Leinier Domínguez opens 2024 as eighth in the world

January 3, 2024

While the current ELO rating of the Cuban-born American chess player (2752) is not the highest of his career, his current position in the world ranking is indeed his best official position on this list, according to specialized media outlets.

Leinier Domínguez is experiencing an excellent moment in his sports career.

The Cuban-born chess player, now a U.S. citizen, opened 2024 in eighth place in the FIDE world ranking, his best historical position on this prestigious list.

The Güines native totals 2752 ELO points to be included in the top ten of the ranking, which continues to be led by Norwegian Magnus Carlsen (2830).

Above 2800 also appears Italian-American Fabiano Caruana (2804), while two other northern-born players, also naturalized, also precede the Cuban.

They are Hikaru Nakamura (3rd-2788) and Wesley So (7th-2757).

Leinier's current rating is not the highest of his career, as in May 2014 he had reached 2768, and on other occasions he had also surpassed 2600 and had been included among the top ten in the world.

Nevertheless, according to specialized media, his current position in the world ranking is indeed his maximum official position on this list, which brings together the most notable chess figures on the planet.

Despite this, Leinier was unable to qualify for the Candidates Tournament to compete for the world title, after deciding last December not to continue at Chessable Sunway Sitges in Barcelona, where he was seeking the necessary points to be among the possible challengers to Chinese Ding Liren.

For many, the best chess player born in Cuba after the brilliant José Raúl Capablanca, he said then that he made that decision because continuing in the Spanish tournament represented a "too great a risk" with a potential benefit as "very little or very difficult to achieve."

Before withdrawing from the tournament, during the first five rounds, the Güines idol achieved three victories and two draws, outcomes that began to subtract points from his Elo, based on the lower level of his opponents in those games.

Among Cuban chess players representing the island, Camagüey native Carlos Daniel Albornoz started the year above the 2600 barrier, totaling 2603 points. The leading trio is completed by Yasser Quesada (2578) and Yusnel Bacallao (2567).

Among the women, the leader continues to be Lisandra Ordaz (2310).