Format
Benjamin, Joel
GM🇺🇸FIDE 2000091· Male· United States of America· Born in 1964
Follow Joel BenjaminTrack his monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more.
Joel Benjamin, a 62-year-old American Grandmaster, is rated 2471 and sitting in the top 1% of American players, and in the top 1% worldwide. He has held steady between 2450 and 2500 for 2 years. 15 rated games in the past year (≈22/year long-term). Recent appearances: 147th Annual New York State Championship America's Oldest Annual Tournament - Championship and 2025 US Senior Championship. He had 3 career breaks: 22 months (2013–2015), 14 months (2015–2016) and 19 months (2016–2018). His peak of 2609 was reached at age 38 (Oct 2002); he also reached World #82 in Jul 2002.
Awarded GM in 2001 (age 37).
Current rating
2471
Standard
Rpd2428·Blz2520
All-time high
2609
−138 pts below
Oct 2002 · age 38
Oct 2002 · age 38
Activity
20
games / yr avg. · ≈2/mo
15 past 12 mo · ≈1/mo
classical only
Moderately active
classical only
Moderately active
Signature stat
Top 1%
#56 · American players · of 4,932
Career timeline
19 entries2025
11th 60-65 player worldwide
at age 61 · rated 2473
Jul 2025
2023
500 career games
at age 59
Aug 2023
12th 55-60 player worldwide
at age 59 · rated 2500
Jul 2023
Re-crossed 2500
at age 59
Jun 2023
2018
13th 50-55 player worldwide
at age 54 · rated 2547
Aug 2018
2016
Inactive for 19 months
paused at 2544 → returned at 2547
Dec 2016
Standard rating history
Activity & highlights
Evolution
-2
2473 → 2471
Tournaments
2
15 games
Score
9/ 1560.0%
4W10D1L
Top 3 wins
Top 1 loss
Last 12 months — tournaments
2 events| Event | Date | Score | Rank | Perf | Δ Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open Swiss | Aug 2025 | 4.5/6 | #8 | 2312 | -2.2 |
Round-Robin | Jul 2025 | 4.5/9 | #6 | 2466 | -0.1 |
Most-Played Opponents
vsAlexander ShabalovGM
🇺🇸USA·2421
+0 −1 =9
10 games·last met Jul 2025
View head-to-head →
vsGregory KaidanovGM
🇺🇸USA·2491
+0 −1 =7
8 games·last met Jul 2025
View head-to-head →
vsLarry ChristiansenGM
🇺🇸USA·2563
+0 −3 =3
6 games·last met Jul 2025
View head-to-head →
vsIgor NovikovGM
🇺🇸USA·2477
+1 −0 =5
6 games·last met Jul 2025
View head-to-head →
vsMelikset KhachiyanGM
🇺🇸USA·2381
+3 −2 =1
6 games·last met Jul 2024
View head-to-head →
Rankings
/
United States of America
#56
out of 5,412 players
Americas
#104
in continent
World
#824
out of 400,000+
National ranking
Europe & World
Europe
World
United States of America
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| 2 | 🇺🇸Follow Fabiano CaruanaTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,788 |
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| 5 | 🇺🇸Follow Hans Moke NiemannTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,728 |
| 6 | 🇺🇸Follow Levon AronianTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,724 |
| 7 | 🇺🇸Follow Awonder LiangTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,718 |
| 8 | 🇺🇸Follow Samuel SevianTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,696 |
| 9 | 🇺🇸Follow Jeffery XiongTrack their monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more. | 2,656 |
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