Azerbaijani grandmasters Aydin Suleymanli and Mahammad Muradli have reached career-high positions in the world rankings.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has updated its world rankings as of October 1, 2026.
The biggest gains among Azerbaijani players were made by Suleymanli and Muradli, who played a major role in Azerbaijan’s fifth-place finish at the recent Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Suleymanli gained 15 rating points compared with last month and climbed from 49th to 41st place in the world with a rating of 2679. This is the highest mark of his career, leaving him just 21 points short of the prestigious 2700 barrier.
Muradli, meanwhile, added nine rating points and moved from 64th to 53rd place with a rating of 2662. This is also a career best for the Azerbaijani grandmaster.
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov remains Azerbaijan’s highest-ranked player. He lost 10 rating points following the Chess Olympiad and is now 29th in the world with 2710 points.
Teimour Radjabov is 38th with a rating of 2689, while Rauf Mamedov is 89th with 2632.
The world top 10 as of October 1, 2026:
1. Magnus Carlsen (Norway) – 2823
2. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – 2792
3. Fabiano Caruana (USA) – 2784
4. Javokhir Sindarov (Uzbekistan) – 2782
5. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) – 2780
6. Wesley So (USA) – 2770
7. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India) – 2763
8. Vincent Keymer (Germany) – 2761
9. Wei Yi (China) – 2758
10. Alireza Firouzja (France) – 2757
In the women’s rankings, Ulviyya Fataliyeva dropped below the 2400 mark. With a rating of 2395, she fell from 43rd to 55th place.
Azerbaijan’s other leading female players are Govhar Beydullayeva, who is 57th with 2392 points, Khanim Balajayeva, 83rd with 2357, and Gunay Mammadzada, 93rd with 2348.
The women’s world top 10:
1. Hou Yifan (China) – 2596
2. Zhu Jiner (China) – 2559
3. Ju Wenjun (China) – 2553
4. Lei Tingjie (China) – 2552
5. Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE) – 2536
6. Tan Zhongyi (China) – 2536
7. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) – 2532
8. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – 2524
9. Humpy Koneru (India) – 2518
10. Polina Shuvalova (FIDE) – 2509
Azerbaijan also improved its position in the ranking of chess nations, which is calculated based on the average rating of each country’s 10 highest-rated players.
With an average rating of 2630, Azerbaijan climbed from seventh to sixth place in the men’s standings.
The top 10 chess nations in the men’s ranking:
1. USA – 2723
2. India – 2704
3. China – 2663
4. Russia – 2641
5. Uzbekistan – 2637
6. Azerbaijan – 2630
7. France – 2630
8. Germany – 2630
9. Ukraine – 2626
10. Netherlands – 2625
In the women’s national rankings, Azerbaijan is 11th with an average rating of 2293.
The women’s top 10:
1. China – 2488
2. India – 2431
3. Ukraine – 2387
4. USA – 2374
5. Kazakhstan – 2367
6. Georgia – 2366
7. Russia – 2350
8. Poland – 2346
9. France – 2343
10. Germany – 2318
