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).
Experts examine the games of Max Euwe. Let them show you which openings Euwe chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were, which tactical abilities he had or how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame.
Max Euwe became the fifth World Chess Champion after beating Alexander Alekhine in the 1935 World Championship match. A maths teacher by profession, Euwe remained an amateur throughout his life, but was still the best chess player in the Netherlands, and one of the world's best players. Euwe holds the record for the most Dutch national championships, with twelve. After winning the World Championship, Euwe was also the world's best player for a while. He lost the title again in 1937 in the rematch against Alexander Alekhine.
Free video sample: Openings
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 at the 2024 Chess Olympiad | Photo: FIDE / Michal Walusza
Ivanchuk 1-0 Espinosa
Semana Santa Open 2025 (round 6)
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