Praggnanandhaa's Rise Triggers Witty Response From Chess Star Giri

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his wit, stirred the chess community with a playful response to R Praggnanandhaa's achievement of becoming the world's top-ranked junior player.

"Keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless," quipped Giri, currently ranked world no. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0. His remark subtly acknowledged the rapid rise of young chess prodigies who are now challenging established players at the highest levels of the sport.

Giri's comment came on the heels of Praggnanandhaa's impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. This win propelled the 19-year-old's live rating to 2778.3, positioning him as World No. 4 overall and India's highest-rated chess player, surpassing even World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7).

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was dramatic. He started the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov but secured a critical win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round, forcing a three-way tie. In the ensuing blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa demonstrated remarkable composure, ultimately clinching the tournament in the second set of rapid games. This marks his third major classical title of the year.

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand lauded 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 victory 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 the runner-up position at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment may have been lighthearted, Praggnanandhaa's recent performance underscores a significant trend: the future of world chess is already here, and India is at the forefront.