Format
NL
Nicholls, Leighton
CM🇳🇿FIDE 4303776· Male· New Zealand· Born in 1997
Follow Leighton NichollsTrack his monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more.
Leighton Nicholls, a 29-year-old Candidate Master, is rated 1851. He has fluctuated between 1819 and 1902 over the past 2 years. 40 rated games in the past year (≈16/year long-term). Recent standard appearances include Arthur Pomeroy Memorial 2026 B Rounds 1-4, Peter Weir Memorial Masters 2026, and 2026 New Zealand Chess Championships. Also played 2 rapid (including 2026 New Zealand Rapid Chess Championships) and 1 blitz events (including 2026 New Zealand Lightning Chess Championships) recently. He took a 74-month break between Feb 2018 and May 2024. His peak of 1934 was reached at age 19 (Apr 2016); he also reached #56 nationally in Jul 2016.
Awarded CM in 2024 (age 27). At junior level, he reached #2, #6 and #9 nationally in U20, U18 and U16.
Current rating
1851
Standard
Rpd1796·Blz1761
All-time high
1934
−83 pts below
Apr 2016 · age 19
Apr 2016 · age 19
Activity
22
games / yr avg. · ≈2/mo
40 past 12 mo · ≈3/mo
classical only
Moderately active
classical only
Moderately active
Signature stat
#61,170
#61,170 · players worldwide · of 218,279
Career timeline
14 entries2024
CM title awardedCM
at age 27
Apr 2024
2018
Inactive for 74 months
paused at 1883 → returned at 1902
Feb 2018
2016
2nd U20 player nationally
at age 19 · rated 1934
Dec 2016
100 career games
at age 19
Aug 2016
Peak national rank: #56
at age 19 · rated 1934
Jul 2016
Best 12-month gain (+213 Elo)
1721 → 1934
Apr 2016
Standard rating history
Peak
FIDE title
Threshold
First rated
Inactive period
COVID-19
FIDE recal.
Activity & highlights
Evolution
-20
1871 → 1851
Tournaments
7
38 games
Score
19.5/ 3851.3%
16W7D15L
Top 3 wins
Top 3 losses
2.[L]vsToleafoa Edward Tanoi1,884·Wellington Chess Club Championships 2026 B Grade Rounds 2-5·R1·-9.9
Last 12 months — tournaments
7 events| Event | Date | Score | Rank | Perf | Δ Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round-Robin | May 2026 | 4/3 | #1 | 2629 | +30.8 |
Round-Robin | Jan 2026 | 0.5/8 | #10 | 1518 | -47.8 |
Swiss | Jan 2026 | 3.5/9 | #24 | 1854 | -12.6 |
Round-Robin | Oct 2025 | 3.5/3 | #3 | 2555 | +11.2 |
Round-Robin | Oct 2025 | 2/3 | #4 | 1951 | -3.2 |
Round-Robin | Sep 2025 | 1/1 | #2 | 2374 | +3.0 |
Open Swiss | Jul 2025 | 5/7 | #11 | 1961 | -1.6 |
Most-Played Opponents
vsRussell John DiveIM
🇳🇿NZL·2116
+1 −5 =1
7 games·last met May 2025
View head-to-head →
vsQuentin J.F. Johnson
🇳🇿NZL·1912
+1 −3 =2
6 games·last met Jan 2026
View head-to-head →
vsTimothy RainsCM
🇳🇿NZL·1885
+1 −5 =0
6 games·last met Jul 2016
View head-to-head →
vsLayla TimergaziWIM
🇳🇿NZL·1940
+1 −3 =1
5 games·last met Dec 2024
View head-to-head →
vsDion Charles
🇳🇿NZL·1818
+4 −1 =0
5 games·last met Jan 2018
View head-to-head →
Rankings
/
New Zealand
#94
out of 648 players
Asia-Pacific
#7,294
in continent
World
#61,169
out of 400,000+
National ranking
Europe & World
Europe
World
New Zealand
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