Leinier Domínguez makes history with his best official place in the FIDE ranking

After a close of the year that marked a milestone in his career, GM Leinier Domínguez achieved his best official place in the FIDE ranking and appears among the top 10 in the world, once again, to open 2024.

Magnus Carlsen (2830) and Fabiano Caruana (2804) are the only players with more than 2800 in a list that has the Cuban nationalized American chess player in eighth place, with 2752.

Although it is not the highest score obtained by the Idol of Güines - he had 2768 in May 2014 -, it is the highest official position he has achieved in his extensive career in the elite of world chess.

Unofficially, one of the best Cuban chess players in history appeared as seventh in the live ELO for several weeks in the final months of 2023, before being surpassed by Alireza Firouzja.

But this eighth place, recorded in January 2024, is the official result that will remain in the books of Leinier Domínguez in the FIDE ranking.

Previously, Leinier had entered the top 10 in world chess three times, all in tenth position: in May 2014, with 2768 Elo points; in August 2019, with 2,763 units; and in October 2019, with 2763.

Domínguez tried, through the tournament he played in Sitges in December, to become the second Cuban to enter the Candidates Tournament, something that Jesús Nogueiras achieved before when he qualified for the 1985 Taxco Interzonal.

Finally, Leinier Domínguez was left out of the race for the Candidates Tournament by his own decision, after choosing not to continue in the Chessable Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival, a tournament in which he had lost several points.

Among the players competing for Cuba (31st position by federations), Carlos Daniel Albornoz leads after once again surpassing the 2600 barrier, while for women (23rd position), Lisandra Ordaz leads (2310).