In a historic moment for Indian chess, R Praggnanandhaa has claimed the title of India’s No. 1 chess player in the live classical rankings, surpassing D Gukesh after his brilliant win at the UzChess Cup Masters.
A Landmark Victory at UzChess Cup
The 19-year-old Grandmaster secured the title by defeating Uzbek GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov with Black pieces in the final round. This win not only clinched the tournament for him but also catapulted him to the fourth spot in the global live ratings, with an Elo of 2778.3.
Latest Global Chess Rankings
As per the latest live ratings:
R Praggnanandhaa – 2778.3 (India No. 1, World No. 4)
D Gukesh – 2776.6 (India No. 2, World No. 5)
Arjun Erigaisi – 2775.7 (India No. 3, World No. 6)
Viswanathan Anand – 2743.0 (India No. 4, World No. 13)
Aravindh Chithambaram – 2724.0 (India No. 5, World No. 24)
Meanwhile, Magnus Carlsen (2839.2) continues to lead the world rankings, followed by Hikaru Nakamura (2807) and Fabiano Caruana (2784.2).
Anand Congratulates Praggnanandhaa
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Praggnanandhaa, stating:
“Of all his wins this year, this one seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go. However, he defeated Arjun Erigaisi and today in the crucial match defeated Nodirbek Abdusattorov to tie for first place. In an impressive demonstration of character, he won his third tiebreak of the year as well. He is deservedly the new number four in the chess world and the highest rated player in India.”
Insights from Coach RB Ramesh
Pragg’s longtime coach RB Ramesh credited the shift in style for his recent success. He shared:
“Pragg is quite good in attack, but he was playing too solid in 2024. We discussed this and talked about being more adventurous, which you can see now.”
He also acknowledged the impact of Vaibhav Suri, who has been working closely with Praggnanandhaa as his second:
“Vaibhav has been helping us for a while, but only recently started accompanying Pragg to tournaments. It’s good to have someone who believes in you travel with you during important events. When things get tough, having that support helps you believe in yourself.”
R Praggnanandhaa’s rise marks a significant shift in the Indian chess scene, signaling a new generation ready to take on the world stage with skill, resilience, and strategy.
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