The May 2025 FIDE rating list was primarily influenced by the Women’s World Championship match, the fifth leg of the Women’s Grand Prix in Pune, India, the European Women’s Championship, and several strong open tournaments across Europe.
Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun successfully defended her title and gained 19 rating points in the process, consolidating her position as world number two on the women’s list.
Humpy Koneru (+15) and Zhu Jiner (+16) climbed to women’s #5 and #6, respectively, following their dominant performances in the Pune leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, the top 10 of the open list remained virtually unchanged.
Biggest Gains in the Top 100 (Open and Women)
WIM Yelyzaveta Hrebenshchykova (Ukraine; pictured below) was the standout performer in April, thanks to her excellent showing at the Grenke Chess Open. She gained 57 rating points and made her debut in the top 100 Women.
Her compatriot, the legendary Vasyl Ivanchuk, experienced a resurgence in April, earning 40 rating points after winning or sharing first place in three consecutive tournaments: the Reykjavik Open 2025, the IX Open Semana Santa San Vicente del Raspeig Costa Blanca, and the IV Open Chess Menorca. The Ukrainian GM made a triumphant return to the top 100 Open.
Lu Shanglei also performed strongly across those three open tournaments, adding 29 points to his tally. Parham Maghsoodloo, winner of the Reykjavik Open, earned 11 points there and added another 11 in the Bundesliga, returning to the 2700+ club after a five-month hiatus.
Two young Chinese players, Song Yuxin and Lu Miaoyi, had highly successful tours of European open tournaments. Song Yuxin impressed in both Iceland and Menorca, collecting 26 points, while the 15-year-old Miaoyi participated in three open events and one team competition, gaining 21 points and reaching a career-high ranking of 23rd on the women’s list.
Teodora Injac, the 2025 European Women’s Champion (pictured above), made her debut in the top 20 Women, achieving a career-high rating of 2474. Podium finishers Mai Narva and Alexandra Matsevskaya also made significant rating gains, earning 20 and 15 points respectively.