Every month the new Elo numbers are published on www.fide.com . A fixed date for many ambitious chess players to see how far up or down they have gone this month. After a strong tournament performance you want to see the result in black and white!
The top players, on the other hand, know exactly where they stand "live". At the end of the day, every Elo point is worth cash. A few Elo points can make a significant difference in tournament invitations and conditions.
Accordingly, Vincent Keymer will have known before October 1st that he would be going into October with an Elo rating of 2717. He had earned 27 Elo points in July and August, and took a break in September. He is currently taking part in the European Club Cup, where he will try to collect more Elo points.
Number 25 in the world… a great performance by Vincent Keymer, we keep our fingers crossed that things continue to improve.
Keymer is not the only German player in the top 100, Donchenko has also re-established himself in the top 100 with a strong rating of 2676. Donchenko had a very difficult time in chess recently. He slipped below 2600 and did not make it to the German national team for the Olympics. It is unimaginable that Donchenko would not be nominated these days. With his Elo rating of 2676, he is currently number 59 in the world.
Just behind him, in 68th place, is Matthias Blübaum with an Elo of 2668. The fourth German player in the top 100 is Rasmus Svane, he gained 5 Elo points in September and is now at 2648. Dmitrij Kollars did not make it into the top 100. At the Polish championship, Dmitrij lost 8 points and is now at 2633.
In the women's top 100, the German colors are represented twice, but much more prominently than in the men's! Elisabeth Pähtz, with an Elo of 2484, is number 15 in the world rankings, Dinara Wagner, with 2461, is number 22. If Germany makes it far into the upcoming European team championships, it will be primarily up to these two to carry the team through the tournament.
What about the juniors? Unbelievable but true, Keymer is still a junior and is number 4 in the world rankings. Frederik Svane is also well up there in the junior world rankings. With an Elo of 2626, he is number 14! Frederik, like Ruben Köllner and Marius Fromm, has just played in the Junior World Championship. Köllner and Fromm are number 73 and 85 in the junior world rankings respectively. The German team in the top 100 of the junior world rankings is completed by Marius Deuer in 93rd place.
While these numbers and rankings all sound very positive, things are not looking so good for the juniors. There are two players who made it onto the list, Antionia Ziegenfuss and Luisa Bashylina. They are in 48th and 50th place, but not very close to the absolute world elite.
Many young players are well placed in the rankings. If things continue like this, Germany has a strong chess future ahead of it!
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