairns Cup, and several open tournaments across Europe.
Wesley So triumphantly returned to the Top 5 Open after a nearly four-year hiatus, following his victory in the Sinquefield Cup and a third-place finish in the Grand Chess Tour Finals. Meanwhile, the 2026 GCT winner, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, climbed to 8th position and is now back in the Top 10.
On the women’s list, Tan Zhongyi returned to the Top 5 after a seven-month absence following her triumph at the 2026 Cairns Cup.
Biggest rating gains in top 100 Open and Women lists
Deekshitha Modipalli (pictured below) of India became the biggest rating gainer on record (since we began publishing these reports), boosting her Elo by a phenomenal 297 points following her strong performances at the XIV Torneo Internacional Cidade de Pontevedra “Masters” (+175) and the Leca Chess Open 2026 (+122).
These extraordinary results catapulted the Indian rising star straight to 23rd position on the women’s list and third place on the women’s junior list. Remarkably, she earned as many as 469 rating points across just four tournaments! Undoubtedly, the Indian teenager is the player to watch in the coming months.
Elnaz Kaliakhmet overperformed at the Kanizsa Open – Group A, earning 43 rating points, while Nadya Toncheva added 36 points to her tally for her third-place finish at the 35th Open Chess Tournament of Kavala.
Mahammad Muradli (pictured above) and Abhimanyu Puranik shone in the Türkiye Chess Super League and the French Team Championship, where they collected 26 and 23 rating points, respectively. Notably, the Azerbaijani GM reached a career-high 64th position on the list.
The runner-up of the Cairns Cup, Alice Lee (pictured below), finished just a half-point behind the champion but has every reason to celebrate: her strong performance in this elite tournament brought her 23 rating points and her first GM norm.
Brandon Jacobson made his debut in the Top 100 Open after winning the 50è Open Internacional d’Escacs Vila de Sitges Grup A, a result that earned him 18 points.
Pauline Guichard lost in a tiebreak for the title at the French Women’s Championship, but she might have found solace in gaining 20 rating points and returning to the Top 100 Women.
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