Dutch GM Anish Giri shared his opinion on the FIDE rating system. Giri states that the system works well, and notes the difference between German GM Matthias Bluebaum’s 2698 and Russian GM Andrey Esipenko’s 2698 ratings.

Anish Giri

Anish Giri

Dutch GM

“I still think the ratings system works more or less adequately, and from this perspective, those with the highest ratings have the best chances.

Can the ratings of the two tournament outsiders — Bluebaum and Esipenko, both at 2698 — be considered adequate? In this case, they’re truly not the same thing.

Bluebaum is currently at his peak, while Esipenko previously had a higher rating than his current one. Therefore, Andrey’s potential seems higher to me than Matthias’s.

Overall, the favorites should be the players with the highest rating.”

Russian GM Andrey Esipenko (2698) reached a peak rating of 2723 in March 2022. German GM Matthias Bluebaum (2698) first reached a rating of 2600 in June 2015.

Credit: Michal Walusza / FIDE