NEW DELHI: FIDE, the world chess body, has released its November 2026 world rankings, with R Praggnanandhaa remaining the only Indian in the Open Top 10 at World No. 7. Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has broken into the world’s top 20 for the first time, reaching a career-best World No. 19 in the latest FIDE rankings.His impressive performance at the 41st European Chess Club Cup in Budva, Montenegro, played a major role in the rise.Nihal scored 5 points from six games, won the individual gold medal on board two and added 11 rating points to reach a classical rating of 2720.
India’s presence in the world rankings
India continues to have a strong presence in international chess, with 13 players featuring in the Open Top 100. R Praggnanandhaa leads the Indian contingent at World No. 7 with a rating of 2763, followed by Arjun Erigaisi at No. 12 and Viswanathan Anand at No. 14.Nihal’s rise puts him at No. 19, while reigning world champion D Gukesh is ranked 26th with 2710 points.Other notable movers include Pentala Harikrishna and Karthikeyan Murali, who each gained 11 rating points and climbed to World No. 57 and No. 58 respectively. On the other hand, Leon Luke Mendonca lost 12 points and dropped out of the world’s top 100.In the women’s rankings, India has 11 players in the Top 100. Koneru Humpy remains the country’s highest-ranked woman at World No. 9 with 2520 points, followed by Divya Deshmukh at No. 12 and R Vaishali at No. 24.Harika Dronavalli is ranked 26th. The biggest setback came for Deekshitha Modipalli, who lost 87 rating points across three tournaments and fell from World No. 29 to No. 87.
India remains second among chess nations
At the federation level, India continues to hold the second position in all three categories: Open, Women’s and Mixed.In the Open rankings, the USA leads with an average rating of 2719, while India follows at 2706. China leads the Women’s and Mixed categories, with India occupying second place in both.The latest rankings underline India’s growing depth and continued strength in world chess.
