Praggnanandhaa's Chess Dominance Draws Humorous Reaction from Anish Giri

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his insightful commentary, stirred the chess community with a humorous reaction to R Praggnanandhaa's ascent to the World No. 1 junior ranking.

"Keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless," quipped Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, subtly acknowledging the exceptional talent emerging from the younger generation and their rapid rise in the senior ranks.

The remark followed Praggnanandhaa's impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The 19-year-old's performance propelled him to a live rating of 2778.3, making him World No. 4 overall and surpassing D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) to become India's highest-rated chess player.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was a thrilling one. He began the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov, but a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round forced a three-way tie.

In the ensuing blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa displayed remarkable composure, ultimately securing the tournament win in the second set of rapid games. This victory marks his third major classical title of the year.

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand praised the young player's resilience, stating, "This win seemed the least likely with just two rounds to go… An impressive demonstration of character."

This UzChess Cup triumph adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025, which includes wins at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently secured a runner-up finish at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment offers a playful perspective on junior rankings, Praggnanandhaa's success underscores the undeniable truth: the future of chess is here, and it's flourishing in India.