The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced the updated January 2026 rankings.

A notable achievement for Uzbek chess is that the national women’s team has, for the first time, moved into the Top 15 in the women’s rankings.

Having delivered a commendable performance at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, which concluded recently in Qatar, the Uzbekistan women’s national team climbed to 12th place.

Note that this ranking is based on the average ratings of ten players. The strong performances of our women’s chess players, such as Umida Omonova, Gulrukhbegim Tohirjonova, and Afruza Hamdamova, who finished among the top eight at the World Championship, had a positive impact on improving our overall indicators.

Emphasizing that this is a historic result for Uzbekistan women’s chess, it is worth recalling that at this time last year, in the world rankings published then, Uzbekistan national team was placed 38th.

It should also be recalled that in the updated rankings of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the national team of the United States took the leading position, followed by the teams of India and China.

T. Ruziyev, UzA