FIDE Ratings October 2026: Praggnanandhaa rises to World No. 7, Gukesh returns to top 30
The October 2026 FIDE ratings reflect the impact of the Chess Olympiad, with Praggnanandhaa rising to World No. 7 and Gukesh returning to the top 30.
The October 2026 FIDE ratings reflect the impact of the Chess Olympiad, with Praggnanandhaa rising to World No. 7 and Gukesh returning to the top 30.
The October 2026 FIDE rating list has brought significant changes to the world rankings following the recently concluded Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Praggnanandhaa moves up to World No. 7
R Praggnanandhaa has climbed to World No. 7, while D Gukesh has returned to the top 30. Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov was the biggest winner among the world's elite, moving up to fifth after his outstanding Olympiad performance.
Praggnanandhaa is now the highest-ranked Indian player in the October list, gaining two rating points and moving from eighth to seventh in the world.
The 21-year-old remained unbeaten during the Olympiad and also won an individual bronze medal on the top board as India claimed silver in the Open section.
Arjun Erigaisi, meanwhile, experienced a significant drop. The Indian lost 13 rating points during the Olympiad and fell from ninth to 12th in the world with a rating of 2746.
Viswanathan Anand remains India's third-highest ranked player at World No. 14 with a 2739 rating.
Gukesh returns to the top 30
World champion D Gukesh climbed four places to World No. 28 after gaining seven rating points.
Gukesh had an impressive run for most of the Olympiad and was one of India's key performers during their silver-medal campaign. His final-round defeat against Hungary's Gleb Dudin prevented a larger rating gain, but he still moved back above the 2700 mark.
Nihal Sarin dropped to World No. 30 after losing nine rating points.
India now have 14 players in the men's world top 100, including Vidit Gujrathi, Aravindh Chithambaram, Pranav Venkatesh and Pranesh M.
Abdusattorov makes biggest jump among elite players
Nodirbek Abdusattorov was the standout performer in the October rankings.
The Uzbek gained 18 rating points at the Olympiad and climbed from seventh to fifth in the world with a rating of 2780. He also won the individual gold medal on Board 1 while helping Uzbekistan win the Open team title on home soil.
His compatriot Javokhir Sindarov also gained four points and moved to World No. 4 with 2782.
Sindarov will face Gukesh in the World Championship later this year, making the latest rankings particularly interesting ahead of their title match.
Another major mover was 15-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. The Turkish grandmaster gained 15 points and rose to World No. 17 with a 2731 rating, becoming the highest-rated 15-year-old in chess history.
Savitha Shri breaks back into 2400 club
The women's rankings also saw a major Indian story.
Savitha Shri Baskar gained 23 rating points after an outstanding 9/10 performance at the Olympiad. She jumped from World No. 60 to World No. 40, reaching a rating of 2405.
Koneru Humpy remains India's highest-ranked woman at World No. 9 after gaining nine points. Divya Deshmukh moved up one place to World No. 12.
Vaishali Rameshbabu, however, dropped from 16th to 24th after losing 17 rating points during the Olympiad.
Overall, India continue to have a strong presence at the top of the world rankings, with the October list reflecting just how heavily the Samarkand Olympiad influenced the chess landscape.
The next major rankings story could come later this year when Gukesh and Sindarov meet for the World Championship title.