The May 2012 Rating List: Karjakin and Bologan Among the Big Winners
The top ten on the new FIDE rating list is the same as the March edition, though some of the places changed. Sergey Karjakin gained 13 points to reach #6, and further down Viktor Bologan gained 29 points (and incredibly gained 16 more points this quarter that didn't get rated in time - what a colossal jump in two months!) to reach #28 in the world - #18 on the Live list. That's a remarkable achievement for anyone, and even more for a man who turned 40 this past December.
Indeed, there's good news for the over-the-hill gang. Going by the Live list, five players are in the top 21: Viswanathan Anand (42 years old, #4 on both lists), Vassily Ivanchuk (43, #10 on both), Bologan (40, #18 Live, #28 official), Michael Adams (40, #19 on both) and Boris Gelfand (43, #21 Live, #20 official). And it's good that the 40+ set is reasonably well-represented, as the Anand-Gelfand World Championship match is just a few weeks away!
Reader Comments (2)
....and Nigel Short sneaks in at number 40 on FIDE. Also " over the hill" at 46.
There is hope for old geezers playing " less common" openings, even now !
Yeah, but Nigel Short is still the only 2700+ player who's older than I am. Come back, Garrik, for my ego!