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6/30/2017 – This month's ratings list brings a number of remarkable results, all worthy of commentary. First and foremost is Levon Aronian's deserved return to the 2800-club after great wins at the Grenke Classic, and now at Norway Chess. Also worth noting is that the group of players rated 2800 or more has grown to six, but before concluding 'ratings inflation' read the commentary in the article to see if you still think that way after.

FIDE July 2017 – Top 100 Players

Looking at the new ratings list with no fewer than six players rated 2800, the words ‘ratings inflation’ might readily come to mind, but a closer examination shows that it is most likely a consequence of the redistribution of Elo than actual inflation.

To explain this better, let’s look at the ratings list of July 2016, exactly one year ago, when only three players could claim the mantle of 2800 or more. In second place was Kramnik, just as now, with exactly the same rating as this month, 2812. Part of the difference is that a year ago, Magnus Carlsen stood head and shoulders above with 2855, a full 43 Elo more. This month he stands at 2822, just 10 Elo above. Since the Elo system is a zero-sum equation, those 33 Elo lost did not just go up in smoke, they were passed on to other players below him. When he, or any player, loses 4 Elo to one player, that player gains the exact same amount.

The concentration at the top has also never been tighter, and reveals a group of players who are distinctly pulling away, at least for now, from the rest of the field. While Magnus Carlsen remains no.1 with 2822, the no. 10 is Ding Liren with 2781 just 41 Elo behind. A year ago Magnus Carlsen's advantage over just the no. 2 was more with 43 Elo.

A couple of other points to note, a year ago, the difference in rating between the no. 10 and the no.15 was just 12 Elo, today, a year later, the no.10 is rated 32 Elo more than the no. 15 further emphasizing how the top 10 are distancing themselves from the rest. The bottom rating and minimum to enter the Top 100 today is 2653, whereas in July 2016 it was 2654.

There can be no question the biggest name of the month was Levon Aronian, who scored a fantastic win at the Norway Chess tournament, and raced back into the 2800-club where he so obviously belongs.

Top climbers and descenders

The list of players who experienced gains or losses of at least 10 Elo.

The two biggest Elo gainers in this month's list were also the two rising stars in Russia's list of players: Maxim Matlakov and Vladimir Fedoseev. Fedoseev has had a fantastic year, and represented Russia in the recent World Team Championship, where he scored 6.0/8 with a 2782 performance. This helped him gain 23 Elo.

Maxim Matlakov not only performed strongly for the Russian team in Khanty-Mansiysk, but also won the European Indivdiual Championship

FIDE Top 100 Women

Lei Tingje was also a big star this month, as she scored a staggering 8.0/9 for China at the Women's World Team Championship and a 2687 performance

FIDE Top 100 Juniors

FIDE Top 100 Girls

13-year-old WFM Bibisara Assaubayeva scored a solid 11-round IM-norm at the European Individual Championship facing five full-fledged grandmasters and four IMs, and earned a whopping 140 Elo points as a result. Since this was a FIDE continental event, this norm was worth double!

Top 100 Rapid

Magnus Carlsen's win at the Paris event of the Grand Chess Tour was entirely due to his superb play in rapid games, not only winning the Rapid stage, but also the rapid play playoff he defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in for the title.

Women's Top 50 Rapid

Top 100 Blitz

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave moved up to world no. 2 in the Blitz ratings list thanks to his superlative bltiz performance at Paris, and he is now just nine rating points behind Magnus Carlsen

Women's Top 50 Blitz

Source: FIDE