Gukesh D surpasses Viswanathan Anand as India's top-ranked chess player in FIDE rating list

Five-time world champion Anand held that position for 37 years.

In a significant achievement, Grandmaster D Gukesh has surpassed Viswanathan Anand to claim the esteemed title of being the highest-ranked Indian chess player. The 17-year-old prodigious talent has managed to surpass the legend, who had held the title of India's No.1 chess player for over three decades.

Anand, widely regarded as one of the greatest chess players of all time, has been an inspiration to countless aspiring chess players in India and around the world. Having held the No. 1 spot in India since July 1986, his reign has been a symbol of excellence and a source of pride for the Indian chess community. Though he has now been surpassed by Gukesh, his contributions to the game and his numerous accolades are indelible.

Gukesh, hailing from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has not only overtaken Anand but has also entered the ranks of the world's top 10 chess players. He has climbed three places in the ratings list since August 1, 2023. Currently ranked No. 8 in the world, Gukesh has firmly established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the international chess scene. He attained this esteemed accolade with a FIDE rating of 2758, surpassing Anand's rating of 2754.

It is worth mentioning that Gukesh is not the only young Indian chess prodigy making waves in the chess world. R Praggnanandhaa, another rising star from India, has also been making significant strides in his chess career. Recently, Praggnanandhaa caught the attention of the chess community by reaching the FIDE World Cup final, where he faced off against former world champion Magnus Carlsen.

As of the latest FIDE ratings, Praggnanandhaa has soared to the No. 19 position in the list with an impressive rating of 2727, which makes him the third Indian in the top 20 list of Chess players around the world with Gukesh D and Viswanathan Anand holding the top two positions.