Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club | Crystal Fuller

Fabiano Caruana extended the lead over the closest rivals in the FIDE Circuit race following his excellent performance in the 2023 U.S. Championship, where he picked up 22.68 points. Since Fabiano is going to participate in the last two points-heavy tournaments of the year – FIDE Grand Swiss and Sinquefield Cup – he looks like an overwhelming favourite to win the leaderboard.

Given that Caruana already qualified for the Candidates Tournament through the World Cup, the battle for second place (which gives a ticket to the Candidates) has become more intense. Gukesh D and Wesley So improved their tally last week after earning points in the Qatar Masters and the U.S. Championship, respectively, and ousted Anish Giri from the second position. Still, these three GMs stand very close together, with less than four points between them.

The upcoming Grand Swiss is particularly important for Gukesh D as both Wesley and Anish will have another shot at the Sinquefield Cup.

Arjun Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov moved up in the standings after their strong showing in the Qatar Masters. Sitting in 6th and 8th positions, respectively, they also have a theoretical chance, but in order for them to qualify for the Candidates, many things have to come together.  

FIDE Circuit Race Top 10 as of October 23, 2023

You can find full current standings on  wcc.fide.com/fide_circuit.phtml