Anish Giri's Jocular Take on Praggnanandhaa's Ascent to Top Junior Chess Ranking

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

"Chess juniors nowadays have to be at least U16; 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 highlights the incredible rise of young talents who are already making waves in the senior chess world.

This comment 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 the World No.4 overall and surpassing established players to become India's highest-rated chess player. He overtook World Champion D Gukesh (2776.6) and Arjun Erigaisi (2775.7) in the process.

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

In the intense blitz tiebreaks, Praggnanandhaa demonstrated remarkable composure, ultimately clinching the tournament in the second set of rapid games. This victory marked his third major classical title of the year.

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

With this win, Praggnanandhaa adds the UzChess Cup to his impressive 2025 collection, which already includes victories at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament and the Superbet Classic in Romania. He also recently secured a runner-up position at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial.

While Giri’s comment offered a lighthearted perspective on the junior rankings, Praggnanandhaa’s achievements underscore a significant trend: the future of world chess is rapidly evolving, with India at the forefront.