A Statistical take on the best player of this generation
It's clear who is the greatest player of this era, he is highest in all but one measure(highest individual performance). The debate has always been who is the next best across formats.
Here's the list.
|Rank|Player|Score|
|:-|:-|:-|
|1|Fabiano Caruana|83|
|2|Levon Aronian|69|
|3|Ding Liren|58|
|4|Hikaru Nakamura|53|
|5|Ian Nepomniachtchi|53|
|6|Maxime Vachier Lagrave|46|
|7|Wesley So|37|
|8|Anish Giri|28|
**\*Side note- Magnus got a score of 99 here**
**Methodology**\- The source of the data has been the Fide Website and Wikipedia and Chessfocus for tournament data.
The methodology for the analysis includes various parameters across formats -
Breakdown of weightage
**Classical Chess (62%)**
|Metric|Weight|
|:-|:-|
|||
|||
|Average Rating|12.00%|
|Months in Top 3|12.00%|
|Months in Top 5|8.00%|
|Tournament Victories|12.00%|
|Median Rank|8.00%|
|Average Rank|5.00%|
|Best Individual Perf.|5.00%|
**Rapid/Blitz (38%)**
|Metric|Weight|
|:-|:-|
|||
|||
|World R&B Titles|4.00%|
|Podiums at World R&B|8.00%|
|GCT Wins(R&B)|8.00%|
|Peak Blitz Rating|9.00%|
|Peak Rapid Rating|9.00%|
Average rating, median rank and Average ranks are calculated from the Fide list in which the chosen player enters top 10 for the first time.
Classical Raw data
|Player|Avg Rating|Time in Top 3|Time in Top 5|Tournament Victories|Total Tournaments|Win %|Median Rank|Avg Rank|Best Performance|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|||||||||||
|||||||||||
|Fabiano Caruana|2801|92|126|23|69|33.33%|3|3.74|3098|
|Levon Aronian|2773|63|116|21|77|27.27%|6|7.32|2923|
|Ding Liren|2783|55|73|5|30|16.67%|4|6.62|2883|
|Ian Nepomniachtchi|2776|10|48|10|42|23.81%|5|5.37|2909|
|Hikaru Nakamura|2771|23|46|5|55|9.09%|7|9.24|2880|
|Maxime Vachier-Lagrave|2766|5|38|8|48|16.67%|10|10.71|2954|
|Anish Giri|2769|2|25|4|52|7.69%|8|8.90|2891|
|Wesley So|2772|7|13|7|43|16.28%|8|8.10|2909|
Rapid & blitz
|Player|Peak Blitz|Peak Rapid|World (R&B) Titles|Podium Finishes|GCT Wins (R&B)|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|||||||
|||||||
|**Fabiano Caruana**|2847|2858|0|2|2|
|**Levon Aronian**|2871|2830|1|0|3|
|**Ding Liren**|2875|2836|0|0|0|
|**Ian Nepomniachtchi**|2880|2821|1|6|0|
|**Hikaru Nakamura**|2934|2853|0|6|4|
|**Maxime Vachier-Lagrave**|2948|2873|1|1|2|
|**Anish Giri**|2822|2779|0|0|0|
|**Wesley So**|2862|2852|0|1|2|
#games
It's clear who is the greatest player of this era, he is highest in all but one measure(highest individual performance). The debate has always been who is the next best across formats.
Here's the list.
|Rank|Player|Score|
|:-|:-|:-|
|1|Fabiano Caruana|83|
|2|Levon Aronian|69|
|3|Ding Liren|58|
|4|Hikaru Nakamura|53|
|5|Ian Nepomniachtchi|53|
|6|Maxime Vachier Lagrave|46|
|7|Wesley So|37|
|8|Anish Giri|28|
**\*Side note- Magnus got a score of 99 here**
**Methodology**\- The source of the data has been the Fide Website and Wikipedia and Chessfocus for tournament data.
The methodology for the analysis includes various parameters across formats -
Breakdown of weightage
**Classical Chess (62%)**
|Metric|Weight|
|:-|:-|
|||
|||
|Average Rating|12.00%|
|Months in Top 3|12.00%|
|Months in Top 5|8.00%|
|Tournament Victories|12.00%|
|Median Rank|8.00%|
|Average Rank|5.00%|
|Best Individual Perf.|5.00%|
**Rapid/Blitz (38%)**
|Metric|Weight|
|:-|:-|
|||
|||
|World R&B Titles|4.00%|
|Podiums at World R&B|8.00%|
|GCT Wins(R&B)|8.00%|
|Peak Blitz Rating|9.00%|
|Peak Rapid Rating|9.00%|
Average rating, median rank and Average ranks are calculated from the Fide list in which the chosen player enters top 10 for the first time.
Classical Raw data
|Player|Avg Rating|Time in Top 3|Time in Top 5|Tournament Victories|Total Tournaments|Win %|Median Rank|Avg Rank|Best Performance|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|||||||||||
|||||||||||
|Fabiano Caruana|2801|92|126|23|69|33.33%|3|3.74|3098|
|Levon Aronian|2773|63|116|21|77|27.27%|6|7.32|2923|
|Ding Liren|2783|55|73|5|30|16.67%|4|6.62|2883|
|Ian Nepomniachtchi|2776|10|48|10|42|23.81%|5|5.37|2909|
|Hikaru Nakamura|2771|23|46|5|55|9.09%|7|9.24|2880|
|Maxime Vachier-Lagrave|2766|5|38|8|48|16.67%|10|10.71|2954|
|Anish Giri|2769|2|25|4|52|7.69%|8|8.90|2891|
|Wesley So|2772|7|13|7|43|16.28%|8|8.10|2909|
Rapid & blitz
|Player|Peak Blitz|Peak Rapid|World (R&B) Titles|Podium Finishes|GCT Wins (R&B)|
|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|:-|
|||||||
|||||||
|**Fabiano Caruana**|2847|2858|0|2|2|
|**Levon Aronian**|2871|2830|1|0|3|
|**Ding Liren**|2875|2836|0|0|0|
|**Ian Nepomniachtchi**|2880|2821|1|6|0|
|**Hikaru Nakamura**|2934|2853|0|6|4|
|**Maxime Vachier-Lagrave**|2948|2873|1|1|2|
|**Anish Giri**|2822|2779|0|0|0|
|**Wesley So**|2862|2852|0|1|2|
#games
Xbox App PC Players, I Have a Question...
Is it just me or is the 'NEW' Game Bar overlay (still) really buggy? It seems like it glitches the most with Xbox App games. Even the compact mode barley works for me w/ a controller.
Gears 5 for example, the gamebar is unusable unless you press the windows key before launching the overlay. It seems like the cloud dashboard for 360 games is better than the native game bar.
Anyways,
1. Do you even use the Game Bar?
2. Are you currently investing $$$ into the Xbox PC App outside of Gamepass?
3. If no, could they fix anything to change that?
#games
Is it just me or is the 'NEW' Game Bar overlay (still) really buggy? It seems like it glitches the most with Xbox App games. Even the compact mode barley works for me w/ a controller.
Gears 5 for example, the gamebar is unusable unless you press the windows key before launching the overlay. It seems like the cloud dashboard for 360 games is better than the native game bar.
Anyways,
1. Do you even use the Game Bar?
2. Are you currently investing $$$ into the Xbox PC App outside of Gamepass?
3. If no, could they fix anything to change that?
#games
Fan noise comparison between PS4/Slim/Pro
This isn’t a request for tech support or hardware troubleshooting, just looking for peoples opinion/experience with different models - especially if you have had 2nd hand units 🙏
Originally I had a ps4 slim, it was whisper quiet running games and I could have the tv at minimal volume no problem . Sadly had to sell it a few years back.
My friend gave me their OG ps4, it’s was so noisy it was unbearable to use (playing TLOU2 and Fortnite), I redid the thermal paste and gave it a thorough clean (SO much dust!). Sadly, no change 😭
Recently got a pre owned PS4 pro (I made sure it’s one of the CUH7216 models, as they are meant to have better cooling than the first pro release). My god, it’s nearly as bad as the OG PS4 😭😭😭 (running RDR2/TLOU2)
I can’t deal with the noise and I’m thinking of returning it for a ps4 slim and some store credit. Am I likely to get the noise problem again with a pre-owned ps4 slim, or does the cooling + lower spec of the unit keep it pretty quiet regardless? Otherwise I guess I need to look at ps5, but all I want to play is RDR2 and Ragnarok 😅😭
#games
source
This isn’t a request for tech support or hardware troubleshooting, just looking for peoples opinion/experience with different models - especially if you have had 2nd hand units 🙏
Originally I had a ps4 slim, it was whisper quiet running games and I could have the tv at minimal volume no problem . Sadly had to sell it a few years back.
My friend gave me their OG ps4, it’s was so noisy it was unbearable to use (playing TLOU2 and Fortnite), I redid the thermal paste and gave it a thorough clean (SO much dust!). Sadly, no change 😭
Recently got a pre owned PS4 pro (I made sure it’s one of the CUH7216 models, as they are meant to have better cooling than the first pro release). My god, it’s nearly as bad as the OG PS4 😭😭😭 (running RDR2/TLOU2)
I can’t deal with the noise and I’m thinking of returning it for a ps4 slim and some store credit. Am I likely to get the noise problem again with a pre-owned ps4 slim, or does the cooling + lower spec of the unit keep it pretty quiet regardless? Otherwise I guess I need to look at ps5, but all I want to play is RDR2 and Ragnarok 😅😭
#games
source
Endless legends: how Amplitude bought their independence back from Sega
An interesting read where Amplitude Studio's CEO Romain de Waubert de Genlis describes the lead up to the Management Buy Out (MBO) from Sega and how they got the funds and eventually partnered with Hoooded Horse.
Key Snippets:
>Sega’s willingness to entertain these negotiations speaks to de Waubert de Genlis’s insistence that Amplitude and Sega have always had a "good relationship". Why, then, did he want to leave so badly? Partly, he says, because it felt stifling to work under a vast international corporation with its own protocols and wider priorities. It made it "hard to really push a lot of what we loved", and obliged de Waubert de Genlis to spend a lot of time haggling with people up the chain.
and
>Amplitude’s case for funding was also strengthened by the fact that the majority of devs who worked on the company’s most successful games are still employed at the studio. A portion of the funding eventually came from some of those very same devs. 35 of Amplitude’s current 170 staff contributed to the buyout, pitching in a minimum of 10,000 euros to buy shares in the company. "It is significant - not everyone can take that level of risk," de Waubert de Genlis says.
I am glad that Amplitude got their independence back and it has loyal and long time employees. Now that they've partnered with Hooded Horse and with Endless Legends 2 around the corner, hopefully they have endless success.
#games
An interesting read where Amplitude Studio's CEO Romain de Waubert de Genlis describes the lead up to the Management Buy Out (MBO) from Sega and how they got the funds and eventually partnered with Hoooded Horse.
Key Snippets:
>Sega’s willingness to entertain these negotiations speaks to de Waubert de Genlis’s insistence that Amplitude and Sega have always had a "good relationship". Why, then, did he want to leave so badly? Partly, he says, because it felt stifling to work under a vast international corporation with its own protocols and wider priorities. It made it "hard to really push a lot of what we loved", and obliged de Waubert de Genlis to spend a lot of time haggling with people up the chain.
and
>Amplitude’s case for funding was also strengthened by the fact that the majority of devs who worked on the company’s most successful games are still employed at the studio. A portion of the funding eventually came from some of those very same devs. 35 of Amplitude’s current 170 staff contributed to the buyout, pitching in a minimum of 10,000 euros to buy shares in the company. "It is significant - not everyone can take that level of risk," de Waubert de Genlis says.
I am glad that Amplitude got their independence back and it has loyal and long time employees. Now that they've partnered with Hooded Horse and with Endless Legends 2 around the corner, hopefully they have endless success.
#games
CMON: Final Frontier never delivered games, we never refused payment.
Gaming buddy of mine that's in too many CMON campaigns pointed this comment out to me on the God of War Gamefound campaign comment section, from GF user "SILENCEuk":
>I got a reply via email so I will share it publicly,
>*"Thank you for contacting us. If you would like to know the facts, we placed a \~$65,000 order with Final Frontier in March 2023 for a translated version of Merchant’s Cove. After repeated delays from their side, production was only completed in April 2025. Per our agreement, payment was due upon completion and before pickup.*
>*We were still reviewing final files, of which some components were incorrectly printed in English, and were actively in communication when they said they would close their company.*
>*To be clear, we never canceled or refused payment, and no copies were delivered to us. While the situation is unfortunate, we do not believe their claim accurately reflects the cause of the Merchant’s Cove Kickstarter fulfilment issues.*
>*Hope this clarifies."*
We already concluded based on the evidence that Final Frontier's demise was self-inflicted. This just confirms, at least from CMON's viewpoint.
The same user asked for an update re CMON's financial filing situation, and was told they're processing refunds.
#games
Gaming buddy of mine that's in too many CMON campaigns pointed this comment out to me on the God of War Gamefound campaign comment section, from GF user "SILENCEuk":
>I got a reply via email so I will share it publicly,
>*"Thank you for contacting us. If you would like to know the facts, we placed a \~$65,000 order with Final Frontier in March 2023 for a translated version of Merchant’s Cove. After repeated delays from their side, production was only completed in April 2025. Per our agreement, payment was due upon completion and before pickup.*
>*We were still reviewing final files, of which some components were incorrectly printed in English, and were actively in communication when they said they would close their company.*
>*To be clear, we never canceled or refused payment, and no copies were delivered to us. While the situation is unfortunate, we do not believe their claim accurately reflects the cause of the Merchant’s Cove Kickstarter fulfilment issues.*
>*Hope this clarifies."*
We already concluded based on the evidence that Final Frontier's demise was self-inflicted. This just confirms, at least from CMON's viewpoint.
The same user asked for an update re CMON's financial filing situation, and was told they're processing refunds.
#games
I was able to trap opponent’s Queen in the middle of the board.
I think it’s interesting to see that after my go to Nf3 move, many players opt for the Chigorin Defense of the Queen’s gambit. I sacrifice the C-pawn and enjoy many favorable positions where my opponent always try to hold on to their extra pawn.
#games
source
I think it’s interesting to see that after my go to Nf3 move, many players opt for the Chigorin Defense of the Queen’s gambit. I sacrifice the C-pawn and enjoy many favorable positions where my opponent always try to hold on to their extra pawn.
#games
source
