FIDE Circuit: Pragg seizes the lead, Fedoseev and Ivanchuk among top five

by ChessBase
5/1/2025 – April saw notable shifts in the FIDE Circuit 2025 leaderboard, with Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu moving into first place after a strong showing in Poland. Vladimir Fedoseev’s victory in Warsaw propelled him to third, while Vasyl Ivanchuk's success in Menorca earned him fourth. Other key movements include Lu Shanglei rising to eighth and Parham Maghsoodloo entering the top ten.
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Major changes

Press release by FIDE

April brought a significant change to the FIDE Circuit 2025 leaderboard. As many expected, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu overtook Ding Liren to claim the top spot, following his solid performance at the GCT Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, where he finished third and gained 8.44 circuit points.

The event's winner in Warsaw, Vladimir Fedoseev, collected 13.26 points and jumped straight to third place.

Meanwhile, the legendary Vasyl Ivanchuk pushed Aravindh Chithambaram down to fifth after winning the Menorca Open, which earned him 12.67 points and fourth place on the leaderboard (find below analysis of one of Ivanchuk's victories at the recent Semana Santa Open in Alicante).

Menorca runner-up Lu Shanglei climbed to eighth place in the standings, while Parham Maghsoodloo rounds out the top ten after his triumph at the Reykjavik Open, which gained him 11.16 circuit points.

Just outside the top ten are Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Ian Nepomniachtchi, each having played only one tournament that counts toward the FIDE Circuit so far.

We maintain a dedicated page on our website for the FIDE Circuit 2025, featuring the latest information on eligible tournaments, current standings, and regulations: FIDE Circuit 2025

Vasyl Ivanchuk

Vasyl Ivanchuk at the 2024 Chess Olympiad | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza

Ivanchuk 1-0 Espinosa

Semana Santa Open 2025 (round 6)

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FIDE Circuit: Ding Liren leads as Tata Steel top finishers join the race

2/5/2025 – Ding Liren remains at the top of the FIDE Circuit 2025 standings, having earned 40.64 points from his world title match against Gukesh Dommaraju. Following the Tata Steel Masters, Praggnanandhaa Ramesbabu has moved into second place, while Gukesh and Nodirbek Abdusattorov follow closely behind. Other players who participated in the Wijk aan Zee event have also entered the leaderboard. With six circuit-eligible tournaments scheduled for February, the standings are expected to evolve in the coming weeks.
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FIDE announces proposed changes to 2025 Circuit Regulations

12/21/2024 – FIDE has announced plans to update the 2025 FIDE Circuit Regulations, aiming to enhance fairness and competitiveness based on feedback from the 2024 Circuit. Key proposals include adjusting the number of players eligible for points in round-robin tournaments, recognising double round-robin super tournaments with high Elo averages, and reducing points for events with multiple rounds in a single day. These changes seek to better reflect the value of high-quality tournaments and are set for final approval by December 31, 2024.
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Video

60m English The Elephant Gambit

The Elephant Gambit (1.e4.e5 2.Nf3 d5!?) has never really been given the attention it deserves. It is a very useful surprise weapon. Let us list the advantages of playing this particular opening: 1) Shock value 2) It is very aggressive. Black can take over the initiative early. 3) Many tricky lines 4) Unorthodox. Black is basically taking the game to the opponent as early as move two. Not many openings do that! It's a perfect opening for young players and club players to adopt. Let Andrew Martin select a repertoire for you on this 60 mins, which, if used with discretion, will rack up the points. I am sure that you will enjoy this unusual tour of the Elephant Gambit.
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