The September 2025 rating list was shaped primarily by results from the Sinquefield Cup, Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters, 61st International Akiba Rubinstein Chess Festival, and the Spanish League Honor Division 2025 – a Swiss team tournament held in Linares.
The top 10 Open saw several notable changes in August. Wesley So returned to this elite group after a ten-month absence, thanks to his victory at the Sinquefield Cup, which earned him 11 rating points. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa also shone this competition, adding 6 points and reaching a career-high rating of 2785.
The biggest breakthrough came from Vincent Keymer, whose dominant performance at the Quantbox Chennai Grand Masters brought him 21 rating points and secured his first-ever place in the world top 10.
In the women’s rankings, Zhu Jiner continued her steady climb. A strong showing in the Isbank of Türkiye Chess Super League netted her 12 points and lifted her to a career-best 2548.
Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women
The month’s biggest rating gainer was Tatev Abrahamyan, who scored an impressive 63 points at the Budapest One Week 2025. With this performance, the American WGM crossed the 2400 threshold for the first time and soared to a career-high 37th place in the women’s top 100.
Other strong performances came in the Spanish League Honor Division 2025, where Nino Batsiashvili, Kirill Alekseenko, Stavroula Tsolakidou, and Ulviyya Fataliyeva all collected valuable points.
Meanwhile, Maili-Jade Ouellet significantly boosted her rating after an excellent showing at the Championnat Invitation du Québec 2025.
At the 61st International Akiba Rubinstein Chess Festival, Nodirbek Yakubboev won the round-robin event, gaining 16 points, while runner-up Radosław Wojtaszek added 13 to his tally.
Finally, Dmitry Andreikin marked a successful return to classical chess after a ten-month break, earning 15 points with a solid performance in the Isbank of Türkiye Chess Super League.