There has been little change at the top of the FIDE world rankings. Magnus Carlsen leads ahead of Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi. The best woman player is Hou Yifan and the best juniors are Alireza Firouzja and Zhu Jiner.
Half the field of the Women’s Candidates Tournament will battle it out in a knockout event to decide who faces Lei Tingjie, winner of Pool A, in a final match next year. Pool B will take place from November 29 to December 11 at the Hotel Farovon Khiva in the ancient city of Khiva, Uzbekistan. | Photos: FIDE / David Llada
At the beginning of October the FIDE published its new ranking list. With a rating of 2856 Magnus Carlsen continues to lead the list though he lost 5 points in the Sinquefield Cup. Currently, Carlsen is 44 ratings points away from 2900 but also 45 rating points ahead of Ding Liren, who has a rating of 2811 and is the world's number two. Hou Yifan continues to lead the women's ranking list, five juniors have a rating of 2700 or more, and Zhu Jiner from China is number one on the list of female juniors.
Kateryna Lagno won the first stage of the Women’s Grand Prix series with an undefeated 8/11 score. Lagno finished a half point ahead of Aleksandra Goryachkina (pictured, left), who scraped a half point in the final round after Vaishali Rameshbabu failed to convert a winning rook endgame. Chinese youngster Zhu Jiner grabbed third place. Zhansaya Abdumalik and Dinara Wagner scored full points on the last day of action. | Photo: FIDE / Anna Shtourman
Halfway through the tournament, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia and WGM Zhu Jiner of China are sharing the lead at the first leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Astana, Kazakhstan. The top two players of the Grand Prix will qualify for the next FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament. How to watch?