Best élite short stories

Carla Samuel wins 61% of its duels and tops the Elite short story ranking ahead of Nadia Guzmán.

Carla Samuel edges out Nadia Guzmán by 41 ELO points at the top, while the podium holds tight with just 38 points separating first from third. The real divide lies between rank 3 and rank 4: Guzmán Caye Rebe sits 118 ELO points ahead of Omar Ander Alexis, the sharpest gap in the ranking. That chasm suggests a clear preference among voters for the top three stories, with Omar Ander Alexis trailing at 1082 points and a 26% win rate. Carla Samuel's lead is no fluke, built on 18 duels and consistent preference, while Nadia Guzmán has faced more tests with 26 duels and still holds firm in second.

This ranking draws from 429 duels submitted by 91 players across 4 Elite short stories. Updated on 11 October 2026, it captures the community's verdict so far, but the standings remain open. If you have a favourite short story or think the podium needs shaking up, cast your vote and shift the ELO points. Every duel counts, and the gaps are narrow enough at the top to make your choice matter.

Updated on October 11, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →