World's Top Women: July 2011

Elina Danielian (susanpolgar.blogspot)
The latest rating list for women is out with the top pair, Judith Polgar and Humpy Koneru, both inactive. Hou Yifan has been out of form and has dropped significantly but maintains third place ahead of the Kosintseva sisters. The biggest riser of late has been Elina Danielian who has gained an astonishing 90 rating points in a year!

Along with Danielian, other players who have their career highest at present are Anna Muzychuk and Viktorija Cmilyte, who are both edging their previous best by one point.

Muzychuk is now sixth, her highest ever position, whereas European Women's Champion Cmilyte has gained several places in the table.

Antoaneta Stefanova has started to move back up after a shaky few months. There are no new 2500s, and one player has slipped below that mark: Alexandra Kosteniuk who heads the second table featuring the 'almost 2500s.

Ranking Previous Ranking Name Country Age

Current Rating

1/7/11

Rating 1/5/11 Rating 1/3/11 Rating 1/1/11 One year ago Career Highest
1 1 Judit Polgar HUN 34 2699 2699 2686 2686 2682 2735
2 2 Humpy Koneru IND 24 2614 2614 2607 2607 2600 2623
3 3 Hou Yifan CHN 17 2575 2612 2602 2602 2577 2612
4 4 Nadezhda Kosintseva (IM) RUS 26 2560 2567 2567 2552 2551 2576
5 5 Tatiana Kosintseva RUS 25 2557 2559 2559 2570 2562 2581
6 8 Anna Muzychuk (IM) SLO 21 2538 2537 2528 2529 2527 2538
7 6 Nana Dzagnidze  GEO 24 2537 2557 2567 2550 2498 2567
8 9 Kateryna Lahno   UKR 21 2536 2530 2531 2518 2535 2539
9 15 Viktorija Cmilyte   LTU 27 2528 2504 2526  2526 2527 2528 
10 13 Antoaneta Stefanova  BUL 32 2524 2506 2523 2546 2560 2560
11 7 Anna Zatonskih (IM)  USA 32 2522 2537 2499 2493 2470 2537
12 14 Elina Danielian  ARM 20 2521 2506  2475 2454 2431 2521
13 12 Wenjun Ju (WGM) CHN 20 2515 2511 2519 2514 2496 2524
14 11 Dronavalli Harika (IM) IND 20 2513 2520 2524 2520 2504 2525
15 16 Marie Sebag FRA 24 2510 2504 2489 2489 2519 2533
16 17 Maia Chiburdanidze GEO 50 2500 2500 2502 2502 2514 2560

US chess fans will notice that Anna Zatonskih has slipped back slightly after her meteoric rise in May, but Irina Krush is now back in the top twenty. The other player new to this table is Bela Khotenashvili who is also within one more good result of achieving 2500.

Ranking Previous Ranking Name Country Age

Current rating

1/7/11

 Rating 1/5/11 Rating 1/3/11 Rating 1/1/11 One Year ago Career Highest
17 10 Alexandra Kosteniuk RUS 27 2497 2522 2503 2498 2519 2540
18 18 Alisa Galliamova (IM) RUS 39 2492 2492 2497 2497 2482 2560
19 19 Monika Socko POL 33 2490 2487 2495 2489 2477 2505
20 28 Irina Krush USA 27 2487 2469 2472 2483 2476 2495
21 27 Bela Khotenashvili GEO 23 2487 2470 2465 2440 2423 2487
22 20 Valentina Gunina RUS 22 2487 2487 2472 2471 2462 2487
23 21 Zhu Chen QAT 35 2485 2485 2506 2495 2476 2548
24 23 Ruan Lufei (WGM) CHN 23 2479 2479 2480 2480 2480 2499
25 22 Xu Yuhua CHN 34 2477 2480 2484 2484 2488 2517

If we compare the ratings, from different lists, of the 25th highest rated women in the world, one notices a gradual rise in strength.

In July 2011, Xu Yuhua in 25th place has 2477. Twelve months previously, the player in the same position had 2476 (one point less).

Similarly, in 2009 it was 2470, and going further back, in 2006 only 2456 and finally ten years ago in 2001, just 2445.

No profound conclusions, just an observation!

A good source of further information is the International Chess Federation site FIDE 


Published on , Updated on