Format
NJ
Nelson, Jaco
🇿🇦FIDE 14300400· Male· South Africa· Born in 1978
Follow Jaco NelsonTrack his monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more.
Jaco Nelson, a 48-year-old South African player, is rated 1938 and sitting in the top 5% of South African players. He has held steady between 1900 and 1950 for 13 months. 16 rated games in the past year (≈10/year long-term). Recent appearance: 2025 Lardies Open Chess Tournament (A). He had 4 career breaks: 41 months (2004–2008), 19 months (2009–2011), 15 months (2021–2022) and 15 months (2023–2025). His peak of 2138 was reached at age 23 (Jan 2001); he also reached South African #11 in Jul 2001.
Current rating
1938
Standard
Rpd1968·Blz1990
All-time high
2138
−200 pts below
Jan 2001 · age 23
Jan 2001 · age 23
Activity
9
games / yr avg. · ≈1/mo
11 past 12 mo · ≈1/mo
classical only
Occasional
classical only
Occasional
Signature stat
Top 5%
#87 · South African players · of 1,804
Career timeline
14 entries2026
3rd South African 45-50 player
at age 48 · rated 1942
May 2026
2024
Best 12-month gain (+101 Elo)
1777 → 1878
Mar 2024
2023
8th South African 40-45 player
at age 45 · rated 1796
Nov 2023
Inactive for 15 months
paused at 1796 → returned at 1890
Nov 2023
2021
Inactive for 15 months
paused at 1762 → returned at 1777
Apr 2021
2015
100 career games
at age 37
Aug 2015
Standard rating history
Peak
FIDE title
Threshold
First rated
Inactive period
COVID-19
FIDE recal.
Activity & highlights
Evolution
+18
1920 → 1938
Tournaments
2
14 games
Score
5.5/ 1439.3%
6W2D6L
Top 3 wins
Top 3 losses
Last 12 months — tournaments
2 events| Event | Date | Score | Rank | Perf | Δ Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open Swiss | Apr 2026 | 2/7 | #30 | 1932 | -4.0 |
Swiss | Oct 2025 | 3.5/4 | #3 | 2154 | +21.0 |
Most-Played Opponents
vsBenjamin Vincent HerculesCM
🇿🇦RSA·2092
+0 −7 =0
7 games·last met Oct 2016
View head-to-head →
vsGraham JurgensenCM
🇿🇦RSA·2008
+3 −1 =2
6 games·last met Mar 2018
View head-to-head →
vsDmitar S. Ristovich
🇿🇦RSA·2032
+1 −1 =3
5 games·last met Apr 2026
View head-to-head →
vsRodwell MakotoIM
🇿🇼ZIM·2325
+1 −3 =1
5 games·last met Jan 2022
View head-to-head →
vsKeith KhumaloCM
🇿🇦RSA·2201
+0 −3 =2
5 games·last met Mar 2020
View head-to-head →
Rankings
/
South Africa
#87
out of 1,876 players
Africa
#1,076
in continent
World
#39,211
out of 400,000+
National ranking
Europe & World
Europe
World
South Africa
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