Format
CJ
CHIPUNZA, James
🇿🇦FIDE 14346842· Male· South Africa· Born in 2008
Follow James CHIPUNZATrack his monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more.
James Chipunza, a 18-year-old South African player, is rated 1808 — just 4 short of his peak of 1812 (Oct 2025, age 17). He is rising rapidly, having gained +149 Elo over the past 12 months. 55 rated games in the past year (≈37/year long-term). Recent standard appearances include EC Open 2026 (U16-U20 Boys), 2026 South African Junior Closed (U18 Boys), and 2025 Mzansi Individual Championships (U18 Open).
At junior level, he reached #19 and #25 nationally in U18 and U16.
Current rating
1808
Standard
Rpd1602·Blz1551
All-time high
1812
−4 pts below
Oct 2025 · age 17
Oct 2025 · age 17
Activity
35
games / yr avg. · ≈3/mo
47 past 12 mo · ≈4/mo
classical only
Active
classical only
Active
Signature stat
#73,816
#73,816 · players worldwide · of 218,279
Career timeline
11 entries2026
Re-crossed 1800
at age 18
May 2026
100 career games
at age 18
Feb 2026
2025
19th South African U18 player
at age 17 · rated 1812
Oct 2025
Crossed 1800
at age 17
Oct 2025
All-time peak 1812
at age 17 · −4 from today
Oct 2025
6-month rising streak
+240 Elo
Oct 2025
Standard rating history
Peak
FIDE title
Threshold
First rated
FIDE recal.
Activity & highlights
Evolution
+125
1683 → 1808
Tournaments
7
48 games
Score
34/ 4870.8%
28W12D8L
Top 3 wins
2.[W]vsMatthew Retief1,765·2025 Mzansi Inter Provincial Team Championships (U18 Open Championship)·R5·+20.7
Top 3 losses
Last 12 months — tournaments
7 events| Event | Date | Score | Rank | Perf | Δ Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Swiss | Apr 2026 | 6/7 | #1 | 1930 | +63.6 |
Open Swiss | Mar 2026 | 5/8 | #17 | 1771 | +20.0 |
Open Swiss | Dec 2025 | 4.5/5 | #11 | 2006 | -8.0 |
Team | Dec 2025 | 3/6 | #23 | 1737 | -20.8 |
Open Swiss | Dec 2025 | 4/6 | #32 | 1897 | -58.0 |
Swiss | Sep 2025 | 5.5/5 | #1 | 2426 | +44.0 |
Open Swiss | Jul 2025 | 6/6 | #1 | 2370 | +84.0 |
Worst Elo result: 16th AFRICAN YOUTH CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 UNDER 18 OPEN (-58.0 Elo, finished #32).
Most-Played Opponents
vsIsmaeel Lagardien
🇿🇦RSA·1854
+0 −8 =5
13 games·last met Apr 2026
View head-to-head →
vsJoseph Jaffray
🇿🇦RSA·1784
+7 −0 =5
12 games·last met Jun 2025
View head-to-head →
vsNeathan PeterCM
🇿🇦RSA·1978
+0 −7 =2
9 games·last met Sep 2024
View head-to-head →
vsUsemhle Mtshekexe
🇿🇦RSA·1582
+7 −0 =1
8 games·last met Mar 2026
View head-to-head →
vsNoah PeterCM
🇿🇦RSA·1715
+4 −3 =0
7 games·last met Jul 2025
View head-to-head →
Rankings
/
South Africa
#225
out of 1,876 players
Africa
#2,479
in continent
World
#73,815
out of 400,000+
National ranking
Europe & World
Europe
World
South Africa
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| ... | ||
| 225 | 1,808 | |
Africa
| 1 | 🇪🇬Follow Bassem AminTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,628 |
| 2 | 🇪🇬Follow Ahmed AdlyTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,581 |
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| 5 | 🇪🇬Follow Adham FawzyTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,464 |
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| 9 | 🇩🇿Follow Aimen RizoukTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,425 |
| 10 | 🇪🇬Follow Ibrahim Hasan LabibTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,412 |
| ... | ||
| 2479 | 1,808 | |
World
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| 9 | 🇺🇸Follow Wesley SoTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,753 |
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| ... | ||
| 73815 | 1,808 | |