R Praggnanandhaa back in world top 10, dethrones Erigaisi as India No. 1
(Courtesy : @FIDE_Chess/Twitter)
He is the only indian in top 10
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Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu has climbed back into the world’s top 10 for the first time in seven months, and he’s officially India’s number one player as well, overtaking Arjun Erigaisi on the September 2026 FIDE rating list.
The 21-year-old Indian grandmaster jumped to world number 8 with a rating of 2761 and gained 11 points after a huge month in St. Louis, where he won the Grand Chess Tour title.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround since May, when Praggnanandhaa was rated 2733 and ranked world No. 17. He was bottom of the table after six rounds at Norway Chess before staging a stunning comeback with four straight wins to clinch the title outright.
Praggnanandhaa carried his momentum through the summer, winning the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz in August. He led from day one to claim his maiden Rapid and Blitz title along with $50,000 in prize money.
Then came the Sinquefield Cup, where Praggnanandhaa tied for first with Wesley So on five and a half points out of nine, only to lose out in the play-off after So won the deciding Armageddon game. Still, the result was enough to put him on top of the Grand Chess Tour standings heading into the Finals.
How Praggnanandhaa sealed the Grand Chess Tour title
In the Finals, Praggnanandhaa beat Vincent Keymer of Germany in the semi-final before facing Fabiano Caruana for the title.
Praggnanandhaa lost the classical portion and found himself down 3 to 9 heading into rapid and blitz before clawing his way back to win the match 15 to 13. The comeback earned him his maiden Grand Chess Tour crown, along with $200,000 in prize money and a spot in next year’s edition of the tour.
India now has 15 players in the Open top-100 on this month’s list, including Viswanathan Anand, Nihal Sarin, Gukesh Dommaraju, and Vidit Gujrathi, among others.
On the women’s side, India has 11 players in the top-100, with teenagers Deekshitha Modipalli and Kalyani Sirin posting some of the biggest gains anywhere on the list this month.
What is Praggnanandhaa’s current world ranking?
Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu is ranked world number 8 on the September 2026 FIDE rating list, with a rating of 2761 after gaining 11 points.
How many Indian players are in the FIDE top 100 this month?
India has 15 players in the Open top 100, including Viswanathan Anand, Gukesh Dommaraju, Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi. On the women’s side, India has 11 players in the top 100, with Deekshitha Modipalli and Kalyani Sirin among the biggest rating gainers this month.
Has Praggnanandhaa ever won the FIDE World Championship?
No, Praggnanandhaa has not won the World Championship yet. His top accolades include the FIDE World Cup 2023 (runner-up), Tata Steel Masters 2025 and Norway Chess 2026 (both champion).
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