November 2024 FIDE Ratings: Caruana Returns To 2800 Club, Arjun 1 Point Short

In the process of winning his fourth U.S. Championship title, GM Fabiano Caruana has re-entered the 2800 club and overtaken GM Hikaru Nakamura as the world number-two. Caruana looks to have again found his flow, winning the national title with a 1.5-point gap ahead of the field, even after his win against GM Christopher Yoo didn't count due to an incident after the game.

GM Arjun Erigaisi won the WR Chess Masters Cup and notably crossed 2800 during the European Chess Club Cup on the live rating list, becoming the first Indian grandmaster to do so since GM Viswanathan Anand. He seemed set to cross 2800 on the official list, but draws against GMs Vidit Gujrathi and Vasyl Ivanchuk left him one point short, at the rating of 2799. Still, it seems to be only a matter of time before the 21-year-old, who was the world number-30 at this time last year, crosses the threshold.

In the world top-20, Vidit made the most gains, growing 13 points after playing in the European Chess Club Cup and WR Chess Masters Cup. 30 years old, he is just eight points shy of his all-time peak, achieved earlier this year.

GM Raunak Sadhwani gained more points than anyone else in the top-100, jumping 18 points after playing the WR Chess Masters Cup and the Bundesliga, even if he slept through his first round against GM Alireza Firouzja. GM Volodar Murzin was second, gaining 16 points in the European Club Cup and Spanish Team Championship.

GM Gukesh Dommaraju lost 11 points after scoring 4/7 in the European Chess Club Cup. It's expected to be his last showing before playing GM Ding Liren in the 2024 FIDE World Championship in Singapore later this month. We should acknowledge that it's common for players to lose rating right before the match, as they likely hide the openings they're going to play in the most important match of their lives.

Other notable gains were GM Vladimir Fedoseev (+14), GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (+14), GM Javokhir Sindarov (+14), and GM Vincent Keymer (+12).

FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 100) | November 1, 2024

The top-five juniors remain unchanged. GMs Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu both lost rating points, respectively -6 and -9. Raunak has overtaken GM Nihal Sarin, and Murzin has also jumped up two spots in the rankings. German IM Leonardo Costa gained the most rating of the junior top-100, and with a 29-point jump has reached his peak rating of 2501. 

Junior FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 100) | November 1, 2024

Twenty-one-year-old GM Zhu Jiner gained 15 points in the European Women's Chess Club Cup and re-entered the women's world top-10 for the first time in five years. The only other rating gain in the top-10 was GM Nana Dzagnidze's jump of five points to overtake GM Anna Muzychuk, who lost nine, in the rankings. Both players were on the same team, TAJFUN-SK Ljubljana, and both were the best players in the tournament for their respective board—Dzagnidze on board one and Zhu on board two. 

Seventeen-year-old IM Zsoka Gaal had the largest increase, 27 points, also in the same tournament. She was on the runner-up team, Garuda Ajka BSK. IM Oliwia Kiolbasa rose 23 points playing in the Polish Ekstraliga 2024, on home soil.

IM Carissa Yip basked in the limelight for over a week when she "pulled a Caruana," so to speak, at the Women's U.S. Championship. She scored a perfect 8/8 points, virtually guaranteeing herself her third national title, even if things turned badly.

in my fabi era

— Carissa Yip (@carissayipchess) October 18, 2024

Though she lost two consecutive games, she still clinched the title with a round to spare. She nevertheless gained 14 rating points, even if a better finish to her astronomical tournament would have produced larger gains.

Women's FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 100) | November 1, 2024

All data courtesy of FIDE.