6/2/2026 – There has been some movement at the top of the world rankings. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana both lost rating points at the Candidates Tournament. As Nakamura's losses were more significant, both players dropped below the 2800 mark. In May, however, Caruana gained four rating points and caught up with Nakamura. As a result, Caruana is now listed in second place, with Nakamura in third. Magnus Carlsen, meanwhile, is currently competing in Norway, where one of his goals is to avoid losing rating points. He remains the clear world number one. Players ranked fourth through seventh are Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Anish Giri. Hou Yifan remains the world's top-ranked female player, while World Champion Gukesh is the highest-rated player in the U20 category. Anna Shukhman is the new number one among the girls.
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And yet, things do change. For quite some time, the top of the rating list seemed set in stone: 1. Magnus Carlsen, 2. Hikaru Nakamura, 3. Fabiano Caruana. But Caruana took advantage of Nakamura's recent slide and has now caught up with him. Both players stand on 2792 rating points, though Caruana is now listed second and Nakamura third.
There could be even more movement near the top in the coming months. First place is likely to remain Carlsen's for a while, even if he drops further rating points while playing on home soil in Norway. But Nakamura, whose future participation in classical chess remains uncertain, and Caruana are now only 15 points ahead of the two young Uzbek stars Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who are tied on 2777. Just another ten points behind is Vincent Keymer on 2767. He is followed by Anish Giri, enjoying what feels like his nth spring.
India's highest-ranked player is Arjun Erigaisi in eighth place, followed by former World Champion Viswanathan Anand in 13th. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju are ranked 16th and 19th respectively.
There has been little change in the women's world rankings. The first shift in positions compared to the previous month appears only at number 11, where India's Divya Deshmukh has moved up.
World Champion Gukesh remains the highest-rated junior player in the world. Fifteen-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus is ranked second and continues to close the gap to the world champion. India's Pranav and Volodar Murzin (FIDE) held on to their positions, while Pranesh M climbed to fifth place.
Anna Shukhman is the new number one in the girls' rankings. She has moved ahead of Kazakhstan's Alua Nurman, who had taken over the top spot last month. Lu Miaoyi, who was ranked third in the previous list, slipped behind Afruza Khamdamova and Shubhi Gupta.
Stefan LiebigStefan Liebig, born in 1974, is a journalist and co-owner of a marketing agency. He now lives in Barterode near Göttingen. At the age of five, strange pieces on his neighbour’s shelf aroused his curiosity. Since then, the game of chess has cast a spell over him. Flying high in the NRW youth league with his home club SV Bad Laasphe and several appearances in the second division team of Tempo Göttingen were highlights for the former youth South Westphalia champion.
5/2/2026 – With the results of the Candidates Tournament and several other tournaments, there was some movement in the top of the FIDE world rankings. Javokhir Sindarov is the rising star in the overall list. Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus also gained many points and extended his lead in the juniors list.
4/3/2026 – At the top three places in the world rankings, nothing has changed: Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana. Vincent Keymer has lost a few points and swapped places with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Hou Yifan is the highest-rated female chess player in the world, and world champion Gukesh Dommaraju is the best under-20 player. Alua Nurman is the new number one in the girls' youth category.
What to do against the Pirc? Many players find it difficult to play against Black’s set-up. Try the Austrian Attack! It is a solid but dangerous weapon and guarantees White an effective attack from the very start! Learn the key tricks of this deadly line and crush the Pirc with ease!
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In this volume, we dive into core aspects of chess technique. Smyslov taught the principle of tactical hierarchy, “checks, double attacks, and unprotected pieces”, and Mikhalchishin demonstrates how this method of calculation is vital.
Videos: Nico Zwirs examines two Petroffs from the 2026 Candidates. Robert Ris has a tip against the Caro-Kann Advance Variation with 3…c5. Fiona Sieber reveals a surprise weapon against the Najdorf. ‘Lucky Bag’ with 40 analyses by Ganguly, L'Ami et al.
YOUR PERSONAL CHESS COACH - Whether you’re taking your first steps into the world of club chess, or already playing at a tournament level: with FRITZ, you can train more efficiently, intelligently and with a more personalised approach than ever before.
In this powerful new course, endgame expert Karsten Müller teams up with rising star Leon Mendonca to deliver what truly matters: 10 essential rules that every player must know.
In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
From the 2026 Candidates Tournament, featuring a video review by Dorian Rogozenco, to Jan Werle’s opening video on the French Tarrasch Defence, and Oliver Reeh’s tactical column ‘Top Grandmasters at Work’. Analyses by Giri, So, Wei Yi and many others.
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