Arjun Breaks into Top 4, Aravindh Soars to No. 11: Indian Grandmasters Shake Up April FIDE Ratings

Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura continue to lead the global chess elite.

India continues to rise in the chess world—and the April 2025 FIDE rating list proves it. GM Arjun Erigaisi is now world number 4, overtaking Fabiano Caruana thanks to two wins in the Bundesliga. Caruana, on the other hand, slipped after a key loss to Hikaru Nakamura at The American Cup.

But the month’s biggest leap belongs to GM Aravindh Chithambaram. After a stunning victory at the Prague Masters—where he finished ahead of Anish Giri, Wei Yi, and Praggnanandhaa—Aravindh gained 18 rating points. With additional Bundesliga victories, his live rating has jumped to 2749, placing him 11th in the world. Just a year ago, he was rated 2662. Few players in recent memory have shown such a steep and sustained climb.

At the very top, Magnus Carlsen remains king. A perfect 3/3 in the Norwegian Team Championship boosted his rating to 2837. Nakamura, now firmly in second place with 2804, continues to thrive after beating both Caruana and Leinier Dominguez at The American Cup.

FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 100) | April 1, 2025

FIDE Circuit Race Heats Up
With the 2026 Candidates Tournament in sight, players are jostling for points in the FIDE Circuit. Aravindh earned 24.34 points for his Prague win, pushing him to third in the standings. Ding Liren, with 40.64 points from the 2024 World Championship, still leads—though his future participation is uncertain. Praggnanandhaa, who won Wijk aan Zee and tied for second in Prague, holds second place.

Ian Nepomniachtchi won the Aeroflot Open and would have scored 22.51 Circuit points—but under FIDE’s new time control rules, his total was adjusted to 18.01 due to double-round days.

Juniors on the Rise
The European Championship saw two teenage prodigies—Ediz Gurel (16) and Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (13)—tie for fourth, earning World Cup spots and career-best ratings. Gurel (2636) rejoined the world top 100, while Erdogmus climbed to 2618. Meanwhile, GM Pranav Venkatesh entered the junior top 10 after winning the World Junior Championship.

Junior FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 25) | April 1, 2025

Women’s Rankings: Calm Before the Storm
April’s ratings set the stage for the Women’s World Championship, beginning April 3 in Shanghai. Ju Wenjun (2561) leads the rating list, with challenger Tan Zhongyi (2555) close behind.

Anna Muzychuk claimed world No. 7 after narrowly edging Zhu Jiner in the Nicosia Women’s Grand Prix. The biggest rating jump came from Bibisara Assaubayeva, who gained 18 points after an unusual drawn match (4–4) against GM Daniil Yuffa.

Women's FIDE Classical Ratings (Top 100) | April 1, 2025

WIM Anna Shukhman (16) climbed 48 rating points after winning the Girls’ World Junior Championship, entering the world top 40. Meanwhile, WGM Alicja Śliwicka re-entered the top 100 with strong results in Samarkand and London.