Sindarov Leads Gukesh by 72 Points on the November FIDE List

The November FIDE rating list has Javokhir Sindarov ahead of Gukesh Dommaraju by 72 points and 22 places as the two head toward the 2026 Salesforce FIDE World Championship. Gukesh arrives as the reigning champion, but the numbers say the challenger comes in as the stronger player on current form.

Sindarov is rated 2782 and fourth in the world, Gukesh 2710 and 26th. Chess.com notes the 22-place gap is a record for a world title match since the title was reunified in 2006.

Ratings are a snapshot, not a forecast. A 72-point gap predicts a clear edge over a single game, yet a match between two elite players is decided by preparation, nerve and a handful of decisive games. For how the expected-score math works, our explainer on what a rating measures covers it.

Nihal’s climb

The biggest mover near the top was Nihal Sarin. His 2859 performance at the European Club Cup lifted him to a career-best joint 18th in the world, level with Amin Tabatabaei on 2720.

That came at the European Club Cup, which Bayegan Pendik won. The full picture is on our FIDE Top 100 table.

Niemann slips below 2700

Hans Niemann was the notable casualty, dropping out of the 2700 club after a disappointing U.S. Championship. That event ended with a playoff in which So beat Caruana for a fourth national title.

A quiet top of the list

Despite many top players being in action in October, the upper reaches barely moved. Wei Yi edged above Vincent Keymer during a strong European Club Cup, then dipped back after three draws in the Chinese League. On the November list the two are level on 2761, sharing eighth.

Women’s list: unchanged top ten, big swings below

The top ten of the FIDE Women’s Top 25 stayed unchanged. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Koneru Humpy edged up slightly after their club, Cercle d’Echecs de Monte-Carlo, won the European Women’s Club Cup.

The bigger movement came from the U.S. Women’s Championship.

IM Alice Lee climbed to 14th and became the U.S. women’s number one. IM Carissa Yip lost 31 points.

Winner WIM Rachael Li gained 50, a big jump that reflects how much a title run can add when a player is young and her rating is still catching up. We covered how Li, 16, took the title on the way to that gain.

Sivanandan’s title

The standout women’s performance belonged to FM Bodhana Sivanandan, who earned the international master title. She is now the seventh youngest IM of all time, male or female.

We looked at how she beat Polgar’s 1988 age record for a female IM when the title was secured. The titles explainer sets out what the IM requirements involve.

Next up for the top two names on the list is the World Championship itself, where the 72-point gap will be tested over the board.