Praggnanandhaa's Rise to World No. 1 Junior Draws Playful Jab from Giri

Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri, known for his wit, stirred the chess community with a playful reaction to R Praggnanandhaa's recent achievement. The 31-year-old Giri's comment came after Praggnanandhaa became the world's top-rated junior chess player.

Giri, currently ranked world No. 10 with a live rating of 2748.0, quipped, "Chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16, keeping track of U20 players is totally pointless." His statement alluded to the exceptional talent emerging at a young age, directly challenging the established elite in senior world rankings.

This remark followed Praggnanandhaa's impressive victory at the UzChess Cup Masters 2025 in Uzbekistan. The 19-year-old's performance pushed his live rating to 2778.3, making him the World No. 4 overall and India's highest-rated player. He surpassed World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7), thus climbing the Indian chess ladder.

Praggnanandhaa's path to victory was dramatic. He started the final day trailing Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov. However, he secured a crucial win against Abdusattorov in the last classical round, forcing a three-way tie.

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

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

This win at the UzChess Cup adds to Praggnanandhaa's impressive 2025 achievements, including victories at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently finished as runner-up at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri's comment was lighthearted, Praggnanandhaa's performance highlights a crucial point: the future of world chess is here, and India is becoming a dominant force.