Format
Bwalya, Gillan
IM🇿🇲FIDE 8700257· Male· Zambia· Born in 1988
Follow Gillan BwalyaTrack his monthly FIDE ratings, games, tournaments and more.
Gillan Bwalya, a 38-year-old International Master, is rated 2310 and ranked 4th among ZAM players, and in the top 2% worldwide. He has held steady between 2300 and 2350 for 7 months. 158 rated games in the past year (≈54/year long-term). Recent standard appearances include 2026 HKS Open Chess Tournament - Open section, Silverest Open Chess Championship - Elite Section, and 2nd Annual Loft Chess Tournament - Open section. He had 2 career breaks: 21 months (2010–2012) and 13 months (2012–2014). His peak of 2411 was reached at age 34 (Sep 2022); he also reached #1 nationally in Jan 2020 and spent 62 months as #1, with a longest streak of 4 consecutive years.
Awarded IM in 2014 (age 26) and FM in 2012 (age 24).
Current rating
2310
Standard
Rpd2239·Blz2388
All-time high
2411
−101 pts below
Sep 2022 · age 34
Sep 2022 · age 34
Activity
99
games / yr avg. · ≈8/mo
158 past 12 mo · ≈13/mo
classical only
Very active
classical only
Very active
Signature stat
#4
#4 · ZAM players · of 508
62 months in #1 nationally (2020–2026)
62 months in #1 nationally (2020–2026)
Career timeline
26 entries2026
62 months in National #1
longest streak 51 months · since Jan 2020
Mar 2026
2025
Re-crossed 2300
at age 37
Nov 2025
2022
Re-crossed 2400
at age 34
Sep 2022
All-time peak 2411
at age 34 · −101 from today
Sep 2022
500 career games
at age 34
Sep 2022
2020
Crossed 2400
at age 32
Mar 2020
Standard rating history
Activity & highlights
Best result
The Travellers and tours 2025 Chess championship - Open Sectionperf 2513 (+210) · 8/9 · #1
Top opponent
Evolution
+6
2304 → 2310
Tournaments
16
142 games
Score
93.5/ 14265.8%
84W39D19L
Top 3 wins
Top 3 losses
Last 12 months — tournaments
16 events| Event | Date | Score | Rank | Perf | Δ Elo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Open Swiss | Mar 2026 | 4.5/8 | #18 | 2098 | -19.9 |
Swiss | Jan 2026 | 6.5/9 | #2 | 2446 | +16.0 |
Open Swiss | Dec 2025 | 7/8 | #1 | 2404 | +5.8 |
Open Swiss | Dec 2025 | 5/6 | #6 | 2409 | -0.1 |
Swiss | Nov 2025 | 6.5/8 | #1 | 2469 | +15.3 |
Open Swiss | Nov 2025 | 5.5/8 | #5 | 2267 | -1.7 |
Open Swiss | Oct 2025 | 5/8 | #6 | 2047 | -19.4 |
Swiss | Oct 2025 | 3.5/6 | #13 | 2073 | -10.5 |
Open Swiss | Sep 2025 | 8/9 | #1 | 2513 | +20.5 |
Swiss | Aug 2025 | 7/9 | #2 | 2404 | +12.4 |
Most-Played Opponents
vsRichmond PhiriIM
🇿🇲ZAM·2212
+11 −6 =19
36 games·last met Jan 2026
View head-to-head →
vsKelvin ChumfwaIM
🇿🇲ZAM·2209
+13 −7 =13
33 games·last met Sep 2025
View head-to-head →
vsKabwe Timothy
🇿🇲ZAM·2215
+12 −6 =11
29 games·last met Nov 2025
View head-to-head →
vsJustin Daka
🇿🇲ZAM·2194
+16 −4 =8
28 games·last met Mar 2026
View head-to-head →
vsGodwin PhiriCM
🇿🇲ZAM·2164
+18 −2 =6
26 games·last met Mar 2026
View head-to-head →
Rankings
/
Zambia
#4
out of 534 players
Africa
#39
in continent
World
#3,779
out of 400,000+
National ranking
Europe & World
Europe
World
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