Magnus Carlsen Stays No.1, D Gukesh Drops, Indian Women Rise: Reigning world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju has dropped out of the top 10 in the October 2025 FIDE rankings, announced on Wednesday. The young Indian star had a tough few weeks in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, during the FIDE Grand Swiss, where things didn’t quite go his way.
At the Grand Swiss in September, D Gukesh finished 41st out of 116 players. He lost three games back-to-back and was forced to settle for four draws across the 11 rounds. That run cost him 15 rating points, sliding from 2767 in September down to 2752 in October. For context, just a year ago, in October 2024, he was rated 2794, which means he has shed 43 points over the past year.
Interestingly, his predecessor as world champion, China’s Ding Liren, is also struggling in the rankings and currently sits in 18th place with 2734.
Divya Deshmukh on the Rise
On the women’s side, Divya Deshmukh continues to impress. She is currently ranked world no 11 with a rating of 2498 after a remarkable month of chess. Divya won the Women’s World Cup, earning a spot in the prestigious Women’s Candidates tournament. She also took part in the open section of the Grand Swiss, where she stunned two grandmasters and even held world champion D Gukesh to a draw.
Vaishali R also had an excellent month. She successfully defended her Women’s Grand Swiss title, picking up 21 rating points in the process. This result has pushed her up to a career-best world no 15.
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India’s Top Men: Arjun and Praggnanandhaa
Among Indian players, Arjun Erigaisi leads the way at world no 4 with a rating of 2773. Close behind him is Praggnanandhaa, who sits at world no 5 with 2771. However, Praggnanandhaa too had a dip at the Grand Swiss, where he lost 14 rating points.
Magnus Carlsen and Nakamura Still Lead the Pack
Magnus Carlsen continues to reign at the top of the world rankings with a rating of 2839. He is joined in the exclusive 2800-plus club by Hikaru Nakamura, the only other player currently above that mark.
Women’s Chess: Koneru Humpy Leads for India
In the women’s rankings, Koneru Humpy remains India’s highest-rated player at world no 6. Meanwhile, China’s Zhu Jiner has climbed to world no 2 after a superb showing at the Fujairah Global Chess Championships – Superstars. She added 21 points to her tally, reaching a personal best ranking in the process.
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