The latest chess ratings from the ladies’ game make good reading for Kazakhstani people this week as Grand Master Bibisara Assaubayeva sits in first place on the FIDE Women’s Circuit, reports Qazinform.
Although according to 270chess.com, she is ranked fifth overall on the main rankings, her rise to the pinnacle of the lesser tour means she is well placed to qualify for major tournaments, including the World Championship.
She is the highest-ranked non-Chinese player in the world after victory in the Norway Women’s 2026 tournament, which not only propelled her above China’s Zhu Jiner and India’s Vaishali Rameshbabu on FIDE, but also up two places in the elite bracket after increasing her rating to 2537.6.
The Top 50 female players in the world include three from this country, namely Alua Nurman, who ranks 27th, and Meruert Kamalidenova in 49th.
This comes off the back of progress made in Kazakhstani chess in recent years, especially in the women’s game, partly because of the influence of recent champions Zhansaya Abdumalik and Dinara Saduakassova, but the rich culture of chess, enduring after the country gained independence in 1991, is also a contributing factor.
Their team collected a silver medal in London in a recent Blitz event, and has improved its performances globally thanks to a strong federation and an increase in the number of improving young players and rising standards.
Watch this space, they may say!
