Germany take Olympiad bronze, their first medal since 2000, and gold on board three for Frederik Svane
By Louis · October 1, 2026 · 4 min read
Photo: FIDEGermany finished 3rd in the open section of the Chess Olympiad, their first medal since 2000, and were the only team to beat the champions, Uzbekistan; they also beat the top-seeded United States. Frederik Svane took gold on board three with 8.5/11 and a 2796 performance, as he did two years ago: he gains 7 points to 2662 and climbs from No. 60 to No. 52 in the world. Vincent Keymer remains Germany's No. 1 at 2761 after losing 3 points, and slips from No. 6 to No. 8 in the world. The paradox of the month: Germany slips from No. 5 to No. 8 among federations even though its top 10 average edged up, to 2629.5, because others rose faster. Alexander Donchenko slips from No. 4 to No. 6 in the German top 10 at 2610 after a -15 month, -13.9 at the Skalica Masters with 3.5/9.
Germany top 10
Rasmus Svane climbs from No. 6 to No. 5 in the German top 10 at 2621 after a +11 month, +10.6 at the Chess Olympiad (open) with 5.5/7.
| # | Player | World | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  GMVincent Keymer | 8 | 2761 | -3 |
| 2 |  GMMatthias Bluebaum | 46 | 2666 | +4 |
| 3 |  GMFrederik Svane | 52 | 2662 | +7 |
| 4 |  GMDmitrij Kollars | 102 | 2623 | 0 |
| 5 | GMRasmus Svane | 105 | 2621 | +11 |
| 6 |  GMAlexander Donchenko | 130 | 2610 | -15 |
| 7 | GMFabian Doettling | 166 | 2593 | 0 |
| 8 |  GMLuis Engel | 167 | 2592 | 0 |
| 9 | GMArik Braun | 178 | 2587 | 0 |
| 10 |  GMJan Gustafsson | 196 | 2580 | 0 |
| 10 | GMDennis Wagner | 196 | 2580 | 0 |
Top 20 — who moved
| # | Player | Federation | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 |  IMRuben Gideon Koellner | GER | 2535 | +2 |
Germany women's top 10
Elisabeth Paehtz remains the top-rated German woman at 2404. Kateryna Dolzhykova slips from No. 5 to No. 10 in the German women's top 10 at 2278 after a -32 month, -31.8 at the Forchheim Open (group A) with 2.5/5. Lara Schulze slips from No. 7 to No. 9 in the German women's top 10 at 2283 after a -24 month, -23.8 at the Chess Olympiad (women) with 6/10.
| # | Player | World | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  GMElisabeth Paehtz | 42 | 2404 | 0 |
| 2 |  IMDinara Wagner | 57 | 2392 | -7 |
| 3 |  IMKetino Kachiani-Gersinska | 118 | 2325 | 0 |
| 4 | IMZoya Schleining | 139 | 2313 | +3 |
| 5 | WGMTatjana Melamed | 150 | 2306 | 0 |
| 6 | FMJana Schneider | 157 | 2302 | -23 |
| 7 |  IMSarah Papp | 173 | 2292 | 0 |
| 8 | WGMHanna Marie Klek | 176 | 2289 | -4 |
| 9 |  FMLara Schulze | 188 | 2283 | -24 |
| 10 | WGMKateryna Dolzhykova | 198 | 2278 | -32 |
Marharyta Khrapko climbs from No. 26 to No. 20 in the German women's top 20 at 2187 after a +22 month, +21.6 at the Werner Obermeyer Open in Ortenburg with 3.5/5.
| # | Player | Federation | Elo | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | WFMMarharyta Khrapko | GER | 2187 | +22 |
Full Germany women's ranking →
Beyond the top 10
The biggest gain among German players rated 2200+ belongs to Pradeep, 12, with +133 to 2207, +69.2 at the Heinz Fuchs Cup with 4/5. Oscar Vranckx (15) crosses 2300 for the first time on FIDE lists since 2001, now at 2318. Alexander Honisch (18) crosses 2300 for the first time on FIDE lists since 2001, now at 2301. Fabian Boettcher, rated 1911, beat David Faerber (2388) at the Walldorf Open (group A), a 477-point gap.
New titles
The October list brings 4 new FIDE masters, 3 new candidate masters and 1 new woman FIDE master.
Juniors — under 20
Leonardo Costa remains the top-rated German player under 20 at 2555. Svenja Butenandt is now the top-rated German girl under 20 at 2179. 31 active German players aged 20 or under are rated 2300+, against 27 of the same age a year ago.
Full Germany U20 ranking →
Arkadij Naiditsch has held Germany's No. 1 the longest
Vincent Keymer has been No. 1 since Dec 2021. Arkadij Naiditsch holds the record for most time at the top: 9 years and 6 months in total. 13 players have led Germany since 2001.
All 22 reigns with dates
- JussupowJan 2001 → Jan 20013m
- GrafApr 2001 → Apr 20013m
- LutzJul 2001 → Jan 20031y 9m
- KhenkinApr 2003 → Apr 20033m
- GrafJul 2003 → Jul 20033m
- AronianOct 2003 → Jan 20046m
- GrafApr 2004 → Apr 20051y 3m
- HuebnerJul 2005 → Jul 20053m
- NaiditschOct 2005 → Jan 20082y 6m
- FridmanApr 2008 → Apr 20083m
- NaiditschJul 2008 → Jun 20157y
- NisipeanuJul 2015 → Feb 20168m
- MeierMar 2016 → Mar 20161m
- NisipeanuApr 2016 → Jul 20204y 4m
- DonchenkoAug 2020 → Aug 20201m
- BluebaumSep 2020 → Jan 20215m
- DonchenkoFeb 2021 → Feb 20211m
- BluebaumMar 2021 → Aug 20216m
- NisipeanuSep 2021 → Sep 20211m
- DonchenkoOct 2021 → Oct 20211m
- NisipeanuNov 2021 → Nov 20211m
- KeymerDec 2021 → Oct 20264y 11m
Elisabeth Paehtz has been No. 1 since Aug 2026, and no one has spent longer at the top: 19 years and 9 months in total. 3 players have led Germany's women since 2001.
All 12 reigns with dates
- Kachiani-GersinskaJan 2001 → Apr 20054y 6m
- PaehtzJul 2005 → Jul 20053m
- Kachiani-GersinskaOct 2005 → Oct 20053m
- PaehtzJan 2006 → May 202418y 5m
- WagnerJun 2024 → Jul 20242m
- PaehtzAug 2024 → Nov 20244m
- WagnerDec 2024 → May 20256m
- PaehtzJun 2025 → Sep 20254m
- WagnerOct 2025 → Oct 20251m
- PaehtzNov 2025 → Dec 20252m
- WagnerJan 2026 → Jul 20267m
- PaehtzAug 2026 → Oct 20263m
Where Germany played
The event with the most German players rated 2300+ was the NRW Oberliga (96 German players, 19 of them rated 2300+). 86 German players received their first FIDE standard rating on the October list.
| Event | GER players |
|---|---|
| NRW Oberliga · verschiedene | 96 |
| Oberliga Nord (North) · verschiedene | 69 |
| Oberliga Nord (West) · verschiedene | 73 |
| Oberliga Südwest · verschiedene | 46 |
| Wiesbaden Schlosspark Open · Wiesbaden-Biebrich | 164 |
| Dutch Meesterklasse · various | 8 |
| NRW-Liga (group 2) · verschiedene | 68 |
| Walldorf Open (group A) · Walldorf | 68 |
Top games of the month · Germany players
The standout games of the month involving Germany players. Replay them move by move.
Starting position
Masters0 games
| Masters 2400+ · OTB only | You | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Games | Results | Games | Score | ≈ Elo |
Written by
Louis
Founder & product
Chasing 2300. Started Chess Second to train smarter and get there.
Methodology
Computed from the official FIDE standard rating list of October 2026, compared with the previous monthly list and the monthly archive since 2001. Active players only (no inactivity flag on the list). Federation = the federation shown on each list, not today's. Age = list year minus birth year. Tournament results come from rated event files (classical only); events not yet published by FIDE may be missing. Every figure in this report is generated from the data and checked automatically against it.