Praggnanandhaa Achieves Top Junior Chess Ranking, Eliciting Humorous Response from Giri

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

Praggnanandhaa and Giri: A contrast of generations in chess.

"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 acknowledges the exceptional talent emerging from the younger generation, who are already challenging established players in the senior circuit.

Giri's comment followed Praggnanandhaa's impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. This win boosted the 19-year-old's live rating to 2778.3, positioning him as World No.4 overall and surpassing all other Indian players.

Praggnanandhaa's triumph saw him overtake D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) in the Indian rankings.

His path to victory was hard-fought. He secured a crucial win against Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the final classical round, forcing a three-way tie after starting the day behind Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov.

In the ensuing blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa displayed remarkable composure, ultimately clinching the tournament in the second set of rapid games, marking his third major classical title this year.

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

The UzChess Cup adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025 season, which includes victories at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently secured second place at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment may be tongue-in-cheek, Praggnanandhaa's achievements highlight a significant shift in the chess world. The future of the sport is undeniably bright in India, fueled by the talent and determination of its young players.