Inside the November 2026 USCF Supplement: Texas Breaks 178K Points, +240 Co-Champions, 2026 YTD Monster Climbers & Active Rating Percentiles | Control The Center

October is when the casual summer tourist season officially dies and the real autumn grind begins. Across the country, October tournament rooms were packed with scholastic qualifiers, collegiate leagues, and heavy-hitting regional Swisses—headlined by the U.S. Class Championship in Texas, the Continental Class Championship, the Midwest Class Championship in Illinois, and packed weekend classical opens at the Marshall Chess Club and Charlotte Chess Center.

When the November 2026 USCF Rating Supplement locked in, the numbers told a story of massive autumn acceleration. Exactly 13,089 active tournament players gained regular over-the-board (OTB) classical rating points between October 1 and November 1—a +27.0% surge over October's 10,304 gainers, practically matching the midsummer U.S. Open peak (13,396).

Even wilder? For the first time all year, two established 1600+ competitors finished in a dead heat for #1 nationwide at +240 points apiece, Texas shattered every single-month regional record on our books with +178,604 net rating points gained, and we unlocked two brand-new features for this month's report: the 2026 Year-to-Date (Jan–Nov) Monster Climbers Leaderboard and the Official November 2026 Active USCF Rating Percentile Table so you can see exactly where your rating stacks up nationwide.

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📊 1. November 2026 Macro Trends: The Autumn Tournament Boom

If September is when players catch their breath after Labor Day, October is when the scholastic and club engines hit full throttle. Look at how the national gainer volume snapped right back to peak summer levels in the November 2026 supplement:

• July → August 2026 Supplement: 13,155 active rating gainers (World Open & summer circuit).
• August → September 2026 Supplement: 13,396 active rating gainers (126th U.S. Open climax).
• September → October 2026 Supplement: 10,304 active rating gainers (Labor Day consolidation).
• October → November 2026 Supplement: 13,089 active rating gainers (+27.0% autumn rebound).

Three forces drove this October-to-November surge:

1. Class Championships Reward Bracket Dominators: Events like the U.S. Class and Midwest Class pair players strictly within their own 200-point rating band (Class B vs. Class B, Expert vs. Expert). Instead of getting crushed in Round 2 of an Open section by a 2450 International Master, a well-prepared 1750 player can go 5.0/5 against peers and walk away with +120 to +180 rating points in a single weekend.
2. Scholastic & Collegiate Fall Qualifiers: Thousands of K–12 and university competitors logged 8 to 15 classical games in October ahead of the National K–12 Grade Championships, pumping fresh rating points from the bottom of the pyramid straight into the middle classes.
3. High-Rated International & Unrated Debuts: Several FIDE-titled and battle-hardened international players entered the USCF classical pool for the first time in November, led by Texas's Ido Gorshtein debuting at 2672/14 (USCF ID: 33229799), Krzysztof Raczek debuting at 2605/23 (USCF ID: 33243623), Texas's Manish Anto Cristiano Francis Xavier debuting established at 2452* (USCF ID: 33222534), and Amina Kairbekova debuting at 2405/15 (USCF ID: 33239056).

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⚡ 2. The Provisional Surge: Online-to-OTB Calibration Jumps (Under 26 Games)

Anyone who plays weekend Swiss tournaments knows the feeling: you sit down at Board 14, check the pairing sheet, and see your opponent is rated 565/07. Twelve moves into a razor-sharp Sicilian, you realize they know 18 moves of main-line theory and calculate three-move tactical shots in ten seconds.

Because the USCF provisional algorithm (under 26 lifetime games) recalculates a player's effective performance across their entire game history rather than using a fixed K-factor, online blitz and rapid grinders who enter their second or third physical tournament regularly post 400-to-800-point single-month leaps.

Breakout Spotlights: November's Biggest Provisional Leaps

• Mason Smith (IL, USCF ID: 31595825): Entered October rated 292/05. Over just four classical tournament games in Illinois, Smith tore through higher-rated opposition to surge +826 points to 1118/09—the largest single-month rating jump in America.
• Rohan Baratam (TX, USCF ID: 33183232): Logged an ironman 16-game October campaign in Texas, rocketing +738 points from 565/07 to 1303/23.
• Danthony Boza (FL, USCF ID: 32868964): Played 10 games in the Florida autumn circuit, jumping +584 points from 370/05 to 954/15.
• Abubakar Bokum (NY, USCF ID: 33131735): Climbed +582 points across 11 New York classical games, moving from 105/04 to 687/15.
• Chengyang Zhu (NJ, USCF ID: 31349236): Entered at 410/14 and played 12 games in New Jersey to gain +575 points, graduating into a permanent established rating at 985*.
• Yoonsuhanuuroo Kim (NJ, USCF ID: 30985914): Ranked #11 overall among provisional gainers (+462 points), Kim jumped from 1345/21 straight to an established 1807* Class A rating in just five games!

Top 25 Provisional Rating Gainers (Under 26 Games)

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⚔️ 3. Top Established Master & Class Climbs (26+ Games, Oct Rating ≥ 1600)

Once you pass 26 lifetime games, the provisional training wheels come off. At the 1600+ level, every opponent knows how to punish a loose pawn and defend a worse rook endgame. Gaining 150+ points in a single month with an established rating means you didn't just have a good weekend—you systematically dismantled your rating bracket. This month produced a statistical rarity: a two-way tie at +240 points for the #1 established rating climb in the United States.

Standout Established Climbers of November 2026

• Luka Morris (CA, USCF ID: 16851466) — #1 Tied (+240 pts): Entering October at 1781, Morris went on an absolute tear in California classical play, piling up +240 rating points to hit 2021—skipping past the top of Class A and landing directly in USCF Candidate Master / Expert territory. Even more impressive: Morris started January 2026 at 1547, making him a +474-point Year-to-Date climber!
• Jasper Leopold (MN, USCF ID: 31762845) — #1 Tied (+240 pts): Matching Morris point-for-point from the Upper Midwest, Minnesota's Jasper Leopold skyrocketed +240 points from 1651 to 1891, transforming from a Class B competitor into a nearly 1900 Class A force in a single rating cycle.
• Ojas Daftuar (CA, USCF ID: 31681712): Claimed #3 nationwide with a +173-point surge from 1621 to 1794 in California.
• Declan Pham (MT, USCF ID: 30330769): Put Montana on the national leaderboard at #4, climbing +167 points from 1634 to 1801 to break into Class A.
• Aaron Lutz (PA, USCF ID: 15182485): Gained +165 points from 1602 to 1767 across Pennsylvania classical action.
• Prajit Ravishankar (NY, USCF ID: 33157449): Starting from 2097 Expert, Ravishankar blasted through New York master fields to gain +145 points, reaching 2242 and claiming the month's biggest New National Master breakout!

Top 20 Established Climbs (26+ Games, Oct Rating ≥ 1600)

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👑 4. Milestone Crossings: Senior Masters (2400+) & National Masters (2200+)

Crossing a century mark in the USCF rating system changes how every opponent looks at your name on the pairing wall: 2000 USCF (Expert) represents the top ~3.5% of active players, 2200 USCF (National Master) represents the top ~1.2%, and 2400 USCF (Senior Master) represents the top ~0.3%.

• New Senior Masters (2400+): 2 established masters crossed 2400.
• New National Masters (2200+): 20 established players crossed 2200.
• New Candidate Masters / Experts (2000+): 79 established players crossed 2000 (up from 62 in October).

A. New Senior Masters (Crossed 2400 USCF)

Illinois swept the 2400 Senior Master promotions in November, with two battle-tested masters breaking through in Midwest classical competition:

B. Top Master-Level Climbs (October Rating ≥ 2200)

California's Serkan Salik (+55 to 2265) and Laurie Qiu (+48 to 2267) led the nation in master-tier gains, while Texas prodigy Rachael Li gained +38 points from 2451 to 2489, moving within 11 points of the ultra-exclusive 2500 USCF club, and New York's Megan Althea Paragua jumped +36 points from 2337 to 2373:

C. Highlighted New National Masters (Crossed 2200 USCF)

Twenty players earned their lifetime USCF National Master title in the November 2026 supplement, led by New York's Prajit Ravishankar (+145 to 2242) and Pennsylvania's Keivan Ansari Now (+66 to 2200):

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🏙️ 5. State-by-State Power Rankings: Texas Shatters the 178,000-Point Barrier

Last month, Texas dethroned New York and California with +95,384 net rating points. This month, Texas went thermonuclear. Fueled by the U.S. Class Championship, massive scholastic fall leagues across Dallas, Houston, and Austin, and non-stop weekend opens, Texas accumulated +178,604 net rating points across 2,189 gainers—averaging an unheard-of 81.6 points per gainer. Meanwhile, New York (+145,375 pts across 1,923 gainers) surged past California (+127,002 pts across 1,692 gainers) to reclaim #2 nationwide.

State-by-State Power Rankings Table (Top 15 States)

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📈 6. NEW: Where Do You Rank? Official November 2026 Active USCF Rating Percentiles

One of the most common questions tournament players ask is: "What percentile is my USCF rating right now?" To answer this with 100% empirical precision, we filtered the entire 1,320,374-player November 2026 registry down to the 95,963 players holding an Active (A) USCF membership and a valid regular OTB rating.

Because of the massive wave of K–12 scholastic players entering tournament chess, 58.3% of active USCF members (55,942 players) are rated under 1000, placing the national active median (50th percentile) at 836. Once you cross 1400 (Class C), you are already ahead of 75% of all active rated USCF members.

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🔥 7. NEW: The 2026 Year-to-Date (Jan → Nov) Monster Climbers & OTB Blitz Breakouts

Single-month rating jumps capture a hot streak, but 10-month longitudinal climbs reveal who has truly transformed their game in 2026. By cross-referencing every player who already held an established 1400+ rating on January 1, 2026 against the new November 1, 2026 supplement, we uncovered the ten hardest-charging established improvers of the year.

Leading the entire United States for 2026 is Illinois competitor Nathan Scott Frommelt, who has surged +514 established points from 1449 in January to 1963 in November. Right behind him at #2 is Minnesota's Will Knight Velin (+503 points from 1402 to 1905), followed by North Carolina's Atticus Kresge (+499 points from 1474 to 1973) and this month's co-champion Luka Morris (+474 points from 1547 to 2021).

Top 10 Year-to-Date Established Climbers (Jan 2026 → Nov 2026, Jan Rating ≥ 1400)

OTB Blitz Breakouts (rtgblitz)

Beyond classical time controls, November also saw explosive movement in USCF Over-The-Board Blitz among established 1500+ players:

• Robert Abramovich (FL, USCF ID: 30587270): Surged +301 OTB Blitz points from 1582 to 1883.
• Gabriel Joseph Araujo (FL, USCF ID: 31316019): Jumped +242 OTB Blitz points from 1671 to 1913.
• Anzhelika Lomakina (TX, USCF ID: 16641621): Climbed +191 OTB Blitz points from 1705 to 1896.
• Caleb Beharrell (CA, USCF ID: 32443174): Gained +186 OTB Blitz points from 1690 to 1876.
• Abigail Zhou (NY, USCF ID: 30290965): Gained +185 OTB Blitz points from 1579 to 1764.

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🎯 8. Tactical & Repertoire Lessons from the November Climbers

1. Stop Playing Hope Chess in Class Tournaments: To jump from 1450 to 1950+ in a single calendar year, you have to eliminate one-move tactical gambits that rely on opponent blunders. Build an airtight, repeatable structure in the Queen's Gambit Declined, Caro-Kann, Catalan, or Italian Giuoco Pianissimo so you reach move 20 with a clear middle-game plan every round. Test your opening lines directly against master databases on our Control The Center Opening Explorer.
2. Target Class-Bracket Events When You Are Underrated: If your tactical calculation has outpaced your lagging OTB rating, multi-schedule Class Championships (where you play 5 to 7 games strictly against the top of your own rating class) offer the highest mathematical rating ROI on the calendar.
3. Treat Provisional Scholastic Pairings Like Title Matches: With 58.3% of active USCF members rated under 1000 and provisional players routinely jumping +500 to +826 points in a single month, the rating printed next to a junior player's name is six months out of date. Play the board, never the number.

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